Arsenal (The Gunners) | Special Thread
Arsenal (The Gunners) | Special Thread
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computerarsenal
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- Jan 27, 2020
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Matteo G hastahili kuchezea Arsenal PERIOD!.Willock na Matteo G hawa hawastahili hata kukaa jukwaani pale Emirates.
Relief Mirzska
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- Jun 13, 2017
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DullyJr
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- Apr 10, 2011
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Speaking on beIN SPORTS on Wednesday night, Wenger admitted his frustration that he couldn't get Gnabry to stay and reiterated previous claims Bayern 'manipulated' things behind the scenes and hinted that they would eventually come and get him if he went to Werder Bremen.Umesahau na Robben walivyoteremka Kitonga kutoka Real.
Pia Goretzka wamepiga Kitonga
Hawa wahuni noma sana! Mchezaji mwenye asili ya Kijerumani akitaniwa Bayern tu basi akili zote kichwani hutoka na kubaki debe tupu sawa na Mchezaji wa Kibrazili akitajiwa Barcelona
He said: 'I bought him at the age of 15 from Stuttgart and he was injured a lot.
'We had an agreement with him you know. I had given him out on loan to West Brom and he didn't play a game. He came back, he was injured.
'We worked very hard with him for six months and he went out with the German national team, Under-21s, and Bayern made a deal with Werder Bremen.
'He wanted to sign in the end, didn't want to extend his contract (with Arsenal) and I was very sad.
'But we couldn't get over the line with him because I knew he would have a great career.'
Aaron Arsenal
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- Jul 24, 2014
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'Some clubs are keeping an eye on Gabriel's situation (Man United and PSG) but are too far away. The advantage is always for Arsenal.' [@LOSC_Actualite]
Maoni yangu game ya PSG na Bayern fainali ya UEFA.
Kwanza PSG anafungwa. Kuifunga Bayern unahitaji mpira wa counter attack na basi la kiasi chake. PSG kwa ubora wa wachezaji wake itakua ni aibu kupaki basi hivyo atashambaulia na atajitahidi kumiliki mpira na kucheza tikitaka.
Timu ya mwisho kucheza tikitaka mbele ya Bayern ni Barcelona ilipigwa 8 kwa 2.
Natarajia katika kipindi cha kwanza PSG ama atakua hajaona goli kabisa au atakua na goli moja. Bayern watakua na goli kuanzia 2.
Matokeo full time ni kila mmoja kua na goli kuanzia 2.
PSG possession yao itasoma kuanzia 48-52, kwa kipindi cha kwanza na cha pili. Overall atakua na 52+ katika possession. Bayern haoni shida kumuacha mpinzani amiliki mpira labda kama huyo mpinzani atapaki basi. Game na Barcelona possession alizidi Barca.
Hizi timu zote ni wacheza faulo na kwakua hii game ni final na timu zitahustle kusaka kombe naona wakijirudi na kua wapole. Hivyo faulo itakua kwenye range ya 4 to 6.
PSG siyo wapiga mashuti. Mechi ya kwanza na Madrid ni mechi pekee ambayo walipiga shots nyingi mno mechi zilizofuata idadi ya shots zilipungua na kuendelea kupungua hii yaweza tokana na wafungaji wa kuaminiwa ni Mbape na Icardi hivyo wengine hawapigi shots mara kwa mara. PSG shots zake ni 0 to 10.
Bayern kwa upande wake yeyote anashinda hivyo hua na shots nyingi always. Hata kwenye mechi hii naamini atapiga shots 15+
Kadi kwenye hii fainali hazitatolewa sana. Wote hawa ni wacheza faulo lakini hua ni ngumu kuadhibiwa kwa kadi hivyo naona kadi zitakuana range ya 0 to 1 kwa wote wawili.
Kona, Bayern atapiga kona nyingi kuliko PSG. Shots nyingi anazopiga siyo zote zitakua on target zingine zitaenda nje na hizo ndiyo kona zenyewe. Bayern kona ni 7+ wakati PSG itakua na kona 4 to 6.
Katika off side hawa wote wawili off side Bayern itakua 0 to 1 na PSG itakua na offside 3+.
Katika pasi hawa wote watapiga pasi zaidi ya 415.
Different goalscorers kwangu ni 3+ timu ya Bayern ina watu wengi wanaokua wapo tayari kushinda hivyo hii itakua ni chansi ya kila mmoja kuscore na kuongeza idadi ya differente goalscorers.
Maoni yako?
Kwanza PSG anafungwa. Kuifunga Bayern unahitaji mpira wa counter attack na basi la kiasi chake. PSG kwa ubora wa wachezaji wake itakua ni aibu kupaki basi hivyo atashambaulia na atajitahidi kumiliki mpira na kucheza tikitaka.
Timu ya mwisho kucheza tikitaka mbele ya Bayern ni Barcelona ilipigwa 8 kwa 2.
Natarajia katika kipindi cha kwanza PSG ama atakua hajaona goli kabisa au atakua na goli moja. Bayern watakua na goli kuanzia 2.
Matokeo full time ni kila mmoja kua na goli kuanzia 2.
PSG possession yao itasoma kuanzia 48-52, kwa kipindi cha kwanza na cha pili. Overall atakua na 52+ katika possession. Bayern haoni shida kumuacha mpinzani amiliki mpira labda kama huyo mpinzani atapaki basi. Game na Barcelona possession alizidi Barca.
Hizi timu zote ni wacheza faulo na kwakua hii game ni final na timu zitahustle kusaka kombe naona wakijirudi na kua wapole. Hivyo faulo itakua kwenye range ya 4 to 6.
PSG siyo wapiga mashuti. Mechi ya kwanza na Madrid ni mechi pekee ambayo walipiga shots nyingi mno mechi zilizofuata idadi ya shots zilipungua na kuendelea kupungua hii yaweza tokana na wafungaji wa kuaminiwa ni Mbape na Icardi hivyo wengine hawapigi shots mara kwa mara. PSG shots zake ni 0 to 10.
Bayern kwa upande wake yeyote anashinda hivyo hua na shots nyingi always. Hata kwenye mechi hii naamini atapiga shots 15+
Kadi kwenye hii fainali hazitatolewa sana. Wote hawa ni wacheza faulo lakini hua ni ngumu kuadhibiwa kwa kadi hivyo naona kadi zitakuana range ya 0 to 1 kwa wote wawili.
Kona, Bayern atapiga kona nyingi kuliko PSG. Shots nyingi anazopiga siyo zote zitakua on target zingine zitaenda nje na hizo ndiyo kona zenyewe. Bayern kona ni 7+ wakati PSG itakua na kona 4 to 6.
Katika off side hawa wote wawili off side Bayern itakua 0 to 1 na PSG itakua na offside 3+.
Katika pasi hawa wote watapiga pasi zaidi ya 415.
Different goalscorers kwangu ni 3+ timu ya Bayern ina watu wengi wanaokua wapo tayari kushinda hivyo hii itakua ni chansi ya kila mmoja kuscore na kuongeza idadi ya differente goalscorers.
Maoni yako?
Rajab_Omar
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- May 15, 2016
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Maoni yako yapo vizuri wala hayapingiki but yanachalenjika.
Kwa mtazamo mwengine, Bayern ina udhaifu sehemu 2.
1) Defence yako bado haijawa stable wala si ya kutisha.
2) Ina wachezajai wachezaji maalum inaowategemea kwa ushindi na wala haitegemei Teamwork kwa ajili ya ushindi.
Ufafanuzi:
Liverpool last season alimfunga Bayern ndani ya Arena ingawa beki wake tegemeo hakucheza ile game, unajua alimfungaje?
1) Udhaifu wa Defence:
Klopp baada ya kujua weakness ya Bayern aliplan kushambulia wa Washambuliaji watatu (Mane-Bobby-Salah) mwanzo mwisho bila ya kuwapa nafasi ya kupumzika, hatimad Midfielders za Bayern zote zikashuka Chini kusaidia Defenders dhidi ya Front 3 yetu, hapo ndiyo wakazidi kuwa butu kwenye ushambuliaji wao.
2) Kuwa na wachezaji maalum wanaowategemea kwa ushindi.
Bayern ni sawa na Barca ya Messi, Bayern mindset yao ni kuwa wanamuangalia Lewando aweze kudeliver akisaidiwa na Gnabry.
Unajua ingawa Walikuwa uwanja wa Nyumbani lakini kwa nini Lewando hakupiga On Target hata moja dhidi ya Liverpool ingawa Liverpool haikuwa na Beki wake Tegemeo VVD?
Klopp alipojuwa kuwa Bayern inategemea Wachezaji maalum kuweza kudeliver, Alimpaka Fabinho CB na kumkabidhi kazi ya kumbana Lewando mwanzomwisho na akafanikiwa kwani Lewando hakufurukuta.
Pia Gnabry akawekwa mfukoni! Waliobakia hawakuwa na ujanja tena wakabakia kuwa headless Chicken kwani Lewando wao ameshapotezwa.
Mwisho:
PSG bado wanayo nafasi nzuri ya kuifunga Bayern ikiwa wataamua kuwatumia Washambuliaji wao kulisakama lango la Bayern mwanzo mwisho (Wakabie juu).
Wakipaki Basi tu wataliwa mchana kweupe.
Kiufupi wakichemka tu wameliwa kiulaini.
DullyJr
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- Apr 10, 2011
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New Arsenal star Willian says Auba 'has to stay' at the Emirates this summer
Arsenal star Willian has urged his new Arsenal team-mate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to commit his future to the club, admitting: 'It is very important to me'.
'I joined Arsenal because we can challenge for titles but Pierre will be a big part of the plan,' he told the Sun.
'He has to stay — it is very important to me.'
'This is a guy who gets 25-30 goals a season and we have to keep a player like that.
'He's one of the best players in our team and somebody I want to be making chances for.'
Willian admitted his countryman and former Chelsea team-mate David Luiz lured him into joining Arsenal.
'He [Luiz] is very happy. We played together in the national team, we played together at Chelsea, and now at Arsenal again,' he told the club's website.
'I think we can do great things together, I hope so, but I'm very happy to be with him again.
'He said, "Come to Arsenal, come to Arsenal, I want you to come!" So that was the conversation.
The club are close to signing Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes while the likes of Sokratis and Calum Chambers have been linked with an exit.
Arsenal star Willian has urged his new Arsenal team-mate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to commit his future to the club, admitting: 'It is very important to me'.
'I joined Arsenal because we can challenge for titles but Pierre will be a big part of the plan,' he told the Sun.
'He has to stay — it is very important to me.'
'This is a guy who gets 25-30 goals a season and we have to keep a player like that.
'He's one of the best players in our team and somebody I want to be making chances for.'
Willian admitted his countryman and former Chelsea team-mate David Luiz lured him into joining Arsenal.
'He [Luiz] is very happy. We played together in the national team, we played together at Chelsea, and now at Arsenal again,' he told the club's website.
'I think we can do great things together, I hope so, but I'm very happy to be with him again.
'He said, "Come to Arsenal, come to Arsenal, I want you to come!" So that was the conversation.
The club are close to signing Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes while the likes of Sokratis and Calum Chambers have been linked with an exit.
DullyJr
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- Apr 10, 2011
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Spurs poised to make shock Maitland-Niles move
Tottenham Hotspur are ready to test derby rivals Arsenal’s resolve with an ambitious bid to sign Ainsley Maitland-Niles, according to the Daily Mail.
Spurs are keen to bolster their options at right-back following Kyle Walker-Peters’ departure to Southampton, while Serge Aurier has also been linked with a move away from the club.
As per the report, Arsenal are willing to listen to offers of around £20m for the versatile 22-year-old, who can play on either side of the defence or higher up the pitch as well as in central midfield.
Tottenham’s recruitment team see Maitland-Niles’ versatility as a bonus and may be poised to make an offer.
View attachment 1543655View attachment 1543656
Tottenham Hotspur are ready to test derby rivals Arsenal’s resolve with an ambitious bid to sign Ainsley Maitland-Niles, according to the Daily Mail.
Spurs are keen to bolster their options at right-back following Kyle Walker-Peters’ departure to Southampton, while Serge Aurier has also been linked with a move away from the club.
As per the report, Arsenal are willing to listen to offers of around £20m for the versatile 22-year-old, who can play on either side of the defence or higher up the pitch as well as in central midfield.
Tottenham’s recruitment team see Maitland-Niles’ versatility as a bonus and may be poised to make an offer.
View attachment 1543655View attachment 1543656
Aaron Arsenal
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- Jul 24, 2014
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Good morning guys,.
..Today is Pierre Emirick Aubameyang day. Usishangae Gabriel nae ikawa ndio hivyo
..Today is Pierre Emirick Aubameyang day. Usishangae Gabriel nae ikawa ndio hivyo
DullyJr
JF-Expert Member
- Apr 10, 2011
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- 11,871
Long read: Arsenal’s incredible 2019-20 season – Part 1
By
arseblog
-
August 20, 2020
11
[https://arseblog]
Arsenal’s 2019-20 season is one which will live long in the memory. It ended with FA Cup success, but between managerial comings and goings, on and off field shenanigans, player issues, and boardroom upheaval – played out in part against the backdrop of a global pandemic – it’s one that few will ever forget.
If you think you remember every little bit, think again. We’ve put together this blow by blow account of the key events, beginning with pre-season 2019, all the way through to the present day.
You can find the link to part 2 at the bottom.
—
July 8th
The Arsenal first team return to London Colney for pre-season training. 41 days have elapsed since we were beaten 4-1 in the Europa League final by Chelsea.
July 9th
After months of speculation, Edu is confirmed as the club’s new Technical Director.
Raul Sanllehi says, “His arrival is the final and very important part of the jigsaw in our development of a new football infrastructure to take us forward.”
July 11th
Seemingly out of the blue, club captain Laurent Koscielny refuses to travel to the US for the pre-season tour. The club release a statement saying, “We are very disappointed by Laurent’s actions, which are against our clear instructions.”
The rest of the squad jet off to the US for a pre-season tour that includes games against the Colorado Rapids, Bayern Munich, Fiorentina and Real Madrid.
July 12th
Edu flies out to the States and is caught on camera in deep discussion with Raul Sanllehi and Vinai Venkatesham as the first team are put through their paces in Los Angeles.
July 13th
French outlet TF1 reports that Arsenal have made an €80m bid for Lille star Nicolas Pepe. Despite excitement at the possibility, it is generally seen as an unlikely deal due to the size of the fee.
July 15th
A collection of fan groups, websites, and Arsenal related signatories release a statement expressing concerns at the way the club is being run by KSE. Under the umbrella of ‘We care, do you?‘, the movement gains major traction across traditional and new media.
“In his takeover document, Stan Kroenke said: ‘KSE’s ambitions for the club are to see it competing consistently to win the Premier League and the Champions League.’
“ We see little evidence of how this is to be achieved.”
The Gunners beat Colarado Rapids. Carl Jenkinson plays and debutant Gabriel Martinelli scores.
July 16th
Josh Kroenke responds to the criticism with an open letter to fans. In it, he says, “Be excited”, when it comes to transfers, and insists the club are “are putting processes in place to ensure we are stacked not only with talent, but talent with the proper mentality to help us achieve our highest goals in the future.”
July 18th
Former Head of Recruitment Sven Mislintat shares some of the reasons behind his departure, suggesting the current leadership were eschewing a rounded approach to recruitment for one more closely based around agents.
“Previously we had a strong systematic approach to transfers, a mixture of watching things live as well as quality data and video analysis – Arsenal actually owns their own data company. That meant that we acted independently, we knew about all markets and players in all positions that came into question.
“However, the new leadership work more strongly with what they are offered from clubs or agents through their own networks.”
July 24th
The Gunners land back in London with three wins under their belt. It might have been a full house but for a shootout defeat to Real Madrid. Several of the players now have bleached blond hair.
July 25th
Dani Ceballos and William Saliba join Arsenal. The Real Madrid man arrives on a season-long loan. The young French defender is recruited for £27 million and is immediately loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the year ahead.
July 26th
Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac are involved in a frightening incident in which they are threatened at knife-point in an attempted carjacking. The Bosnian international chases off one of the thugs before the players and their partners take refuge in a Turkish restaurant in Golders Green.
July 27th
David Ornstein drops an Ornshell on the fanbase by revealing Arsenal have agreed an €80m fee with Lille for Nicolas Pepe.
In a summer when Arsenal’s very public pursuit of Wilfried Zaha has played out, the club decides not to sign the left-sided, right-footed winger Unai Emery wants, and instead looks set to splash out on a right-sided, left-footed player.
August 1st
Nicolas Pepe officially joins Arsenal in a club-record £72m deal.
[https://arseblog]
“I am convinced that Arsenal is the right choice,” says the Ivorian international.
Unsurprisingly, the signing has the fans buzzing.
August 4th
Arsenal lose 2-1 to Barcelona in the Nou Camp in a final pre-season run out. Luis Suarez grabs a 90th-minute winner after some tragi-comic defending by Shkodran Mustafi.
August 5th
The issue of the Arsenal captaincy is raised as the departure of Laurent Koscielny draws closer. Nearly a month has elapsed since the Frenchman went on strike but Granit Xhaka, one of the leading candidates, reveals that Unai Emery has yet to make up his mind about who should have the armband.
August 6th
Laurent Koscielny joins Bordeaux. In a statement, he says discussions over his desire to leave have been going on for ‘months’. With the transfer window closing in two days, Arsenal have little time to find a replacement.
August 8th – Transfer Deadline Day
Arsenal make the long-awaited signing of Kieran Tierney, paying Celtic a fee believed to be close to £25m. Injuries mean he will have to wait for his debut.
David Luiz signs from Chelsea, for a fee of £8m, despite the fact he’d recently just signed a new contract with Chelsea. His agent is Kia Joorabchian, someone with whom Edu has had a long-standing working relationship.
Alex Iwobi leaves for Everton in a deal worth £35m – Joorabchian is tasked with representing Arsenal despite having no connection with the player previously.
Eddie Nketiah joins Leeds on loan.
August 9th
Unai Emery addresses the captaincy issue, saying, “At the moment we have three captains: Xhaka, Mesut and Nacho, and I want to take two more because my opinion is the same as it was in the pre-season with five. I want to be with my squad clearly to have two more.
“At the moment we have three captains and I think they have the capacity to give us possibilities as captain.”
Meanwhile, Ozil and Kolasinac are to miss the season opener against Newcastle due to ‘security concerns’.
August 11th
Arsenal start the new campaign with a solid but unspectacular 1-0 win at Newcastle United. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabs the goal at a soaking wet St James’ Park.
August 16th
Despite not being officially named skipper, Granit Xhaka provides the ‘captain’s’ notes for the match-day programme for the first home game of the season against Burnley.
Two days earlier he admits it would be a ‘dream’ to be handed the armband.
August 20th
As he maintains a higher profile than his father, Josh Kroenke does another interview in which he says the ambition is to win the Premier League, and he backs the current squad to give it a try.
“Our ambitions are the same as the fans,” he tells the BBC. “We want to win and we want to win as much and as often as possible. And doing it a fun way, where they’re seeing some really entertaining football as well.
“I think we’ve got the group to do it.”
*cough*
August 24th
David Luiz concedes his first penalty in an Arsenal shirt, hauling down Mo Salah in the 3-1 defeat at Anfield.
Afterwards, he suggests that his blatant foul was not really that blatant, going on a bizarre ramble which features referees, VAR, a lack of power, and extra-large shirts.
August 31st
Just ahead of the North London derby, Arsenal sell fan-favourite Nacho Monreal to Real Sociedad for just £250,000.
Mohamed Elneny also exits the club, joining Besiktas on loan.
September 2nd
The day after playing a part in a 2-2 draw with Sp*rs, Henrikh Mkhitaryan joins Roma on a season-long loan.
He says, “The last month at Arsenal I was not getting pleasure, so that’s why I said it was better to come to Roma and to get happy and to get the pleasure from playing football again.”
September 12th
Young midfielder Joe Willock signs a new long-term contract.
September 13th
Unai Emery again references the captaincy issue, but it’s still not sorted after more than two months.
“Next week we are going to take the decision on the five captains,” he says. “We spoke about that with the team this morning and I am going to decide to make it official in the next week.”
Something that shouldn’t be a big deal, suddenly feels like a big deal.
September 15th
A 2-2 draw at Watford causes grave concern. Giving away a two-goal lead, Arsenal are at sixes and sevens, playing out from the back via the new goal kick rule causes panic and Sokratis makes a serious mistake to hand the Hornets a goal.
Watford finish the game having had 31 attempts on goal, the most they’ve ever had in a Premier League game. It’s also the most Arsenal have ever allowed in a Premier League game.
David Luiz concedes his second penalty of the season. Granit Xhaka says afterwards the team were ‘scared’, drawing condemnation from some fans, but it’s clear he’s referencing the fact the team are badly organised more than anything else.
Unai Emery reveals he withdrew Sevilla born and bred Dani Ceballos because it was ‘very hot’, but does get the backing of Managing Director Vinai Venkatesham who says, “We are very comfortable with him and his coaching staff. We think he is doing an excellent job, so we are very happy.”
September 18th
The captaincy decision is delayed again.
“I will propose to do that next week after the match on Tuesday,” says Emery.
September 23rd
In a remarkable game at the Emirates, 10-man Arsenal recover from Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ first half dismissal to beat Aston Villa 3-2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang nets a late free-kick winner.
There are rumblings of discontent throughout though, not least when Granit Xhaka is substituted during the second period and subjected to audible jeers as he makes his way off the pitch.
September 27th
Emery finally makes his captaincy decision, handing the armband to Granit Xhaka, while Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hector Bellerin and Alexandre Lacazette make up the rest of the captaincy group.
The Spaniard acknowledges that some in the fanbase have doubts about the Swiss, saying, “His challenge, and our challenge, is to change that opinion and above all, show personality and improve in each match and give us his help every time.”
This is a literary device known as ‘foreshadowing’.
October 2nd
Emi Martinez says he believes he can become number 1 at Arsenal, but the form of Bernd Leno means that this is an unlikely scenario and the Argentine will most probably remain the cup keeper at best.
This is a literary device known as ‘foreshadowing’.
October 4th
Mesut Ozil is an absentee from the Arsenal squad for the second successive game. There is no injury.
Emery explains, “When I decided he shouldn’t be in the squad it’s because I think other players deserved it more.”
October 6th
Arsenal beat Bournemouth 1-0 thanks to a goal from David Luiz. As it turns out, the Gunners won’t win another league game until December 9th.
October 10th
Head of Football Raul Sanllehi insists that a top-four finish is what’s expected of Unai Emery.
He also addresses the Ozil situation and says there are no barriers to his involvement beyond demonstrating he deserves to play ahead of others.
October 25th
After losing to Sheffield United in the league, Unai Emery says Ozil’s absence is an ‘agreed strategy’.
The German hasn’t featured since playing 71 minutes a League Cup game against Nottingham Forest. The head coach clumsily explains: “Here we have one agreed strategy as a club and a team, because the most important thing is the club, the team and finding a performance.
“Previously we were all speaking between us to take that decision. I know all the supporters want to know something, but now is not the moment.”
Whether it’s a quirk of Emery’s English, or something else, even the idea that team selection is being dictated by the boardroom is a worrying one.
October 27th
Arsenal draw 2-2 with Crystal Palace at the Emirates. The tense atmosphere between fans and players sparks an extraordinary second half incident involving Granit Xhaka.
With his number shown by the fourth official, the Swiss, clearly disappointed, slowly trudges from one side of the pitch to the other. The lack of urgency irks large swathes of fans who barrack him to hurry up. He responds by throwing the captain’s armband at Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, cups his ear, mouths ‘f**k off’ at the stands, and storms off down the tunnel.
[https://arseblog]
Afterwards, Unai Emery says, “I want to listen to him and be calm. But really he was wrong in this action.”
There is no self-reflection from the head coach about how his handling of the captaincy situation and the abysmal form his team is showing might also have played a part.
Arsenal are denied a late Sokratis winner by a ludicrous VAR decision which adjudges Calum Chambers guilty of a foul that wasn’t.
October 28th
The players back Xhaka by visiting his house in the aftermath of the incident and want him to remain captain. Emery says the midfielder is ‘devastated’ but refuses to say whether he’ll keep the armband.
Xhaka’s agent flies to London for talks with his client and the club. Arsenal want the player to apologise, and brief sections of the media that they will offer him ‘counselling’.
This does not go down well with Xhaka. He later releases a statement in which he details social media abuse from so-called ‘fans’, and calls for everyone to get back to a place of ‘mutual respect’.
There is no apology.
November 2nd
Arsenal draw 1-1 with Wolves at home. The pressure is mounting on Unai Emery, but he says he’s happy with what he’s getting from the players in spite of the scoreline.
“The result is a bad result, but tactically I think we worked how we wanted,” he says.
November 5th
Arsenal announce that Xhaka has been stripped of the captaincy, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang now made skipper.
Xhaka receives the public backing of Hector Bellerin ahead of a Europa League clash with Portuguese minnows Vitoria.
“For us, it’s just to give him our love and care and for us, he is one of us, so we’re just helping him get through it as well,” says the full-back.
The game against Vitoria is memorable only for how forgettable it is. Arsenal stumble to a draw.
November 8th
Ahead of what he deems a ‘must-win’ game against Leicester, Emery says Arsenal fans ‘must have patience‘ and says, ‘in some circumstances they did not help us’.
November 9th
Arsenal lose 2-0 to Leicester. The run is now one win in seven games. The head coach says, “My message to everyone at Arsenal would be to stay calm.”
November 10th
In The Athletic, David Ornstein writes of board support for the beleaguered Spaniard.
“With 26 games to be played, Arsenal’s powerbrokers feel there is plenty of time for their fortunes to be reversed and a run of positive results to transform the atmosphere. They are preaching qualities such as patience, confidence, belief, focus, resilience, togetherness and consistency.”
Few of those qualities are apparent in the team or its performances.
November 14th
It is reported that Raul Sanllehi has vetoed an attempt by the traditional board, now merely ceremonial in the wake of KSE’s 100% ownership, to have David O’Leary appointed to the executive committee.
It’s believed Arsenal’s record appearance holder could provide some oversight into the way the football side of the club is being run.
November 21st
Granit Xhaka hints strongly that he wants to leave Arsenal, stating he ‘can’t accept’ what has happened in terms of losing the captaincy and his treatment by fans.
Speaking during the Interlull, he says, “I have a clear idea as to how things should proceed, and Arsenal know this as well. Although I still have a contract with them, I will be glad to return to the club so we can finally sort matters out. There will surely be a solution, as I can’t accept what has happened with me.”
Meanwhile, Unai Emery says he knows how to improve performances as we get ready to face Southampton.
November 23rd
A last-minute equaliser from Alexandre Lacazette rescues a point as Arsenal draw 2-2 with Southampton at the Emirates. The Frenchman doesn’t even bother celebrating his goal.
The run is one win in eight. By mid-November, the Gunners have just four Premier League wins to their name.
November 24th
Rumours about Emery’s departure see the names of Mikel Arteta and Max Allegri mentioned as possible replacements.
‘We care, do you?‘ issue another statement. Even Robert Pires, the world’s most positive man when he talks about Arsenal, admits things are bad.
November 27th
Concerned with the direction of the club, and the fact that Champions League qualification seems a slim possibility, The Times reports that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has put talks to extend his contract on hold.
November 28th
Granit Xhaka returns to the Arsenal team for the first time since the incident against Crystal Palace.
The Gunners lose 2-1 at home to Frankfurt in the Europa League. Technically, due to a UEFA ban, there should be no visiting fans in the stadium. In reality, a huge chunk of Club Level is taken up by lagered-up Frankfurters having the time of their life. Arsenal’s fans are morose. It feels like things can’t get any worse.
Afterwards, Unai Emery says, “Now our moment is not good. We need to win and we need to gain confidence.”
November 29th
Unai Emery is sacked as Arsenal manager. Josh Kroenke says, “Our most sincere thanks go to Unai and his colleagues who were unrelenting in their efforts to get the club back to competing at the level we all expect and demand. We wish Unai and his team nothing but future success.”
Freddie Ljungberg is appointed ‘interim head coach’, and he says he wants to put smiles on faces again.
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November 30th
Josh Kroenke backs Freddie’s Arsenal DNA, and is present at the training ground to speak to the players.
He reveals the search for the new manager will be carried out by ‘Raul, Vinai, Edu and Huss.’
December 1st
Freddie’s first game in temporary charge sees the run without a win continue, as Arsenal draw 2-2 with Norwich at Carrow Road. With all Emery’s staff gone, Academy Manager Per Mertesacker is drafted in as the Swede’s assistant, with goalkeeping coach Sal Bibbo also there to make sure the bench doesn’t look too empty.
December 5th
Patrick Vieira’s name is added to those of Arteta, Allegri, Marcelino, Niko Kovac, and Nuno Espirito Santo as potential front-runners for the job.
December 9th
Arsenal win their first league game since October with a 3-1 win at West Ham. Nicolas Pepe, who has struggled for consistency since his £72m signing, scores a cracker.
Kieran Tierney, however, dislocates his shoulder and requires surgery that will keep him out until March.
December 15th
With Mikel Arteta sitting on the opposition bench, Arsenal go down meekly 3-0 to Man City at home.
Freddie urges some alacrity when it comes to appointing the new head coach, saying, “I’ve said to them [the board] they need to make a decision.”
Rather than discuss matters with Arteta in London, Vinai Venkatesham, and chief contract negotiator, Huss Fahmy, follow the Man City team bus back up north.
December 16th
Venkatesham and Fahmy, are pictured leaving Mikel Arteta’s home in Manchester; the clearest indication yet that the 37-year-old Spaniard is being lined up for the vacant head coach role.
Snapped by tabloid press in the dead of night, it’s said they were holding talks with the ex-Gunner for a couple of hours.
Back in London, Freddie Ljungberg promises to deal with Mesut Ozil after the German throws a strop when substituted in the City game.
“How he reacts is up to him and we will deal with it later,” he says. “I’m here on a day-to-day basis but of course we want players in the right way. He should be annoyed when he comes off.”
UEFA also pitch Arsenal against Olympiakos in the Europa League; a draw that looks straightforward enough.
Something something foreshadowing.
December 18th
Pep Guardiola says Mikel Arteta has been honest about his interest in the Arsenal job but he’s less than impressed by the fact the Gunners hierarchy have yet to make a formal approach.
“We were there two days ago,” he says, referencing the recent match. “They were talking with our sporting director, the CEO and they didn’t say anything. I don’t know if the meeting [with Arteta] was because they didn’t want to make it public, but in the end it was public.”
Asked about the prospect of Mikel Arteta taking over, Arsene Wenger, newly installed as FIFA’s head of global football, insists that the Spaniard has what it takes. He also praises interim coach Ljungberg.
“He (Arteta) is intelligent, he has passion, he has knowledge, but Ljungberg [does] as well,” says Wenger.
“I believe that Arteta has certainly a great future, he has certainly learned a lot in his first position as an assistant coach and after that as well he will have to deal with the fact that he has no experience at that level and he will have to get surrounded well.”
December 20th
After reaching an agreement with City, Arsenal confirm Mikel Arteta as the club’s new head coach.
The Spaniard is unveiled at a press conference at London Colney and immediately lays out his ambitions and what he expects from the first team squad.
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“This is a huge honour,” he says. “Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“We need to be competing for the top trophies in the game and that’s been made very clear to me in my discussions with Stan and Josh Kroenke, and the senior people from the club. We all know there is a lot of work to be done to achieve that but I am confident we’ll do it.
“I’m realistic enough to know it won’t happen overnight but the current squad has plenty of talent and there is a great pipeline of young players coming through from the academy.”
“We met several top-class candidates and Mikel stood out to every single one of us as the perfect person for us,” says Raul.
With comic timing, Unai Emery reveals that Arsenal had wanted to extend his contract earlier in the season. Then things went sour.
December 21st
Mikel Arteta continues to make a positive first impression. After watching the club disintegrate from afar, he knows he has to change the day-to-day mood when he lays his foundations.
He says: “We have to create the right culture around the club that’s going to make a good living out of the players, create an environment where everybody respects each other, a humility and people have to be accountable for what we want to achieve. That’s the basics and then after we can grow from there. Then we can create an identity that I have in my head for this football club. But we have to start somewhere to try to build that up.”
On the same day, he watches from the stands as a young Arsenal side play out a very drab 0-0 draw with another of his former clubs, Everton. Asked why Ozil was absent, Freddie Ljungberg says the midfielder was injured but that he wouldn’t have played him anyway.
He also reflects on his short spell in charge, saying it’s been a challenge working with such a small coaching set-up.
“It was from one day to another – and I think we had six people leaving,” he says. “You try to fill the gaps and do a lot of jobs yourself. I learned a lot about myself and tried to organise things, to get it done. It’s been a big honour but as well it’s been a challenge to try to sort those things out.”
December 22nd
Mikel Arteta takes his first training session.
December 23rd
Having inherited a lot of issues on and off the pitch, Arteta lays out his philosophy from the start, insisting everyone will be given a fair chance.
“With me, they have a clean slate,” he says. “I told them that. You’re not going to be judged on things you’ve done in the past, whether they are negative or positive.
“If you do that, you’ll have a chance to play. If you don’t, you won’t.”
December 24th
Christmas Eve brings the gift of coaching staff. Freddie Ljungberg, Albert Stuivenberg, Steve Round and goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana Pavon are the men who will be working alongside Arteta who says, “I am delighted to have this talented group of coaches alongside me. They bring a great mix of experience and fresh thinking.”
December 26th
Arteta’s first game in charge sees the Gunners draw 1-1 away at Bournemouth. Having fallen behind to a Dan Gosling strike, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang levels in the second half, but the size of the overall task is obvious as Arsenal struggle to find the desired performance levels.
Meanwhile, Granit Xhaka’s agent tells the club that the midfielder wants to leave to join Hertha Berlin. However, a meeting with the manager mends some fences as he tells the Swiss international he wants him to stay.
“I told him how much I like him and what I expect from him,” he reveals.
“How important he is for the team. I am here to help him, I want him to feel that we are right behind him. Not just myself but the whole club.”
There are reports that Eddie Nketiah could be recalled from Leeds with Bristol City leading the chase to house in him in the second half of the season.
December 29th
Arteta’s first home game in charge is going very well, with the Gunners 1-0 up late in the game, before an uncharacteristic Bernd Leno mistake hands Chelsea an equaliser. That’s compounded by a late winner by Tammy Abraham set up by Willian.
There were encouraging signs in the performance, but the result is a kick in the teeth given the circumstances.
There’s also a bad injury for Calum Chambers who, it later emerges has ruptured his ACL.
Arteta expresses some concerns about the team’s overall fitness afterwards, saying the way he wants the team to play is more demanding than the previous set-up.
January 1st
2020 begins on a positive note as goals from Nicolas Pepe and Sokratis give us a 2-0 win over Man Utd. It’s Arteta’s first win in his new role, and he is delighted with the ‘commitment and desire‘ shown by his team.
He also reveals that Granit Xhaka is set to stay, having convinced him he can put the unpleasantness behind him. He also makes it clear to the club that he does not want the midfielder to be sold, the first sign of him flexing his managerial muscles, so to speak.
January 3rd
Arsenal reject a £10m offer from Roma to make Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s loan move permanent.
January 6th
Arsenal beat Leeds 1-0 in the FA Cup 3rd round thanks to a goal from Reiss Nelson. It’s always nice beating Leeds.
Alexandre Lacazette reveals a listless first half performance resulted in some choice words from Mikel Arteta during the interval, which in turn sparked a much better second period.
January 10th
Mesut Ozil, who had ongoing issues with Unai Emery, is loving life under his former teammate, saying, “I am really happy that he is here with us at the moment because this is the right time.
“It is basically getting us back to the old Arsenal virtues. Having the possession, being in control of the game, having the ball all the time. Everyone is smiling, laughing, enjoying their time.”
Something something foreshadowing.
January 14th
Arsenal are overtaken by Sp*rs in the annual Deloitte Football Money League, and for the first time since 2001 find themselves outside the top 10. It’s something of a worry.
January 16th
There are strong links with PSG left-back Layvin Kurzawa, with David Ornstein reporting that the French international could join before the end of the transfer window. The player has recently changed his agent to team up with Kia Joorabchian, and it suggested he’ll join now – rather than at the end of his contract with French champions in June.
January 20th
Having returned from a loan spell at Leeds, it had been widely expected that Eddie Nketiah would be loaned out again. However, Mikel Arteta decides to keep the young striker in-house, saying, “We are very short of numbers at the moment and we’ve got a player that has a lot of quality and can can help us.”
January 21st
Arsenal draw 2-2 with Chelsea, showing character to respond to David Luiz conceding his third penalty in red and white, and being sent off after a dreadful pass back by Shkodran Mustafi.
Arteta’s men play with 10 men for most of the match, and the coach eschews a defensive substitution – moving Granit Xhaka to centre-half. Gabriel Martinelli breaks from deep to score what is later voted the club’s goal of the season, and although Chelsea score again, Hector Bellerin’s left footed strike earns a worthy point.
January23rd
Media reports in Spain claim Dani Ceballos is unhappy and wants to cut short his loan spell with Arsenal. He is worried about playing time ahead of Euro 2020, and despite the fact he’s been sidelined with a serious hamstring injury, feels he’ll be better served at a different club to increase his chances of involvement with the Spain national side.
Mikel Arteta responds to those stories by challenging his compatriot to work his way back into the team.
“He needs to get back to fitness, fight for his place like in any other team, and after that, I’ll make the selection that I think is fair with what I see on the pitch,” he says.
January 25th
Somewhat out of the blue, we’re linked with a move for Flamengo’s Spanish centre-half Pablo Mari. He arrives in London for talks and a medical, met at the airport by Goal’s intrepid Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts.
“Yeah, of course,” says the defender when asked if he’s excited to sign for Arsenal.
January 27th
Pablo Mari returns to Brazil after complications in the deal put things on hold. Surely it’ll all work out though, as the player is represented by a good friend of Raul Sanllehi, Arturo Canales – the same agent who looks after Unai Emery.
Arsenal beat Bournemouth 2-1 in the FA Cup 4th round with goals from Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah.
January 29th
Clocking up the air miles, Pablo returns from Brazil to London and his loan signing from Flamengo is announced.
Arsenal will pay a loan fee of around €5m, and it’s believed there is a commitment to make the deal permanent in the summer for around €9m on top of that.
Mikel Arteta says, “Pablo is an experienced player who will provide us with additional defensive quality.”
The player himself sounds very pleased to have joined a big Premier League club, having flitted around the Eredivisie and Spanish second division before catching the eye in Brazil.
“This is one of the best clubs in the world,” he says, “so I’m absolutely delighted to be joining.”
January 31st
Strange loan moves in January seem to be a habit Arsenal can’t break. After bringing in a half-fit Denis Suarez from Barcelona last year, this year’s ‘Really, him?’ signing is Cedric Soares from Southampton.
The right-back has six months left on his contract with the Saints, but the Gunners are willing to pay them a significant loan fee and his full wages rather than just bring him in for free in the summer.
Hector Bellerin is fit again, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Sokratis are capable of playing right back, so it does feel like an odd deal until you notice the involvement of Kia Joorabchian who looms over the Portuguese international like a creepy uncle at his signing.
Eyebrows are raised further when the Portuguese arrives to complete his deal wearing a knee brace. Somewhere in Sweden, Kim Kallstrom lets out a rueful chuckle.
February 3rd
Arteta is looking forward to getting away with the team on a warm-weather training camp in Dubai. He’s keen to give the players a bit of distance after what he calls a ‘tough’ two or three months.
He also wants to use the time away to forge some togetherness in his squad, as well as to do some training.
“I wanted to take them a little bit away from here and I want us to live together a little bit more,” he says.
During their time away, Matteo Guendouzi is involved in a bust-up with Sokratis, and then has an argument with Arteta and the coaching staff which sees him left out of the squad for the game against Newcastle.
Arsenal win 4-0.
February 14th
As worries about the spread of the coronavirus grow, and as sporting events across the Far East are postponed, the Arsenal boss says the club’s medical staff are aware of the issue and putting in place plans to deal with it to the best of their ability.
At this time it’s widely reported the chances of it spreading to the UK are ‘slim’, but Arteta says, “We have great doctors here and people who are looking after our health. They have been putting a plan together to try to keep everybody in safe hands.
“We have some protocols we have to respect within the training ground. As far as I know, everything is under control but we have to be very aware.”
*gulp*
February 16th
Dani Ceballos’ start in the win over Newcastle is his first since November 9th, and despite looking a little leggy, the midfielder plays well. Coming just a few short weeks after reports he was keen to cut short his loan, the door is opened by Guendouzi’s absence, and his attitude impresses his manager.
“When he started to train I didn’t think he was fit enough,” Arteta tells the BBC.
“He completely changed his behaviour and trained like an animal. I thought he was the best player on the pitch.”
February 20th
Arsenal face swaps 2020 are inflicted upon the Arseblog News readers who, frankly, deserve greater consideration.
Arsenal beat Olympiacos in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 32 thanks to a late goal from Alexandre Lacazette. Maybe this will be the year to break out trophy drought in Europe?
February 27th
Nope.
After a 3-2 win over Everton between the two legs, Arsenal are eliminated from Europe after an extra-time defeat to the Greeks.
Youssef El Arabi scores in the 119th minute to break red and white hearts, but even after that there was a chance of redemption. Somehow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang misses from a couple of yards out – the kind of chance you’d expect him to score in his sleep.
“I feel very, very bad,” says the skipper afterwards.
It’s a blow for Mikel Arteta and his team, a chance at a trophy gone, and now there’s only the FA Cup left to achieve tangible success – as well as the desire to finish as high up the league as possible.
February 28th
As the club posts a financial loss for the first time since 2002 – a £27.1m deficit compared to a £56.5m profit the previous year – Mesut Ozil’s agent says there is ‘no chance’ his client will leave before the end of his contract.
“He still has 15 months to go,” says Dr Erkut Sogut. “Until then, he will stay at Arsenal, for sure. He will stay until the end of his contract. There’s no chance he’ll leave.
“He is going into the end of this contract, he will be 32 years old, he will be a free agent, and it’s not a bad situation.
“And he will have probably a hundred million followers on the social media side at that time, his marketing will be bigger by that time.”
March 2nd
Arsenal beat Portsmouth 2-0 in the FA Cup 5th round, with goals from Sokratis and Eddie Nketiah coming from two Reiss Nelson assists.
Pablo Mari makes his debut for the club, but Lucas Torreira suffers a worrying injury after a hefty challenge from a Portsmouth player.
March 3rd
As a result of our exit from Europe, it’s confirmed, at very short notice, that Arsenal will face Manchester City on Wednesday, 11 March. A match previously postponed from the last weekend of February due to City’s participation in the League Cup final. Mikel Arteta doesn’t have long to prepare his squad for what will be his first return to the Etihad since leaving in December.
March 4th
Arsenal are drawn against in-form Sheffield United in the FA Cup; a match scheduled for the third week of March at Bramall Lane. As a result our game against Southampton is postponed.
March 5th
Arsenal confirm that Lucas Torreira suffered a fractured ankle against Porstmouth and while he won’t require surgery, he faces a race against time if he’s to feature again this season.
March 6th
Ahead of Arsenal’s game with West Ham, Mikel Arteta admits it’s hard to call whether Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will extend his contract or not.
He makes his intentions clear: “I want to keep him under any circumstances.”
March 7th
Arsenal beat West Ham United courtesy of a late goal by substitute Alex Lacazette, awarded by VAR after an interminable wait. The strike, assisted by Ozil, was originally ruled out for offside. It feels like an important three points.
March 8th
Rumours surface that Arsenal are interested in signing Chelsea’s Willian. The Brazilian, another Kia Joorabchian client, is out of contract in the summer at Stamford Bridge and is on the hunt for a three-year deal somewhere.
March 9th
Mikel Arteta faces the press ahead of his reunion with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad. The subject of coronavirus comes up as countries across the world start to batten down the hatches.
He says: “Hopefully, it won’t affect us but I don’t know how realistic that is. We’re just following what the government has told us, what the club is saying and we just have to adapt to the situation.”
On what the club are doing to protect the players, he adds: “It’s just a few routines that we have to be more careful about; minimal contact and things like that but for the rest we are acting normally.”
March 10th
Italy’s prime minister Giuseppe Conte announces that the entire country will quarantine as coronavirus cases and fatalities start to mount in the north of the country. All domestic sport, including Serie A, is temporarily postponed until April 3rd.
Elsewhere in Europe, it’s confirmed that the Champions League clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund will be played behind closed doors at the Parc des Princes.
In Ireland, all St Patrick’s Day parades are cancelled.
March 11th
In the early hours of the morning, Arsenal’s match with Manchester City is postponed. The news comes less than 24 hours after Olympiacos owner, Evangelos Marinakis, confirms a positive diagnosis for coronavirus.
Having had contact with several Gunners in the tunnel at the Emirates after his side’s Europa League win 13 days previous, there’s a risk of infection spreading through the camp.
In line with government advice, Arsenal tells at-risk players to self-isolate at home for 48 hours until the 14-day period since contact with an infected individual passes.
In a statement, they say: “As a result, the players are unavailable for tonight’s match against Manchester City and the Premier League has decided the game should be postponed.
“The players will remain at their homes until the 14-day period expires. Four Arsenal staff – who were sitting close to Mr Marinakis during the match – will also remain at home until the 14 days are complete.”
Later in the day, Brighton say that Saturday’s game at the Amex will still take place.
“The risk is considered extremely low,” they say. “Saturday’s match remains scheduled to go ahead with the self-isolation period for those players ending tomorrow, as we continue to follow government and medical advice with regard to the coronavirus.”
March 12th
Following an update from the government, the Premier League reiterates that all its weekend fixtures will go ahead as normal with supporters present although it warns of possible disruption ahead. In Spain, matches are postponed for two weeks.
Later in the evening, things take a dramatic twist. Arsenal confirm that Mikel Arteta has tested positive for coronavirus after feeling unwell.
London Colney goes into lockdown and our head coach is told to self-isolate for 14 days. The club predicts matches will be postponed.
A statement reads:
Our London Colney training centre has been closed after head coach Mikel Arteta received a positive COVID-19 result this evening.
Arsenal personnel who had recent close contact with Mikel will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines. We expect this to be a significant number of people from Colney, including the full first-team squad and coaching staff, as well as a smaller number of people from our Hale End Academy which we have also temporarily closed as a precaution.
We expect those who did not have close contact with Mikel to return to work in the coming days. In the meantime our Colney and Hale End training centres will undergo a deep clean and our other club sites are operating as normal.
We will work with Public Health England on the next steps in regard to our facilities and staff, and with the Premier League, Football Association and relevant clubs around our forthcoming matches in the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup.
It is clear we will not be able to play some fixtures on their currently scheduled dates. We will update supporters who have tickets for forthcoming games with more information as soon as possible.
We are now working to trace any other people who have had recent close contact with Mikel. We will let them know what has happened and they should follow the NHS guidance which is likely to recommend self-isolation.
Not long after, Brighton confirm Saturday’s fixture at the Amex is now off and it’s reported that the Premier League will convene an emergency meeting in the morning to discuss next steps.
March 13th
Unsurprisingly, the Premier League announces the suspension of all games until at least April 4th. Arsenal are not the only club dealing with players testing positive for coronavirus; Chelsea, Everton, Bournemouth, Watford and Leicester also have cases.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says: “In this unprecedented situation, we are working closely with our clubs, Government, The FA and EFL and can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority.”
“Despite the challenges, it is the Premier League’s aim to reschedule the displaced fixtures, including those played by Academy sides, when it is safe to do so. In this fast-moving environment, further updates will be provided when appropriate.”
On a positive note, Mikel Arteta communicates that he’s already starting to feel better.
On Twitter, he sends a message to the fans: “Thanks for your words and support. We’re all facing a huge and unprecedented challenge. Everyone’s health is all that matters right now. Protect each other by following the guidelines. We’ll come through this together. Well done [the] Premier League for making the right decisions.”
March 16th
Having been set to join Liverpool at the end of the season, Arsenal’s Head of Medical Services, Gary O’Driscoll, performs a dramatic u-turn and reportedly decides to stick things out at Arsenal. It feels like a win for Mikel Arteta who formed a close relationship with the doctor during his playing days.
March 17th
With domestic leagues suspended, Uefa postpone the 2020 European Championships – due to be a pan-continental tournament climaxing at Wembley – for 12 months.
March 19th
English football’s governing bodies confirm that there will be no professional football in England until at least 30 April. While they reiterate their collective determination to complete current campaigns at all levels, no date for a resumption of action is set.
Arsenal reveal that Mikel Arteta is in regular contact with his players and that “detailed planning with the coaches” is taking place.
March 23rd
Arsenal say “Stay at home and save lives,” while making a commitment to paying all matchday and non-matchday casual workers until April 30th.
The club also confirm a donation of £100,000 to local charities and organisations that are supporting those most in need during the crisis.
March 26th
Hector Bellerin is one of the players involved in the #FootballUnited initiative, which aims to raise cash to support elderly and vulnerable people during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
March 30th
Arsenal Women goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin reveals she contracted Covid-19, saying, “All the doctors told me that I had contracted Covid-19. I have had a lot of symptoms related to this virus: fever, cold, constant headache, respiratory issues, severe fatigue and loss of taste and smell. I checked a lot of boxes.”
Ready for part two of our 2019/20 season review? Step this way…
Part 2 >>>
By
arseblog
-
August 20, 2020
11
[https://arseblog]
Arsenal’s 2019-20 season is one which will live long in the memory. It ended with FA Cup success, but between managerial comings and goings, on and off field shenanigans, player issues, and boardroom upheaval – played out in part against the backdrop of a global pandemic – it’s one that few will ever forget.
If you think you remember every little bit, think again. We’ve put together this blow by blow account of the key events, beginning with pre-season 2019, all the way through to the present day.
You can find the link to part 2 at the bottom.
—
July 8th
The Arsenal first team return to London Colney for pre-season training. 41 days have elapsed since we were beaten 4-1 in the Europa League final by Chelsea.
July 9th
After months of speculation, Edu is confirmed as the club’s new Technical Director.
Raul Sanllehi says, “His arrival is the final and very important part of the jigsaw in our development of a new football infrastructure to take us forward.”
July 11th
Seemingly out of the blue, club captain Laurent Koscielny refuses to travel to the US for the pre-season tour. The club release a statement saying, “We are very disappointed by Laurent’s actions, which are against our clear instructions.”
The rest of the squad jet off to the US for a pre-season tour that includes games against the Colorado Rapids, Bayern Munich, Fiorentina and Real Madrid.
July 12th
Edu flies out to the States and is caught on camera in deep discussion with Raul Sanllehi and Vinai Venkatesham as the first team are put through their paces in Los Angeles.
July 13th
French outlet TF1 reports that Arsenal have made an €80m bid for Lille star Nicolas Pepe. Despite excitement at the possibility, it is generally seen as an unlikely deal due to the size of the fee.
July 15th
A collection of fan groups, websites, and Arsenal related signatories release a statement expressing concerns at the way the club is being run by KSE. Under the umbrella of ‘We care, do you?‘, the movement gains major traction across traditional and new media.
“In his takeover document, Stan Kroenke said: ‘KSE’s ambitions for the club are to see it competing consistently to win the Premier League and the Champions League.’
“ We see little evidence of how this is to be achieved.”
The Gunners beat Colarado Rapids. Carl Jenkinson plays and debutant Gabriel Martinelli scores.
July 16th
Josh Kroenke responds to the criticism with an open letter to fans. In it, he says, “Be excited”, when it comes to transfers, and insists the club are “are putting processes in place to ensure we are stacked not only with talent, but talent with the proper mentality to help us achieve our highest goals in the future.”
July 18th
Former Head of Recruitment Sven Mislintat shares some of the reasons behind his departure, suggesting the current leadership were eschewing a rounded approach to recruitment for one more closely based around agents.
“Previously we had a strong systematic approach to transfers, a mixture of watching things live as well as quality data and video analysis – Arsenal actually owns their own data company. That meant that we acted independently, we knew about all markets and players in all positions that came into question.
“However, the new leadership work more strongly with what they are offered from clubs or agents through their own networks.”
July 24th
The Gunners land back in London with three wins under their belt. It might have been a full house but for a shootout defeat to Real Madrid. Several of the players now have bleached blond hair.
July 25th
Dani Ceballos and William Saliba join Arsenal. The Real Madrid man arrives on a season-long loan. The young French defender is recruited for £27 million and is immediately loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the year ahead.
July 26th
Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac are involved in a frightening incident in which they are threatened at knife-point in an attempted carjacking. The Bosnian international chases off one of the thugs before the players and their partners take refuge in a Turkish restaurant in Golders Green.
July 27th
David Ornstein drops an Ornshell on the fanbase by revealing Arsenal have agreed an €80m fee with Lille for Nicolas Pepe.
In a summer when Arsenal’s very public pursuit of Wilfried Zaha has played out, the club decides not to sign the left-sided, right-footed winger Unai Emery wants, and instead looks set to splash out on a right-sided, left-footed player.
August 1st
Nicolas Pepe officially joins Arsenal in a club-record £72m deal.
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“I am convinced that Arsenal is the right choice,” says the Ivorian international.
Unsurprisingly, the signing has the fans buzzing.
August 4th
Arsenal lose 2-1 to Barcelona in the Nou Camp in a final pre-season run out. Luis Suarez grabs a 90th-minute winner after some tragi-comic defending by Shkodran Mustafi.
August 5th
The issue of the Arsenal captaincy is raised as the departure of Laurent Koscielny draws closer. Nearly a month has elapsed since the Frenchman went on strike but Granit Xhaka, one of the leading candidates, reveals that Unai Emery has yet to make up his mind about who should have the armband.
August 6th
Laurent Koscielny joins Bordeaux. In a statement, he says discussions over his desire to leave have been going on for ‘months’. With the transfer window closing in two days, Arsenal have little time to find a replacement.
August 8th – Transfer Deadline Day
Arsenal make the long-awaited signing of Kieran Tierney, paying Celtic a fee believed to be close to £25m. Injuries mean he will have to wait for his debut.
David Luiz signs from Chelsea, for a fee of £8m, despite the fact he’d recently just signed a new contract with Chelsea. His agent is Kia Joorabchian, someone with whom Edu has had a long-standing working relationship.
Alex Iwobi leaves for Everton in a deal worth £35m – Joorabchian is tasked with representing Arsenal despite having no connection with the player previously.
Eddie Nketiah joins Leeds on loan.
August 9th
Unai Emery addresses the captaincy issue, saying, “At the moment we have three captains: Xhaka, Mesut and Nacho, and I want to take two more because my opinion is the same as it was in the pre-season with five. I want to be with my squad clearly to have two more.
“At the moment we have three captains and I think they have the capacity to give us possibilities as captain.”
Meanwhile, Ozil and Kolasinac are to miss the season opener against Newcastle due to ‘security concerns’.
August 11th
Arsenal start the new campaign with a solid but unspectacular 1-0 win at Newcastle United. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabs the goal at a soaking wet St James’ Park.
August 16th
Despite not being officially named skipper, Granit Xhaka provides the ‘captain’s’ notes for the match-day programme for the first home game of the season against Burnley.
Two days earlier he admits it would be a ‘dream’ to be handed the armband.
August 20th
As he maintains a higher profile than his father, Josh Kroenke does another interview in which he says the ambition is to win the Premier League, and he backs the current squad to give it a try.
“Our ambitions are the same as the fans,” he tells the BBC. “We want to win and we want to win as much and as often as possible. And doing it a fun way, where they’re seeing some really entertaining football as well.
“I think we’ve got the group to do it.”
*cough*
August 24th
David Luiz concedes his first penalty in an Arsenal shirt, hauling down Mo Salah in the 3-1 defeat at Anfield.
Afterwards, he suggests that his blatant foul was not really that blatant, going on a bizarre ramble which features referees, VAR, a lack of power, and extra-large shirts.
August 31st
Just ahead of the North London derby, Arsenal sell fan-favourite Nacho Monreal to Real Sociedad for just £250,000.
Mohamed Elneny also exits the club, joining Besiktas on loan.
September 2nd
The day after playing a part in a 2-2 draw with Sp*rs, Henrikh Mkhitaryan joins Roma on a season-long loan.
He says, “The last month at Arsenal I was not getting pleasure, so that’s why I said it was better to come to Roma and to get happy and to get the pleasure from playing football again.”
September 12th
Young midfielder Joe Willock signs a new long-term contract.
September 13th
Unai Emery again references the captaincy issue, but it’s still not sorted after more than two months.
“Next week we are going to take the decision on the five captains,” he says. “We spoke about that with the team this morning and I am going to decide to make it official in the next week.”
Something that shouldn’t be a big deal, suddenly feels like a big deal.
September 15th
A 2-2 draw at Watford causes grave concern. Giving away a two-goal lead, Arsenal are at sixes and sevens, playing out from the back via the new goal kick rule causes panic and Sokratis makes a serious mistake to hand the Hornets a goal.
Watford finish the game having had 31 attempts on goal, the most they’ve ever had in a Premier League game. It’s also the most Arsenal have ever allowed in a Premier League game.
David Luiz concedes his second penalty of the season. Granit Xhaka says afterwards the team were ‘scared’, drawing condemnation from some fans, but it’s clear he’s referencing the fact the team are badly organised more than anything else.
Unai Emery reveals he withdrew Sevilla born and bred Dani Ceballos because it was ‘very hot’, but does get the backing of Managing Director Vinai Venkatesham who says, “We are very comfortable with him and his coaching staff. We think he is doing an excellent job, so we are very happy.”
September 18th
The captaincy decision is delayed again.
“I will propose to do that next week after the match on Tuesday,” says Emery.
September 23rd
In a remarkable game at the Emirates, 10-man Arsenal recover from Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ first half dismissal to beat Aston Villa 3-2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang nets a late free-kick winner.
There are rumblings of discontent throughout though, not least when Granit Xhaka is substituted during the second period and subjected to audible jeers as he makes his way off the pitch.
September 27th
Emery finally makes his captaincy decision, handing the armband to Granit Xhaka, while Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hector Bellerin and Alexandre Lacazette make up the rest of the captaincy group.
The Spaniard acknowledges that some in the fanbase have doubts about the Swiss, saying, “His challenge, and our challenge, is to change that opinion and above all, show personality and improve in each match and give us his help every time.”
This is a literary device known as ‘foreshadowing’.
October 2nd
Emi Martinez says he believes he can become number 1 at Arsenal, but the form of Bernd Leno means that this is an unlikely scenario and the Argentine will most probably remain the cup keeper at best.
This is a literary device known as ‘foreshadowing’.
October 4th
Mesut Ozil is an absentee from the Arsenal squad for the second successive game. There is no injury.
Emery explains, “When I decided he shouldn’t be in the squad it’s because I think other players deserved it more.”
October 6th
Arsenal beat Bournemouth 1-0 thanks to a goal from David Luiz. As it turns out, the Gunners won’t win another league game until December 9th.
October 10th
Head of Football Raul Sanllehi insists that a top-four finish is what’s expected of Unai Emery.
He also addresses the Ozil situation and says there are no barriers to his involvement beyond demonstrating he deserves to play ahead of others.
October 25th
After losing to Sheffield United in the league, Unai Emery says Ozil’s absence is an ‘agreed strategy’.
The German hasn’t featured since playing 71 minutes a League Cup game against Nottingham Forest. The head coach clumsily explains: “Here we have one agreed strategy as a club and a team, because the most important thing is the club, the team and finding a performance.
“Previously we were all speaking between us to take that decision. I know all the supporters want to know something, but now is not the moment.”
Whether it’s a quirk of Emery’s English, or something else, even the idea that team selection is being dictated by the boardroom is a worrying one.
October 27th
Arsenal draw 2-2 with Crystal Palace at the Emirates. The tense atmosphere between fans and players sparks an extraordinary second half incident involving Granit Xhaka.
With his number shown by the fourth official, the Swiss, clearly disappointed, slowly trudges from one side of the pitch to the other. The lack of urgency irks large swathes of fans who barrack him to hurry up. He responds by throwing the captain’s armband at Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, cups his ear, mouths ‘f**k off’ at the stands, and storms off down the tunnel.
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Afterwards, Unai Emery says, “I want to listen to him and be calm. But really he was wrong in this action.”
There is no self-reflection from the head coach about how his handling of the captaincy situation and the abysmal form his team is showing might also have played a part.
Arsenal are denied a late Sokratis winner by a ludicrous VAR decision which adjudges Calum Chambers guilty of a foul that wasn’t.
October 28th
The players back Xhaka by visiting his house in the aftermath of the incident and want him to remain captain. Emery says the midfielder is ‘devastated’ but refuses to say whether he’ll keep the armband.
Xhaka’s agent flies to London for talks with his client and the club. Arsenal want the player to apologise, and brief sections of the media that they will offer him ‘counselling’.
This does not go down well with Xhaka. He later releases a statement in which he details social media abuse from so-called ‘fans’, and calls for everyone to get back to a place of ‘mutual respect’.
There is no apology.
November 2nd
Arsenal draw 1-1 with Wolves at home. The pressure is mounting on Unai Emery, but he says he’s happy with what he’s getting from the players in spite of the scoreline.
“The result is a bad result, but tactically I think we worked how we wanted,” he says.
November 5th
Arsenal announce that Xhaka has been stripped of the captaincy, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang now made skipper.
Xhaka receives the public backing of Hector Bellerin ahead of a Europa League clash with Portuguese minnows Vitoria.
“For us, it’s just to give him our love and care and for us, he is one of us, so we’re just helping him get through it as well,” says the full-back.
The game against Vitoria is memorable only for how forgettable it is. Arsenal stumble to a draw.
November 8th
Ahead of what he deems a ‘must-win’ game against Leicester, Emery says Arsenal fans ‘must have patience‘ and says, ‘in some circumstances they did not help us’.
November 9th
Arsenal lose 2-0 to Leicester. The run is now one win in seven games. The head coach says, “My message to everyone at Arsenal would be to stay calm.”
November 10th
In The Athletic, David Ornstein writes of board support for the beleaguered Spaniard.
“With 26 games to be played, Arsenal’s powerbrokers feel there is plenty of time for their fortunes to be reversed and a run of positive results to transform the atmosphere. They are preaching qualities such as patience, confidence, belief, focus, resilience, togetherness and consistency.”
Few of those qualities are apparent in the team or its performances.
November 14th
It is reported that Raul Sanllehi has vetoed an attempt by the traditional board, now merely ceremonial in the wake of KSE’s 100% ownership, to have David O’Leary appointed to the executive committee.
It’s believed Arsenal’s record appearance holder could provide some oversight into the way the football side of the club is being run.
November 21st
Granit Xhaka hints strongly that he wants to leave Arsenal, stating he ‘can’t accept’ what has happened in terms of losing the captaincy and his treatment by fans.
Speaking during the Interlull, he says, “I have a clear idea as to how things should proceed, and Arsenal know this as well. Although I still have a contract with them, I will be glad to return to the club so we can finally sort matters out. There will surely be a solution, as I can’t accept what has happened with me.”
Meanwhile, Unai Emery says he knows how to improve performances as we get ready to face Southampton.
November 23rd
A last-minute equaliser from Alexandre Lacazette rescues a point as Arsenal draw 2-2 with Southampton at the Emirates. The Frenchman doesn’t even bother celebrating his goal.
The run is one win in eight. By mid-November, the Gunners have just four Premier League wins to their name.
November 24th
Rumours about Emery’s departure see the names of Mikel Arteta and Max Allegri mentioned as possible replacements.
‘We care, do you?‘ issue another statement. Even Robert Pires, the world’s most positive man when he talks about Arsenal, admits things are bad.
November 27th
Concerned with the direction of the club, and the fact that Champions League qualification seems a slim possibility, The Times reports that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has put talks to extend his contract on hold.
November 28th
Granit Xhaka returns to the Arsenal team for the first time since the incident against Crystal Palace.
The Gunners lose 2-1 at home to Frankfurt in the Europa League. Technically, due to a UEFA ban, there should be no visiting fans in the stadium. In reality, a huge chunk of Club Level is taken up by lagered-up Frankfurters having the time of their life. Arsenal’s fans are morose. It feels like things can’t get any worse.
Afterwards, Unai Emery says, “Now our moment is not good. We need to win and we need to gain confidence.”
November 29th
Unai Emery is sacked as Arsenal manager. Josh Kroenke says, “Our most sincere thanks go to Unai and his colleagues who were unrelenting in their efforts to get the club back to competing at the level we all expect and demand. We wish Unai and his team nothing but future success.”
Freddie Ljungberg is appointed ‘interim head coach’, and he says he wants to put smiles on faces again.
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November 30th
Josh Kroenke backs Freddie’s Arsenal DNA, and is present at the training ground to speak to the players.
He reveals the search for the new manager will be carried out by ‘Raul, Vinai, Edu and Huss.’
December 1st
Freddie’s first game in temporary charge sees the run without a win continue, as Arsenal draw 2-2 with Norwich at Carrow Road. With all Emery’s staff gone, Academy Manager Per Mertesacker is drafted in as the Swede’s assistant, with goalkeeping coach Sal Bibbo also there to make sure the bench doesn’t look too empty.
December 5th
Patrick Vieira’s name is added to those of Arteta, Allegri, Marcelino, Niko Kovac, and Nuno Espirito Santo as potential front-runners for the job.
December 9th
Arsenal win their first league game since October with a 3-1 win at West Ham. Nicolas Pepe, who has struggled for consistency since his £72m signing, scores a cracker.
Kieran Tierney, however, dislocates his shoulder and requires surgery that will keep him out until March.
December 15th
With Mikel Arteta sitting on the opposition bench, Arsenal go down meekly 3-0 to Man City at home.
Freddie urges some alacrity when it comes to appointing the new head coach, saying, “I’ve said to them [the board] they need to make a decision.”
Rather than discuss matters with Arteta in London, Vinai Venkatesham, and chief contract negotiator, Huss Fahmy, follow the Man City team bus back up north.
December 16th
Venkatesham and Fahmy, are pictured leaving Mikel Arteta’s home in Manchester; the clearest indication yet that the 37-year-old Spaniard is being lined up for the vacant head coach role.
Snapped by tabloid press in the dead of night, it’s said they were holding talks with the ex-Gunner for a couple of hours.
Back in London, Freddie Ljungberg promises to deal with Mesut Ozil after the German throws a strop when substituted in the City game.
“How he reacts is up to him and we will deal with it later,” he says. “I’m here on a day-to-day basis but of course we want players in the right way. He should be annoyed when he comes off.”
UEFA also pitch Arsenal against Olympiakos in the Europa League; a draw that looks straightforward enough.
Something something foreshadowing.
December 18th
Pep Guardiola says Mikel Arteta has been honest about his interest in the Arsenal job but he’s less than impressed by the fact the Gunners hierarchy have yet to make a formal approach.
“We were there two days ago,” he says, referencing the recent match. “They were talking with our sporting director, the CEO and they didn’t say anything. I don’t know if the meeting [with Arteta] was because they didn’t want to make it public, but in the end it was public.”
Asked about the prospect of Mikel Arteta taking over, Arsene Wenger, newly installed as FIFA’s head of global football, insists that the Spaniard has what it takes. He also praises interim coach Ljungberg.
“He (Arteta) is intelligent, he has passion, he has knowledge, but Ljungberg [does] as well,” says Wenger.
“I believe that Arteta has certainly a great future, he has certainly learned a lot in his first position as an assistant coach and after that as well he will have to deal with the fact that he has no experience at that level and he will have to get surrounded well.”
December 20th
After reaching an agreement with City, Arsenal confirm Mikel Arteta as the club’s new head coach.
The Spaniard is unveiled at a press conference at London Colney and immediately lays out his ambitions and what he expects from the first team squad.
[https://arseblog]
“This is a huge honour,” he says. “Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“We need to be competing for the top trophies in the game and that’s been made very clear to me in my discussions with Stan and Josh Kroenke, and the senior people from the club. We all know there is a lot of work to be done to achieve that but I am confident we’ll do it.
“I’m realistic enough to know it won’t happen overnight but the current squad has plenty of talent and there is a great pipeline of young players coming through from the academy.”
“We met several top-class candidates and Mikel stood out to every single one of us as the perfect person for us,” says Raul.
With comic timing, Unai Emery reveals that Arsenal had wanted to extend his contract earlier in the season. Then things went sour.
December 21st
Mikel Arteta continues to make a positive first impression. After watching the club disintegrate from afar, he knows he has to change the day-to-day mood when he lays his foundations.
He says: “We have to create the right culture around the club that’s going to make a good living out of the players, create an environment where everybody respects each other, a humility and people have to be accountable for what we want to achieve. That’s the basics and then after we can grow from there. Then we can create an identity that I have in my head for this football club. But we have to start somewhere to try to build that up.”
On the same day, he watches from the stands as a young Arsenal side play out a very drab 0-0 draw with another of his former clubs, Everton. Asked why Ozil was absent, Freddie Ljungberg says the midfielder was injured but that he wouldn’t have played him anyway.
He also reflects on his short spell in charge, saying it’s been a challenge working with such a small coaching set-up.
“It was from one day to another – and I think we had six people leaving,” he says. “You try to fill the gaps and do a lot of jobs yourself. I learned a lot about myself and tried to organise things, to get it done. It’s been a big honour but as well it’s been a challenge to try to sort those things out.”
December 22nd
Mikel Arteta takes his first training session.
December 23rd
Having inherited a lot of issues on and off the pitch, Arteta lays out his philosophy from the start, insisting everyone will be given a fair chance.
“With me, they have a clean slate,” he says. “I told them that. You’re not going to be judged on things you’ve done in the past, whether they are negative or positive.
“If you do that, you’ll have a chance to play. If you don’t, you won’t.”
December 24th
Christmas Eve brings the gift of coaching staff. Freddie Ljungberg, Albert Stuivenberg, Steve Round and goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana Pavon are the men who will be working alongside Arteta who says, “I am delighted to have this talented group of coaches alongside me. They bring a great mix of experience and fresh thinking.”
December 26th
Arteta’s first game in charge sees the Gunners draw 1-1 away at Bournemouth. Having fallen behind to a Dan Gosling strike, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang levels in the second half, but the size of the overall task is obvious as Arsenal struggle to find the desired performance levels.
Meanwhile, Granit Xhaka’s agent tells the club that the midfielder wants to leave to join Hertha Berlin. However, a meeting with the manager mends some fences as he tells the Swiss international he wants him to stay.
“I told him how much I like him and what I expect from him,” he reveals.
“How important he is for the team. I am here to help him, I want him to feel that we are right behind him. Not just myself but the whole club.”
There are reports that Eddie Nketiah could be recalled from Leeds with Bristol City leading the chase to house in him in the second half of the season.
December 29th
Arteta’s first home game in charge is going very well, with the Gunners 1-0 up late in the game, before an uncharacteristic Bernd Leno mistake hands Chelsea an equaliser. That’s compounded by a late winner by Tammy Abraham set up by Willian.
There were encouraging signs in the performance, but the result is a kick in the teeth given the circumstances.
There’s also a bad injury for Calum Chambers who, it later emerges has ruptured his ACL.
Arteta expresses some concerns about the team’s overall fitness afterwards, saying the way he wants the team to play is more demanding than the previous set-up.
January 1st
2020 begins on a positive note as goals from Nicolas Pepe and Sokratis give us a 2-0 win over Man Utd. It’s Arteta’s first win in his new role, and he is delighted with the ‘commitment and desire‘ shown by his team.
He also reveals that Granit Xhaka is set to stay, having convinced him he can put the unpleasantness behind him. He also makes it clear to the club that he does not want the midfielder to be sold, the first sign of him flexing his managerial muscles, so to speak.
January 3rd
Arsenal reject a £10m offer from Roma to make Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s loan move permanent.
January 6th
Arsenal beat Leeds 1-0 in the FA Cup 3rd round thanks to a goal from Reiss Nelson. It’s always nice beating Leeds.
Alexandre Lacazette reveals a listless first half performance resulted in some choice words from Mikel Arteta during the interval, which in turn sparked a much better second period.
January 10th
Mesut Ozil, who had ongoing issues with Unai Emery, is loving life under his former teammate, saying, “I am really happy that he is here with us at the moment because this is the right time.
“It is basically getting us back to the old Arsenal virtues. Having the possession, being in control of the game, having the ball all the time. Everyone is smiling, laughing, enjoying their time.”
Something something foreshadowing.
January 14th
Arsenal are overtaken by Sp*rs in the annual Deloitte Football Money League, and for the first time since 2001 find themselves outside the top 10. It’s something of a worry.
January 16th
There are strong links with PSG left-back Layvin Kurzawa, with David Ornstein reporting that the French international could join before the end of the transfer window. The player has recently changed his agent to team up with Kia Joorabchian, and it suggested he’ll join now – rather than at the end of his contract with French champions in June.
January 20th
Having returned from a loan spell at Leeds, it had been widely expected that Eddie Nketiah would be loaned out again. However, Mikel Arteta decides to keep the young striker in-house, saying, “We are very short of numbers at the moment and we’ve got a player that has a lot of quality and can can help us.”
January 21st
Arsenal draw 2-2 with Chelsea, showing character to respond to David Luiz conceding his third penalty in red and white, and being sent off after a dreadful pass back by Shkodran Mustafi.
Arteta’s men play with 10 men for most of the match, and the coach eschews a defensive substitution – moving Granit Xhaka to centre-half. Gabriel Martinelli breaks from deep to score what is later voted the club’s goal of the season, and although Chelsea score again, Hector Bellerin’s left footed strike earns a worthy point.
January23rd
Media reports in Spain claim Dani Ceballos is unhappy and wants to cut short his loan spell with Arsenal. He is worried about playing time ahead of Euro 2020, and despite the fact he’s been sidelined with a serious hamstring injury, feels he’ll be better served at a different club to increase his chances of involvement with the Spain national side.
Mikel Arteta responds to those stories by challenging his compatriot to work his way back into the team.
“He needs to get back to fitness, fight for his place like in any other team, and after that, I’ll make the selection that I think is fair with what I see on the pitch,” he says.
January 25th
Somewhat out of the blue, we’re linked with a move for Flamengo’s Spanish centre-half Pablo Mari. He arrives in London for talks and a medical, met at the airport by Goal’s intrepid Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts.
“Yeah, of course,” says the defender when asked if he’s excited to sign for Arsenal.
January 27th
Pablo Mari returns to Brazil after complications in the deal put things on hold. Surely it’ll all work out though, as the player is represented by a good friend of Raul Sanllehi, Arturo Canales – the same agent who looks after Unai Emery.
Arsenal beat Bournemouth 2-1 in the FA Cup 4th round with goals from Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah.
January 29th
Clocking up the air miles, Pablo returns from Brazil to London and his loan signing from Flamengo is announced.
Arsenal will pay a loan fee of around €5m, and it’s believed there is a commitment to make the deal permanent in the summer for around €9m on top of that.
Mikel Arteta says, “Pablo is an experienced player who will provide us with additional defensive quality.”
The player himself sounds very pleased to have joined a big Premier League club, having flitted around the Eredivisie and Spanish second division before catching the eye in Brazil.
“This is one of the best clubs in the world,” he says, “so I’m absolutely delighted to be joining.”
January 31st
Strange loan moves in January seem to be a habit Arsenal can’t break. After bringing in a half-fit Denis Suarez from Barcelona last year, this year’s ‘Really, him?’ signing is Cedric Soares from Southampton.
The right-back has six months left on his contract with the Saints, but the Gunners are willing to pay them a significant loan fee and his full wages rather than just bring him in for free in the summer.
Hector Bellerin is fit again, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Sokratis are capable of playing right back, so it does feel like an odd deal until you notice the involvement of Kia Joorabchian who looms over the Portuguese international like a creepy uncle at his signing.
Eyebrows are raised further when the Portuguese arrives to complete his deal wearing a knee brace. Somewhere in Sweden, Kim Kallstrom lets out a rueful chuckle.
February 3rd
Arteta is looking forward to getting away with the team on a warm-weather training camp in Dubai. He’s keen to give the players a bit of distance after what he calls a ‘tough’ two or three months.
He also wants to use the time away to forge some togetherness in his squad, as well as to do some training.
“I wanted to take them a little bit away from here and I want us to live together a little bit more,” he says.
During their time away, Matteo Guendouzi is involved in a bust-up with Sokratis, and then has an argument with Arteta and the coaching staff which sees him left out of the squad for the game against Newcastle.
Arsenal win 4-0.
February 14th
As worries about the spread of the coronavirus grow, and as sporting events across the Far East are postponed, the Arsenal boss says the club’s medical staff are aware of the issue and putting in place plans to deal with it to the best of their ability.
At this time it’s widely reported the chances of it spreading to the UK are ‘slim’, but Arteta says, “We have great doctors here and people who are looking after our health. They have been putting a plan together to try to keep everybody in safe hands.
“We have some protocols we have to respect within the training ground. As far as I know, everything is under control but we have to be very aware.”
*gulp*
February 16th
Dani Ceballos’ start in the win over Newcastle is his first since November 9th, and despite looking a little leggy, the midfielder plays well. Coming just a few short weeks after reports he was keen to cut short his loan, the door is opened by Guendouzi’s absence, and his attitude impresses his manager.
“When he started to train I didn’t think he was fit enough,” Arteta tells the BBC.
“He completely changed his behaviour and trained like an animal. I thought he was the best player on the pitch.”
February 20th
Arsenal face swaps 2020 are inflicted upon the Arseblog News readers who, frankly, deserve greater consideration.
Arsenal beat Olympiacos in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 32 thanks to a late goal from Alexandre Lacazette. Maybe this will be the year to break out trophy drought in Europe?
February 27th
Nope.
After a 3-2 win over Everton between the two legs, Arsenal are eliminated from Europe after an extra-time defeat to the Greeks.
Youssef El Arabi scores in the 119th minute to break red and white hearts, but even after that there was a chance of redemption. Somehow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang misses from a couple of yards out – the kind of chance you’d expect him to score in his sleep.
“I feel very, very bad,” says the skipper afterwards.
It’s a blow for Mikel Arteta and his team, a chance at a trophy gone, and now there’s only the FA Cup left to achieve tangible success – as well as the desire to finish as high up the league as possible.
February 28th
As the club posts a financial loss for the first time since 2002 – a £27.1m deficit compared to a £56.5m profit the previous year – Mesut Ozil’s agent says there is ‘no chance’ his client will leave before the end of his contract.
“He still has 15 months to go,” says Dr Erkut Sogut. “Until then, he will stay at Arsenal, for sure. He will stay until the end of his contract. There’s no chance he’ll leave.
“He is going into the end of this contract, he will be 32 years old, he will be a free agent, and it’s not a bad situation.
“And he will have probably a hundred million followers on the social media side at that time, his marketing will be bigger by that time.”
March 2nd
Arsenal beat Portsmouth 2-0 in the FA Cup 5th round, with goals from Sokratis and Eddie Nketiah coming from two Reiss Nelson assists.
Pablo Mari makes his debut for the club, but Lucas Torreira suffers a worrying injury after a hefty challenge from a Portsmouth player.
March 3rd
As a result of our exit from Europe, it’s confirmed, at very short notice, that Arsenal will face Manchester City on Wednesday, 11 March. A match previously postponed from the last weekend of February due to City’s participation in the League Cup final. Mikel Arteta doesn’t have long to prepare his squad for what will be his first return to the Etihad since leaving in December.
March 4th
Arsenal are drawn against in-form Sheffield United in the FA Cup; a match scheduled for the third week of March at Bramall Lane. As a result our game against Southampton is postponed.
March 5th
Arsenal confirm that Lucas Torreira suffered a fractured ankle against Porstmouth and while he won’t require surgery, he faces a race against time if he’s to feature again this season.
March 6th
Ahead of Arsenal’s game with West Ham, Mikel Arteta admits it’s hard to call whether Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will extend his contract or not.
He makes his intentions clear: “I want to keep him under any circumstances.”
March 7th
Arsenal beat West Ham United courtesy of a late goal by substitute Alex Lacazette, awarded by VAR after an interminable wait. The strike, assisted by Ozil, was originally ruled out for offside. It feels like an important three points.
March 8th
Rumours surface that Arsenal are interested in signing Chelsea’s Willian. The Brazilian, another Kia Joorabchian client, is out of contract in the summer at Stamford Bridge and is on the hunt for a three-year deal somewhere.
March 9th
Mikel Arteta faces the press ahead of his reunion with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad. The subject of coronavirus comes up as countries across the world start to batten down the hatches.
He says: “Hopefully, it won’t affect us but I don’t know how realistic that is. We’re just following what the government has told us, what the club is saying and we just have to adapt to the situation.”
On what the club are doing to protect the players, he adds: “It’s just a few routines that we have to be more careful about; minimal contact and things like that but for the rest we are acting normally.”
March 10th
Italy’s prime minister Giuseppe Conte announces that the entire country will quarantine as coronavirus cases and fatalities start to mount in the north of the country. All domestic sport, including Serie A, is temporarily postponed until April 3rd.
Elsewhere in Europe, it’s confirmed that the Champions League clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund will be played behind closed doors at the Parc des Princes.
In Ireland, all St Patrick’s Day parades are cancelled.
March 11th
In the early hours of the morning, Arsenal’s match with Manchester City is postponed. The news comes less than 24 hours after Olympiacos owner, Evangelos Marinakis, confirms a positive diagnosis for coronavirus.
Having had contact with several Gunners in the tunnel at the Emirates after his side’s Europa League win 13 days previous, there’s a risk of infection spreading through the camp.
In line with government advice, Arsenal tells at-risk players to self-isolate at home for 48 hours until the 14-day period since contact with an infected individual passes.
In a statement, they say: “As a result, the players are unavailable for tonight’s match against Manchester City and the Premier League has decided the game should be postponed.
“The players will remain at their homes until the 14-day period expires. Four Arsenal staff – who were sitting close to Mr Marinakis during the match – will also remain at home until the 14 days are complete.”
Later in the day, Brighton say that Saturday’s game at the Amex will still take place.
“The risk is considered extremely low,” they say. “Saturday’s match remains scheduled to go ahead with the self-isolation period for those players ending tomorrow, as we continue to follow government and medical advice with regard to the coronavirus.”
March 12th
Following an update from the government, the Premier League reiterates that all its weekend fixtures will go ahead as normal with supporters present although it warns of possible disruption ahead. In Spain, matches are postponed for two weeks.
Later in the evening, things take a dramatic twist. Arsenal confirm that Mikel Arteta has tested positive for coronavirus after feeling unwell.
London Colney goes into lockdown and our head coach is told to self-isolate for 14 days. The club predicts matches will be postponed.
A statement reads:
Our London Colney training centre has been closed after head coach Mikel Arteta received a positive COVID-19 result this evening.
Arsenal personnel who had recent close contact with Mikel will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines. We expect this to be a significant number of people from Colney, including the full first-team squad and coaching staff, as well as a smaller number of people from our Hale End Academy which we have also temporarily closed as a precaution.
We expect those who did not have close contact with Mikel to return to work in the coming days. In the meantime our Colney and Hale End training centres will undergo a deep clean and our other club sites are operating as normal.
We will work with Public Health England on the next steps in regard to our facilities and staff, and with the Premier League, Football Association and relevant clubs around our forthcoming matches in the Premier League and Emirates FA Cup.
It is clear we will not be able to play some fixtures on their currently scheduled dates. We will update supporters who have tickets for forthcoming games with more information as soon as possible.
We are now working to trace any other people who have had recent close contact with Mikel. We will let them know what has happened and they should follow the NHS guidance which is likely to recommend self-isolation.
Not long after, Brighton confirm Saturday’s fixture at the Amex is now off and it’s reported that the Premier League will convene an emergency meeting in the morning to discuss next steps.
March 13th
Unsurprisingly, the Premier League announces the suspension of all games until at least April 4th. Arsenal are not the only club dealing with players testing positive for coronavirus; Chelsea, Everton, Bournemouth, Watford and Leicester also have cases.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says: “In this unprecedented situation, we are working closely with our clubs, Government, The FA and EFL and can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority.”
“Despite the challenges, it is the Premier League’s aim to reschedule the displaced fixtures, including those played by Academy sides, when it is safe to do so. In this fast-moving environment, further updates will be provided when appropriate.”
On a positive note, Mikel Arteta communicates that he’s already starting to feel better.
On Twitter, he sends a message to the fans: “Thanks for your words and support. We’re all facing a huge and unprecedented challenge. Everyone’s health is all that matters right now. Protect each other by following the guidelines. We’ll come through this together. Well done [the] Premier League for making the right decisions.”
March 16th
Having been set to join Liverpool at the end of the season, Arsenal’s Head of Medical Services, Gary O’Driscoll, performs a dramatic u-turn and reportedly decides to stick things out at Arsenal. It feels like a win for Mikel Arteta who formed a close relationship with the doctor during his playing days.
March 17th
With domestic leagues suspended, Uefa postpone the 2020 European Championships – due to be a pan-continental tournament climaxing at Wembley – for 12 months.
March 19th
English football’s governing bodies confirm that there will be no professional football in England until at least 30 April. While they reiterate their collective determination to complete current campaigns at all levels, no date for a resumption of action is set.
Arsenal reveal that Mikel Arteta is in regular contact with his players and that “detailed planning with the coaches” is taking place.
March 23rd
Arsenal say “Stay at home and save lives,” while making a commitment to paying all matchday and non-matchday casual workers until April 30th.
The club also confirm a donation of £100,000 to local charities and organisations that are supporting those most in need during the crisis.
March 26th
Hector Bellerin is one of the players involved in the #FootballUnited initiative, which aims to raise cash to support elderly and vulnerable people during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
March 30th
Arsenal Women goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin reveals she contracted Covid-19, saying, “All the doctors told me that I had contracted Covid-19. I have had a lot of symptoms related to this virus: fever, cold, constant headache, respiratory issues, severe fatigue and loss of taste and smell. I checked a lot of boxes.”
Ready for part two of our 2019/20 season review? Step this way…
Part 2 >>>
DullyJr
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April 3rd
The Premier League release a statement outlining aspects of their Covid-19 response, including the issue of player wages.
They say, “In the face of substantial and continuing losses for the 2019/20 season since the suspension of matches began, and to protect employment throughout the professional game, Premier League clubs unanimously agreed to consult their players regarding a combination of conditional reductions and deferrals amounting to 30 per cent of total annual remuneration.”
The PFA reject the proposal, saying pays cuts for Premier League players would actually be ‘detrimental’ the NHS.
Elsewhere, Health Secretary Matt Hancock shines a light on football by telling footballers they have to ‘play their part’. Ignoring the many other profitable industries and highly-paid professions, he says, “Given the sacrifices people are making, including some of my colleagues in the NHS, who have made the ultimate sacrifice and gone into work and caught the disease and have sadly died, I think the first thing Premier League footballers can do is make a contribution; take a pay cut and play their part.”
It’s a cheap piece of false equivalence from a government whose response to the spread of the Coronavirus doesn’t stand up to a great deal of scrutiny.
April 9th
Hector Bellerin is front and centre as the ‘Players Together’ initiative is launched to raise money for NHS Charities together.
A statement reads:
“#PlayersTogether is about we, as players, collaborating together to create a voluntary initiative, separate to any other club and league conversations, that can help get much needed funds to those that need it right now.
“To try and help, along with so many others in the country, make a real difference.
“Our prayers and thoughts go out to everybody affected by this crisis. By sticking together, we will get through this.
“Stay Home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives.”
Meanwhile, as the spread of pandemic grows, and it becomes clear the shut down is not going to be a temporary one, FIFA address the issue of player contracts – which usually expire on June 30th – and the transfer windows.
“It is now obvious that the current season will not end when people thought it would,” they say.
“Therefore, it is proposed that contracts be extended until such time that the season does actually end.
“It is also necessary to adjust the normal regulatory position to the new factual circumstances.
“Accordingly, Fifa will be flexible and allow the relevant transfer windows to be moved so they fall between the end of the old season and the start of the new season.”
April 12th
It is reported that Arsenal have written to the first team squad, asking them to accept a 12.5% pay cut for the next 12 months. On the back of the recent financial losses, it’s clear there is some pressure from on high to make savings.
The structure of the proposed cuts is as follows:
A 12.5% pay cut for 12 months from April 2020 to March 2021 (players paid in final week of each month so to start this month)
The full amount is then refunded if Arsenal qualify for the Champions League
If Arsenal do not qualify for the Champions League, no money is returned back
If Arsenal fail to qualify for the Champions League, but qualify for the Europa League the cut becomes 7.5%
If the season does not finish and/or Arsenal does not get full money from broadcasters then they will ask the players to find a “further solution”.
Arsenal also ask the players to donate a week’s wages to help pay staff.
Initial reports suggest the squad is split on whether or not to accept the club’s proposal.
April 15th
Arsenal confirm that the executive team have committed to a 33% wage reduction for the next 12 months.
The club provide an update about all employees, saying:
We are in ongoing contact with our employees through video conferences, newsletters and team meetings. We have made it clear to them that we are not considering redundancies, and we are fully focused on protecting their well-being, jobs and salaries. All our employees are receiving their full salaries and we plan to continue this. We are not currently intending to use the Government’s furlough scheme.
It is rumoured that owners KSE are to put money into the club during this difficult period, but details on exactly what that means are thin on the ground.
April 17th
[https://arseblog]
Reports emerge that after Mikel Arteta becomes involved in the discussions with the squad, almost all of them agree to take a pay cut based on various clauses:
Qualification for next season’s Europa League will reduce the pay cut from 12.5% to 7.5%.
Qualification for next season’s Champions League will secure a full rebate.
Qualification for the 2021/22 Champions League will secure a full rebate.
Players sold during this period for a profit will secure a full rebate.
Some seem more achievable than others, for example:
If Arsenal qualify and win the 2020/21 Champions League each player will be eligible for £500,000 bonus.
If Arsenal qualify and win the 2020/21 Europa League each player will be eligible for £100,000 bonus.
April 20th
Arsenal confirm they have reached a ‘voluntary agreement’ with first-team players, manager and coaching staff to ‘help support the club at this critical time.’
In doing so, Arsenal become the first Premier League side – barely a month into the shutdown – to have agreed pay cuts with their playing staff. Other clubs have reached deferral agreements, but not wage cuts.
April 21st
The rumour mill is in overdrive regarding three Arsenal players who did not agree to the pay cuts. Only one of them is named: Mesut Ozil.
The German’s agent is critical of the process, telling The Athletic, “It is not enough for a club to present a proposal to one member of the first-team squad and then ask them to go to the rest of the squad and get their consent to do it.
“That is not how individual contract negotiations should take place.”
April 28th
Granit Xhaka says he’s had a ‘new start’ under Mikel Arteta, saying the influence of the Spaniard is what made his mind up about staying.
“I had very good conversations with him right from the start, in which he showed me what he expected of me, how much he needed me in the team and how much he valued me as a player,” he says.
“It was very motivating and convincing for me.”
April 29th
Analysis of Arsenal’s finances by the AST (Arsenal Supporter’s Trust) predicts that Arsenal will register a £19 million loss for the year to the end of May if the rest of the current campaign is played behind closed doors.
Depending on how things improve, or otherwise, they suggest losses could reach as much as £144m over the next 12 months as Arsenal seek to cope without gate receipts, ticket revenue, commercial and match-day income, as well as having to contend with possible broadcasting refunds, no European football, and more.
May 6th
Henrikh Mkhitaryan makes clear his desire to stay in Roma and urges Arsenal to do a deal with the Italian club. His agent dismisses quotes attributed to the Armenian as ‘fake news’, which just makes more people believe them.
May 9th
The first pictures of next season’s home kit are leaked – there’s just the small matter of completing the present one.
Whispers around the implementation of ‘Project Restart’ suggest that a provisional date of June 13th has been earmarked for the resumption of football behind closed doors.
May 11th
Mesut Ozil’s agent again insists the midfielder will see out his contract with Arsenal.
“Mesut has one year left on his contract,” he tells beIN Sports. “There will be no change in this regard.”
The one thing you could never accuse the good doctor of is a lack of consistency.
May 13th
Top-level athletes, including footballers, are allowed to return to training with immediate effect under new guidelines released by the government.
Arsenal are expected to set-up a drive-through testing centre at London Colney for the first team squad and backroom staff in the coming days.
The first phase of training will see 75-minute sessions restricted to groups of five.
Tackling will be banned for the time being and everything from corner flags and balls to pitches and cones will need to be disinfected during and after each session.
May 18th
The FA says with respect to the Women’s Super League, “there will be significant challenges in completing the 2019-20 season.”
May 19th
With the resumption of football to take place without fans, providing viewers with a recognisable ‘product’ sees talk of technological innovations from broadcasters.
CGI fans, audio effects and more are being considered by Sky, BT Sports and the Premier League.
Meanwhile, as Man Utd activate refunds for season ticket holders, Arsenal supporters remain in the dark.
A club spokesperson tells Arseblog News, “We will issue details in due course.”
May 21st
Dani Ceballos reveals the entire Arsenal squad have tested negative for Covid-19, and lets slip the resumption date of the Premier League: June 20th.
May 22nd
Arsenal announce that they will implement a scheme of credits/refunds for the games that will be played behind closed doors when the Premier League season resumes.
As for season ticket and membership renewals for the 2020-21 campaign, they say, “Information regarding season ticket and membership renewals for next season will be updated as soon as we have more clarity on future possible timings of the 2020/21 season.“
May 22nd
Players return to group training at London Colney. There is a lot of focus on who has a hair clippers at home or not.
[https://arseblog]May 25th
The Women’s Super League season is cancelled. Arsenal are still involved in the Champions League, but details have yet to emerge as to how and when that competition will be resolved.
May 26th
Following Gary O’Driscoll’s decision to stay at Arsenal rather than join Liverpool, Florence Newton is promoted to the position of first team doctor to work alongside the Irishman.
May 27th
Premier League clubs unanimously vote to move to Phase 2 of the return to football protocols, which will allow full contact training.
It also emerges that David Luiz only signed a one year contract when joining from Chelsea, but there is an option for another 12 months if the club chooses to take it up.
Premier League clubs have until 23 June to offer temporary extensions to players in the final year of their contracts through until whenever the 2019/20 season is completed.
May 28th
It’s reported that Arsenal will resume their Premier League campaign on June 17th with a trip to Man City.
The league also confirm that every single game will be made available to TV viewers in the UK as fans will not be allowed inside stadiums.
Sir Chips Keswick announces that he is stepping down as Arsenal chairman, now a merely ceremonial position following the 100% ownership by KSE.
He says, “It has been an honour to be the chairman of this great football club. Arsenal has always held a special place in my life and that will remain the case in the future.”
May 29th
A provisional FA Cup schedule is released, all going well Arsenal will face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in the quarter-finals on the weekend of June 27th/28th.
Meanwhile, we are rumoured to have signed 19 year old Norwegian winger George Lewis after he impressed during a trial in March.
June 1st
Denying well-sourced reports that David Luiz’s first season at Arsenal saw the club’s outlay come to around £24m with wages, transfer fee and intermediary fees, agent Kia Joorabchian says he expects the Brazilian to stay with the Gunners despite the fact they have yet to take up the one year option.
“David will sit down with Arsenal before the season begins, have his conversations and they will both decide if he will stay or not,” he says. “That will come before the season starts. The chances are very high. There is no desire to leave.”
Arseblog News turns 9.
June 4th
The Premier League confirm that teams will be allowed use up to 5 subs per game, extending the number allowed on the bench for each match to 9.
June 5th
The Women’s Super League is decided on a points per game model, which means Joe Montemurro’s side finish in 3rd pace. Chelsea are ‘champions’ with Man City runners-up.
June 6th
After months without football, Arsenal play a behind closed doors friendly, scoring six times against Charlton with Eddie Nketiah scoring a hat-trick.
June 9th
In an extensive interview with an American golf coach called Trillium Rose (surely that’s the name of a Star Wars character?), Mikel Arteta’s assistant Steve Round goes into some detail about the work the Spaniard and his staff are doing at the club.
He says, “There is group training almost every day and we will train skill set, skill acquisition and technical every day. They still go through skill sets every day, whether that’s in the pre-training or after training, say for example, we might bring the two centre forwards back to do extra work on scoring. We may decide we want to do penalties.
“Every day there’s a theme around some form of skill acquisition.”
June 10th
In another warm up game, we lose 3-2 to Brentford at the Emirates. Arsenal Twitter takes it in its stride and doesn’t at all overreact despite only having very brief highlights to go on.
Mikel Arteta insists his players are the ‘driving force’ behind support for the Black Lives Matter campaign. Before kick-off against the Bees, players and staff take a knee, a symbolic stance, made famous by NFL star Colin Kaepernick, that has become synonymous with anti-racism.
“The thing that I liked most is that it came from them,” says the manager.
“I think it was a really strong message and it was powerful because it comes from them. They were the ones who felt they had to support these causes.”
June 12th
Hector Bellerin tells Prince William on a Zoom call – as 2020 gets ever more surreal – that the Arsenal players have had ‘tough conversations’ over the issue of pay cuts.
However, he insists that because of the greater good for the club’s wider employees, they are feeling positive about it.
“We all did this for the good of the club and the people that work for the club,” he tells the Duke of Cambridge.
“I think, and I don’t just speak for me and Auba, but many of the players and the coaches, we got many messages from the staff saying they now feel safe and that they can still work and get paid.
“They are situations that could build negativity but we found something positive in it and it’s brought us together as a family.”
Yep, a lot of foreshadowing going on this year.
June 14th
Worries about the future of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are exacerbated when he tells French outlet Telefoot that he’s at a ‘turning point’ in his career.
He insists he has had conversations with Arsenal, but there has been no offer of a new contract. However, he puts the ball in the club’s court, saying, “They have the keys. It’s up to them to do their work and after that we will see how things go.
“I still have not decided and we will see. It will maybe be the most important decision of my career.”
Fans are worried, but Mikel Arteta sounds positive when he conducts his pre-Man City press conference over Zoom.
“We’ve had many discussions with Pierre, his family and agent, and I’m pretty positive that we can find the right agreement for all parties,” he says.
He talks about his desire to keep David Luiz, saying, “I like what he produces on the pitch, I like his influence around the players and around the club. I would love to keep him.”
And also references his desire to strengthen the squad and bring Arsenal back to where he feels it belongs.
“If we stand still obviously that gap will get bigger and bigger,” he declares. “I haven’t come here to accept or to do that.
“The challenge for all of us, is first to improve the players that we have and then to improve the squad in the right positions in order to give us the best possible chance and tools that we need to compete at that level which is getting higher and higher each year.”
June 16th
Hector Bellerin makes public his support for a tree planting charity, pledging to plant 3000 trees for every game Arsenal win until the end of the season.
June 17th
Football is back at last and Arsenal take on Man City at the Etihad. It’s a return to his former club for Mikel Arteta, and things get off to a bad start when Granit Xhaka picks up an injury in the opening minutes, followed on the 20 minute mark by Pablo Mari.
His replacement by David Luiz results in one of the most abysmal cameos in recent memory. The Brazilian is culpable as City take the lead just before the break, and within four minutes of the restart he has conceded his fourth penalty of the season and received a red card in the process too.
City run out 3-0 winners, and although few expected anything other than defeat, it’s hardly ideal preparation for a trip to Brighton, especially with the injuries.
Luiz fronts up on TV afterwards, taking the blame for the defeat and suggesting it was somehow down to his contractual situation.
[https://arseblog]
“I should have taken a different decision, in the last two months and I didn’t,” he tells Sky.
“It’s about my contract, if I stay here or not. I have 14 days left to be here. And that’s it. So today was my fault.”
Mesut Ozil’s non-selection for a big away game is hardly big news anymore, but his complete omission from the squad when you can name 9 subs raises eyebrows.
Arteta is asked about it in his post-game press conference, and says, “It was a tactical reason. I needed players in other positions as well and that’s why I decided to leave him out.”
Deja Vu, anyone?
June 18th
It’s barely minutes since anyone has heard from Kia Joorabchian, so it’s a welcome relief to know he’s doing fine as he talks about David Luiz’s future.
“What I can tell you, is that the situation from Arsenal’s point of view will be resolved this week,” he tells TalkSport, before cryptically adding, “It’s not just Luiz’s situation, I think there are several issues within the whole structure that will get resolved.”
Nobody’s quite certain what he means, but an agent talking about the structures of the club does not sit right with many Arsenal fans.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta again touches on the Ozil situation, saying he’s looking for the playmaker to respond and show he’s ready to play.
“Since I joined I thought that he was fit and he was willing and he wanted to perform at the level he can do,” he says ahead of the weekend trip to Brighton.
“He has played every game with me I think. So that is it. The moment I see that he is ready again to do that, I will treat him like anybody else.
“I think I have been more than fair with him and I think he has responded in many games the way I want.”
June 20th
Having previously challenged Ainsley Maitland-Niles to show he’s ready to fight for a place, Arteta is pleased by the response from the 22 year old.
“He has changed a lot of things, a lot of positive things,” he says.
“He has all the attributes and qualities to become a really important player. It’s up to him.”
The trip to Brighton ends with a last minute 2-1 defeat, via a goal scored by Neal Maupay. It’s a sickening blow, not least because the French striker had earlier been involved in an incident where his unnecessary foul on Bernd Leno saw the Arsenal keeper stretchered off with what appeared to be a very serious injury.
At the end of the game, Matteo Guendouzi grabs his compatriot by the throat and faces an FA investigation.
June 22nd
Former scout Gilles Grimandi is critical of the signings made by Head of Football Raul Sanllehi, saying, “There’s a lot of incoherence in the choices. We’re not able to read the project that’s in the hands of the directors and Sanllehi right now.
“There have been some debatable signings and it’s not possible to totally see from the outside what they want to do.”
You can see his point, but this is a man who let a golden generation of French talent slip through our fingers but brought us Yaya Sanogo.
Meanwhile, the club have to make decisions over the futures of four players – Dani Ceballos, David Luiz, Cedric Soares, and Pablo Mari – whose contractual situations have to be sorted out.
Matteo Guendouzi escapes punishment from the FA for the incident at Brighton, but trouble is brewing for the young midfielder.
June 23rd
It’s a busy day at Arsenal and it starts badly with news that Gabriel Martinelli has suffered a serious injury in training, along with news that Pablo Mari will be sidelined for months as he requires surgery on the ankle ligament problem he picked up against Man City.
There’s some good news regarding Bernd Leno, however, as his injury turns out not to be as serious as first feared, although he is unlikely to feature again this season.
The club then announce decisions for the four players whose contracts demanded them. David Luiz is given a one year extension; Pablo Mari’s loan from Flamengo is made permanent; Cedric Soares is handed a four year deal even though he is yet to play since his loan move from Southampton in January; and there is agreement with Real Madrid which will allow Dani Ceballos stay in London until the end of the campaign.
June 25th
Granit Xhaka returns from injury as goals from Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock give Arsenal a 2-0 win over Southampton – the first victory after the restart.
There is no place in the squad for Matteo Guendouzi though. Arteta explains his absence as ‘squad management‘, saying, “Whatever internal issue we have, we deal with it privately.”
June 26th
Things move fast in football, and from France L’Equipe report that in an internal meeting Guendouzi tells Arsenal he’d be open to leaving when the transfer window opens, citing what he feels is a lack of trust in him from Mikel Arteta.
For his part, the manager again insists on keeping things in-house, but as he has with other players, leaves the door open for reconciliation, saying, “All the players that are here, I am counting on them. If they want to jump on the boat, they are more than welcome, and that is always my mindset.”
Gabriel Martinelli and Pablo Mari both undergo surgery for their injuries.
June 28th
A late winner from Dani Ceballos secures a 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the FA Cup, and sets up a semi-final against Man City.
In the fourth away game in twelve days, Nicolas Pepe puts the Gunners ahead, but after intense pressure, McGoldrick equalises just minutes from full-time.
The balance of the game shifts to the home side, but after good work from Eddie Nketiah, the on-loan Real Madrid man slots home the goal that will send the Arsenal to Wembley.
June 29th
Brazilian physio Bruno Mazziotti, well known to Edu, is linked with Arsenal after it’s revealed the club’s Head of Physiotherapy, Chris Morgan, is to join Liverpool.
June 30th
Lucas Torreira returns to full training after his ankle injury, while Mikel Arteta thinks it would be good for William Saliba to play in the French Cup final. Saint-Etienne are due to face PSG on July 24th, but there are issues over his contract, signing a temporary extension with his former club, and financial implications if he plays one more game for the Ligue 1 outfit.
Nevertheless, having played a part in Les Verts reaching the final, Arteta says of the young Frenchman, “We have an agreement with Saint-Etienne, he’s been there all year, and he’s earned his right to play that final if the manager wants to do that.
“I think we have to give him the opportunity to do that, to enjoy that, and we can have him after that.”
The boss then insists that Mesut Ozil’s wages have no bearing on his selection, or lack thereof. Asked specifically if the German’s earnings have any bearing on how he picks his team, Arteta says, “Never. That’s an agreement that the player and club were really happy to do, to move ahead.
“That’s never a question. Players are paid what they deserve. There are both parties here and that I should never have to be something that I’m judging him about.”
Roma announce that they are extending their loan for Henrikh Mkhitaryan until the end of the Serie A season, and that there is a ‘preliminary agreement’ between the various parties for the 2020-21 campaign also.
July 1st
Saint-Etienne slam Arsenal in a statement over the William Saliba issue. The French side accuse Arsenal of imposing ‘absolutely unacceptable sports and financial conditions’.
The Gunners hit back with a statement of their own, saying that while they have been willing to find a way to let Saliba play in the cup final, they are concerned about an unwillingness to follow a specific training plan, as well as making it clear they expect ‘not to be financially disadvantaged by extending the loan’.
“We know this is a disappointment for William,” they say, “but he understands we are working to protect his long-term interests and those of Arsenal.”
The issue is reportedly over a payment Arsenal would have to make if the 19 year makes a certain number of appearances during his loan spell there, and this would put him over the threshold.
There’s good news later in the day however, as Bukayo Saka puts pen to paper on a new long-term contract. The 18 year old has had a breakthrough season and with just 12 months left on his current deal, securing his future is hugely important.
On the pitch, two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, one from Granit Xhaka, and a goal on his debut for Cedric Soares give Arsenal a 4-0 win over Norwich.
Neither Mesut Ozil or Matteo Guendouzi even make the bench.
In between, Arsenal confirm that corporate lawyer Tim Lewis – a lifelong Gooner – has joined the board as non-executive director of Arsenal Holdings Limited and Arsenal Football Club plc.
In a statement, Stan and Josh Kroenke say: “We are pleased to announce Tim’s appointment. He will bring additional experience and skills, starting with our work to come out of the current situation in as strong a position as possible.”
July 3rd
Gabriel Martinelli signs a new long-term contract with the club, a reward for his excellent start to life in English football.
Arteta is asked what exactly he means by players being ‘on the boat’, framed around the continued absence of Guendouzi. How can he climb back aboard the HMS Arteta?
“Players that respect the values that we want to implement, that are 100 per cent committed to our culture and players that are accountable every day for what we demand from them,” he explains.
“Players that are ready to help each other, fight for each other and enjoy playing together. That’s what I mean by being on the boat.
“You behave like this every day, you are very, very welcome here and we want to get the best out of you and help you to enjoy your profession with us.”
July 7th
The Athletic report that Matteo Guendouzi has been training alone, the clearest evidence yet that there has been some kind of disciplinary issue behind the scenes. It’s his second bust-up with management in a matter of months, having previously argued with Arteta and his staff during the training camp in Dubai.
July 10th
Reports earlier in the lockdown about KSE putting money into the club to ease the financial burden never tallied with the fact players were so quickly asked to take pay cuts.
Now, details emerge of how the ownership have paid off £184m of stadium debt/high interest bonds, plus penalties for early finalisation. The debt still needs to be repaid, this is still a loan, but terms are more favourable and it’s a move which will reportedly save the club £20m in interest payments every year.
It also frees up some of the club’s cash reserves, held in a ‘a bondholders’ debt service reserve account’. It’s not a transfer kitty windfall though, as the monthly operating costs of almost £28m still have to be serviced, and without the £70m or so season ticket money brings in at this time of the year, it’s more about keeping things ticking over.
July 12th
With games against Liverpool and Man City to come, Arsenal are looking for a good result in the North London derby.
Sadly, despite going ahead through a sensational Alexandre Lacazette strike, Sp*rs take advantage of an Arsenal mistake and sucker punch late in the second half to run out 2-1 winners.
It’s Arteta’s first derby as manager, and it ends with the same scoreline as the first one he played in too.
July 14th
Arsenal are linked with a loan move for Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho, another player represented by Kia Joorabchian.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is reportedly ‘resigned’ to departing in the summer.
Mikel Arteta insists that Arsenal can’t afford to be left behind, urging those on high to invest in the team.
“You have to make a decision,” he says, “whether I want to aim to make that gap closer and go for it or I stay where I am.”
It’s a not too subtle reminder to those on high that there are issues in the squad that have to be fixed.
July 15th
Details of the transfer window are revealed. It will open for 10 weeks from July 27th until October 5th. There will also be a further domestic window from October 5th to 16th which will allow Premier League clubs to trade with EFL clubs, but not with each other.
July 16th
Arsenal somewhat surprisingly beat Liverpool 2-1. It’s pretty funny.
Dinos Mavropanos signs a new deal with the club, before joining Sven Mislintat’s Stuttgart on loan for the duration of the 2020-21 season.
July 17th
Alex Lacazette reveals that he doesn’t want to annoy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang so he’s stopped asking his pal whether he’ll sign a new contract or not. Mikel Arteta says he doesn’t want to lose either player in the summer, praising the Frenchman’s tenacity on the pitch.
Ahead of the FA Cup semi-final, the boss says: “He’s a massive competitor, he hates to lose, he goes for every ball, you see in every challenge how he is ready to go, how hard he works and he’s a very intelligent player. I am really happy with him.”
Arteta also insists that Ainsley Maitland-Niles has a future at the club. A hint at something to come.
July 18th
Maitland-Niles is the surprise name on the team sheet when Arsenal face City at Wembley. He has an impressive game at left wing-back as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s brace and a masterful defensive display seal a 2-0 victory that puts us into an FA Cup final against either Chelsea or Manchester United.
In the centre of defence, David Luiz puts memories of his gaffe-ridden 21-minute cameo at the Etihad to bed with a leading role.
“I understood during my career that football is about survival,” he says afterwards. “Every day you’re going to defend your team and the other people are going to support different teams. So it’s about surviving. It’s what I did. I was working hard every single day after my mistakes. I took the blame. I was mature enough to understand that and I was humble to work more for the team.”
July 19th
As the dust settles on the win, attention turns to next season. Reports surface that Arsenal are in talks with Real Madrid about extending Dani Ceballos’ loan. Arteta also sounds quite positive about keeping Aubameyang.
“Obviously if he can see the success and direction that we’re taking is the right one, I think he will be more positive about staying,” he says.
At Wembley, Chelsea ease past Manchester United with a 3-1 win. We will play the Blues in the FA Cup final for the second time in three years.
July 20th
Having been subbed off with a hamstring injury at Wembley, it’s looking increasingly likely that Shkodran Mustafi will miss the rest of the season. He’s ruled out of the upcoming game with Aston Villa.
Having watched his side patiently work the ball from Emi Martinez to the back of the City net, Arteta reasserts his belief that the Gunners should be playing out from the back more often.
He says: “I get nervous when we kick the ball long! The quicker it goes there, the quicker it comes back. I’d rather do that with the right structure, the right timing and using the right spaces. It’s something that we have to do more often.”
The boss also takes a moment to praise former teammate Santi Cazorla who has announced he’s leaving Villarreal to play in Qatar. Talk of an Arsenal reunion is premature. But never say never.
“About the coaching role and the future, we will see what happens. Right now, he’s just finished … so let him enjoy that moment and we’ll see what happens in the future.”
July 21st
Arsenal’s hopes of qualifying for the Europa League via the Premier League are killed off by relegation threatened Aston Villa who seal a 1-0 win in a drab encounter at Villa Park. Despite dominating possession, the Gunners look tired, leggy and devoid of imagination. The wave of good vibes come to an abrupt halt.
“At the end of the day, the league table doesn’t lie and we know the gap that we have to fill in,” says Arteta.
“It has to hurt and we have to suffer because it is not good enough for this football club. That’s why we have to put it right, we have a challenge that is really big and we are facing it and we are really excited about what we have ahead of us.
“We need to transmit this enthusiasm and passion because they’re going to be some ups and down, unfortunately. Today is a down but sometimes it is good to see the reality and then go again and move on and improve.”
July 23rd
Arsenal launch their new home shirt for the 2020/21 campaign and, in the process, reveal that Bukayo Saka has been handed the number 7 shirt. The shirt will be worn against Watford on the final day of the season and in the FA Cup final.
William Saliba speaks for the first time since it was confirmed he won’t play the Coupe de France final for Saint-Etienne. He promises to watch from the stands as he bid farewell to his boyhood club. He also makes it clear he holds no grudge against the Gunners for denying him a first cup final appearance.
“Arsenal has not been at the top of its game for the last three, four years. But, like St Étienne, its badge, its history and its fans made me want it,” he says.
“I have a crush on Arsenal. I had no hesitation. I am discovering another world.”
July 24th
Arsenal’s lack of creativity is hammered home by data which shows the Gunners are 13th in the Premier League table for “Big Chances Created” – and 16th for shots taken over the course of the season, trailing even bottom club Norwich.
Arteta says, “I have my reasons that I don’t want to make public, but it’s clear those stats don’t lie. When you relate them to Arsenal, it’s not good enough.”
July 26th
The final game of the Premier League season sees Arsenal run out 3-2 winners over Watford, who are relegated to the Championship.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scores twice, while Kieran Tierney gets off the mark in red and white. David Luiz sets a new record by conceding his 5th penalty of the league campaign, an inauspicious achievement, but at least he escapes a red card this time.
It means the Gunners finish 8th, the lowest league finish in 25 years, and outside the European places for the first time since 1994-95. The upcoming FA Cup final is not just a chance at tangible success and silverware, it will also have a massive impact on next season, our transfer budget and more.
July 28th
Shkodran Mustafi is officially ruled out until October due to the seriousness of his hamstring injury. For the second time in three years, he is ruled out of an FA Cup final against Chelsea. Is it a good omen based on what happened last time?
July 29th
Freddie Ljungberg is linked with the manager’s job at Swedish side AIK. In the end they go for former Swedish U21 coach, and former assistant manager, Bartosz Grzelak.
July 30th
Just in case anyone is in any doubt, Mesut Ozil’s agent again reiterates that his client will stay at the club until his contract expires.
“I don’t think there will be any change with Mesut Ozil until the summer of 2021,” he says. Nothing changed. He will stay in Arsenal.”
With the permission of the club, Ozil spends the week of the final in Sweden and Turkey, is not selected in the squad, and is not at Wembley to watch his team take on Chelsea.
August 1st
The most bizarre, surreal and elongated season in Arsenal’s long-history ends on a real high as two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang seal a 2-1 win over Chelsea to win the club’s 14th FA Cup.
Having fallen behind early, Mikel Arteta’s men show real character, and on the day the captain leads the way – slotting home a first half penalty, before scoring a sensational winner in the 67th minute.
It feels fantastic, even without fans in the stadium, and it means that European football is secured for the 2020-21 season, increasing our chances of keeping Aubameyang, and finding ways to invest in the team.
At the presentation, the skipper drops the cup, resulting in one of the pictures of the season.
[https://arseblog]
It’s been a roller-coaster ride, to say the least, and a delighted Mikel Arteta says afterwards, “Everybody worked so incredibly hard. I am so proud to represent these players and this club.
“I had only one mission when I came here and it was to make the players and the staff believe that we could do it. We had to change that energy and that mentality.”
There is still plenty of work to do, but it’s a wonderful start.
August 3rd
Willian turns down the offer a two year deal from Chelsea, leading to increased speculation that his future lies in North London.
August 5th
Just three days after winning the FA Cup, Arsenal announce 55 redundancies. In a statement titled ‘An update from your club’, they say that the job losses are necessary in order to maintain investment in the team.
It reads: Over recent years we have consistently invested in additional staff to take the club forward but with the expected reduction of income in mind, it is now clear that we must reduce our costs further to ensure we are operating in a sustainable and responsible way, and to enable us to continue to invest in the team.
It’s hard to marry the fact hard-working employees are made redundant during a global pandemic, with the fact Arsenal are about to hand a lucrative contract to Willian, and are hopeful of signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to a deal worth £300,000 a week.
It also comes to light that aside from these cuts, the club have parted ways with the highly respected Head of International Recruitment, Francis Cagigao, as well as Peter Clark, the Head of UK Scouting, and Brian McDermott, another key man in the UK scouting setup.
August 6th
There are more reported departures in the scouting department with the head man in most key European markets dispensed with. The South American operation remains untouched for now.
These appear to be the structural changes referenced by agent Kia Joorabchian earlier in the summer, raising further concerns about how much influence or insight he has to internal club operations and his brazen willingness to speak about them in public.
It’s also reported that despite the fact he is a player that Mikel Arteta likes, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is told he is up for sale.
August 7th
Lucas Torreira hints at a departure during the transfer window, saying, “This year has been more complicated: I have lost continuity and confidence. I do not like this. At this age I need to play to be called up for the national team.
“I have a contract with Arsenal, but if I have to change in the future it will be a decision I make for my own good.
“Every player looks for a team where he feels important. We will see what happens in the future.”
He is linked with AC Milan, Roma and Fiorentina as a return to Italy seems most likely if he does go. The club are reportedly open to him leaving.
August 12th
Arsenal’s hopes of bringing back Dani Ceballos take a blow as Real Madrid don’t look kindly on a reported offer in which we don’t pay them a loan fee and only a percentage of his wages. The Spanish press then report the midfielder will be called up for pre-season with the La Liga title winners, but is it just a ploy to force Arsenal’s hand?
August 13th
Mesut Ozil gives an interview to The Athletic in which he makes it clear he has no intention of leaving the club.
“I’ll decide when I go, not other people,” he says.
“I didn’t sign for two or three years, I signed for four and that should be respected by everyone. I don’t want to leave, so that’s it.”
It remains unclear if he is in Mikel Arteta’s plans for the new season.
Meanwhile, Kia Joorabchian goes on national radio to slag off former Head of Recruitment Sven Mislintat.
August 14th
32 year old Willian is handed a three year deal as he joins on a free transfer after his contract with Chelsea expires. He becomes the latest Joorabchian client at the club, along with David Luiz and Cedric Soares, and now three of the last four permanent signings have shared the same agent. The photoshoot for Willian’s official pictures takes place at Joorabchian’s house.
Mikel Arteta is happy with his arrival, saying, “I believe he’s a player that can really make a difference for us.
“We have been monitoring him for the past few months, we had a clear intention to strengthen in the attacking midfielder and the winger positions – he is a player that gives us a lot of versatility, he can play in three or four different positions.”
The Brazilian says, “I’ll always train hard and go on the pitch 100% to help this club win games and titles.”
During the day, ESPN report that Arsenal are conducting an investigation of the Nicolas Pepe transfer.
August 15th
After rumours circulating online from an anonymous Twitter account named ‘The Arsenal Gerbil’, Arsenal announce the departure of Head of Football Raul Sanllehi.
It comes just six weeks after Tim Lewis is appointed as a non-executive director, but all sides paint the decision as amicable, with the former Barcelona man blaming Covid-19. Not everyone is convinced.
Arsenal later tell the media no “investigation” into the Pepe transfer has taken place.
A statement reads: “We want to be clear to you all that there has been no investigation by the club into the Nicolas Pepe transfer. To suggest there has been an investigation is grossly inaccurate and unfair and we request you remove it from your coverage. We have informed our lawyers and will take further action as necessary.”
ESPN reword the original article, re-title it “Arsenal review £72m Pepe transfer” and the word “investigate” is removed throughout to be replaced with “re-examine” and “review”.
Mikel Arteta is given greater influence over transfer business, working in tandem with Edu, while Managing Director Vinai Venkatesham is announced as the person who will ‘lead the club forward’ from an executive point of view.
August 20th
Fixtures for the Premier League season 2020-21 are released, the Gunners will kick off the new campaign away at newly promoted Fulham.
Pre-season begins in a few days time.
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By @arseblog View attachment 1543681View attachment 1543683View attachment 1543685View attachment 1543682View attachment 1543684View attachment 1543687View attachment 1543686View attachment 1543688
DullyJr
JF-Expert Member
- Apr 10, 2011
- 13,993
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April 3rd
The Premier League release a statement outlining aspects of their Covid-19 response, including the issue of player wages.
They say, “In the face of substantial and continuing losses for the 2019/20 season since the suspension of matches began, and to protect employment throughout the professional game, Premier League clubs unanimously agreed to consult their players regarding a combination of conditional reductions and deferrals amounting to 30 per cent of total annual remuneration.”
The PFA reject the proposal, saying pays cuts for Premier League players would actually be ‘detrimental’ the NHS.
Elsewhere, Health Secretary Matt Hancock shines a light on football by telling footballers they have to ‘play their part’. Ignoring the many other profitable industries and highly-paid professions, he says, “Given the sacrifices people are making, including some of my colleagues in the NHS, who have made the ultimate sacrifice and gone into work and caught the disease and have sadly died, I think the first thing Premier League footballers can do is make a contribution; take a pay cut and play their part.”
It’s a cheap piece of false equivalence from a government whose response to the spread of the Coronavirus doesn’t stand up to a great deal of scrutiny.
April 9th
Hector Bellerin is front and centre as the ‘Players Together’ initiative is launched to raise money for NHS Charities together.
A statement reads:
“#PlayersTogether is about we, as players, collaborating together to create a voluntary initiative, separate to any other club and league conversations, that can help get much needed funds to those that need it right now.
“To try and help, along with so many others in the country, make a real difference.
“Our prayers and thoughts go out to everybody affected by this crisis. By sticking together, we will get through this.
“Stay Home. Protect the NHS. Save Lives.”
Meanwhile, as the spread of pandemic grows, and it becomes clear the shut down is not going to be a temporary one, FIFA address the issue of player contracts – which usually expire on June 30th – and the transfer windows.
“It is now obvious that the current season will not end when people thought it would,” they say.
“Therefore, it is proposed that contracts be extended until such time that the season does actually end.
“It is also necessary to adjust the normal regulatory position to the new factual circumstances.
“Accordingly, Fifa will be flexible and allow the relevant transfer windows to be moved so they fall between the end of the old season and the start of the new season.”
April 12th
It is reported that Arsenal have written to the first team squad, asking them to accept a 12.5% pay cut for the next 12 months. On the back of the recent financial losses, it’s clear there is some pressure from on high to make savings.
The structure of the proposed cuts is as follows:
A 12.5% pay cut for 12 months from April 2020 to March 2021 (players paid in final week of each month so to start this month)
The full amount is then refunded if Arsenal qualify for the Champions League
If Arsenal do not qualify for the Champions League, no money is returned back
If Arsenal fail to qualify for the Champions League, but qualify for the Europa League the cut becomes 7.5%
If the season does not finish and/or Arsenal does not get full money from broadcasters then they will ask the players to find a “further solution”.
Arsenal also ask the players to donate a week’s wages to help pay staff.
Initial reports suggest the squad is split on whether or not to accept the club’s proposal.
April 15th
Arsenal confirm that the executive team have committed to a 33% wage reduction for the next 12 months.
The club provide an update about all employees, saying:
We are in ongoing contact with our employees through video conferences, newsletters and team meetings. We have made it clear to them that we are not considering redundancies, and we are fully focused on protecting their well-being, jobs and salaries. All our employees are receiving their full salaries and we plan to continue this. We are not currently intending to use the Government’s furlough scheme.
It is rumoured that owners KSE are to put money into the club during this difficult period, but details on exactly what that means are thin on the ground.
April 17th
[https://arseblog]
Reports emerge that after Mikel Arteta becomes involved in the discussions with the squad, almost all of them agree to take a pay cut based on various clauses:
Qualification for next season’s Europa League will reduce the pay cut from 12.5% to 7.5%.
Qualification for next season’s Champions League will secure a full rebate.
Qualification for the 2021/22 Champions League will secure a full rebate.
Players sold during this period for a profit will secure a full rebate.
Some seem more achievable than others, for example:
If Arsenal qualify and win the 2020/21 Champions League each player will be eligible for £500,000 bonus.
If Arsenal qualify and win the 2020/21 Europa League each player will be eligible for £100,000 bonus.
April 20th
Arsenal confirm they have reached a ‘voluntary agreement’ with first-team players, manager and coaching staff to ‘help support the club at this critical time.’
In doing so, Arsenal become the first Premier League side – barely a month into the shutdown – to have agreed pay cuts with their playing staff. Other clubs have reached deferral agreements, but not wage cuts.
April 21st
The rumour mill is in overdrive regarding three Arsenal players who did not agree to the pay cuts. Only one of them is named: Mesut Ozil.
The German’s agent is critical of the process, telling The Athletic, “It is not enough for a club to present a proposal to one member of the first-team squad and then ask them to go to the rest of the squad and get their consent to do it.
“That is not how individual contract negotiations should take place.”
April 28th
Granit Xhaka says he’s had a ‘new start’ under Mikel Arteta, saying the influence of the Spaniard is what made his mind up about staying.
“I had very good conversations with him right from the start, in which he showed me what he expected of me, how much he needed me in the team and how much he valued me as a player,” he says.
“It was very motivating and convincing for me.”
April 29th
Analysis of Arsenal’s finances by the AST (Arsenal Supporter’s Trust) predicts that Arsenal will register a £19 million loss for the year to the end of May if the rest of the current campaign is played behind closed doors.
Depending on how things improve, or otherwise, they suggest losses could reach as much as £144m over the next 12 months as Arsenal seek to cope without gate receipts, ticket revenue, commercial and match-day income, as well as having to contend with possible broadcasting refunds, no European football, and more.
May 6th
Henrikh Mkhitaryan makes clear his desire to stay in Roma and urges Arsenal to do a deal with the Italian club. His agent dismisses quotes attributed to the Armenian as ‘fake news’, which just makes more people believe them.
May 9th
The first pictures of next season’s home kit are leaked – there’s just the small matter of completing the present one.
Whispers around the implementation of ‘Project Restart’ suggest that a provisional date of June 13th has been earmarked for the resumption of football behind closed doors.
May 11th
Mesut Ozil’s agent again insists the midfielder will see out his contract with Arsenal.
“Mesut has one year left on his contract,” he tells beIN Sports. “There will be no change in this regard.”
The one thing you could never accuse the good doctor of is a lack of consistency.
May 13th
Top-level athletes, including footballers, are allowed to return to training with immediate effect under new guidelines released by the government.
Arsenal are expected to set-up a drive-through testing centre at London Colney for the first team squad and backroom staff in the coming days.
The first phase of training will see 75-minute sessions restricted to groups of five.
Tackling will be banned for the time being and everything from corner flags and balls to pitches and cones will need to be disinfected during and after each session.
May 18th
The FA says with respect to the Women’s Super League, “there will be significant challenges in completing the 2019-20 season.”
May 19th
With the resumption of football to take place without fans, providing viewers with a recognisable ‘product’ sees talk of technological innovations from broadcasters.
CGI fans, audio effects and more are being considered by Sky, BT Sports and the Premier League.
Meanwhile, as Man Utd activate refunds for season ticket holders, Arsenal supporters remain in the dark.
A club spokesperson tells Arseblog News, “We will issue details in due course.”
May 21st
Dani Ceballos reveals the entire Arsenal squad have tested negative for Covid-19, and lets slip the resumption date of the Premier League: June 20th.
May 22nd
Arsenal announce that they will implement a scheme of credits/refunds for the games that will be played behind closed doors when the Premier League season resumes.
As for season ticket and membership renewals for the 2020-21 campaign, they say, “Information regarding season ticket and membership renewals for next season will be updated as soon as we have more clarity on future possible timings of the 2020/21 season.“
May 22nd
Players return to group training at London Colney. There is a lot of focus on who has a hair clippers at home or not.
[https://arseblog]May 25th
The Women’s Super League season is cancelled. Arsenal are still involved in the Champions League, but details have yet to emerge as to how and when that competition will be resolved.
May 26th
Following Gary O’Driscoll’s decision to stay at Arsenal rather than join Liverpool, Florence Newton is promoted to the position of first team doctor to work alongside the Irishman.
May 27th
Premier League clubs unanimously vote to move to Phase 2 of the return to football protocols, which will allow full contact training.
It also emerges that David Luiz only signed a one year contract when joining from Chelsea, but there is an option for another 12 months if the club chooses to take it up.
Premier League clubs have until 23 June to offer temporary extensions to players in the final year of their contracts through until whenever the 2019/20 season is completed.
May 28th
It’s reported that Arsenal will resume their Premier League campaign on June 17th with a trip to Man City.
The league also confirm that every single game will be made available to TV viewers in the UK as fans will not be allowed inside stadiums.
Sir Chips Keswick announces that he is stepping down as Arsenal chairman, now a merely ceremonial position following the 100% ownership by KSE.
He says, “It has been an honour to be the chairman of this great football club. Arsenal has always held a special place in my life and that will remain the case in the future.”
May 29th
A provisional FA Cup schedule is released, all going well Arsenal will face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in the quarter-finals on the weekend of June 27th/28th.
Meanwhile, we are rumoured to have signed 19 year old Norwegian winger George Lewis after he impressed during a trial in March.
June 1st
Denying well-sourced reports that David Luiz’s first season at Arsenal saw the club’s outlay come to around £24m with wages, transfer fee and intermediary fees, agent Kia Joorabchian says he expects the Brazilian to stay with the Gunners despite the fact they have yet to take up the one year option.
“David will sit down with Arsenal before the season begins, have his conversations and they will both decide if he will stay or not,” he says. “That will come before the season starts. The chances are very high. There is no desire to leave.”
Arseblog News turns 9.
June 4th
The Premier League confirm that teams will be allowed use up to 5 subs per game, extending the number allowed on the bench for each match to 9.
June 5th
The Women’s Super League is decided on a points per game model, which means Joe Montemurro’s side finish in 3rd pace. Chelsea are ‘champions’ with Man City runners-up.
June 6th
After months without football, Arsenal play a behind closed doors friendly, scoring six times against Charlton with Eddie Nketiah scoring a hat-trick.
June 9th
In an extensive interview with an American golf coach called Trillium Rose (surely that’s the name of a Star Wars character?), Mikel Arteta’s assistant Steve Round goes into some detail about the work the Spaniard and his staff are doing at the club.
He says, “There is group training almost every day and we will train skill set, skill acquisition and technical every day. They still go through skill sets every day, whether that’s in the pre-training or after training, say for example, we might bring the two centre forwards back to do extra work on scoring. We may decide we want to do penalties.
“Every day there’s a theme around some form of skill acquisition.”
June 10th
In another warm up game, we lose 3-2 to Brentford at the Emirates. Arsenal Twitter takes it in its stride and doesn’t at all overreact despite only having very brief highlights to go on.
Mikel Arteta insists his players are the ‘driving force’ behind support for the Black Lives Matter campaign. Before kick-off against the Bees, players and staff take a knee, a symbolic stance, made famous by NFL star Colin Kaepernick, that has become synonymous with anti-racism.
“The thing that I liked most is that it came from them,” says the manager.
“I think it was a really strong message and it was powerful because it comes from them. They were the ones who felt they had to support these causes.”
June 12th
Hector Bellerin tells Prince William on a Zoom call – as 2020 gets ever more surreal – that the Arsenal players have had ‘tough conversations’ over the issue of pay cuts.
However, he insists that because of the greater good for the club’s wider employees, they are feeling positive about it.
“We all did this for the good of the club and the people that work for the club,” he tells the Duke of Cambridge.
“I think, and I don’t just speak for me and Auba, but many of the players and the coaches, we got many messages from the staff saying they now feel safe and that they can still work and get paid.
“They are situations that could build negativity but we found something positive in it and it’s brought us together as a family.”
Yep, a lot of foreshadowing going on this year.
June 14th
Worries about the future of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are exacerbated when he tells French outlet Telefoot that he’s at a ‘turning point’ in his career.
He insists he has had conversations with Arsenal, but there has been no offer of a new contract. However, he puts the ball in the club’s court, saying, “They have the keys. It’s up to them to do their work and after that we will see how things go.
“I still have not decided and we will see. It will maybe be the most important decision of my career.”
Fans are worried, but Mikel Arteta sounds positive when he conducts his pre-Man City press conference over Zoom.
“We’ve had many discussions with Pierre, his family and agent, and I’m pretty positive that we can find the right agreement for all parties,” he says.
He talks about his desire to keep David Luiz, saying, “I like what he produces on the pitch, I like his influence around the players and around the club. I would love to keep him.”
And also references his desire to strengthen the squad and bring Arsenal back to where he feels it belongs.
“If we stand still obviously that gap will get bigger and bigger,” he declares. “I haven’t come here to accept or to do that.
“The challenge for all of us, is first to improve the players that we have and then to improve the squad in the right positions in order to give us the best possible chance and tools that we need to compete at that level which is getting higher and higher each year.”
June 16th
Hector Bellerin makes public his support for a tree planting charity, pledging to plant 3000 trees for every game Arsenal win until the end of the season.
June 17th
Football is back at last and Arsenal take on Man City at the Etihad. It’s a return to his former club for Mikel Arteta, and things get off to a bad start when Granit Xhaka picks up an injury in the opening minutes, followed on the 20 minute mark by Pablo Mari.
His replacement by David Luiz results in one of the most abysmal cameos in recent memory. The Brazilian is culpable as City take the lead just before the break, and within four minutes of the restart he has conceded his fourth penalty of the season and received a red card in the process too.
City run out 3-0 winners, and although few expected anything other than defeat, it’s hardly ideal preparation for a trip to Brighton, especially with the injuries.
Luiz fronts up on TV afterwards, taking the blame for the defeat and suggesting it was somehow down to his contractual situation.
[https://arseblog]
“I should have taken a different decision, in the last two months and I didn’t,” he tells Sky.
“It’s about my contract, if I stay here or not. I have 14 days left to be here. And that’s it. So today was my fault.”
Mesut Ozil’s non-selection for a big away game is hardly big news anymore, but his complete omission from the squad when you can name 9 subs raises eyebrows.
Arteta is asked about it in his post-game press conference, and says, “It was a tactical reason. I needed players in other positions as well and that’s why I decided to leave him out.”
Deja Vu, anyone?
June 18th
It’s barely minutes since anyone has heard from Kia Joorabchian, so it’s a welcome relief to know he’s doing fine as he talks about David Luiz’s future.
“What I can tell you, is that the situation from Arsenal’s point of view will be resolved this week,” he tells TalkSport, before cryptically adding, “It’s not just Luiz’s situation, I think there are several issues within the whole structure that will get resolved.”
Nobody’s quite certain what he means, but an agent talking about the structures of the club does not sit right with many Arsenal fans.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta again touches on the Ozil situation, saying he’s looking for the playmaker to respond and show he’s ready to play.
“Since I joined I thought that he was fit and he was willing and he wanted to perform at the level he can do,” he says ahead of the weekend trip to Brighton.
“He has played every game with me I think. So that is it. The moment I see that he is ready again to do that, I will treat him like anybody else.
“I think I have been more than fair with him and I think he has responded in many games the way I want.”
June 20th
Having previously challenged Ainsley Maitland-Niles to show he’s ready to fight for a place, Arteta is pleased by the response from the 22 year old.
“He has changed a lot of things, a lot of positive things,” he says.
“He has all the attributes and qualities to become a really important player. It’s up to him.”
The trip to Brighton ends with a last minute 2-1 defeat, via a goal scored by Neal Maupay. It’s a sickening blow, not least because the French striker had earlier been involved in an incident where his unnecessary foul on Bernd Leno saw the Arsenal keeper stretchered off with what appeared to be a very serious injury.
At the end of the game, Matteo Guendouzi grabs his compatriot by the throat and faces an FA investigation.
June 22nd
Former scout Gilles Grimandi is critical of the signings made by Head of Football Raul Sanllehi, saying, “There’s a lot of incoherence in the choices. We’re not able to read the project that’s in the hands of the directors and Sanllehi right now.
“There have been some debatable signings and it’s not possible to totally see from the outside what they want to do.”
You can see his point, but this is a man who let a golden generation of French talent slip through our fingers but brought us Yaya Sanogo.
Meanwhile, the club have to make decisions over the futures of four players – Dani Ceballos, David Luiz, Cedric Soares, and Pablo Mari – whose contractual situations have to be sorted out.
Matteo Guendouzi escapes punishment from the FA for the incident at Brighton, but trouble is brewing for the young midfielder.
June 23rd
It’s a busy day at Arsenal and it starts badly with news that Gabriel Martinelli has suffered a serious injury in training, along with news that Pablo Mari will be sidelined for months as he requires surgery on the ankle ligament problem he picked up against Man City.
There’s some good news regarding Bernd Leno, however, as his injury turns out not to be as serious as first feared, although he is unlikely to feature again this season.
The club then announce decisions for the four players whose contracts demanded them. David Luiz is given a one year extension; Pablo Mari’s loan from Flamengo is made permanent; Cedric Soares is handed a four year deal even though he is yet to play since his loan move from Southampton in January; and there is agreement with Real Madrid which will allow Dani Ceballos stay in London until the end of the campaign.
June 25th
Granit Xhaka returns from injury as goals from Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock give Arsenal a 2-0 win over Southampton – the first victory after the restart.
There is no place in the squad for Matteo Guendouzi though. Arteta explains his absence as ‘squad management‘, saying, “Whatever internal issue we have, we deal with it privately.”
June 26th
Things move fast in football, and from France L’Equipe report that in an internal meeting Guendouzi tells Arsenal he’d be open to leaving when the transfer window opens, citing what he feels is a lack of trust in him from Mikel Arteta.
For his part, the manager again insists on keeping things in-house, but as he has with other players, leaves the door open for reconciliation, saying, “All the players that are here, I am counting on them. If they want to jump on the boat, they are more than welcome, and that is always my mindset.”
Gabriel Martinelli and Pablo Mari both undergo surgery for their injuries.
June 28th
A late winner from Dani Ceballos secures a 2-1 win over Sheffield United in the FA Cup, and sets up a semi-final against Man City.
In the fourth away game in twelve days, Nicolas Pepe puts the Gunners ahead, but after intense pressure, McGoldrick equalises just minutes from full-time.
The balance of the game shifts to the home side, but after good work from Eddie Nketiah, the on-loan Real Madrid man slots home the goal that will send the Arsenal to Wembley.
June 29th
Brazilian physio Bruno Mazziotti, well known to Edu, is linked with Arsenal after it’s revealed the club’s Head of Physiotherapy, Chris Morgan, is to join Liverpool.
June 30th
Lucas Torreira returns to full training after his ankle injury, while Mikel Arteta thinks it would be good for William Saliba to play in the French Cup final. Saint-Etienne are due to face PSG on July 24th, but there are issues over his contract, signing a temporary extension with his former club, and financial implications if he plays one more game for the Ligue 1 outfit.
Nevertheless, having played a part in Les Verts reaching the final, Arteta says of the young Frenchman, “We have an agreement with Saint-Etienne, he’s been there all year, and he’s earned his right to play that final if the manager wants to do that.
“I think we have to give him the opportunity to do that, to enjoy that, and we can have him after that.”
The boss then insists that Mesut Ozil’s wages have no bearing on his selection, or lack thereof. Asked specifically if the German’s earnings have any bearing on how he picks his team, Arteta says, “Never. That’s an agreement that the player and club were really happy to do, to move ahead.
“That’s never a question. Players are paid what they deserve. There are both parties here and that I should never have to be something that I’m judging him about.”
Roma announce that they are extending their loan for Henrikh Mkhitaryan until the end of the Serie A season, and that there is a ‘preliminary agreement’ between the various parties for the 2020-21 campaign also.
July 1st
Saint-Etienne slam Arsenal in a statement over the William Saliba issue. The French side accuse Arsenal of imposing ‘absolutely unacceptable sports and financial conditions’.
The Gunners hit back with a statement of their own, saying that while they have been willing to find a way to let Saliba play in the cup final, they are concerned about an unwillingness to follow a specific training plan, as well as making it clear they expect ‘not to be financially disadvantaged by extending the loan’.
“We know this is a disappointment for William,” they say, “but he understands we are working to protect his long-term interests and those of Arsenal.”
The issue is reportedly over a payment Arsenal would have to make if the 19 year makes a certain number of appearances during his loan spell there, and this would put him over the threshold.
There’s good news later in the day however, as Bukayo Saka puts pen to paper on a new long-term contract. The 18 year old has had a breakthrough season and with just 12 months left on his current deal, securing his future is hugely important.
On the pitch, two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, one from Granit Xhaka, and a goal on his debut for Cedric Soares give Arsenal a 4-0 win over Norwich.
Neither Mesut Ozil or Matteo Guendouzi even make the bench.
In between, Arsenal confirm that corporate lawyer Tim Lewis – a lifelong Gooner – has joined the board as non-executive director of Arsenal Holdings Limited and Arsenal Football Club plc.
In a statement, Stan and Josh Kroenke say: “We are pleased to announce Tim’s appointment. He will bring additional experience and skills, starting with our work to come out of the current situation in as strong a position as possible.”
July 3rd
Gabriel Martinelli signs a new long-term contract with the club, a reward for his excellent start to life in English football.
Arteta is asked what exactly he means by players being ‘on the boat’, framed around the continued absence of Guendouzi. How can he climb back aboard the HMS Arteta?
“Players that respect the values that we want to implement, that are 100 per cent committed to our culture and players that are accountable every day for what we demand from them,” he explains.
“Players that are ready to help each other, fight for each other and enjoy playing together. That’s what I mean by being on the boat.
“You behave like this every day, you are very, very welcome here and we want to get the best out of you and help you to enjoy your profession with us.”
July 7th
The Athletic report that Matteo Guendouzi has been training alone, the clearest evidence yet that there has been some kind of disciplinary issue behind the scenes. It’s his second bust-up with management in a matter of months, having previously argued with Arteta and his staff during the training camp in Dubai.
July 10th
Reports earlier in the lockdown about KSE putting money into the club to ease the financial burden never tallied with the fact players were so quickly asked to take pay cuts.
Now, details emerge of how the ownership have paid off £184m of stadium debt/high interest bonds, plus penalties for early finalisation. The debt still needs to be repaid, this is still a loan, but terms are more favourable and it’s a move which will reportedly save the club £20m in interest payments every year.
It also frees up some of the club’s cash reserves, held in a ‘a bondholders’ debt service reserve account’. It’s not a transfer kitty windfall though, as the monthly operating costs of almost £28m still have to be serviced, and without the £70m or so season ticket money brings in at this time of the year, it’s more about keeping things ticking over.
July 12th
With games against Liverpool and Man City to come, Arsenal are looking for a good result in the North London derby.
Sadly, despite going ahead through a sensational Alexandre Lacazette strike, Sp*rs take advantage of an Arsenal mistake and sucker punch late in the second half to run out 2-1 winners.
It’s Arteta’s first derby as manager, and it ends with the same scoreline as the first one he played in too.
July 14th
Arsenal are linked with a loan move for Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho, another player represented by Kia Joorabchian.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is reportedly ‘resigned’ to departing in the summer.
Mikel Arteta insists that Arsenal can’t afford to be left behind, urging those on high to invest in the team.
“You have to make a decision,” he says, “whether I want to aim to make that gap closer and go for it or I stay where I am.”
It’s a not too subtle reminder to those on high that there are issues in the squad that have to be fixed.
July 15th
Details of the transfer window are revealed. It will open for 10 weeks from July 27th until October 5th. There will also be a further domestic window from October 5th to 16th which will allow Premier League clubs to trade with EFL clubs, but not with each other.
July 16th
Arsenal somewhat surprisingly beat Liverpool 2-1. It’s pretty funny.
Dinos Mavropanos signs a new deal with the club, before joining Sven Mislintat’s Stuttgart on loan for the duration of the 2020-21 season.
July 17th
Alex Lacazette reveals that he doesn’t want to annoy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang so he’s stopped asking his pal whether he’ll sign a new contract or not. Mikel Arteta says he doesn’t want to lose either player in the summer, praising the Frenchman’s tenacity on the pitch.
Ahead of the FA Cup semi-final, the boss says: “He’s a massive competitor, he hates to lose, he goes for every ball, you see in every challenge how he is ready to go, how hard he works and he’s a very intelligent player. I am really happy with him.”
Arteta also insists that Ainsley Maitland-Niles has a future at the club. A hint at something to come.
July 18th
Maitland-Niles is the surprise name on the team sheet when Arsenal face City at Wembley. He has an impressive game at left wing-back as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s brace and a masterful defensive display seal a 2-0 victory that puts us into an FA Cup final against either Chelsea or Manchester United.
In the centre of defence, David Luiz puts memories of his gaffe-ridden 21-minute cameo at the Etihad to bed with a leading role.
“I understood during my career that football is about survival,” he says afterwards. “Every day you’re going to defend your team and the other people are going to support different teams. So it’s about surviving. It’s what I did. I was working hard every single day after my mistakes. I took the blame. I was mature enough to understand that and I was humble to work more for the team.”
July 19th
As the dust settles on the win, attention turns to next season. Reports surface that Arsenal are in talks with Real Madrid about extending Dani Ceballos’ loan. Arteta also sounds quite positive about keeping Aubameyang.
“Obviously if he can see the success and direction that we’re taking is the right one, I think he will be more positive about staying,” he says.
At Wembley, Chelsea ease past Manchester United with a 3-1 win. We will play the Blues in the FA Cup final for the second time in three years.
July 20th
Having been subbed off with a hamstring injury at Wembley, it’s looking increasingly likely that Shkodran Mustafi will miss the rest of the season. He’s ruled out of the upcoming game with Aston Villa.
Having watched his side patiently work the ball from Emi Martinez to the back of the City net, Arteta reasserts his belief that the Gunners should be playing out from the back more often.
He says: “I get nervous when we kick the ball long! The quicker it goes there, the quicker it comes back. I’d rather do that with the right structure, the right timing and using the right spaces. It’s something that we have to do more often.”
The boss also takes a moment to praise former teammate Santi Cazorla who has announced he’s leaving Villarreal to play in Qatar. Talk of an Arsenal reunion is premature. But never say never.
“About the coaching role and the future, we will see what happens. Right now, he’s just finished … so let him enjoy that moment and we’ll see what happens in the future.”
July 21st
Arsenal’s hopes of qualifying for the Europa League via the Premier League are killed off by relegation threatened Aston Villa who seal a 1-0 win in a drab encounter at Villa Park. Despite dominating possession, the Gunners look tired, leggy and devoid of imagination. The wave of good vibes come to an abrupt halt.
“At the end of the day, the league table doesn’t lie and we know the gap that we have to fill in,” says Arteta.
“It has to hurt and we have to suffer because it is not good enough for this football club. That’s why we have to put it right, we have a challenge that is really big and we are facing it and we are really excited about what we have ahead of us.
“We need to transmit this enthusiasm and passion because they’re going to be some ups and down, unfortunately. Today is a down but sometimes it is good to see the reality and then go again and move on and improve.”
July 23rd
Arsenal launch their new home shirt for the 2020/21 campaign and, in the process, reveal that Bukayo Saka has been handed the number 7 shirt. The shirt will be worn against Watford on the final day of the season and in the FA Cup final.
William Saliba speaks for the first time since it was confirmed he won’t play the Coupe de France final for Saint-Etienne. He promises to watch from the stands as he bid farewell to his boyhood club. He also makes it clear he holds no grudge against the Gunners for denying him a first cup final appearance.
“Arsenal has not been at the top of its game for the last three, four years. But, like St Étienne, its badge, its history and its fans made me want it,” he says.
“I have a crush on Arsenal. I had no hesitation. I am discovering another world.”
July 24th
Arsenal’s lack of creativity is hammered home by data which shows the Gunners are 13th in the Premier League table for “Big Chances Created” – and 16th for shots taken over the course of the season, trailing even bottom club Norwich.
Arteta says, “I have my reasons that I don’t want to make public, but it’s clear those stats don’t lie. When you relate them to Arsenal, it’s not good enough.”
July 26th
The final game of the Premier League season sees Arsenal run out 3-2 winners over Watford, who are relegated to the Championship.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scores twice, while Kieran Tierney gets off the mark in red and white. David Luiz sets a new record by conceding his 5th penalty of the league campaign, an inauspicious achievement, but at least he escapes a red card this time.
It means the Gunners finish 8th, the lowest league finish in 25 years, and outside the European places for the first time since 1994-95. The upcoming FA Cup final is not just a chance at tangible success and silverware, it will also have a massive impact on next season, our transfer budget and more.
July 28th
Shkodran Mustafi is officially ruled out until October due to the seriousness of his hamstring injury. For the second time in three years, he is ruled out of an FA Cup final against Chelsea. Is it a good omen based on what happened last time?
July 29th
Freddie Ljungberg is linked with the manager’s job at Swedish side AIK. In the end they go for former Swedish U21 coach, and former assistant manager, Bartosz Grzelak.
July 30th
Just in case anyone is in any doubt, Mesut Ozil’s agent again reiterates that his client will stay at the club until his contract expires.
“I don’t think there will be any change with Mesut Ozil until the summer of 2021,” he says. Nothing changed. He will stay in Arsenal.”
With the permission of the club, Ozil spends the week of the final in Sweden and Turkey, is not selected in the squad, and is not at Wembley to watch his team take on Chelsea.
August 1st
The most bizarre, surreal and elongated season in Arsenal’s long-history ends on a real high as two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang seal a 2-1 win over Chelsea to win the club’s 14th FA Cup.
Having fallen behind early, Mikel Arteta’s men show real character, and on the day the captain leads the way – slotting home a first half penalty, before scoring a sensational winner in the 67th minute.
It feels fantastic, even without fans in the stadium, and it means that European football is secured for the 2020-21 season, increasing our chances of keeping Aubameyang, and finding ways to invest in the team.
At the presentation, the skipper drops the cup, resulting in one of the pictures of the season.
[https://arseblog]
It’s been a roller-coaster ride, to say the least, and a delighted Mikel Arteta says afterwards, “Everybody worked so incredibly hard. I am so proud to represent these players and this club.
“I had only one mission when I came here and it was to make the players and the staff believe that we could do it. We had to change that energy and that mentality.”
There is still plenty of work to do, but it’s a wonderful start.
August 3rd
Willian turns down the offer a two year deal from Chelsea, leading to increased speculation that his future lies in North London.
August 5th
Just three days after winning the FA Cup, Arsenal announce 55 redundancies. In a statement titled ‘An update from your club’, they say that the job losses are necessary in order to maintain investment in the team.
It reads: Over recent years we have consistently invested in additional staff to take the club forward but with the expected reduction of income in mind, it is now clear that we must reduce our costs further to ensure we are operating in a sustainable and responsible way, and to enable us to continue to invest in the team.
It’s hard to marry the fact hard-working employees are made redundant during a global pandemic, with the fact Arsenal are about to hand a lucrative contract to Willian, and are hopeful of signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to a deal worth £300,000 a week.
It also comes to light that aside from these cuts, the club have parted ways with the highly respected Head of International Recruitment, Francis Cagigao, as well as Peter Clark, the Head of UK Scouting, and Brian McDermott, another key man in the UK scouting setup.
August 6th
There are more reported departures in the scouting department with the head man in most key European markets dispensed with. The South American operation remains untouched for now.
These appear to be the structural changes referenced by agent Kia Joorabchian earlier in the summer, raising further concerns about how much influence or insight he has to internal club operations and his brazen willingness to speak about them in public.
It’s also reported that despite the fact he is a player that Mikel Arteta likes, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is told he is up for sale.
August 7th
Lucas Torreira hints at a departure during the transfer window, saying, “This year has been more complicated: I have lost continuity and confidence. I do not like this. At this age I need to play to be called up for the national team.
“I have a contract with Arsenal, but if I have to change in the future it will be a decision I make for my own good.
“Every player looks for a team where he feels important. We will see what happens in the future.”
He is linked with AC Milan, Roma and Fiorentina as a return to Italy seems most likely if he does go. The club are reportedly open to him leaving.
August 12th
Arsenal’s hopes of bringing back Dani Ceballos take a blow as Real Madrid don’t look kindly on a reported offer in which we don’t pay them a loan fee and only a percentage of his wages. The Spanish press then report the midfielder will be called up for pre-season with the La Liga title winners, but is it just a ploy to force Arsenal’s hand?
August 13th
Mesut Ozil gives an interview to The Athletic in which he makes it clear he has no intention of leaving the club.
“I’ll decide when I go, not other people,” he says.
“I didn’t sign for two or three years, I signed for four and that should be respected by everyone. I don’t want to leave, so that’s it.”
It remains unclear if he is in Mikel Arteta’s plans for the new season.
Meanwhile, Kia Joorabchian goes on national radio to slag off former Head of Recruitment Sven Mislintat.
August 14th
32 year old Willian is handed a three year deal as he joins on a free transfer after his contract with Chelsea expires. He becomes the latest Joorabchian client at the club, along with David Luiz and Cedric Soares, and now three of the last four permanent signings have shared the same agent. The photoshoot for Willian’s official pictures takes place at Joorabchian’s house.
Mikel Arteta is happy with his arrival, saying, “I believe he’s a player that can really make a difference for us.
“We have been monitoring him for the past few months, we had a clear intention to strengthen in the attacking midfielder and the winger positions – he is a player that gives us a lot of versatility, he can play in three or four different positions.”
The Brazilian says, “I’ll always train hard and go on the pitch 100% to help this club win games and titles.”
During the day, ESPN report that Arsenal are conducting an investigation of the Nicolas Pepe transfer.
August 15th
After rumours circulating online from an anonymous Twitter account named ‘The Arsenal Gerbil’, Arsenal announce the departure of Head of Football Raul Sanllehi.
It comes just six weeks after Tim Lewis is appointed as a non-executive director, but all sides paint the decision as amicable, with the former Barcelona man blaming Covid-19. Not everyone is convinced.
Arsenal later tell the media no “investigation” into the Pepe transfer has taken place.
A statement reads: “We want to be clear to you all that there has been no investigation by the club into the Nicolas Pepe transfer. To suggest there has been an investigation is grossly inaccurate and unfair and we request you remove it from your coverage. We have informed our lawyers and will take further action as necessary.”
ESPN reword the original article, re-title it “Arsenal review £72m Pepe transfer” and the word “investigate” is removed throughout to be replaced with “re-examine” and “review”.
Mikel Arteta is given greater influence over transfer business, working in tandem with Edu, while Managing Director Vinai Venkatesham is announced as the person who will ‘lead the club forward’ from an executive point of view.
August 20th
Fixtures for the Premier League season 2020-21 are released, the Gunners will kick off the new campaign away at newly promoted Fulham.
Pre-season begins in a few days time.
—
By @arseblog View attachment 1543681View attachment 1543683View attachment 1543685View attachment 1543682View attachment 1543684View attachment 1543687View attachment 1543686View attachment 1543688View attachment 1543689
DullyJr
JF-Expert Member
- Apr 10, 2011
- 13,993
- 11,871
Matt Spiro
@mattspiro
Lyon expect to sell Houssem Aouar this summer, according to L'Equipe, but only offer they've received so far has come from #Arsenal. Arteta a big fan, Edu in contact with Lyon sporting director Juninho. Lyon haven't responded to offer of € & Guendouzi. #MCFC #Juventus also keen
@mattspiro
Lyon expect to sell Houssem Aouar this summer, according to L'Equipe, but only offer they've received so far has come from #Arsenal. Arteta a big fan, Edu in contact with Lyon sporting director Juninho. Lyon haven't responded to offer of € & Guendouzi. #MCFC #Juventus also keen
Sosoma Jr
JF-Expert Member
- Aug 7, 2020
- 312
- 281
Duh!!ujumbe muhimu sana ila ni mrefu sijapata kuona!!
PSG hawezi kupaki basi. Akimkaba Davies na Goretzika na akatumia flexibility na speed ya Mbape na Neymar ana chance nzuri za kushinda game.
Di Maria bado mwiba. Tangu afunguliwe ameonyesha uwezo mzuri, nahisi atawachachafya Bayern.
Katika misimu yote, Hii ndiyo Bayern ya kuunga unga niliyowahi kuiona maajabu yake ndiyo imekua hatari.
Mimi naona Bayern atashinda hii game kwakua ukicheki game ya PSG na Atalanta PSG alishindwa kuscore mapema ingawa beki ya Atalanta na defense yao kwa ujumla ni mbovu kuliko ya Bayern.
PSG walishindwa kupata goli first half. Second half Atalanta akapata goli, mechi ikawa ngumu alivyoingia Mbape. Mechi zilizofuata zikawa na urahisi kwa kua Mbape akawemo na Di Maria.
Game yao na Leipzig naweza sema sababu pekee Leipzig hakupata hata goli ni kwakua hawakua na striker. Striker wao bwana Werner alijiondokea, ila Leipzig alipiga pasi, akashambulia tatizo likawa kwa finisher.
Now Bayern wakifungua kapu la magoli kila mmoja atascore, Muller, Lewa, Gnabry, Goretzka, Coutinho mpaka Kimmich. Kwahiyo naona wazi PSG kazi wanayo.
Wataruhusiwa kumiliki mpira, kama Barca, ila focus ya Bayern itakua kwenye magoli. I bet Bayern ataongoza kwa goli first half ila ataongozwa possession.
Aaron Arsenal
JF-Expert Member
- Jul 24, 2014
- 24,498
- 28,720
“Nimejiunga na Arsenal kwa sababu msimu ujao tutaleta upinzani kwenye mbio za ubingwa mipango ya msimu ujao itaanzia kwa Piere Emerick Auba nina imani atabaki kuelekea msimu ujao
.
.
“Ni aina ya mshambuliaji ambaye kila msimu ana uwezo wa kufunga mabao 25-30 anahitaji abaki timu ina mipango nae kuelekea msimu mpya
.
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“ David Luiz ndio alinishauri na kuniambia Willian njoo Arsenal tucheze tena pamoja ni rafiki yangu mkubwa tumewahi kucheza pamoja nikiwa Chelsea na timu ya taifa ya Brazil, “ Willian
.
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“Ni aina ya mshambuliaji ambaye kila msimu ana uwezo wa kufunga mabao 25-30 anahitaji abaki timu ina mipango nae kuelekea msimu mpya
.
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“ David Luiz ndio alinishauri na kuniambia Willian njoo Arsenal tucheze tena pamoja ni rafiki yangu mkubwa tumewahi kucheza pamoja nikiwa Chelsea na timu ya taifa ya Brazil, “ Willian
DullyJr
JF-Expert Member
- Apr 10, 2011
- 13,993
- 11,871
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