FORWARD CLUTTER + ARSENAL SHOULD BUY A CLUB (LONG READ)

Well gosh darn it there’s nothing that makes me feel friskier on a miserable December 29th day than reading all the fantastical transfers rumours that are heading our way.

The best source for any of this is always David Ornstein. I was speaking to someone recently that knows him and they said he’s absolutely top-tier with his sourcing and would rather hold a story back than be incorrect. I don’t think the same can be said of some of the others that jump on the bandwagon in a bid to pretend they are in on every single deal.

Anyways, Ornstein told NBC Arsenal is tracking both Mudryk and Felix. The latter on a loan deal. There are some stories suggesting Atletico is asking for £21m for a 6-month loan. I don’t think that’s in the budget. But you can’t say Arsenal don’t have previous with January loans. Odegaard, one of our brightest stars, dropped into the club 2 seasons ago with the half-season loan that ended in a final move.

Felix kind of baffles me if he’s landing with Mudryk. He’s deployed chiefly as a second striker, he can play on the left and the right, but I can’t quite fathom where the need is in our forward line this season? There’s no way Arteta is bringing him in to play in front of Eddie for 6 weeks. The player wouldn’t adapt to the system quick enough and Arteta has said words to that effect. The only thing I could think of is Arsenal might be keen to get him in now with Champions League in mind next season.

Whatever the final position, it’ll be thought through, and quality at his level is always welcome at Arsenal FC.

Kike Marin is making noises that we’re chasing another player from Spain, one would assume that Ferran Torres is on the agenda, Arteta has coached him, so another City graduate. He’s a good player, he’s had two rough patches, so he’ll be damaged goods. Barcelona is in a helluva state at the moment, so I wouldn’t be shocked to see them have to sell this January. Only so many levers you can pull until the realities of financial prudence catch up.

Squawka had a fun stat.

I think this really shines a light on two things… 1) the system did bang 2) Having a really active and mobile forward line gives so much more to your creative players. Long may that continue. Hard to be creative when you’re pinging balls into a player that can’t run.

Manchester City returned to action against Leeds last night, they won fairly easily. Leeds need new defenders if they want to survive, and despite some aggressive pressing action, they were always going to lose to the machine that is City.

That said… I think we’re more than a match for them this season. We’re more vibrant on the ball, I think we have the same speed of passing, the question is whether we can handle their experience. City is the last of the giants for Arsenal to take down. I was at the game almost a year ago when we put on the performance of the season and narrowly lost. If we play like that next year, keep all our players on the pitch, we’re more than a match for them.

It is quite mad to think that those City games will be 6 pointers. We’re the last hope for the league. I really hope we can deliver upon the MOUNTAINS OF HOPE we all have.

A bit of scouting? I did a podcast with a Ghanaian player recently and he told me his favourite player, who he knew, was Mohammed Kudus. Players who grow up in Ghana are trained in a multitude of positions, so he’s had experience playing all over the midfield, he can do 6, 8, and 10… and he’s a forward. He has power, pace, outrageous dribbling skills, he can also pick those long rangers, and he has a hammer shot for the ages. Erik Ten Hag will be all over him, but surely… SURELY… Mr Thomas Partey can get on the blower about how good it is at The Arsenal (read this for a deeper dive).

It’s also interesting to read about FC Nordsjaelland where he originated from. Nearly every Ghanaian prospect comes via one academy in Africa called Right to Dream Academy, run by exUnited scout Tom Vernon. This academy is top tier, they bring all the best kids together, play them in games, then pick the very best for the academy. Players go there to board, play football, and get educated (dreamy). At the end of it, players exit with an education, a craft, or the opportunity to further their career in the game.

The best players would be shipped to all the major clubs around Europe back in the day, but Tom Vernon decided that wasn’t smart, so what did he do? He bought his own club in Denmark with Pathway Group so they could vertically integrate and coach the best players before selling them for proper fees. Kudus exited them for £9m. That money can then be put back into the academy system in Ghana, which can expand and give better coaching and bigger opportunities to their massive well of players.

I do wonder if the Arsenal ownership group might look at buying a club. The fanciest prez I’ve ever been to was ‘WHY EVERYONE NEEDS TO HAVE A MULTI-CLUB STRATEGY’ and I watched a Man City exec talk about the 13 clubs they own and why. Wouldn’t it make sense for KSE to go into the market and pick up a French or Spanish club that we could use to give our best young players experience? I mean, not just young players, young coaches, young analysts, and young front office execs.

I wrote a little piece on some of the unsettling times that are coming to the Premier League over the next few months. United is up for sale for a staggering £7b, David Ornstein thinks something could happen fast, but what would it mean for the league and is that possible?

United is the only club in the world that could have the richest family of all time takeover and it wouldn’t make a difference. What are their fans really expecting? More money?

I was pondering whether the deal would be done fast. The Glazers are asking for $7b for a club that has a stadium in tatters, a squad in a mess, and a fan base that protest if £200m isn’t spent every single window.

Liverpool is also for sale. They are more organized, they’ve had a lot more recent success, they are making headway on the stadium upgrades, and their revenues might surpass United’s next year. Fenway group is asking $5b. If you were a mega-rich family, which would you prefer?

Spurs is also for sale. It has been since 2014. They have the best stadium in football, the best training facilities, and they’re based in London. No success. But that probably makes them more appealing to buy because you don’t have that MEGA BRAND premium. They’re seeking £3.5b. They haven’t found a buyer in forever. Not even an Amazon doco could help them.

Also remember it took the best part of 7 years for Mike Ashley to finally rid himself of Newcastle.

How many more rich Saudi families can there be? You can’t be a businessman and look at the Premier League right now and see more growth, can you? I mean, TV deals might go up, but you’re not making proper money back on the Premier League. That’s why Fenway is exiting. They see the writing on the wall from a biz view. They rebuilt Liverpool, won the two biggest trophies, now they are in decline 6 months after being the best team in the world and the cost to rebuild back to where they are now – IF EVERY DECISION IS GOOD – will likely be about £400m.

The only people who have the stomach for that are fan billionaires, show pony billionaires, or sovereign nations looking to wash a reputation.

Final point: Does it not get to the point where mega money is no longer an advantage? Mike Skinner, a famous UK garage rapper/producer, once quipped that the worst thing about celebrity parties was it totally equalized who you are as a person. Being famous amongst famous people has no benefits. If you’re Mike Skinner at a Baz Vegas Jumping Jacks night, you’re the sexiest human that ever existed.

Roman Abramovich was Mike Skinner on Friday night in Baz Vegas. Anyone coming to Liverpool, United, or Spurs is just another rich guy at a bar. Does that make it less appealing?

The great thing about all of this is even if there are quick buyers, there will be a rocky transition for clubs already in transition.

Which makes Arsenal under boring Stan Kroenke seem pretty decent right now.

Ok, that’s me done. We’re recording a podcast a little bit later for Patreon, it’ll be about 2023 predictions. See you in the comments.