March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 June 2010 July 2010
August 2010
September 2010 October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011 March 2011 April 2011 May 2011 June 2011 July 2011 August 2011 September 2011 October 2011 November 2011 December 2011 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012 April 2012 May 2012 June 2012 July 2012 August 2012 September 2012 October 2012 November 2012 December 2012 January 2013 February 2013 March 2013 April 2013 May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 August 2013 September 2013 October 2013 November 2013 December 2013 January 2014 February 2014 March 2014 April 2014 May 2014 June 2014 July 2014 August 2014 September 2014 October 2014 November 2014 December 2014 January 2015 February 2015 March 2015 April 2015 May 2015 June 2015 July 2015 August 2015 September 2015 October 2015 November 2015 December 2015 January 2016 February 2016 March 2016 April 2016 May 2016 June 2016 July 2016 August 2016 September 2016 October 2016 November 2016 December 2016 January 2017 February 2017 March 2017 April 2017 May 2017 June 2017 July 2017 August 2017 September 2017 October 2017 November 2017 December 2017 January 2018 February 2018 March 2018 April 2018 May 2018 June 2018 July 2018 August 2018 September 2018 October 2018 November 2018 December 2018 January 2019 February 2019 March 2019 April 2019 May 2019 June 2019 July 2019 August 2019 September 2019 October 2019 November 2019 December 2019 January 2020 February 2020 March 2020 April 2020 May 2020 June 2020 July 2020 August 2020 September 2020 October 2020 November 2020 December 2020 January 2021 February 2021 March 2021 April 2021 May 2021 June 2021 July 2021 August 2021 September 2021 October 2021 November 2021 December 2021 January 2022 February 2022 March 2022 April 2022 May 2022 June 2022 July 2022 August 2022 September 2022 October 2022 November 2022 December 2022 January 2023 February 2023 March 2023 April 2023 May 2023 June 2023 July 2023 August 2023 September 2023 October 2023 November 2023 December 2023 January 2024 February 2024 March 2024
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30
31
News Every Day |

Xhaka reaction understandable, but we’ve got bigger issues

A few bits and pieces to get us going this Wednesday.

There’s a lot of talk about Granit Xhaka’s new contract, and it seems the Swiss international is on the verge of signing (or has signed), an extension. As I said previously, this isn’t something I would do, and I don’t really understand it. A player we would have sold if Roma had put up the money is now being given a new deal. It’s an odd signal to send.

I get that Mikel Arteta loves him, that he views him as an important figure in the team and the dressing room, I know all that, but it doesn’t alter the fact that if Roma had bid close enough to our valuation he’d be settling down in a new country right now. They didn’t, and if Arsenal viewed their offer as below par, they were well within their rights to knock it back.

However, I think he was ready for change, the fans were ready for change after five years with him as the fulcrum of a midfield which hasn’t been dynamic as we might like, and what Xhaka’s departure would have done is made a ‘top level’ signing an absolute necessity. That’s no longer the case. Again, I would still like to see it, but the urgency from that situation is gone now that he’s staying.

The extension though, I can’t quite get my head around it. Reportedly the pay increase is relatively small, so we’re not landing ourselves with another Ozil situation. All the same, if – at 28, after a pretty decent season and a European Championships in which he played extremely well – not a single club in the world was prepared to meet our price-tag for him, who is going to do it for a player heading towards 30? Talk of protecting his value only makes sense if he has any, and in this market it seems he doesn’t – not to an acceptable level for the club, anyway.

This is likely as much to do with the market as Xhaka himself, nobody has much money and I think that’s reflected in the low level of business during this window. We’re not the only club who can’t sell players, and I think there’s going to be a flurry of compromised deals done in the final weeks as clubs, agents, and players scramble to sort things out. It remains to be seen though if the market is much better this time next year. There should be more cash around with fans back, but the impact of the pandemic on football finances is something which is going to ripple on for years yet.

So, if you’re giving Granit Xhaka a new deal – you’re doing it because you want to secure his future as a player, not to protect his transfer market value. Also, Xhaka signing it means he’s committing to Arsenal, because he must understand how much more difficult a move away will be next year when he still has years remaining on his contract rather than 12 months. Mikel Arteta and the club obviously see him as someone who can offset some of the more youthful aspects of the squad, and Xhaka is clearly pleased with that role. We’ve talked a lot about the focus on young players and the age profiles of the signings we make, but they need to bolstered with some experience, and Xhaka, Partey, Aubameyang, Pepe etc, will be the core of that particular group.

I’ll also say this: as much as I wanted to see some midfield change this summer, I don’t think Xhaka staying is anything close to being the biggest issue we face right now. If he can bring some of his Euro 2020 form to the Premier League this season, that would actually be useful. My spider senses are tingling because we’re just over a week out from the start of the season and we don’t have a number 2 keeper to provide back-up/competition for a number 1 keeper whose first outing in the pre-season didn’t inspire a great deal of confidence.

We have four right backs and none of them are really the guy to take us forward, so that’s a situation which I’d like to see sorted out. And although we have Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli to come back and make that forward area stronger, we’re now completely reliant on a 20 year Emile Smith Rowe in the creative midfield area – and for very obvious reasons that’s not sufficient for a 38 game Premier League season + cup competitions.

We need a signing there to give us more depth in a position which, let’s be clear, is going to be fundamental to any improvement we need to see from this team. For all the worries about the high defensive line against Chelsea the other day, our biggest problem last season was creating chances and scoring goals. So far this summer, we’ve added to the defence, added a player to midfield, and although Joe Willock has the potential to be an option as an attacking, rather than creative, midfielder, we’re actually down Martin Odegaard from the squad that finished last season. So, we’re weaker in the creative area, and that’s got to be addressed via the market (although I accept that Saka is good enough to pick up some of that slack when he’s back and fully integrated again).

Which is to say I fully understand being disappointed at Xhaka staying, and I share the general bewilderment at the new deal, but there are bigger and more pressing issues for the manager and Technical Director to sort out, and I truly think what we do there will go a long way to define how successful we view this transfer window … or not.

Hmmm, that bit went on longer than expected. A couple of quick links then: we await official confirmation from the medical team, but it looks likely that Thomas Partey will miss the start of the season because of the ankle injury he sustained. Yikes, not ideal. Step up Sambi, save us from Xhakneny. Till tomorrow.

Also, the club have appointed Kevin Betsy as the new head coach of the U23s. Per Mertesacker says:

We are excited that Kevin will drive us to continue to deliver on our vision to develop and build ‘Strong Young Gunners’. Kevin has proved in his coaching career that he will be a colleague who can contribute strongly to our players’ development pathway by leading our Under-23s team, including our staff and players.

Best of luck to him. There are some exciting young players in the Academy right now, and it’ll be interesting to see how they develop under the new coach.

Right, let’s leave it there for now. More tomorrow.

The post Xhaka reaction understandable, but we’ve got bigger issues appeared first on Arseblog ... an Arsenal blog.

Москва

РКН призвал осторожно относиться к сообщениям от незнакомцев после теракта

Top 10 Emmanuelle Seigner Movies

The 10 Intense New Action Movies on Netflix That Left Me on the Edge of My Seat!

Top 10 Love Affair Movies of the 2000s and 2010s

I was diagnosed with cancer aged 39… you are never too rich, too famous or too young, says Dr Philippa Kaye

Ria.city






Read also

Baltimore bridge collapse: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says ‘there is nothing we will not do’ on recovery efforts

Georgia election charges should be tossed, acts are protected by 1st amendment: Trump attorney

Final fourth quarter GDP revised upwards as consumer spending rises

News, articles, comments, with a minute-by-minute update, now on Today24.pro

News Every Day

I was diagnosed with cancer aged 39… you are never too rich, too famous or too young, says Dr Philippa Kaye

Today24.pro — latest news 24/7. You can add your news instantly now — here


News Every Day

The 10 Intense New Action Movies on Netflix That Left Me on the Edge of My Seat!



Sports today


Новости тенниса
WTA

Виктория Азаренко вышла в полуфинал турнира WTA-1000 в Майами



Спорт в России и мире
Москва

«Радио Зенит» – информационный партнер форума «Мы вместе. Спорт»



All sports news today





Sports in Russia today

Москва

Победителями Всероссийской олимпиады по физике стали школьники Московского региона


Новости России

Game News

Cyberpunk 2077 станет временно бесплатной для PlayStation и Xbox


Russian.city



Губернаторы России
Роман Абрамович

Миллиарды Абрамовича не помогли: либерал глумился над ЧП в "Крокусе"


Заказать недорогой ремонт шкафов купе в Москве и Московской области

В Бурятии в 2024 году обновят лесопожарную технику на 126 миллионов рублей

Metaratings: "Спартак" может уволить Абаскаля по ходу сезона, клуб ищет тренера

Заказать недорогой ремонт кухонной мебели в районе в Москве и Московской области


Кто из российских звезд перевел миллионы рублей жертвам «Крокуса»: сколько пожертвовали SHAMAN, Моргенштерн*, Бузова, Крид, INSTASAMKA, «Пикник» и другие

В Москве суд отклонил требование общественника Морозова закрыть YouTube-канал Егора Крида

Концерт группы «Пикник» в Петербурге начался с минуты молчания о жертвах теракта

Олег Митяев отменил концерты в Тюмени и Тобольске


Битые корты: Медведев и Александрова вышли в четвертьфинал Miami Open

Азаренко вышла в полуфинал турнира WTA-1000 в Майами

Рыбакина, наряду со Свёнтек, имеет 70% побед на WTA-1000 против соперниц из топ-10

Хачанов: хочу вернуться в топ-10 ATP



Пассажир рейса Москва — Пермь попал в реанимацию

Шапки женские вязаные на Wildberries, 2024 — новый цвет от 392 руб. (модель 466)

Перенос дат II этапа культурного проекта «Классика: история и современность» в Дмитрове

«Радио Зенит» – информационный партнер форума «Мы вместе. Спорт»


Топливному компромиссу между Украиной и Азербайджаном пришел конец?

Metaratings: "Спартак" может уволить Абаскаля по ходу сезона, клуб ищет тренера

Я – фартовая! Слушательница ENERGY отправилась в Мексику на выступление Джареда Лето

Сын Светличной рассказал, что не знает подробностей о состоянии матери


Приговор экс-редактору Первого канала Овсянниковой вступил в силу

СКР: пассажир рейса Бангкок — Красноярск впал в кому, началось расследование

Топменеджер «Росатома» арестован за взятку



Путин в России и мире






Персональные новости Russian.city
Алла Пугачёва

«Отрешенность от РФ»: адвокат объяснил молчание Пугачевой о теракте в «Крокусе»



News Every Day

I was diagnosed with cancer aged 39… you are never too rich, too famous or too young, says Dr Philippa Kaye




Friends of Today24

Музыкальные новости

Персональные новости