Arsenal 2023/24

Painful. Despite City not playing by the rules we are knocking on the door. We finish with 89 points and that's what won it last season.

A few sharp signings, staying injury-free, and playing consistent football and we can win it next time.

So we get a credible second, buildoing towards a league win, just missing out to a club which has a massive question mark over it's spending for years! 

How long does Arteta's contract run? I feel like he will be huge in any future title bid.

loyalgunner

How long does Arteta's contract run? I feel like he will be huge in any future title bid.

Runs until 2025, 

Proud of the team but the overwhelming feeling is gutted to have got so close after 20 years and hoping it's not another 20+ years to get another chance. Sadly it's just an almost impossible task against a nation state with unlimited resource.  It probably needs another unbeaten season to beat them,  and even then they still got more points than the Invincibles. 

I'm assuming next season will be wide open, the 115 charges finally meaning a significant 20+ points deduction to balance the ledger. 

There won't be any punishment like that, it's too political when it's an oil nation state. They can just threaten UK's access to their oil. Wouldn't be surprised if those conversations are already happening behind closed doors.

Extending this + another versatile attacker, + future Jorginho + another option at LB + decent Raya back up = a squad who can compete for the next 3-4 years.

Will willingly sell/let go of Ramsdale, Cedric, Smith-Rowe, Jesus, Nketiah, Nelson, Tavares, Lokonga, Okonkwo, Tierney, Marquinhos to make it happen.

theprof

loyalgunner

How long does Arteta's contract run? I feel like he will be huge in any future title bid.

Runs until 2025, 

 

brumbys

I'm assuming next season will be wide open, the 115 charges finally meaning a significant 20+ points deduction to balance the ledger. 

This will definitely happen.

I’m also off to have a threesome with Margot Robbie and Sydney Sweeney.

brumbys

Extending this + another versatile attacker, + future Jorginho + another option at LB + decent Raya back up = a squad who can compete for the next 3-4 years.

Will willingly sell/let go of Ramsdale, Cedric, Smith-Rowe, Jesus, Nketiah, Nelson, Tavares, Lokonga, Okonkwo, Tierney, Marquinhos to make it happen.

theprof

loyalgunner

How long does Arteta's contract run? I feel like he will be huge in any future title bid.

Runs until 2025, 

 

I reckon Timber is Arteta's first choice left back next season

Too many Sydneys in the same bed for me...

Buffon II

brumbys

I'm assuming next season will be wide open, the 115 charges finally meaning a significant 20+ points deduction to balance the ledger. 

This will definitely happen.

I’m also off to have a threesome with Margot Robbie and Sydney Sweeney.

Apparently I've been posting on here for 16 years...16 bloody years! In that time I don't think I've been more proud of the lads on the pitch. They're an amazing group of lads, with a decent manager, playing excellent football. Excited to see what happens this some as the squad evolves again, hopefully next year we can go that one step further in the PL, and ideally deeper in the cups!

This speaks to how proud the team can be:

Edit: weird, it won't let me upload a photo. It was a screenshot saying:
Arsenal won 28 games while the average title winner wins 27;
Arsenal got 89 points when the average title winner gets 88;
Arsenal scored 91 when the average title winner scores 83;
Arsenal got 2.9 points per game when average title winner gets 2.2;
0.8 goals conceded per game - equal with average title winner.

Yea its pretty crazy how long this forum has been running now! I dont think Ive ever committed to any app/website/service this long, I've kind of grown up around here in a way! I would probably cringe at a lot of my Arsenal whinging back in 2007, I was the worst bad loser once upon a time!
I've been contributing to the YF patreon for quite a while now, the guys who run this show have done really well to keep something going this long like they have, much respect. 

Re: My comment yesterday about Timber being LB next season. I didnt click that he actually came on at RB yesterday, and on the pitch he looked like a bloody winger, super fast and tricky. Then you read that he was a CB a lot at Ajax. 
Dude can play anywhere. Arteta loves these kinds of defenders who are super versatile, Tomiyasu, White, Kiwior, Timber, all fit that kind of profile. 

Yeah, I think Ben White deserves a breather! But if it means that White/Timber are the default options and Tomiyasu/Zinchenko/Kiwior are the back ups I get nervous about the Tomi/Zinny injury records. Think we also missed a trick losing Walter’s from the youth team, would be nice to have another prodigy coming into the team.

Super interesting on the manager merry go round this summer. Chelsea ditching Poch was a surprise, and similarly De Zerbi. Bayern chasing Kompany. One I’m worried about is West Ham under Lopteugi, he’s decent.

Cedric Soares and Mohamed El-Neny’s contracts just expired and they’re officially free agents. For me, El-Neny was a great squad player and had fitness at a level I haven’t seen very often. Seemed like a great dude as well and he deserves regular playing time for the last few years of his career. Whoever picks him up on a free is lucky to have him.

I’ve always been a fan of Elneny. Was never really starter quality but did well lff the bench and could hit a few rockets. 

Two bits of transfer chat - Smith-Rowe is a target of Fulham and they’ve submitted a bid
- we’ve started talking to Sesko (RB Leipzeg). Looks like chelsea are also interested. I think this maybe our transfer saga of the window. 

Probably a good move for Smith-Rowe, he's probably not gonna get the minutes he wants with the midfielders we have in the team at present.
Sesko looks like he coulod be the star striker we need - would mean Nketiah would be further down the list - so might see a loan move for him.

Reckon Eddie would take a loan? I think he’s proven he’s is epl quality. He just doesn’t fit our system.  I think he will want a permanent move. 

I called Sesko back at the start of the year, he looks brilliant and talk of a £50m or so release clause is perfect. Sell Eddie and Jesus, give the back up striker sport to Bierwerth who crushed it on loan.

ESR to Fulham would be a great move. £40m of pure profit assuming we get an OK fee.

I'd be sad to see ESR go, but understand why he may need to be shifted at this point.

Will always remember that season he had a few years ago.

That Chelsea game eh? So good. Then the NLD. Argh what a collection of moments in an average season!

Buffon II

I'd be sad to see ESR go, but understand why he may need to be shifted at this point.

Will always remember that season he had a few years ago.

kwlap

Reckon Eddie would take a loan? I think he’s proven he’s is epl quality. He just doesn’t fit our system.  I think he will want a permanent move. 

Agree with this. Because he came through the system it's easy to think of him as one of the young guys but he's 25 and as you say he's more than proven at EPL level. It would be borderline disrespectful to loan him at this point. I say sell.

ESPN did some analysis on VAR errors in the premier league this season, and gave an adjusted table. Only one thing of significance changed, see if you can spot it LOLOLOLOL

image.png 27.83 KB

Sesko re-signs with red bull. Boo. He could have be very interesting to have. I imagine we will keep track of how he’s goes over the next 18months. 
A few more suitors asking questions about ESR, with Palace and west ham rumoured to have joined Fulhams interest. 

Will be interesting to see who we look at instead of Sesko, if he is the type of forward we are looking for and we are not getting Haarland from City, who else fits that mold?

Isak.

Certainly fits the mold, tall, young ....... not sure about his athletic abilities, but sure seems to score a good number of goals.

He is surprisingly quick for a bloke that size, but I'm not sure if Newcastle will let him go for less than £100m...

theprof

Certainly fits the mold, tall, young ....... not sure about his athletic abilities, but sure seems to score a good number of goals.

brumbys

He is surprisingly quick for a bloke that size, but I'm not sure if Newcastle will let him go for less than £100m...

theprof

Certainly fits the mold, tall, young ....... not sure about his athletic abilities, but sure seems to score a good number of goals.

The price is going to be the issue, players already in England are always gonna be expensive. If he was playing outside of England we'd be able to get him for way less than 100m.

Sounds like Partey is pretty close to a move to Saudi. The asking figure I read was 25 million. Quality player but given how injury-prone he is, his age, and some pretty confronting allegations against him I think this is probably a good bit of business from Arsenal.

YouTube served me this up today, what a different era from us. Rewatching it, probably Walcott's best ever game in an Arsenal shirt when you look at the chances he was making that didn't get taken. Also, unreal watching an era that had 8 goals in it with some unbelievable misses too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7OVzYNuMyc&ab_channel=PremierLeague

Watched some euro highlights yesterday, obviously a brief look but boy that Sesko did look the business
Pity that's not happening

Fixtures out.

Brutal September for us. Spurs away and City away back to back. Highly likely a CL fixture in between.

Also got Villa away second week in.

Still if we get through those first two months in good shape we can put a real good run together before Xmas.

If we are wanting to win the league then them all fixtures need to be treated as tough ones, everything is must win this year. Dropping points is simply unacceptable - it's cost a shot at #1 too many times already.

Was just skimming the fixtures, opening month not too bad, tough September, tough November, pretty good Xmas period, and final run-in is fairly good

Brutal first 5 games with Villa, Spurs and 115 FC away but good to get those out of the way early. The run in looks kind on paper which we'll need given we know 115 likely won't drop a point past February