Arsenal branded “not a threat to anybody” for agreeing to sell one of their best youngsters

Rio Ferdinand has been left baffled by Arsenal’s decision to cash in on Joe Willock after his impressive form on loan at Newcastle United last season.

The midfielder spent the second half of the campaign at Saint James Park and he is close to completing a permanent switch this summer for £22m, according to The Daily Mail.

His form for them last season made him the envy of several clubs, yet he is still regarded as a dispensable member of Mikel Arteta’s squad, while they chase a transfer for the likes of Martin Odegaard.

Ferdinand says the decisions they are making at the Emirates feel like the club is in no man’s land at the moment.

He then claimed that they are not a threat to anyone in the Premier League currently.

‘I don’t know how Arsenal have let Joe Willock go,’ the former England defender told his YouTube channel. 

‘The guy scores goals from midfield man. I really like him.

‘I don’t understand that. Newcastle have done unbelievable well to get him by the way, I think he’s a really good talent.

‘He scores goals, he expects to score, he’s a good mover, makes good runs.’

‘With Arsenal, I know they’re building and Arteta is trying to build something and he’s setting the foundations there, but they’re in no man’s land,’ Ferdinand continued. 

‘They’re not a threat to anybody. You don’t consider them a real threat at all and it’s not just the Arsenal that I played against with Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Martin Keown, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole.

 ‘It’s just a very different time now for Arsenal. It’s sad to see because I really like Arsenal.’

Arteta has been making some baffling decisions since he became the club’s manager and he will be praying that he can deliver a top-four finish or a trophy in the upcoming season.

Tags Joe Willock Rio Ferdinand

76 Comments

  1. Rio has said everything that i think and he is right. Anything else is just ignoring what terrible decisions that are being made by our club at the moment. It is totally baffling to me and upsetting.

    1. Why even register acknowledgment for someone who was banned for 9 months for missing a drugs test Irrelevant drivel as if it’s only a select number of clubs can try to improve themselves. Rio just wants to be a pundit for the top 6 but his lack of knowledge puts him on a par with the old fella from the nags head

    2. i think the willock decision is fine if arsenal address the areas we need to adequately. That second part of my sentence is where everything is going wrong.

    1. A decorated player who knows what it was to face THE ARSENAL unlike keyboard warriors. We are no threat to Pool, MC, MU, LC, Lily whites, CFC let them compete for the big ones. We are a threat to the likes of Everton, Villa for the 1oth spot. What can Mikel do when he has a squad full of players which no club on this planet is interested due to their abilty, wages and transfer fee.
      And to be honest, Ben White and Thomas Partey are here not for the badge but for the wages.
      If you go by the preseason, same old school boy errors leading to goals with the same old players. What has only changed is the 2021-22 player kits.Brentford must be rubbing their hands with glee at the chance of points on their debut.

      1. Then you can do us fan and club a favour to help us find players who will be with us for the badge. What can Mikel do?……for a starter he can throw that 70m he is willing to spend on Maddison to get 3 or 2 players that will make his team better and properly coach the coach the players at his disposal.

  2. “….in no man’s land…” and “not a threat to anybody.”

    In other news, grass is green and water is wet.

    Club is quickly becoming a meme, and haven’t seen the changes Edu and Arteta have been talking about.

    Can’t sell players that no one wants to buy, but can change tactics and stop playing negative football at least, play entertaining football.

    Fans, pundits, opposition fans, everyone sees how shoddy the club is, while some pat themselves on the back while admiring the emperor’s new clothes.

    Still a couple weeks in the window, then it’s about results not more excuses; from owners, to the board, to management and Arteta, and to the players.

    1. Eighth place and 55 goals scored.
      Odegaard, Cellabos and Ryan gone from loan, with only Cellabos replaced by Lokonga.
      Club selling young goal scoring midfielder, while “wannaways” Bellerin, Xhaka, Torreira, Kolasinac take up valuable squad places, because no one wants to buy them.
      Aouar was worth £50+ million to Arsenal last season, now he’s worth £20+ million and Arsenal don’t appear interested. Other ACM’s like Fekir, Pereira, Sabitzer and DM’s like Bissouma, Guimaraes, Neves and Renato Sanchez are/were available but Arsenal procrastinate. Arsenal get to the final third and are producing insufficient goals, with midfield not scoring nor producing enough service to the forward line. Edu in Majorca doing business from a jet ski is not a good look.
      Arsenal have these deficiencies, yet have spent £50 million on Ben White a CB, while William Saliba is sent on loan. Hopefully, White will prove a good buy rather than overpriced, but the priorities appear misplaced.
      In the trial match against Spurs, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one with heart in mouth, when Leno made that diving save at the foot of the attacker. Who is an appropriate backup goal keeper now Ryan has left? Onana, Johnstone and others are available, yet the talk is that Arsenal is interested in an overpriced Ramsdale.
      As for the manager, I believe the first job of a good manager is to build a system around getting the most from the resources he has available to him. I personally don’t know what Arsenal’s style of play or “system” is; however it appears that players who don’t fit are sold or loaned out if they have value, if not they sit and rot.
      All we can do is “trust the process” whatever it is; however on current progress of the “process”, I certainly am not “excited”.

      1. Yes Ozziegunner, we were/are short by some 25 goals to be among the top 4. The frontline remain the same – PEA, Lacazette, Pepe, Nketiah, Martenelli, Saka. Of all these Saka will have to carry the burden on his tender shoulders, while the veterans take everything lightly except their pay cheque. Folarin is an untested squad player.Our midfield remains the same – Xhaka, Partey, Elneny, ESR, AMN, Willian. Again the burden will fall on the young ESR. Can we score from the midfiled? Maybe chip in here and there some 5 – 10 goals. Maybe some defenders chip in with some headers here and there. Can we score some 60 odd goals from the final third? Doubtful with the current set up. Mikel Arteta has some serious thinking to do or has he thought of the sack and the full compensation?

      2. £50m for white is niot a waste IMO, you may argue he doesn’t worth the amount but the truth is, most big transfer doesn’t worth value. Does Grealish worth £100m or Neymar £200?. That the market we have to go with the flow but I can’t agree it’s a misplaced priority. Cb is one of our priority considering one of our best can left, I haven’t seen a lot of Saliba to believe he is the saviour and considering his age I wouldn’t trust a 20yo to be relied on as 1st choice can all season same as I wouldn’t trust Holding because to me he isn’t good enough

        1. Adajim, it is the priority placed on loaning Saliba and buying White that I question. If Arsenal buys 2 midfielders, a backup goalkeeper as well as Ben White, I can agree with buying the CB. A starting RB and tall CF, like Dusan Vlahovic would have Arsenal in a position to compete.

          1. Are you surprised that he said this? For me I’m not. Arteta’s decisions will not please everybody. It’s easier said than done. If Rio thinks it’s just by mouth why has he not gone into management. Nothing could have changed with Willock at Arsenal. Some players are better suited at smaller clubs than big. If he goes to Newcastle and shines, which I wish him to, that’s good for his career and development.

  3. For well over a decade it has become all too commonplace for our fans, particularly those most ardent of Wenger loyalists, to quickly disregard critical comments by any pundit, especially those affiliated with our traditional rivals….whether it was Carragher, Rio, Scholes, Owens, Burley, Neville, Shearer, Keane, Redknapp, Murphy, Hoddle, among countless others, whenever they offered their opinion about our club’s obvious missteps, many supporters would quickly claim that they each harboured a particular disdain for our club and therefore their insights simply couldn’t be trusted…of course, these same commentators have provided their respective critical assessments about every club in the League, including their former teams(s), but no fanbases seem to take it quite so personally as ours

    sadly, this was all part of the delusional “us against the world” mentality that Wenger had cultivated in the years following our move to the Emirates…he was well-aware that the stadium “ruse” was going to lead to some leaner years and as such we were bound to hear far more negative critiques than in the previous times…by creating this sort of conspiratorial relationship between the media and the club, it actually provided a built-in excuse when it came to explaining away any negative commentaries…this same sort of conspiratorial nonsense was likewise directed towards game officials, for a similarly contrived purpose…this attempt to deflect and disparage anyone who dared to provide a contrarian opinion was so effective that many fans even lashed out at former beloved players, who had either entered the punditry or were simply concerned about the state of the franchise…it’s about time we put to bed this totally problematic conspiratorial narrative and actually listened to their oft-times sage advice

  4. thanks NY_G for unwittingly proving my point…talk about a well-timed brain-fart…no wonder you’ve curtailed your activities on this site in recent years

    1. TRVL, I also read the rather mindless comment ” from NY_ Gunner with great contempt for his clear lack of thinking ability and writing ability
      While taking much from your long, detailed and well argued post, -though I do not go ALL the way with you, I welcome the fact that YOU gave real thought and a depth of intellect to your post.

      What constantly frustrates me, as a serious minded thinker who can write my thoughts clearly and plainly, is how so many on JA are unable and/or unwilling to ever write anything of import and depth!

      IMO such folk are disrespecting this debate site and their fellow Gooners. Sadly, in life there will always be those who choose to think seriously and those who blindly lash out in childish frustration.

      All humans become frustrated at times, but those with character tackle the causes head on and do not react like two year old children having tantrums.

      1. Cheers Jon…I’m well-aware of the nuanced nature of the matter at hand, not to mention the emotional response it might evoke, so I certainly knew that I might be exposing myself, but I’m of the mind that this usually means you’re barking up the right tree…have a good one

  5. Rio Ferdinand may have his own opinion but as for me, I stand by Arteta’s decision to sell Joe Willock then add up that money to buy a more experienced Midfielder. Willock may be doing well but as far Arsenal is concerned, he is an average Midfirlder. At this time, Arsenal need more experienced players to move the Club forward so I believe Arteta knows what he is doing.

  6. The fact is that Arsenal have many talented youngsters that aren’t quite good enough. They can’t hold on to them all, for Heaven’s sake. Personally I think we have a good team emerging, and I’m looking forward to the coming season.

  7. So if we sell Willock and bought Silva or Maddison or Odegaard we are ‘no threat’ I think we should sell a few more and buy Haaland, Van dick, Ronaldo and write ourselves off completely for the season. Ferdinand : legend : lunchtime : Richardhead.

    Ferdinand would be better writing for the Exchange and Mart

    1. Billy, the “if” has to be brought to fruition, just like moving from Highbury to the Emirates would enable Arsenal to compete with not only the best clubs in England, but also Europe. Last time I looked Arsenal aren’t in Europe and finished eighth.
      It is hard to be “excited.”

      1. OG, your never ending narrative about our move from Highbury to The Emirates, is like night following day – it is so repetitive.
        Why do you continue to ignore what happened once that decision was made by the club?
        Oil money, Russian roubles, kronkie buying the club outright, the sacking of David Dein and the board’s decision to take the yanks money and run.
        Five major turning points made during the construction of the stadium that you seem to be completely ignoring.
        How do you think these points affected where we are today, regardless of who was/is our manager?

        As for Rio, perhaps he could enlighten us as to what other club is fighting for Willock’s signature, especially as we are told the club is selling him too cheaply?
        What of the top six clubs would he go to and why is it only Newcastle are interested in him?
        Do you think it is a step upwards for him to go there, as I certainly don’t?

        1. Wonderful perspective KEN . All your points are valid and true. I easily understand and share the common frustration that SURELY almost all Gooners feel at the failure of how that PROMISEmade at the time we left Highbury has failed to materialise.

          But in football, as in life, most mature people understand that events out of our control will affect promises made , even when in honest intention.

          I will say though that I regard Gazidis as a chancer and self centred, low morals type and he certainly DID fool many on here.
          That is why serious minded thinkers like we both and many others saw through this charletan very early on.

        2. Hello Ken, would like to add the sixth major turning point – Wenger wasted millions in the latter years on deadwood – Mesut Ozil, Granit Xhaka, Skodran Mustafi, A. Lacazette and some change for Lucas Perez, M. Elneny, Danny Welbeck, Gabriel Paulista, Petr. Chek, Gervinho, Sebestian Squillachi, Park Chu Young,Takuma Asano,
          PEA, Sanchez, Carzola, Girould being the exceptions.
          What did he win? The FA only!

          1. Loose Cannon, your list of players who didn’t make it is impressive – care to add up how much these players cost in the transfer market?
            Now can you add up the players who, in your opinion, were a success and how much they cost?
            Finally, add up the market re-sale value of the players we soold under Wenger and the money his teams (including those players you listed as deadwood) brought into the club over his time as manager – then stop bleating about what he did wrong and, instead, acknowledge the overwhelming things he did right…karma will result and a happiness only knoown to those who think positive rather than negative.

            I also refer you to the list that Phil gavea couple of days ago and the list I gave him, that should help you on your way.

        3. Ken, the oil money markedly impacts on two clubs; Chelsea and Manchester City. Manchester United have always been a high earning club, although they now have considerable debt. Your point therefore would be valid if Arsenal was competing for third or fourth, as it achieved up until the last two years of Wenger’s tenure. This in not the case and in the last five seasons, Arsenal has finished fifth, sixth, fifth, eighth and eighth. What frustrates me, is that we are being told to be “very excited”, yet nothing is being done to address Arsenal’s decline.
          I state again, Arsenal needs to get rid of the under performing players. If unsellable after dropping their value, give them away just to get their ludicrous wages off the books. You do not raise the average quality of the squad, by keeping these players and selling 21 yo prospects like Joe Willock. Yes no other clubs were apparently in for Joe Willock, but no one in the major leagues were rushing with offers for Matheus Pereira, Houssem Aouar, Bruno Guimaraes or Yves Bissouma either. It is a buyers market, unless you are chasing players like James Maddison from Leicester City, who don’t want or need to sell.
          By the way it is not a good look to see Edu on holiday during this critical transfer window. I can imagine what my boss would say if I wanted to take holidays, when contracts had to be identified and negotiated.
          So forgive me, if I won’t give up on undertakings given and not even attempted to be kept, just like you will defend Wenger to the end.

          1. Ozzie, much truth in what you outline. However your central point about excluding City and Chelsea and possibly also United , BUT then demanding we finish above all others is not fair , not wise and does no take account of how cyclical all periods of time are.

            We have no God given right to finish above any Prem team, EXCEPT whatever we may achieve by more proficient running of the whole club and not just the team either!

            The main problem for many years past and by a long chalk and which still remains, is Kroenke! That SHOULD be obvious to all but seemingly is not.

            That is constantly overlooked or at least downplayed by so many Gooners, though Ken, myself and a few other mature thinkers do constantly mention it and are FULLY aware of how much that constantly harms us.
            I do not see constant changes of manager as helpful, UNLESS like Abramovitch, you can and will dole out funds in largesse.
            We have not that ability with this owner and are handicapped against more clubs then JUST City, Chelse ands United.

            I BELIEVE IN BEING HONEST WITH MYSELF AND FAIR MINDED AS BEST I CAN, SO I HAD TO CHALLENGE THIS VIEW OF YOURS AS UNFAIR.

        4. Ken, well summed up riposte. For me the pivotal moment for our club came in 2011 when Nina Bracewell-Smith and Danny Fiszman sold their shares to Kroenke (a total of approx. 32%). It basically left David Dein and Usmanov high and dry. The game was over for Dein, if he wasn’t sacked he probably would have resigned, he just backed the wrong horse. Nina B-S now regrets selling her shares to Kroenke. Under Usmanov we would probably be in a similar place as Chelsea, we wiuld have a FAN as an owner who would have shown two fingers to FFP as Abramovic and the Arabs do. And we probably wouldn’t complain.

          1. Jon and Andrew, only a blinkered fan would deny these things had a great influence on life after Highbury…and I also accept some of the players that Loose Cannon listed as part of AW’s failures – he is, after all, only a man and not a God!!!

            OG, to say that only two clubs were affected by the emergence of oil and russian money, is not correct.

            Let’s remember that chelsea, according to Ken Bates their previous owner, was hours away from being declared bankrupt – abramovitch brought the club and repaid all their debts, virtually with a stroke of his gold pen….he then proceeded to cause mayhem by outbidding every club in the land for players (remember?) and this was while we were in the midst of building the Emirates and having to sell our best players under the new billionare owner kronkie.

            Then, two years later, along came the kingdom of the sheiks and they pured money into a club that was never seen as a threat to the top clubs and who did they raid? That’s right The Arsenal!!! WHY? Because AW had boought wisely and well!!!

            We, like every other club, could not compete in any way with the might of two juggernauts, especially with the burden of our stadium around to limit any real meaningful transfer activity…if we identified a player and city or chelsea wanted them, it was inevitable what would happen….and every other club knew that as well – even united.
            Don’t you remember united fans saying how unfair it all was…years after doing the same self thing themselves?

            So, we were forced down a road that no-one had anticipated when The Emirates was first considered and no matter how much due diligence was taken, I challenge anyone to say they knew abramovitch and the sheiks were on the horizon.

            That is why I consider what AW did for so many years, a minor miracle at our club…being forced to look at players he wanted being seduced by big bucks and playing with the elite players that money could buy.

            Of course, Loose Cannon’s list of players (not all by the way) show that AW bought some absolute c@@p players and, as far as I am aware, no-one has argued that he didn’t.

            But, even with that group of players, he consistently finished in the top four up and until his last two seasons.

            The argument was given, by I suggest the likes of Loose Cannon, that AW stuck with players who were not up to the level that would win us the trophy…well in my opinion, this is just what MA is NOT doing with Willock.

            MA has decided that, despite many chances, Willock not up to the caliber required to bring us back into the top four and your deflection by giving me other players names, does not alter that fact one iota.

            I’m not sure if MA is the answer and, to date, it seems he is not, but to keep questioning EVERY decision he makes as if it’s the death knell of our club (enter Reggie!!) is so far over the top it becomes a mountain from a molehill.

            When has Willock ever been cited as a player who will save our club?
            Was there ever a clamour amongst the fan base for his inclusion, as it has been with Saka, Martinelli, Saliba and ESR?

            Of course not – it is the never ending bandwagon of a group of our fans, just as they did with AW and UE, using him as a scapegoat in order to have someone to blame for all our ills.

            As I remarked earlier, this site has a section of fans who could be described as the “nicer part of AFTV underbelly”.

            Let him do his job as he sees it and if he fails, then so be it – after all, if we “survived” Wenger and Emery over the last four years and with the players at Ma’s disposal, I would suggest ANY MANAGER would jump at the chance of becoming The Arsenal manager and if he succeeds, then his decisions will be vindicated.

  8. A year back anyone would have paid even 10mil for him? no. Arsenal have to be ruthless, not every academy player can be a permanent starter. Try 3-4 guys out each year, if 1-2 succeed we are doing gr8 at academy, rest can be loaned and sold when they perform. That is how you run a successful business. Ox, Iwobi, now Willock. Anyone we cashed on recently never performed after that window.

        1. Sorry Vasc, my bad, i didnt read your post properly, i thought you were on about Willock and you are right ox was a Southampton graduate.

  9. One of our best youngsters…that has barely done anything in an Arsenal shirt, despite plenty of opportunities…ok then!

    1. TMJW, 7 goals in 23 games as a 19 yo under Unai Emery and 8 goals in 15 games as a 21 yo under Steve Bruce, yet “barely done anything in an Arsenal shirt, despite plenty of opportunities”. Maybe that’s true under Mikel Arteta and might say more about the manager than the player?

      1. Anyone can look good against rubbish teams in Europe. I was talking about league games as an Arsenal player. I only ever remember him running around a lot, and not passing at the right time.

        Great loan, but isn’t that the purpose of some loans? To increase the value of a player already deemed not good enough or not in a manager’s plans?

        Maybe it will be mistake, who knows, but fans are reacting as if Willock has Wilshere, or Cesc like potential, which he clearly hasn’t.

        1. Your final paragraph 👍
          25m and a sell-on clause isn’t bad business. He wasn’t a first team regular, rather sell him than see him warming the bench or talk him into staying and watch his value plummet.
          Now let’s spend it wisely…

        2. YES THIRD MAN YOUR FINAL PARAGRAPH , as Sue says is clearly true. IN FACT IMO, your whole post too.

          We have so many fans who constantly and without ANY real evidence, at the time, hype and big up still to be proven young players. Some make it, as we all know, like Saka and ESR; others do not.

          I feel it a shame that we need to accept Newcastles Willock offer but am realistic enough to know that if we do not, then we are taking a huge risk!

          Either way there is always risk. An occasional GNABRY will slip through the net, not only at Arsenal either, as we all know from experience, but a decision HAS to be made and hindsight years later is a wonderful but elusive thing.

          Easy for fans after the event to say we should/should not have done such and such. But THEY are not paid to run our club – though many seem to think they know far better than a professional who has been in football since a young boy – MA is paid!

          As a fair minded man , I will not be blaming MA on Willock, whichever way it develops. Those in charge make decisions, while those who only watch are free to moan.

          AND BOY DO SO MANY OF THEM MOAN, ALL THE DAMN TIME!

          1. TMJW, not very often we agree, if ever we have in fact, but you are so correct in what you say in that most pertinent last paragraph..can’t believe I’m typing this LOL but well said!!!!!!

        3. as usual, you can’t seem to comprehend the point of this incredibly nuanced argument…any “logical” disgust being displayed over the Willock move has nothing whatsoever to do with such obviously cherry-picked comparisons, as the two you referenced came with considerably more fanfare

          the issues at hand are threefold:

          (1) much like the circumstances surrounding the Martinez debacle, in that we had been searching high and low for exactly what he brought to the Keeper equation and instead of logically embracing our good fortune we summarily shipped him elsewhere, we have likewise been desperately trying to find a way to get more secondary scoring from our midfielders…so why would we sell the only MD who had actual shown just such a propensity, last year no less, before giving him a run of games or finding a suitable alternative

          (2) our amateur hour managerial team has neither the requisite acumen or cred to make such permanent decisions, especially with our more youthful prospects, as these moves, along with his mishandling of Saliba, Guendo, Marts and even ESR, before his hand being forced, could drastically impact this club for years to come, should the Arteta experiment go further sideways…remember this is the same manager who turned his nose on the much-needed “rebuild” after getting a little sniff of winning, which shows that he can’t be trusted to protect the best interests of the club

          AND

          (3) if, like myself, you believe that the monies raised from this transaction aren’t going to be used to address our most pressing needs, like buying a goal-scoring midfielder, and instead applied to the purchases already made, which didn’t prioritize our needs properly, then this could be deemed as another poor, short-sighted decision on his part…even worse, imagine if these funds were used to acquire the underwhelming Ramsdale, who’s a multiple times loser, with a skillset that also doesn’t align with Arteta’s shoehorned “play our from the back” ideology

          this is why a logical person might be disturbed by this particular move, at this particular time

          1. this was directed towards TMJW, but based on other posts herein, Ken would be wise to likewise take a gander at the information provided above

        4. TMJW, Arsenal no longer has the opportunity to test its players against the “rubbish teams in Europe.” What does that say about the Club’s current situation?

      2. Hi Ozziegunner.

        Interesting you mention Willocks goal scoring record under Unai Emery.

        Off thread, but your mention sparked me to look at something else.

        Aubameyang.

        Given Auba’s complete loss of form going into the new season, let’s look at his record under Unai Emery’s FULL 2018 / 2019 season ;

        EPL – App’s 36 – Goals 22 – W20 – L9

        E C Goals 8

        FAC Goals 1

        2 x P O T M

        Shared Golden Boot.

        Abua’s most productive season was under – Unai Emery

        Emery employed a 4-4-2 with Auba playing up top (mainly with Lacca) as a pair i.e. close to each other.

        I know time has marched on, but it seems we have “lost Auba” on the wide.

        I also know M A has to “shoe horn” in the players he wants out on the park (4-2-3-1), but just makes me wonder (your last line above).

          1. Sue we all do too but we take that as read, being fans. The relevant point is what do you think WILL HAPPEN, WILL HE REGAIN HIS FORM OR WILL BE NOW BE A BUSTED FLUSH?

        1. But AJ, Emery was a rubbish coach to many on here, yet compared to Arteta’s 55 goal (GA 39, GD +16) season in 2020/21, Arsenal scored a total of 73 goals with 51 goals against (GD +22).

          1. Talk is cheap! For those who call Emery a rubbish manager won 4 ELs and lost the only one with us.Even a rubbish manager could hold the fort against us to dump us out! Only deluded people will say that Emery is rubbish compared to this Mikel Arteta.

          2. Totally agree Ozziegunner, Sue & Gunner22.

            We seemed to pull the trigger so quickly on Unai (I have my own theory as to why).

            Language ??? Auba certainly understood him !

  10. Only time will tell whether Arteta made the right decision to sell Willock. But the main point is, the core issue has not yet been addressed with the Brenford game just round the corner. The issue is from where the goals will come. Auba looks disinterested, Laca is trying his best, just not yet getting there, Martinelli is not being trusted, Balogun is untested and so the burden will fall on again, on the young shoulders of Saka and ESR. Also with Xhaka and Elneny likely to start against Brenford, there is no steel in the middle of the park, except for negative sideways passing. I only hope MA and Edu have got some plans lined up immediately to solve our goal scoring and creativity issues before we end up in the relegation dog fight by the end of the season. This is because right from Southampton to Everton, Villa, Westham, all are strengthening in some form or another, not to speak of the top 6 clubs, they seem to be out of reach already. MA and Edu have got some serious thinking to do, unless they have some plan B lined up their sleeves to do well with the current squad.

  11. The better deal would have been Steve Bruce replacing Arteta at Arsenal. We need a coach who can bring out the best in the young talents. Arteta has shown his bias in the treatment of players over time, which, has destroyed some of the youngsters confidence. With the lack of goals from the team, how are selling Willock, who broke a record of scoring seven goals consecutively and not give him a chance at Arsenal. He is a homegrown player. That’s the kind of arrogance and disrespect we have come to see from Arteta, whose favoritism and stubbornness will surely sink Arsenal further down the table. Arteta is an inexperience coach, who begs for more chances to proof himself despite finishing eighth, yet, our young talents, like Saliba and Willock have shown their class while on loan, cannot get the chance to play for Arsenal. Pure Madness. I think that Arteta and Edu doesn’t have a clear path of how Arsenal can improve. They are inexperience and incompetent respectively. Edu once again has failed miserably to get rid of the fringe players like Willian, Kolasinac and Torriera, who are on high wages. Arsenal is yet to buy a creative midfielder. Aouar was our top target last season is available for 25m pounds. What is going on behind the scenes. If Arsenal does not have a good start to the season, both Arteta and Edu should be sacked after seven games.

  12. Some of you need to get your head out of the players asses and admit they just ain’t good enough. Yes Willock got 8 goals last season but what about the 2 goals in 65 appearances for Arsenal, under 3 different managers? Saliba has not been killing it in France, he lost 4 out of 5 duels on Saturday and was responsible for atleast one goal. I heard mentions of why arent we going for Aouar cause hes cheaper than last season? Well hes cheaper because he had an awful season last and was actually Lyons worse cm.

    1. Wise and sensible comments Liam.
      It seems that every opportunity is taken to knock the club at present – this site is fast becoming the gentle version of AFTV..

      1. Ken and jon, you I and others have seen mediocrity at Arsenal. If you accept what is happening we will see days like those again and worse.
        It’s not about knocking, but seeing what is wrong and seeking improvement. I personally try to make (what I think) are sensible suggestions, knowing of course that nobody at Arsenal listens. I was hoping it would be cathartic, but obviously I am wasting my time on here.

        1. I’m with you Ozzie ,our once feared club is now a laughing stock to rivals alike and our own fans are excepting it and making all the excuses under the sun .
          Personally I can not be positive about the club into the club give me something to be positive about .

        2. No ozzie, it’s all about opinions and discussing them with each other.
          You make your case as vehemently as does anyone else and that’s why JA is so popular amongst, as Jon might say, the enlightened fans amongst us.
          I love discussing your points of view, as I do with Reggie, TMJW, Phil, Jon, Dan kit, Sue (s) and anyone else who can conduct a mature debate.
          Long may it continue…and if you EVER make it over here, I will have great PLEASURE IN LENDING YOU MY S/T, but only for one game!!!!!

          From one old Gooner f**t to another LOL

          1. I’ll just assume it was some sort of clerical error that my username was omitted from your list Ken…can’t wait to take you up on that very gracious offer

          2. Ken, I was coming last year, but Covid hit and at the moment we are in lock down. The Australian state governments have treated the pandemic very seriously, thus deaths have been contained.
            The only way I would go to the Emirates would be if I went as your guest and paying rather than you giving up your season ticket. I look forward to visiting Scotland again and saying hello to the next Arsenal manager at Celtic.

      1. They are correct in regards to premier league. He was more fruitful in the europa league but the opposition is questionable.

        1. Liam, how wonderful it is that Arsenal this season doesn’t have to demean itself by playing “questionable opposition”.

  13. Arsenal fans: you cant just use stats anymore, they dont tell the whole story.

    Also arsenal fans: willock scored 8 goals for newcastle!!

  14. Best for the young lad. He didn’t figure in MA’s long terms plans anyway. Better to go to a club where he will play regularly than end up like AMN. Personally I think the club was right to sell him and wish him all the best.

  15. To say an inexperienced young willock failed under three managers is just plain silly. He went to Bruce and was played and trusted correctly, that is obvious. Willock could easily be abother Gnabry who also “failed” under Wenger. Willock is obviously improving and obviously is now starting to show what he is about and we are selling him.

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