Look Beyond the Coach and See the Rot. by AI
Here is a rough estimation of squad turnover under Pep, Klopp, Ole and Arteta.
Klopp has made 11 signings that can contend for major minutes (at least 2500 minutes across all competitions)since his appointment. Pep has made 17 far. Ole just 6.
Arteta? 3.
Wait, there’s a lot more. Let’s continue to look deeper.
So, how many players did these coaches find at their clubs who have since gone on to play major minutes (2500+ minutes average) under them over time and could be reasonably assumed to continue to do so, including from the academy?
Klopp met 5 players. Ole met 7. Pep met 6.
Arteta? 4 players.
But all of these coaches have been there for far longer than Arteta. So let’s look at the average per season. How many major signings (as defined by minutes played) have these coaches gotten per season since their appointment?
Klopp = 2/season. Pep = 3.4/season. Ole = 2/season.
Arteta so far? 1.5/season.
Arteta consistently comes across all measurements as the least-supported manager on average.
Major signings are what determine the ceiling on the quality of football you play. You can’t evolve a team without enough quality turnover. If you investigate further, you will see that Arteta also has the youngest crop of major players among all 4 managers examined. However, this can be explained by the argument that Arsenal are intentionally rebuilding the team with a carefully calculated aim of having a crop of quality players entering into their prime ages just when the City and Liverpool squads finish their current cycles.
Arsenal are well and truly investing a lot of money in young, capable players either through transfer fees or contracts handed out. However, this rebuild is simply too lethargic and slow. Constant improvement is a must. Only one major step has been made this window. Using my calculations, Arsenal should aim for at least 2, preferably 3 more major signings this window. This will put them right in the middle of the proven timescale of improvement as epitomized at Liverpool and United.
Ideally, a major GK, new RB, and a 10 (Odegaard?) must all come in. At worst, a GK and a 10 should come in. Without this, it would be the equivalent of Arsenal sending Arteta to war without a gun. Tottenham’s 2018/19 transfer activity illustrates my point.
Another team that was left out of the analysis and who represent a major rival to Arsenal, Chelsea, attained almost 5 new major signings in one window. This unprecedented and unpredictable activity was precisely the reason why they were left out of the analysis.
Enough of the deadwood signings. Get some major signings in. Get in as many as possible. Give the coach something to work on, meat to chew. Improve your team with serious blood.
So far, Arteta has been heavily under-supported. This is the true fault for the lacklustre football. In December/January of last season, when two major players entered this same Arsenal team in Emile Smith-Rowe and Martin Odeegard, the football received more life and verve. Arsenal went on to acquire a superb number of points. People have forgotten this.
The problem at the club still remains the recruitment office. This was why Emery had no excuse. He received plenty of new blood and the football got worse. On the basis of evidence, this trend won’t repeat itself with Arteta. After all, even in the last match, Arsenal still made the highest number of shots that they have ever made under Arteta. It was meant to be better. Unfortunately, too many kids were playing. And the adults couldn’t find their heads. However, the season is still young and full of possibilities. Hopefully, the recruitment side will wake up and sign some serious players.
(Calculations were done using information from Transfermarkt).
Agboola Israel
I believe all decision makers and the ones who deal with transfers at Arsenal have tried their best to sell some of our players. Unfortunately the transfer market in COVID time ain’t no FIFA 21
We have recorded big losses in the last two years, so they must be careful in investing. Otherwise we could end up like Barcelona
finally someone with economic sense and reality
gai Well spoken I totally agree with you
Yes it’s been difficult selling some of the players.
I also think Arsenal don’t want to sell below their value for the players.
I guess it’s better to lower the price set on them and ship them out.
This could free their wage bills.
Rather than looking for a right back, it’s better to look for a towering Center forward. We could still make do with Cederic, Chambers or even M. Niles at right full back.
Agboola. Slow down brother.
You will be out of gas by November 🙂
Big signings?
Arsenal is not Chelski or Man Sheiky but in recent times Arsenal has made mega signings.
Auba 60m Laca 50m Pepe 72m.
Have they lit it up consistently.
Not really.
Now we are signing beter value
Partey 45m Gabriel 25m Tierney 25m
Now White 50m Loknga 17m Tavarez 8m.
Odegaard 30m Ramsdale 30m.
Martinelli 7m ESR Saka Azeez Balogun free.
This the new standard.
Young lean+ mean.
OK, let me just call BS real quick on 1 thing.
“Klopp has made 11 signings that can contend for major minutes … since his appointment. Pep has made 17 far. Ole just 6. Arteta? 3.”
That’s b*ll*cks. Arteta became manager in late December 2019. Since then, Arsenal signed 10 players (9 if you exclude Odegaard): Mari, Soares, Willian, Gabriel, Runar, Partey, Tavares, Lokonga, White (and MO). AT LEAST 4 (5 with MO) are regular contenders for 1st XI.
Also, you know how many players registered 2500 minutes for Arsenal last season? 9. Yes, we played all season with just 9 on the pitch. We must have! Arbitrary stats can’t lie!
Odegaard has come in and Ramsdale is on his way. Now we need a RB and a CF, if possible. The point is not only how much a Club spends in a particular window, but more importantly on what position it spends and on whom it spends. I still feel Saliba should have been retained and the money used on White could have be used on another DM and a CF/RB, unless MA plans to play White as a DM if required in some games. Hopefully MA has got a plan for his new signings and a RB and CF are signed before the closure of the transfer window. But I dont think the reasoning that Arteta has not been totally supported in these transfer windows that he has been there is totally correct. Considering the stingy nature of our owner, I feel Arsenal has spent quite a lot since Arteta has arrived and it is now upto Arteta to get the results. He has got many players of his choice and his excuses will be running out if he does not perform this season. I still feel we should back him till December and than see.
You say Arteta has not been under funded and in the same breadth you say our owners are stingy. Compare our funding to rivals not our owners
Arsenal are rebuilding after more than a decade of stagnation and rebuilding is never a quick fix, I hope the Arsenal management have a clear idea what kind of team they want to have in the not too distant future. The fans want to see Arsenal back to its glory days and the ownership must be alive to this reality, at the end of this season the fans will want to see if there is improvement in the performance of the team otherwise the agitation will continue.
Arteta has signed Partey, Willian, Suarez, Odegaard, Gabriel, Mari, Ramsdale, Teveres, Lokonga, White, and Runasson in one and a half years. Arteta is just wasting money. All of these players are not better than those that Arteta found in their respective positions. This guy lacks football knowledge, PERIOD
Its more down to edu than arteta. For example, last year arteta really wanted aouar, but he was basically over ruled by edu to get partey
Agboola, please tell me who are all the players Unai Emery brought in to Arsenal?
How did he have no excuse, when he was appointed as “head coach” not “manager” and was expected to coach the players scouted and recruited by others? Can you name one player he had personal input into requesting for Arsenal? Yes Thomas Partey came to Arsenal, but two seasons after Emery requested him.
Despite this he followed Arsenal’s longest serving manager, the great Arsene Wenger and improved on the previous season’s results in both EPL Table and Europa League. But hey don’t let the truth or facts get in the way of your narrative, that he “received plenty of new blood but the football got worse.”.
Dear AI,
You realize Emery was just “coach” and didn’t get to decide the players club signed?
If you are pleading for context with Arteta signings and results, then please apply it equally and be consistent.
Unai wanted Zaha but Raul signed Pepe. Emery also didn’t want Torreira as DM, but club still got him.
Lastly, Emery finished 5th and Europa final with the “deadwood” Arteta wanted to get rid of.
Emery wasn’t the fix we needed, but to me the article mischaracterizes Emery’s situation while fluffing our current one.
👍
Durand and Ozzie
I know you both have defended Emery in the past. I admit to wanting him out. He had lost the dressing room and the performances were just too inconsistent. But what I’m now surprised with is how an inexperienced Arteta seems to have far more control than Emery was allowed as an experienced manager with a pretty decent cv. Does not make any sense to me at all
I’m intrigued as well. I’ve read rumours- just rumours- that his time at Arsenal was a bad time. Phil, you speak of Emery losing the dressing room and it must have been pretty bad. I was and still am a firm believer that Ozil’s world wide following and immense social media activity completely undermined Emery and Arsenal. Arteta with the club’s backing were prepared to make him sit out and still pay him until he was gone. The ones who possibly thought they were the big ‘I am’ have had the same treatment.
I’m not suggesting that Arteta is the answer but in the same way that my dream boy back then (Beckham – old enough to almost be his mother – 😍) was Fergied, the manager is in charge and not the player. Emery wasn’t and I have a degree of sympathy for his predicament
Durand Emery proved how good he was when up against Chelsea in the Super Cup Good manager who never got the players he wanted at Arsenal
spot on!he also wanted Steve Nzonzi.
And Zaha not Pepe
Le Professeur spoke constantly about three routes to improving personnel – internal development of current first team squad (think ESR, Saka, Pepe, Martinelli, Partey – all of whom have not hit their peak with us and all I believe now tied up in long term deals); promotion from Academy (a bit weak this year as Balogun looks like the only candidate unless Azeez gets a shot) and transfers.
Of the three, we naturally focus on transfers. It’s the bright and shiny thing, almost like a drug.
I suspect there will be one more incoming and six new first squad members (assuming Ramsdale comes in) feels about right. There is only so much you can do in one window without completely disrupting the team. My bet is a big splash in the striker market comes next summer.
Arteta has signed Partey, Willian, Suarez, Odegaard, Gabriel, Mari, Ramsdale, Teveres, Lokonga, White, and Runasson in one and a half years. Arteta is just wasting money. All of these players are not better than those that Arteta found in their respective positions. This guy lacks football knowledge, PERIOD
I think we still need a striker or winger and a right back. Make this happen. CYG
It appears Arsenal has made few bad decisions which has put itself in a difficult situation to invest further.
It has 2 aging and ineffective strikers who are on high salaries and can’t be sold
A keeper Runarson who is neither a future nor a sellable asset
40 M MF ( Partley) who should have been its Herat beat by now but he is not.
25M spent on a Saliba -defender who Arteta does not want and hence another 50M spent who is yet to be proven
A right back who is not interested & can’t be sold(Bellerin) & on high salary
A old high salary left back who can’t be sold or couldn’t even be a backup so had to invest another 7M
Willian an attacking MF on high salary who is ineffective but can’t be sold
Most of these are post Wenger decisions & Edu was definitely in charge if not Arteta
So the current situation is not continuation declining Wenger era but created recently.
@Amoury.
I’m not sure you’re an ARSENAL fan. You lack football brains.
👍
Paul here from Nigeria , Let me start off by stating that I am no fan of the Kroenkes right from day one. Now that i’ve gotten that out of the way, everything now falls on Arteta because he has been given the required tools to ply his trade this past two seasons. Either he delivers or take his apprenticeship elsewhere. Enough talk.
I want all those who keep on mourning to apply for the job once arteta is gone, so that you show what you have to offer
So I was reading the Kop yesterday. If anyone else is not too sure, it’s a publication for Liverpool fans.
One of the articles I came across was to highlight our demise by the potential signing of Ramsdale.
It goes like this …by using expected goals stats and actual scores, Alisson had stopped 24 expected goals in the period of his career. Whilst Ramsdale 1.5 goals, so closer to expectation than Alisson, who was above expectation with his 24 goals saved.
These states can be misleading. Ramsdale now has the next 12 years of his career left, and Alisson projectory % of increasing the 24 goals fall as his career has less game time in it.
But the aim was to proof that Liverpool are in the business of purchasing game changers.
With this point I cannot argue. That of arsenal and that from a different fanbase perspective.
Whilst most here only look at arsenal for their view of arsenal, I value in what other clubs feel. Why? Because if you see how others talk about your club you get a sense of how others do business with us, and us with them (referring to club to club business and not between fans)
It is no question that we have fallen. There is no question that every arsenal fan is upset at how we have free falled to our current position.
When Wenger was pushed out, the owners felt we just needed to replace the manager and get in a good football director. This was wrong because you need sooo much more.
What I think Arteta has brought with him is the know how of how a club like City plan to manage a football like an elite brand.
Suddenly we have seen mass changes to how we run the club. Scouts sacked, coaches sacked, chief negotiators sacked.
The script is being rewritten now. More support is being brought in. I endorse these efforts, as long as they are lessons learnt from out past mistakes.
But going back to the Kop article. Decision makers is what we lack on the field at the moment.
Man u have McGuire and Fernandes as such purchases. City Grealish and Dias, Chelsea Lukaku and Kante or Liverpool with Alisson and VVD. (Not only but just 2 random names I picked)
You are looking at around £500m on 8 players. If this was a single team we could say it is a top team.
But arsenal cannot make these purchases
The so call decision makers can only be accounted for in 1s or 2s.
Ozil and Sanchez
Auba and Partey
Whilst other clubs have several, we dont.
(The invincible and these men who were all decision makers on field and their assembly is a decision for another day)
So now we venture into a new field of operation. Young, talented, together as they grow and shield themselves from criticism and abuse along the way.
Maybe when that moment comes, and we see Tierney Saka Lokongo White ESR become decision makers, we might see some changes we are proud of, before what we hope is more thereafter.
So, top 4 is not my demand and nor will I give abuse and call everyone at arsenal useless for not getting top 4.
Do you really think the league is that rubbish that we can jump 4 places from 8th? Thays like saying the year after we will win the league!!! Get a grip if you seriously expect us to get top 4 or will be disillusioned if we dont.
The best I can expect from this season is back in the top 6. Back in europe, win the Europa Cup, which with our semi finals and Final in our recent past, we can do.
People might think that’s weak form. But I’m from a time where I saw hatdwork towards winning the cup winners cup and go on a few seasons later to win the EPL.
Arsenal need to get back into Europe. Followed by a push for top 4 the season after. This is what MA will be judged on by the board. Not by the section of deluded fans which think this season we will fight for top 4.
What happened to winning the CL in his 3rd year as Arsenal manager?on a serious note I am a bit worried contrary to what many fans think I don’t believe MA main reason for buying young players is their resale value,if you look at their profiles, characters they are all nice young guys, this could be the pessimistic in me but I think MA wants young players who will do what he asks and not question him or disrepute the dressing- room and this could explain our lack of leaders in the pitch.
Some really fair points. I think so too, they are not thought of as resale. Though arsenal have liked a good sale.
On the kop a fan mentioned we sold Martinez and worse then them in there 90s. But as a fan I see we sold Iwobi 27.3m Martinez 20m and Willock 25m.
More than 70m in 3 yrs, even thou yes we have spent more than that in the same time. Its about balancing the books.
We will likely sell again in the new windows too, that is a good thing imo.
What if nelson is sold for 20m or m.niles for 20m? Or both.
I dont need to slag them off, they are good players, they just dont fit into what arsenal are trying to do it seems. And my focus is arsenal not players who are not big talent for us and leaders as you say we have a lack of.
And I agree we lack leaders but I’m keen to see who steps forward.
Tierney no dont, mooted as a potential captain for us. I think ERS and Saka and Odegaard through performances and I would say Holding has been immense in keeping arsenal not being even worse.
2 or 3 FA Cups? Diego costa in his pocket and chelsea again recently. 25 yes old. He is doing well for 2m. He needs to distribute better but a handy man to have.
I hope White and Logonka by the end of the season would step up along Parety Xhaka for leadership.
But let’s see
I do think you make valid points about the relationship between Arteta and his new look younger team. The idea that Fergie wasn’t in charge at ManU would have us laughing in the aisles. The manager is either in charge or the dressing room take over is my guess as Emery discovered.
Even with Martin Odegaard we have a very weak midfield. Shame Torreira is being kicked out. Houssem Aouar is available, allegedly, for 25 mill euros. We DESPERATELY need a midfield controller magician….25 mill….no brainer. If Tavares cannot be turned into a right back, we need someone like Max Aarons. We definitely need a Mid Maestro and Auba and Laca will get proper chances to score.
3 more years of Xhaka…..what can I say?
Sean Williams allow me to ask you one simple question: Aour has been on sale for sometime now and his price has been drastically reduced. Why is it that no big club has attempted to get him if he is that good? Let us learn to analyse issues and not just write for the fun of it.
Arsenal supposedly backed away from HA
last summer because he demanded a
ludicrous compensation package for his
brother. LOL
HA is an incredible talent when he’s
dedicated to his craft but do Arsenal really
need another mercurial personality that
tends to go missing when things aren’t
going so well.
A loan with an option to buy would be the
only scenario Id personally consider
A creative midfielder is needed at least
If we can’t get one because we spent £50 mil on a defender then funds have been mismanaged in my opinion
It’s about quality over quantity!
Something Arsenal have been missing for over a decade.
Late-night reboot post
Why is there so much undeserved optimism abound in the last 72 hours…am I missing something? based on my estimation, this is the exact same squad as last season, minus the 50M Luiz replacement, who will supposedly remedy our sloth-like transitional game, even though our previous RCB was known to be one of the best long ball passing defenders in this League for some time, but couldn’t accomplish this task…so knowing all that, what, besides the usual euphoria that generally accompanies the start of a new season or the recently rehashed cherry-picked banter about our post-Christmas record, has created such a mystifying buzz
our present lineup, still includes an ill-suited Keeper, from a tactical standpoint, with a similarly ill-equipped and overpriced backup and a backline with some injury and defensive zone coverage concerns, based on our opening day performance and absences…in our defensive midfield, that still depressingly includes Xhaka, who will enable Arteta to deploy the same overwhelmingly negative tactics, we have the oft-injured Partey, a young Belgian with a potentially bright future, who’s unlikely to feature once Partey returns, and the always affable yet underwhelming Elneny…so any optimism is purely speculative and certainly not based on any logical analysis
in the offensive zone, we still have no dominant presence in the middle of the field, as the signing of Ode likely means ESR will be shoehorned out wide, which in turn means more selection and positional issues involving Pepe, Saka, Auba, Marts, Balo, Willian and anyone else who remains on the roster
most likely, Saka will be positioned out wide right, with little to no overlapping help, Ode more centrally, so he will be constantly outnumbered and ESR out wide left, which is certainly not his best position or our best option out there…as such, Auba, Laca or Balo will be left largely isolated up top, with little to no direct service, facing double-teams and the prospect of trying to convert low percentage crosses
if history tells us anything, Pepe and Marts could struggle to find significant starting minutes again, unless several major outgoing moves are made before the window closes…if that’s the case and Auba and/or Laca are removed from the equation, I’m finding it difficult to envision how we would meet, let alone exceed, our piss-poor goal return from last season, especially considering our continued futility when it comes to scoring from distance or set pieces…keeping in mind, that if you take away Auba and Laca’s offensive production, we scored a grand total of 32 goals in 38 League games
sorry, I just can’t see how this team will manufacture results unless we lean even farther into the uninspiring and offensively-neutered tactics of last season, god forbid
It’s the article writer, every single Article he has written is about praising and defending Arteta. I am afraid he is as far away from reality as our board are as well. All lies are being sold at Arsenal to ppl in the name of positivity and being optimistic.
JA, why delete my comment!
I criticise this writer for untruthful and my comment is deleted. This cannot be due to spam Aksimet at work because it was posted but immediately deleted by JA.
No wonder many fans like Jon and others have feedback.
Jon, the truth is out!
Truth?
If you are a regular reader then you know that I accept ZERO swearing or personal abuse, and I always stand by my beliefs and admit when I do it and why.
If you want to insult my writers or my readers then you can do it somewhere else.
I look forward to your response….
Come on Edu give us a new manager 😜 while you are at it 😂. We have a quality squad now with one if the best youngsters in Europe, no more excuses…it’s time to deliver.
Can the writer please show us how you do your calculation?
We will verify the data with Transfer Market.
I am of the view that of late some people have resorted to writing without any kind of hindsight! Looking at the heading I was completely taken aback and wondered whether Edu was going to buy a whole team in one season. Is that realistic? Some proven managers like Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger believe that too many new faces will destabilise a team because they take long to get acclimatised to a new environment. Thus there must be a limit to how many players you can buy in a season. Arsenal already has five new players: Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Teveres, Sambi Lokonga and Martin Odegaard and might even get another one. How do you fit in all those players and drill them to play as a team? It takes time.