Have Arsenal’s management gone totally mad with these signings?

Insanity reigns once again at Arsenal! by ThirdManJW

It was only about two days ago that I wrote an article, detailing some of the gross mismanagement down the years at Arsenal, and they’re already back at their old tricks. I have just been on Arsenal.com, and Luiz has got another year, with Cedric and Mari signing on long-term deals. Just when you think the club couldn’t sink any lower, they come up with something new. Unbelievable stuff!

Does anyone at the club have a working brain cell? I am honestly not joking when I say, you could literally drag a nobody off the street, with no footballing knowledge, and they would still do a better job. How? Without any footballing knowledge, this person would only be able to make decisions based on facts, logic, and reason. Meaning our three new signings couldn’t possibly happen. Up to this point, I had felt the new regime were doing an okay job, given what they inherited, but this is a shocker!

Luiz

He was always destined to flop at Arsenal. A poor defender was never going to improve a terrible defense. One could argue that maybe his experience and leadership may add something, but performances trump everything, and he has been terrible! So of course, in traditional Arsenal fashion, we reward yet another rubbish performer. From no possible angle does this make any sense? I can only surmise that Chelsea have been so pleased with Luiz’s performances this season, that they offered Raul and Vinai a nice little bonus to keep Luiz for another year. Saliba, our great new hope, will be learning, and dare I say, playing alongside this clown next season. Think about that!

Cedric

Hasn’t kicked a ball for us. Was signed injured, and now injured again. Almost 30. So clearly the obvious decision is to sign him on a four-year deal. You honestly can’t make this up. Unlike the Luiz deal where there’s zero positives, at least Cedric is an upgrade on Bellerin I guess.

Mari

We’ve barely seen him in an Arsenal shirt, and from what I have seen, he’s been average, and on the slow side. Then he gets a big injury, so of course that means we have to then sign him then. What is it with injuries and Arsenal? Do Arsenal need a constant supply of crocked players as test subjects for young doctors? Have we got some kind of partnership with the NHS?

Just when you think it cannot get any worse, Arsenal rip out your heart, send it to America, so Kroenke can laugh at it, whilst rolling around in wads of sweaty cash! Apparently Arteta is heavily involved in the transfer process (and has been publicly bigging up these players, especially Luiz, which now seems to confirm Arteta’s involvement), and this is very worrying. We could easily dip into the Championship, find better players, and save millions. It seems we can only sign bigger name players, even if they’re trash! Does no one at Arsenal know anything about football?

ThirdManJW

29 Comments

  1. I suspect their previous contracts have clauses that legally oblige Arsenal to offer them contract extensions with minimum values

    If they didn’t agree to the small offers, they could leave. But they accepted the offers to stay as backups or squad rotation players

    Because of these defender deals, I believe the club would put Mustafi and Sokratis in transfer list

    1. I mean, what kind of a club puts a clause like that in a contract?

      A cheap-ass club, maybe?! That just tells you everything about Arsenal and it’s ambitions (Lack of).

      My dad, who supports Liverpool has plenty of sympathy for Arsenal fans (me). He realises the pain and agony as Liverpool went through it themselves under American ownership. He firmly believes though that the Kronke family are worse and will do everything in their power to spend as little as possible. Liverpool fans united together in protest though. Damn you social distancing!!!! 😭 😭 😭 😭

      1. Let’s see the possible bright side. Selling Mustafi and Sokratis would raise the fund to buy better midfielders and attackers

        Our current senior attackers are not good in one-on-one situations nor can they do hold-up play

  2. Cedric is 28 though and I think he is a smart buy, just been very unfortunate with the injuries.
    We will see him feature shortly

    1. 1. If you have seen the new FFP rules that was published, it is clearly mentioned that arsenal will not have the liberty of the spending power their rivals will have.

      2. You should not judge the capability of two players based on their lack of game time and their total inaction as well.

      Cedric Soares, is certainly a player who has impressed Arteta, which is not an easy task.

      The same can be said for Mari as well, as Arteta feels that he is more than capable of being a rotation player and he has shown his worth in managing to keep his team from conceding up until his injury.

      3. Luiz is certainly a trouble maker for arsenal, which he has proved in his game against Man City.

      Then why would someone like Arteta play such a cold sore in the team?

      I feel it’s because he knows Luiz’s ability as a no nonsense defender.

      So I’m guessing he will play Luiz only once his team has a good advantage and only in the second half when arsenal need to go in full lockdown when they need someone to go hard into tackles.

      Overall I am not completely satisfied with Arteta’s transfer ideals till now, but I feel that it was necessary giving our financial constraints.

      But I’m confident he will bring in cost effective and talented players who will compliment our first team squad.

    2. Based on what evidence please tell us? No one at his old club rates him at all but perhaps you are unaware of that.

  3. When Arteta joined and immediately started bigging up Xhaka, that was a red flag for me though I chose to ignore it coz every coach at Arsenal seems to rate Xhaka for unclear reasons. Yesterday’s signings though? Luiz, Mari and Soares? Are these the type of players who are supposed to transform our defence and take the club to the next level? So much for the “major surgery” / “complete overhaul” / “massive transformation” we were hoping to see in the summer under Arteta. I have lost faith in his ability to identify talent.

    1. Xhaka is favoured by many managers, because he is the only senior left-footed DM in the squad. Since he’d most likely leave, I predict Arteta would look for similar type of player

  4. I can just about see the reasoning behind signing Mari given his physical presence ,being comfortable on the ball,and left footed, although lacking in pace, but the signings of Soares,and Luis are simply beyond me and I suspect a large majority of Arsenal fans.I can only assume our transfer war chest is empty.

  5. If it is true that Arteta as head coach has had a major say in these contract offers, it is a positive move in the right direction. His judgement, or lack thereof, will be assessed on how these players perform for Arsenal under his coaching.

    1. I have and will continue to support Arteta until this time next year. If we are in the top 4 at that stage, it will be progress. However, if we are fighting in the mid-table still…

  6. You got it Pat. All these words fit Arteta and board.

    That’s how he picks team, all wrong every week end.

    With all respect due, he is good assistant coach and I don’t see him build to a coach because of the lack of cells you described.

    It is amazing how he picks wrong team, even if he has 13 players to pick 11, he will always find a way to line up wrong team.

    Team line up starts from defense, defensive midfield all the way to Auba.

    If he gets it wrong from start, it is wrong line up, even if other players are fine .

    Luiz as a CB is a disaster but he extends him. They went for cheapest options as usual.

    We are 11th today, not 12th thx to Newcastle only team messing up last night.

    Southampton and any team can beat Arteta’s line up or we would be fighting for top6.

    We can be 15th in 2 or 3 games. Lucky to not be in relegation zone or we couldn’t have made it in EPL!

    Signing Arteta and his signings tells us next year will be worst!

    1. Luis is not a cheap option.He is expensive.

      But it is a “friendly” option. Why Raul and company need to please a certain agent? Any collusion, or personal financial gains involved?

  7. Supported this team for 49 years. Never would I have thought it would become a vehicle for a few questionable people to bleed money from Arsenal Football Club.

    1. So many wrongs in Arsenal, starting from the defense, sometimes our lineup before any match already define how we will end any game. The coach should also learn to address the Def/Midfielders they are suppose to protect the defense and wade off pressure if there are any. Please we need our coach[Arteta] to look into this issue

  8. Djouro
    Stepanovs [2000]
    Cygan
    Upson
    Tavlaridis
    Gallas
    Silvestre
    Gallas
    Vermaelen
    Bartley
    Miguel
    Squillaci
    Chambers
    Gabriel
    Holding
    Mertesacker
    Mustafi
    Mavropanos
    Mustafi
    Luiz
    Sokratis [2019] no we need jon stones

    1. And almost all these clowns brought in under Wenger. I have been banging on about this incompetance on here for many years about Wengers almost total inability to identify and bring in any good CB(Only Campbell, Toure and Kos inall those years). I thought I was a voice in the wilderness til I met you. Cheers buddy!

      1. Yes Jon, those players were mostly bought by Wenger during his uninterrupted top four finishes, his teams continued appearances in the CL and numerous fa cup wins – how did he do it Jon?

        Since he left, the only “wilderness” we have experienced, is any of the above facts!!!

  9. It depends on the vision /mission of the ownership and management. If relegation is their mission, Arteta is the right man for the job as he was never a prolific midfielder, played under an aging Wenger and David Moyes, was always in Pep’s shadow, and very poor in decision making. If he recommended (which I am confident the board will not sign a player unless the coach approves) Luiz, Cedric (if he was deemed not good enough to play for Ralph, suddenly despite injury he becomes good enough for a UCL aspiring team?) and Mari and that is his vision, it may end up in tears for him and fans. If the vision is a top 10 finish for the next few years, Arteta may be suitable. If the vision is UCL / Title bid, sorry we need someone better. Football is a results oriented game, time and tide waits for no one. Consider the case of Watford, third manager in their current campaign. Why? Their vision was to survive. Garcia and Flores we not spared from “Oh! give him time to settle down!” or “Oh! we do not have the right players, wait for the next window to get his players,the let us judge him!” and other nonsense. We keep accepting and tolerating mediocrity, first from the players ,now from the coach. The results reflect primarily on the coach for not getting the players ready for the match. Every team does lose, but the manner in which we lose, that is irritating.

    1. Spot on.
      In fact I am bracing myself for a potentially calamitous season next time round. Based on what we have seen, Arteta will not last very long. His tactics, team selection, substitutions, and vision seem lacking. If next December we are a mid-table team he will be gone. Then rinse and repeat.

  10. The current problems are a result of planning, vision, and objectives. Arsenal, from the onset, has not been defined with a Win-at-all-cost mentality. Management’s objectives are biased towards profitability. Trophies are a bonus. Sighting the appointment of Arsene, then a nonentity in footballing terms, it was a miracle that he turned out to win trophies. My point is, it was not by design but by coincidence. This shadow, unfortunately, has continued to haunt us even akin to Arteta’s appointment. Sadly, the expectation gap between the fans and management is wide, with fan’s objectives sitting on the exact opposite side. Fans want trophies. With the bar set too low, UEFA Champions League qualification(for financial reasons), we have seen the emergence of new owners(Chelsea, ManCity and soon Newcastle) challenging the status call. What used to be a straw to qualification is now an Mt Everest hike. To them, winning is everything. In contrast, our values as so often echoed by Arsene Wenger, shared by the entire board are about sustainability and existence. Its no wonder we cant appoint managers like Allegri, Luis Enrique, Mourinho etc. Instead, we opt for managers, modelled to sustain and survive. These are the values of my beloved Arsenal FC. So painstakingly and embarrassingly low. Unfortunately, this expectation gap has become toxic. Leading to an uprise against Arsene, Unai and I can guarantee, Arteta. Players also falling victims to this toxicity eg Xhaka. Therefore, in as much as it is undeniable that Arsene Wenger is by far our most talented manager, compared to Alex Ferguson, the edge remains the winning at all cost mentality that the Scot embraced till his last breath at Old Trafford. Manu, Chelsea, Mancity, Liverpool and recently, Levi’s Tots are cut to win at all cost! We aren’t. This is what Van Persie has always struggled to explain to us. Look, Ferguson knew the risk of buying a player, who was soon above 30 and injury-prone. But he wanted to make the last dance. Van Persie was the missing note in the crescendo. I still think we could have won that league if we had kept him-but Arsene analysed it from a financial sense.
    In conclusion, mediocrity will always be in our armpits for as long as objectives are not redefined from the top. We need ownership with a different mentality like Abronovic. As fans we will continue chasing our own tales by wrongly channeling our anger towards managers and players. I can guarantee we will change as many as we can but without shifting our status. The importance of redefining our objectives is that they will send a tone on important matters like;
    1.) The type of managers we appoint
    2.) Type of players we buy
    3.) KPIs for managers and players alike
    I rest my case.

  11. Madness is a mental disease we should have sympathy for. Ineptitude on the other hand… Arteta, Raul, and Edu should be kicked out.

  12. Arteta is an extension of Wenger PERIOD!, Recall that he suggested Arteta while leaving. Keeping under performing players, injured and injury prone players for long, and even buying injured players have been trending in Arsenal. Has the club come to term that Holding needs to be released, for three seasons now has he played up to fifteen matches I doubt. Whatever instruction Arteta received from Wenger concerning Xhaka and he is hyping him, he should know that the likes of Xhaka, Ozil, Mustafi, Sokrates must be despatched during summer window by all means no Wenger transfer stories and tactics. The players in Wolves are not stars compared to Arsenal, the difference is the Manager Nuno is really at it so MA should sit up if his mind is focused on seeing Arsenal comfortably amongst the top four by January 2021. His team selections for matches and this latest contract signings leaves one in much doubt of his ability to deliver. Arteta having played as a midfielder, I haven’t seen clear cut input/impact so far made since he took over to put to end the missing link or yawning gap between the midfield and attack. The way Arsenal players easily gets injured in matches has been a continuous trend in Arsenal even in his days back, if I might ask what did he really learn in Man.City understudying Pep? The lackadaisical attitudes and lousy approach to training and games
    continues and contributes a lot to it. I recall the intensity and serious approach the likes of Viera, Henry, Petit, Hleb, Wiltord etc puts in both in training and matches. What are MA”s pattern and approach? The hunger and bite all round you see in the players of the current top six teams are lacking in 70% of Arsenal players and thank GOD he acknowledged it in the last match. He may be heading towards the exit if he doesn’t sit up all round, Leicester do not have stars compared to Arsenal the difference once again is the Manager.
    Thanks.

  13. Despite being, as we all are, a dyed in the wool Gooner , the subversive side to my nature has to applaud the sheer and correctly held frustration in this oh so true article. It sounds like a version of that stage show ” the show that goes wrong” where skilful actors manage to make hilarious comedy from a show where EVERYTHING THAT CAN, DOES GO WRONG!
    The only and key difference being that in that show, the incopetemce is done for comic effect, whereas with our club it happens naturally. TBH, I am way past weeping and have long ago resigned myself – at my senior age- to never again seeing Arsenal anywhere near the top strata ever again.

    UNLESS, we can somehow get rid of poisonous Kroenke. So very many Gooners want to tinker around the edges of the problem and blame the manager for wrong selections and shape ; also new contracts awarded to clowns etc. All these points are valid BUT they miss the main and overriding problem, which is KROENKE.

    Nothing fundamental can ever change while this creature holds us in “its” deadly grip. He is our mortal enemy and IF, I say IF, we really want him gone and to be free again to be a club with ambition, ,then we need to declare unilateral and enmasse fan warfare on him TODAY. Otherwise, all we have left is useless moaning at the symptons, not the true cause. Realism!

    Under his control the lunatics really are running the asylum, with the only sane man being Arteta and even him being financially helpless to change clowns and idlers into real players with ambition. Like Liverpool, City and even such as Wolves!

Comments are closed

Top Blog Sponsors