Former Sunderland striker, Kevin Phillips, is expecting a busy end to this transfer window for Arsenal after their opening day loss to Brentford.
Arsenal ended last season outside the European spots and the Gunners had been hoping to make a fine start to this season.
They couldn’t have gotten an easier opponent than newly promoted Brentford and they also fielded new signings, Ben White and Albert Sambi Lokonga, from the start in the match.
However, the Bees outsmarted them and won the match 2-0. The transfer window is still open and that result should force the Gunners back in to get some reinforcements so that they can avoid more embarrassments.
Phillips says as one of the biggest clubs in the world, Arsenal shouldn’t be having these problems.
He claims they should have a busy end to this transfer window as they attempt to sign the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and James Maddison, but he concedes they might eventually sign no one, which won’t be a surprise.
“It’s unbelievable that these issues are happening at Arsenal,” Phillips told Football Insider.
“It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world and it’s pure frustration at this point.
“There have been so many knockbacks this summer with transfers.
“These shouldn’t be issues that happen at that club but it’s still happening.
“It’s going to be a very busy end to the transfer window if we want to get these players in.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t sign anyone though, typical arsenal.”
“We still have 3 weeks left”, said the fan a week ago. No developments.
Still 2 weeks left then…..😊
OK, so just for clarity:
a) There’s been multiple indications that Arsenal were still looking to sign (and sell) players *for weeks* before the Brentford game. The Brentford game has arguably changed exactly nothing in those terms.
b) The result of the game owes much to the fact that Arteta
– couldn’t use 2 of our 3 leading attackers;
– couldn’t use our main CM and had to use new boy Sambi instead;
– couldn’t use our (arguably) best CB pairing (Gabriel and Holding) and had to start with new boy White instead.
c) The result is also due to the manner in which the ref chose to dismiss or overlook Brentford’s tactics (age old “get in their faces” stuff) and proceeded to fail to issue a single caution in a game that saw *multiple* offences (the official count was 12-8 for Brentford, but this doesn’t include several glaring and harsh challenges where Oliver gave advantage and never came back with a card).
So, yeah, I don’t think it’s a good look for a pundit to trot out the Brentford game as an indicator of what works and what doesn’t work in this team.
Also, since when Arsenal is a “we” to Phillips? To my knowledge, he never played there or trained there, and Hitchin is a good ways away from Islington…
zdzis, I essentially agree about the fan overreaction to one defeat, while our club is stil trying to sell(or more likely to exchange)our much deadwood and as yet has not finished our summer imports.
Like all Gooners I am apprehensive that so much has not YET happened, but in life I try not to panic so soon when things are not going as I wish.
I reflect that football is not life and the state of Covid and the warlike attitudes of so many of malekind – (as opposed to female kind , generally speaking)- is of far MORE real import and perhaps “panic”!!?? Plus the even bigger REAL worry of global warming!
Perhaps because I am older than most and have learned that life does not work out as we would wish.
PS, Phillips, like us all on JA, is a Gooner and thus has the same right as us all to use “we”. Don’t you think?
zdzis, how come when someone else refers to Arsenal as “we” it’s wrong but you can refer to them as “our”? Do you have more right than anyone else?
Sorry Jon, I commented on this before seeing you already had said much the same thing.
The list of players we are willing to sell is bigger than that of those we want to keep. Huge job for any manager, so much needs to be done with the squad, if fans think that there is a top manager that wants this job…..delusional.
things are really looking up…we’ve got our Captain back, the detailed plan that Arteta/Edu were bragging about since the winter is going swimmingly, this transfer window has been, by all accounts, brilliant and, minus a pesky “illness” or two, it’s hard not to be chuffed about this season…it might be a bit early for predictions, but this just might be our year
Yes the “plan” nearly got derailed when Roma offered the world for xhaka, kept offering more and more and put us under so much pressure to sell but we resisted. The plan to give him a payrise and make him captain was nearly scuppered. PHHHEEEEEWWWWW!!!!!!!!
Only a one year extension on his current contract though Reggie. So that means he’ll be…103 when it ends?
Seeing as he’s Captain our Captain, he needs to introduce himself to our front line, as apparently they’ve only ever seen him from the back.
Couldn’t agree more Guy. Unbelievably he could be a record appearance player if he keeps going on like this and that is an amazing achievement for a Donkey.
The naughty side of me has to chuckle at this post Reggie and the three immediately above yours too. I so appreciate irony when so humourously used!
The geezer took Leno out if you look at it clamped him so couldn’t move !!
Ok maybe should of stood up but thats a foul and should be no where on a football pitch ..
Can’t understand why people cannot see this !
Bash the Arsenal as weak, yes maybe but that is cheating !!!
Thank you for pointing out this obvious occurrence-but because it doesn’t fit with the oft repeated narrative of “Arsenal being a weak and soft team” nobody-save you and me are “brave enough” to point it out!
Not forgetting two obvious penalt calls for fouls on our young forward.
I assure you,it those fouls were on a player from the “big four” they would have definitely been given.
Agree 100%. Brentford got away with a few things in that game.
if I had to think of one saving grace, besides the obvious upside of some of our more youthful prospects, it might be the fact that our present roster clearly doesn’t fit the Arteta “model”, whatever that actually means…as such, it might not be quite so arduous for an incoming manager to get things up and running in a relatively timely fashion
in order for that transitional timeline to remain as brief as humanly possible, two things must happen:
first and foremost, ownership can’t allow Arteta to make any more financially significant moves or do anything that might negatively impact our relationship with our highly-rated younger assets
secondly, we must first identify what tactics make the most sense from a personnel standpoint, both presently and projecting forward a year or two, then identify those candidates who might best deliver those clearly-defined objectives
it’s one thing trying to succeed when one of these two criterium doesn’t jive, but when you’re failing miserably on both accounts, like we currently are, it’s both counter-intuitive and counter-productive
Lots of unknowns in there though TRVL:
Will he be sacked and if so, when?
If we dont let Virgil Tracy, sorry Mikel Arteta sign anyone, we will be deeper into the mire before we get a replacement
Who worth having would realistically want to come here? Sorry, don’t believe the Conte rumour
Best tactics? Any but the ones we use now work for me!