Morning all.
On the way home from town yesterday evening, we had to pop into the supermarket to get a few bits and pieces. On the way in we met a dog called Otto. He was a Staffie, with brindle markings, and he was waiting outside with one of his owners. We said hello to Otto and immediately his tail started going at 100mph, so we stopped to chat and he got all the rubs and pats and praise for being a good boy.
We went into the supermarket, got what we needed to get, and on the way out Otto was still there. He spotted us and the tail started going again. Dogs can’t speak speak, but his reaction at seeing us was ‘Oh, it’s you! My good old friends! I haven’t seen you for SO long! Let’s spend some quality time together!’, so obviously Otto had to get more rubs and pats because he was a very good boy.
I feel like the world would be a better place if there were DOG STATIONS in every neighbourhood, which you could use if you were feeling down or confused or sad. Just go along, spend a few minutes with a great dog who can’t wait to meet you, and then you trundle off feeling a bit better about things. Everyone wins. The dogs have a fine time, and probably get a snack too because how could you use a DOG STATION and not give them a biscuit or something. And the people benefit from the awesomeness of dogs. None of this AI bullshit.
As you can gather, there’s not a lot going on this morning. There’s a story from Brazil about Arsenal wanting to tie down Gabriel to a new deal, which is something I’m very much in favour. That is exactly the kind of contract we should be extending. He’s still only 27 and has been an ever-present in the first team since his arrival from Lille in 2020. His partnership with William Saliba is about as good as it gets, and while we have more complicated issues to sort out this summer – particularly when it comes to making our attacking more potent – one of the easiest things we can do is give him the kind of contract he has 100% earned.
As one of the first to renew when we tied everyone down over the last couple of years, his salary isn’t quite at the same level as some others, but for me he has done more than enough to be put in the same bracket as our top players, and hopefully that’s reflected in the kind of offer we make to him. It does seem as if Andrea Berta is talking to everyone, all the players and all the agents – which is what you’d expect him to do as he settles into his new job. But this is one where I don’t think you’d need to ask fans twice about. Get it done.
It’s been interesting to see us linked quite strongly with a summer move for Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen. It does make some sense though when you consider what might happen with Jakub Kiwior and some of our other defensive options. I strongly suspect he’ll want to go and play more regularly somewhere else having demonstrated his ability to step up and fill the gap left by Gabriel. When you consider he and the Brazilian were the same age when they joined Arsenal their development has been quite distinct.
It took Gabriel a little bit of time to establish himself as a first name of the team sheet kind of player, but once we got shot of David Luiz, he was the main man at the heart of the defence. First alongside Ben White, then Saliba. Kiwior arrived with Gabriel ahead of him which is obviously restrictive in terms of playing time, and while he has an opportunity now, hasn’t ever really had a significant run in the team in his favoured position. That’s a lot of football he hasn’t played, as I don’t think he’s done his chances of a move this summer any harm with his recent performances. Hopefully he can maintain that level between now and the end of the season.
So I think there’ll be suitors for him, and I think there might be some decent money on offer which Arsenal would probably accept for a player who cost less than €20m. Huijsen, meanwhile, has impressed at Bournemouth, can play in both centre-half positions which is very useful as we wait for Riccardo Calafiori’s fitness to get where it needs to – and I do think adding some defensive depth to a squad without Takehiro Tomiyasu, and with other potential departures, is something Arsenal need to consider this summer.
We’re possibly getting a little ahead of ourselves here, but those moving pieces make sense to me. A lot can change between now and the transfer window, but you can see how things might be shaping up. Right, I’m gonna leave it there for now. Whatever you you do today, I hope you meet a great dog.
Till tomorrow.
