Morning all,
As Andrew mentioned yesterday, I’m on cover duty while he makes his way to Singapore ahead of Arsenal’s upcoming friendlies against AC Milan and Newcastle United. Those games take place on Wednesday and Sunday, respectively, and will give us our first proper look at some of the new signings following the weekend’s behind-closed-doors clash with Watford.
It looks like the 30-man squad arrived safely over the weekend, and the manager wasted no time kicking off a busy week with a press conference at the Singapore National Stadium. Having not heard from him for a couple of months, there was, unsurprisingly, plenty to cover during the 11 minutes he spent in front of the cameras.
Let’s break it down by the key themes…
Pre-season so far
By the end of last season, Mikel Arteta looked like a man in desperate need of a holiday, so it’s good to see him now looking tanned, relaxed, and sounding as driven as ever. He’s had a couple of weeks with the bulk of his squad, giving him time to set the tone and frame the challenges that lie ahead.
He’s clearly energised and insists the team are “fully convinced” of their ability to win silverware. After three consecutive second-place finishes in the Premier League and a run to the Champions League semi-finals, that confidence shouldn’t come as a surprise. Still, he’s taking nothing for granted, reminding his players that they need to work every day on “those details that make you take the next step.”
He also touched on what he sees as a key objective this season: staying fit. “One of the biggest things we have to achieve this season is availability,” he said when asked about Riccardo Calafiori, who missed large parts of his debut campaign through injury. In fairness, the Italian’s setbacks were mostly down to bad luck, whereas some of our other injury issues – particularly those involving hamstring surgery – felt more like the result of players being overworked due to a lack of depth.
For now, the squad appears to be in good shape. Gabriel Jesus is the only injured absentee as he continues his post-ACL rehab in Brazil. Gabriel Magalhaes, meanwhile, played 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors win over Watford on Saturday, and Arteta explained that new signing Noni Madueke is being eased in after his summer exploits at the (abomination that was the) Club World Cup with Chelsea.
As for Martin Zubimendi, he likes what he’s seen: “Once you have the player daily there and you see his character, his personality, his intelligence, and how much he’s going to bring to the team. I’m very excited about it.”
The manager also had some encouragement for the academy players who made the trip. “The window is open. Whoever knocks so hard and kicks that door is going to have the opportunity,” he said. Remarkably, Arsenal could, if they wanted, field a couple of 15-year-olds – Max Dowman and Marli Salmon – on Wednesday, along with as many as eight other teenagers, two of whom are already part of the senior squad.
While they’ve clearly earned the right to be there, it must be a surreal experience to find yourself in an elite sporting environment on the other side of the world at that age. I’d imagine the younger lads will be kept away from most of the commercial bits, for obvious reasons, but if they do get on the pitch, they’ll quickly find themselves on the receiving end of clickbait articles digging into their backstories. Good luck to them is all I can say.
Transfers
With four new arrivals through the door and Cristhian Mosquera’s move from Valencia all but confirmed, Mikel Arteta was full of praise for the work of new sporting director Andrea Berta and the financial backing received from the board and owners. That said, the manager made it clear there’s still work to be done.
“We’ve done very, very well so far. I’m very pleased with the way the club is supporting the necessities and improvements that we required in the team.
“Andrea [Berta] and the team have done an excellent job as well, trying to push everything forward. There’s still a long time to go in that window. We have a lot of hope that we can still improve the team. We’re going to continue to try to do that.”
He added: “In terms of numbers, we are short and we have to improve the depth and quality of the squad. We are constantly looking in the market, but until that happens, I can focus on the players that we actually have and work with them.”
Obviously, it’s good to hear that from the horse’s mouth, but given Arteta said much the same in January, it doesn’t guarantee new arrivals. Just to be clear, I mean, in addition to Viktor Gyokeres and Mosquera. Naturally, the boss was asked for an update on the Sweden international but remained coy.
“There’s a lot of parties [involved] and a lot of things that we have to bear in mind to get a player over the line and here. I’m very hopeful that we’re going to do it very soon.”
What happens next is anyone’s guess. There was some chatter about interest in Xavi Simons – a name that may well have come up during talks with RB Leipzig when we enquired about Benjamin Sesko – but he now seems to be heavily linked with Chelsea. To be honest, he’s not a player who massively excites me, though I’ll admit my judgment is probably clouded by a long-standing preference for Eberechi Eze. That said, links to the Palace man have gone ominously quiet in recent weeks.
At some point, we will need to offload a few players, whether by sales or loans, so it wouldn’t be surprising if that becomes the next area of focus before we think about adding any cherries on top. As Arteta said, there’s still a long way to go in the window.
Thomas Partey
After revealing on the Arsecast Extra that he had given serious consideration to sacking off his season ticket when it emerged Arsenal were exploring the possibility of extending Thomas Partey’s contract – talks that ended without a new deal being offered prior to the player being charged with rape and sexual assault by the Crown Prosecution Service – it felt appropriate that James, who so often strikes a thoughtful balance between fan and journalist, was the one to press Mikel Arteta on the matter publicly for the first time.
Here’s the full (short) exchange:
James: We’ve talked a lot about new signings today, but someone who is not at Arsenal anymore is Thomas Partey. He’s now facing some very serious criminal charges. Can I ask for your reaction to that? And, obviously, he’s not an Arsenal player, so was the prospect or possibility of those charges a factor in the decision not to renew his contract?
Mikel: I think the club was very clear in its statement. There are a lot of legal matters that are very complicated, so I cannot comment on any of that.
James: I appreciate that, but a lot of fans have questions about the way the matter was handled by the club. Do you feel confident and comfortable that the club followed all the right processes in that?
Mikel: 100 per cent. Yes.
Did I expect anything more from Mikel? In truth, no. The safest and most predictable response was to avoid giving one, and he did just that. Presumably having been briefed ahead of time.
While I have sympathy for the manager, who is routinely expected to field difficult questions on the club’s behalf, I can’t help but feel that in this instance he left himself, and the club, open to criticism. Having gone on the record at the end of last season expressing his desire to keep Partey at the club, he now looks, at best, naive. That was an avoidable misstep, to say the least.
Perhaps he is so deeply embedded in the Arsenal bubble that he didn’t fully grasp the strength of feeling among supporters on this issue. If so, he has been poorly advised. Either way, silence does not offer resolution. Not answering questions simply invites more of them. And I’m sure there will be more in the weeks to come.
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Away from the press conference – and yes, I know it’s slightly ridiculous to segue into this after the above – Arsenal made a big song and dance about the new away kit, complete with a fun launch video featuring Gunnersaurus and a Will Poulter (yes, chef!) attended event in Singapore.
Will I buy the kit? Probably. Will I wear it in public? Probably not. Will it end up in a box with the rest of my ever-growing collection of unworn Arsenal gear? Absolutely. Does that make me a massive sucker? Yes. Yes, it does.
That said, I think it’s a fun design. I certainly prefer it to the last two away kits. But much like hearing there’s yet another Superman or Batman reboot, the return of the lightning bolt motif, first seen in the Nike era and now a bit of a recurring theme under adidas, does make you wonder if we’ve collectively just run out of ideas.
Anyway, I’ll leave it there for now.
Andrew is back tomorrow. I’ll be back next week when he’s flying home.
