Focus on fixtures : MLS contract : French midfielder linked

Good morning.

Let’s start with the Premier League fixtures which were released yesterday, handing Arsenal what looks like a pretty tough start on paper. We begin away at Old Trafford, our first home game is against newly promoted Leeds, and we also face Liverpool, Man City, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest in our first six fixtures.

Ouch, but oh well. You have to play them sometime, and I suppose – even if they did come out different – you could find a way to look at the timing of those games in a negative way if you really wanted. I guess what this does is really make the pre-season preparations very important, and it will certainly ensure that Mikel Arteta and his players have to be fully, fully, completely, very, massively, 100% focused from day one. Not that he would have it any other way anyway, but seriously very fully, fully, completely, very, massively, 100% focused.

That might also mean that behind the scenes, ensuring we have the right pieces in place via the transfer market takes on extra importance. Again, it’s already very important that we do good business this summer. It seems almost redundant to say that, but the biggest things we have to do in the market, i.e sign a striker and another wide forward (I’m making the assumption that Martin Zubimendi and Kepa are essentially done deals at this point), have to be done in good time. Not just for the opening day of the season, but so that by the time that day rolls around and we step out onto the pitch at Old Trafford, they are settled in and comfortable at the club and with their new surroundings, teammates etc.

I know there’s a lot of anxiety out there regarding transfers, and I suspect those feeling that way will have had that exacerbated by the fixture list. Whether you think Arsenal are being sensible by negotiating behind the scenes, or prevaricating as others do their business more quickly, that’s a personal thing. As I’ve said, I’m relatively calm about all of it right now, but I do think seeing those games that early in the season makes it critical that we get our ducks in a row in the most timely way possible. Whatever about it being two months to the start of the new season, pre-season is still a few weeks away, so there’s good time and hopefully the wheels start moving soon.

Speaking of which, we’ve been linked with a move for Sevilla midfielder Lucien Agoume, which is interesting. The future of Thomas Partey remains clouded, and I’ve said previously I’d be quite happy to see him go when his contract expires at the end of this month. I don’t think he’s anywhere near to being irreplaceable, nor does the manager as he’s already got Zubimendi lined-up to take his place, and I think Declan Rice is another fantastic option as the deepest lying midfielder. You then have Mikel Merino, Kai Havertz and probably Ethan Nwaneri as options for left-8, so perhaps the fact we’ve got our eye on a younger option to add depth tells us something about what’s going to happen there. Let’s see 🤞.

Meanwhile, Charles Watts reports that Myles Lewis-Skelly has agreed a new contract with the club, which is nothing other than great news. I don’t think it was ever in doubt to be honest, despite some noise about Real Madrid and some uncertainty based off a throwaway comment on a podcast from someone who I don’t think had any real inside info as to how negotiations were going between MLS and the club.

New terms for the 18 year old were more than merited after his breakthrough season last time out, and with his future secured, we can look forward to seeing him in red and white for years to come. I am very interested to see how he develops as a player, and where he ends up in the team. Will he be that inverted left-back forever? I’ve seen people positing he will end up as a 6 or a left 8 in this current team, and I wouldn’t doubt his ability at all to do multiple jobs if required. For now though, I think he’ll start next season as the de facto first choice left-back, and we’ll just have to have some patience to see what comes after that.

I spoke about Carlos Cuesta yesterday and he confirmed his departure to take over at Parma with a goodbye message on social media. Who can blame him for leaving when the opportunity is that good at this early stage of your coaching career? As I said though, there’s a need to replace him, and I am really curious to see what Arteta does. Some extra experience and footballing nous would be a fine addition to the backroom staff, but who that might be is anyone’s guess at this point.

Ok, I’ll leave it there for now. There is a new Arsecast Extra for you below, which includes our always 100% accurate predictions when it comes to our transfer ins and outs this summer, and how much we’ll spend etc. Have a good one, and if any news breaks, we’ll have it for you on Arseblog News.