The window that drives us mad

Morning all.

I suspect one of the challenges Arsenal fans might face in the coming weeks is seeing other clubs do business while we haven’t yet got the chequebook out. For example, Man Utd have signed Matheus Cunha from Wolves, a player we were linked with in January when our need for a striker was pressing, and yesterday David Ornstein reported that Bryan Mbeumo – another player we’ve been linked with already this summer – has decided Old Trafford is where he wants to go.

I guess what we can glean from these two deals (one done, one not yet), is that despite running the club like a poor house, firing hundreds of staff, and operating a literal soup kitchen, Man Utd are throwing a lot of money around to bring in new players. It won’t be just the transfer fees they pay, but wages/bonuses for the players themselves, and I would imagine considerable incentives/agents fees too.

Both Cunha and Mbeumo are good enough to have got moves to clubs with European football, and they’re joining a club that has been a shambles on and off the pitch. The only reason you do that is money. Which is fine, by the way. But let’s not pretend that they’re being convinced there’s a great and healthy project for them to join when we all have eyes and can see that’s not the case. The bottom line, I suppose, is that they are two players who improve that team, regardless of how much United throw cash around to entice them to eschew better options.

Still, as we await Arsenal’s decision on a striker signing – will it be Sesko or Gyokeres? It definitely won’t be both! – other clubs doing things you wouldn’t mind seeing Arsenal do can raise the anxiety level a bit. I mentioned Mbeumo yesterday and said how it didn’t make much sense for us because we have Bukayo Saka who plays in that position, but he’s a good player and you’d rather he didn’t go there. I even saw a story about Man City signing Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves and got a bit antsy, even if left-back is basically the last place we need to make a signing. I like that player, I know we don’t need him, but still.

It’s classic transfer window stuff. For me, the most important thing is that Arsenal get the right business done during this window and, hopefully, get it all done before the start of the season so we can go into the new campaign as ready and settled as possible. If that means we go through June without making a signing (not saying that will be the case, btw, just a hypothetical), and get it all done in a July flurry – I will be fine with that (in July!).

But it’s hard not to experience the transfer window through the prism of what other clubs do, even if for the most part it’s not particularly relevant to our situation. A couple of summers ago we had that Declan Rice scenario where we hoped he would sign for Arsenal, but with Man City interested too, there was some doubt as to whether we could get that deal over the line. If he’d chosen them, you would have fully understood it, but we presented him with a compelling project to join (and lots of money), and he rejected evil. Good for him.

I don’t think there’s anyone we’re after this summer where that kind of ‘will he, won’t he?’ decision is in play. At least not for now. Other clubs in Europe want strikers, and regardless of who we eventually plump for between Big Vik and Big Ben, the other one will more than likely be on the move somewhere else. There is probably a need to get make a decision on this one sooner rather than later so your process, such as it is, isn’t complicated by the arrival of other interested parties who could end up gazumping you, but right now that doesn’t seem to be part of the equation.

And yet when some other club makes a signing, there’s that pang of ‘Oh, look what they’re doing!’. I don’t suppose it’s completely irrational. My strong preference is that every other club in the Premier League is handed a transfer ban while we can go and buy players with gay abandon, but that, unfortunately, is not how it works. So, my advice is find a coping mechanism, such as:

Breathing exercises
Turning off social media
Going outside
Touching grass (as the kids say)
Meditation
Watching some old movies you haven’t seen in a while
Community service (voluntary, not court mandated)
Hardcore drugs
Punching yourself in the nuts (or other bits)
DIY projects, which are sure to keep you calm (WHY DO I HAVE DOWELS LEFT OVER?!)
Reading the news … actually, scrap that one.

So, there are ways to keep those transfer anxieties at bay. Do your best to ignore the little transfer devil sitting on your shoulder, chirping away at you in an Italian accent. “Here we a goooooo!”

It might not be easy, but it’s probably good for you. I think. And then when we sign a 32 year old on loan from Chelsea, WE RIOT!

Have a good one. The new Arsecast Extra is below.