Happy Tuesday!
There are now 62 days left in the transfer window, and if rumor and speculation are true, Arsenal will be making some signings in the very near future. At least we hope so. According to multiple, and reliable sources, the Gunners are close to finalizing contracts with Benfica defender Nuno Tavares and Anderlecht Frankfurt midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga. Both players would bring much needed quality and experience to the Arsenal squad this season. It is also reported Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale will be approached by Arsenal once his duties with the England squad are finished at Euro 2020. The Ben White situation also looks promising at this point. White is also on the England squad.
One player who has been connected to Arsenal this summer is Anderlecht striker Alexander Isak. After watching him play for Sweden on Tuesday, I would have to say he is very over-rated. In his country’s match v Ukraine, Isak seemed tired, uninterested, out of position, and looked relieved when his manager pulled him out of the game. Arsenal has had too many players of this demeanor in the past, and we sure don’t need one now. Maybe he just had a bad game, but again, you just don’t wander around the pitch aimlessly in a Euro 2020 Round of 16 match.
I have a feeling in my gut that Bukayo Saka will not be in Gareth Southgate’s starting XI on Saturday. After a spectacular outing v Czech Republic, Saka didn’t have the same type of performance v Germany in the Round of 16. I would expect Phil Foden to replace Saka in England’s starting XI on Saturday v Ukraine.
There were some spectacular Round of 16 game over the past few days. 3 matches went into added extra time, while owe match required a penalty kick shoot-out to determine the winner. Now that France and Portugal have been eliminated from the competition, and Belgium has been hit with injures to key players, I have updated my picks. Here they are:
Quarterfinal winners: Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, England
Semifinal winners: Italy, England
Euro 2020 Champions: Italy
Time will tell!
Cheers.
Gunner1953
The Gunners defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Wednesday to win both matches in this season’s North London Derby. With the win Arsenal moves back into 2nd place on the Premier League table.
According to The Mail, Arsenal, is in advanced talks to sign Real Sociedad Martin Zubimendi at the end of this season for a reported $61.2-million (USD).
Takehiro Tomiyasu has returned to full training with the first team after recovering from a knee injury. 
Martin Odegaard, “We need to be sharper in the key moments to make sure we get the results we’ve worked for. We have to keep going and keep improving. There is no choice for us now.”
