Tuesday Odds and Ends

Happy Tuesday, along with some odds and ends…

Arsenal’s preseason training camp opens tomorrow at London Colney, and there is still so much to be decided in the next 56 days of this transfer window. Every day the list of players Arsenal is linked to continues to grow. One would have to expect things to start happening in the next few weeks, with some players leaving, and new signings coming in. In my opinion, the sooner this season’s Arsenal squad is assembled, they have more preseason time together to get acquainted and to learn Mikel Arteta’s tactics, the better. Arsenal can not afford a slow start to the season due to their slow transfer market dealings.

I just read a very interesting posting on Just Arsenal News. In the post, former Gunner Nigel Winterburn said, “It would be a disaster to let Emile Smith Rowe leave form Aston Villa.”  Winterburn claimed that selling the young star would send a terrible message to the Arsenal supporters, as the club has claimed to be building the club’s future around their young stars. Man, I would definitely agree with Mr. Winterburn. I hope and I pray, Edu and Arteta aren’t tempted to let this young player leave as Villa’s bids grow bigger and bigger. The kid will pay bigger dividends on the pitch for Arsenal going forward.

Today is the first Euro 2020 semifinal match, Spain v Italy. The Spanish squad is an overachieving, scrappy lot, however, Italy has too much talent and experience, and has a lot to prove to the football world that they are back on top. My prediction…Italy 3 – Spain 1.

Then tomorrow, it’s England v Denmark. I have two predictions to make. 1) Bukayo Sala will be in England’s starting XI, and 2) England brings Denmark’s remarkable Euro 2020 run to a close. The final score…England 2 – Denmark 0.

And, finally. Arsene Wenger is back in the football headlines backing a plan, which started in Saudi Arabia, to hold the FIFA World Cup every two years. I think this has a lot of potential to gain momentum, however, my biggest concern would be for the players. Already, they are playing over 60+ matches per year. Between preseasons, domestic leagues and cups, FIFA club competitions, and their national team duties, this can add up to a lot of wear and tear, and potential injuries. To make a plan of this type work, there would have to be an agreement among all domestic club leagues and competitions to cut back on their fixture lists. However, this would ultimately impact TV rights, stadium revenues and other club marketing initiatives. As cool as it sounds to have a World Cup every two years, I think Wenger and other supporters of this initiative have a tough sell ahead of them.

I hope you all have a great Tuesday, and enjoy the Euros!

Cheers.

Gunner1953