Wednesday Odds and Ends

Here’s a few odds and ends on a hot summer Wednesday…

As usual, the Gunners are taking their good old time in the summer transfer market. As Gooner Nation holds their collective breath, Edu Gaspar, Mikel Arteta and the lot are slowly increasing the anxiety among the Arsenal faithful. Obviously, we have very little insight as to what is really happening behind closed doors in north London, however, the one thing we do know is they seem to be having trouble off-loading some of the squad that are no longer fit into Arteta’s future plans. We hear there is interest from other clubs for some of these players, such as Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Nottingham Forest), Bernd Leno (Fulham and Hertha Berlin) and Granit Xhaka (Roma), however, no deals have been signed. Add Lucas Torreira to that list as wll. After a successful loan spell at Fiorentina, the Italian club was unable to finalize a permanent deal with Arsenal, so they have sent him back to Arsenal.

With that said, I’m also wondering why it is taking so long to sign a new contract with Eddie Nketiah. Possibly, Nketiah is waiting to see who the Gunners sign as their premier striker for the coming season. The young forward wants a lot of playing time, so if a “big name” shows up, then maybe Eddie will explore his options elsewhere. Just a thought.

Speaking of “big name” strikers, why is Gabriel Jesus dragging his feet to sign with Arsenal? He keeps saying he wants to rejoin Mikel Arteta, and that he likes the Arsenal project. Come on dude, give us all a break and make the decision final. Your international duties are over, so get back to England and get it done. You won’t regret it. The same goes for Youri Tielemans.

The Premier League schedule is set to be released on Thursday morning. Our recent Yankee Gooner poll listed Fulham as the #1 choice as the Gunners opening day opponent. Remember too, this is the schedule that will feature a very large gap in the middle of the season to accommodate the World Cup Finals. Also, I’m hoping the Premier League schedule makers have provided more equity in the caliber of opponents the Big Six face in the final month of the season. Fair is fair.

Wow, what happened to the England National Team in the Nations League? After four matches played, the Three Lions are last in their group. They are winless, and got seriously stuffed on Tuesday v Hungary, 4-0. Sorry to say both Bukayo Saka and Aaron Ramsdale were in Gareth Southgate’s starting XI for that disaster. Arsenal’s #1 goalkeeper managed one save in the match, but allowed four to slip past him. This was not a great way to end the season for these terrific young Gunners. A well-deserved break has been earned!

And finally, I’m counting down the days to the Arsenal v Chelsea preseason fixture in Orlando on July 23rd. I’ll be among the Arsenal supporters behind the south goal for that affair! I can’t wait!

I hope you all have a terrific day!

Cheers.

Gunner1953