Hello, everyone.
Mikel Arteta will meet the press this morning ahead of our game against Liverpool on Saturday night. It’s a game with a lot at stake on both sides and a lot of story and talking points, so let’s see what it says about it. We’ll be able to delve into that game in more detail here tomorrow and on our Patreon preview podcast, and of course we’ll cover all the top stories on Arseblog News.
Meanwhile, there was some noise about the Super League yesterday after the European Supreme Court ruled that FIFA and UEFA rules had been “illegal”. Does it make much difference? Not really, this article by Miguel Delaney in The Independent explains why, but I wonder if this is the first small fracture that could lead to changes in the future.
The Premier League issued a statement saying:
The ruling does not endorse the so-called “European Super League” and the Premier League continues to reject any concept of that type. Fans are vitally important to the game and have time and again made clear their opposition to a “separate” competition that severs the link between domestic and European football.
While UEFA President Aleksandr Ceferin said:
We will not try to stop them. They can create whatever they want. I hope they start their maximum competition as soon as possible… with two clubs. Football is not for sale.
“Football is only for sale because of us,” might be a better way to put it, and we now find ourselves in the odious position where FIFA and UEFA, two organizations that have looted every last penny possible from football, Now they seem to have done so. some kind of moral authority. A new competition like the European Super League can only have one objective: to make money. Which is fine, we all get it, we’re all on the same page, but when Infantino and Ceferin go holier than thou about the game not being for sale while enjoying their champagne lifestyle and relaxing with the worst people in the world. the world that wants to use football for its own purposes is too much.
So far, many clubs have issued statements saying they reject the Super League, including Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea and others across Europe. Nothing from Arsenal yet, but I suspect it will arrive at some point. Or not. I don’t really care because there is no way the club can support this plan. After which all the noise will quiet down for a while and life will go on. I don’t think we’ve heard the end of this though. Too many people see this concept as a way to make a lot of money and ultimately that will keep them going. Many view the riches of the Premier League with envy, and this would be a way to close the gap, especially for certain clubs that find themselves in financial difficulties. Let’s see what happens next.
Elsewhere, David Ornstein has posted a transfer news update on The Athletic. He has done it for all the clubs, but we don’t care about them. Here is a summary:
Douglas Luiz ❌: Nothing surprising. His form and contract situation at Aston Villa would make this deal almost impossible to do in January, and the only way to do it is to offer them an incredible amount of money, which would be really stupid because he is a good player, but not so good that we should ignore common sense or our bank balance.
Ivan Toney ❌: He will stay in Brentford until the summer. With Bryan Mbuemo injured for months, why would they let him go? Another aspect of this situation is the fact that he owes Brentford something after missing the first half of the season due to their betting offences. Am I the only one who would question his supposed willingness to jump ship, even if I can understand why joining Arsenal would be an attractive prospect?
Martín Zubimendi: This one is more open, but again January is a difficult time to do business, especially with Real Sociedad in the round of 16 of the Champions League. I wonder if this is a summer deal, and it would make sense to see a 24-year-old arrive when one or two of our 30+ central midfielders leave.
I don’t know what Arsenal are planning for January, but more than ever I suspect they are playing their cards as closely as possible. If I had to guess, I’d say something from South America could be a possibility, or another Jakub Kiwior-like deal where a player who was never mentioned ends up agreeing to a deal that will be done one day. I think at least one addition is necessary, but who, how, and when… your guess is as good as mine.
Well, let’s leave it there for today. There’s a new Arsecast for you below, happy listening.
