hello everyone. Have a nice Friday.
Let’s start with the Arsenal players who played for their country yesterday. Leandro Trossard played 90 minutes for Belgium, while Gabriel played a full game for Brazil, in the 1-1 draw with Venezuela, with Gabriel Martinelli getting a few minutes at the end. That was all I knew. Two Spaniards David Raya and Mikel Merino are available today, while Jakub Kiwior is a contender for Poland as they prepare to face Portugal.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are looking for a new sporting director, or at least someone to replace Edu in some way, but his duties are not yet clear. He has been linked with Real Sociedad’s Roberto Olave. He announced this week that he will leave the club at the end of the season and speculation has grown about his future and his vacancy with us. ‘Basque Newspaper’Noticias de Gipuzkoa‘, report:
“This newspaper can confirm that while his intention is to relax and spend more time with his family, the truth is that Arsenal are very interested in obtaining his services and are very happy with his offer.”
I have a profile Here at The Athletic (£)And he’s certainly had an interesting career. His performances at Real Sociedad have been highlighted by other projects in Spain and abroad, but it will be his work of late that Arsenal will be most interested in. La Real’s recruitment and youth development has been impressive in recent years. The likes of Alexander Isak and Martin Odegaard (on loan from Real Madrid) have joined, Mikel Merino has joined from Newcastle, and they have produced academy prospects such as Martin Zubimendi and Robin Le Normand.
This snippet from that profile may resonate with those who want Arsenal to buy well and sell better. It’s an area where we have traditionally found ourselves wanting a bit (and not just under the auspices of Edu as sporting director, to be fair).
La Real’s progress builds on profits from transfer deals during Olave’s most recent spell. While head of scouting Erik Bretos has put a lot of effort into identifying targets, market sources say Olave has been a tough negotiator who “doesn’t tolerate fools” and always looks for an advantage for his club.
There is a clear connection. Mikel Arteta, a San Sebastian native and former Real Sociedad player, is their leader. We dealt with them this summer with the arrival of Mikel Merino, and last year Kieran Tierney went there on loan, but unfortunately injuries have affected his activities there.
I think the important thing is that he will remain in the position until the end of the season, and the reality for Arsenal is that they are more likely to need someone before then. The current structure may suffice for the January transfer window, but planning for next summer should begin well before Olave is free to join. So maybe this is the goal to tick a lot of the boxes, but timing and availability means we’ll have to look elsewhere.
I was curious that Tomas Rosicky’s name was also mentioned. The connection is clear as he is a former player and former team-mate of Arteta and currently holds that role at Sparta Prague. But is that connection really necessary? no way. You just want the right person for the job. Arsenal are currently hiring a lawyer with some football experience, which isn’t a bad thing when so many parts of the game and business require legal expertise, but for someone who will be a key part of driving success on the pitch, perhaps they should focus more on football first. We need someone who does it. I guess we’ll find out soon.
okay. I’ll leave it there this morning. Below is the new Arsecast. We chat to Clive Palmer about Arsenal and Interlull, then Jon Spurling about his fascinating new book on 1980s football, ‘Go to War’. The book contains great stories and anecdotes, and you also have the chance to win one of two signed copies.
For now, have a good time!
