morning.
6:45 am: The training ground photo game is now an established Arsenal fan tradition. Firstly, it allows you to see who is in and who is not, and can provide insight into a player’s fitness if there is uncertainty. Then there are the Bips side, who try to figure out if it gives them a clue about the starting XI for a particular match.
Here’s a new game. Media day photos. Arsenal released headshots and action shots of their players in their new kits yesterday ahead of the new season, and one player in particular has sparked speculation. For example, there are photos of Kieran Tierney and Rhys Nelson, but no photos of Eddie Nketiah.
What does all this mean? What subtle or not so subtle conclusions can we draw from his absence? I don’t know. Maybe we don’t post Eddie pictures because we think he’s going to leave or because he’s about to leave. Maybe Eddie had a cheeky Nando’s and it was a crappy Nando’s and he ended up addicted to fries and couldn’t attend the photoshoot. Or maybe Stewart and Price got an emergency call to take a BBQ photo of Edu after he perfectly flipped his Tomahawk steak and he needed a professional photo to capture the moment forever. Your guess is as good as mine.
Updated at 7:30 AM: I just saw Eddie’s picture. The drama is over. I’m glad he doesn’t have that quirky, cocky Nandos. Nobody needs that.
But I wonder what will happen to Tierney. There have been few updates on his fitness, mainly because Arsenal are rife with options at left-back, with young talent like Miles Lewis-Skelley emerging and everyone’s been very excited about him. With a few weeks left in the transfer window, it’s hard to imagine any club making a permanent offer for him. After seeing him suffer injuries in Europe, they’ll be a bit cautious about spending money on him, and I think the best-case scenario is a loan move before the window closes.
Who can say, inside the Premier League or abroad? As things progress, it wouldn’t be surprising if Celtic called him up. That’s just a gut feeling, not information, but he’s likely to have to go somewhere else to play regularly, just like the rest of the squad. The best case scenario is that another PL team, where he can perform well throughout the season and stay fit, will make a permanent offer next summer.
Meanwhile, with Brook Norton-Coffey set to complete his move to Genoa, there is the question of what will happen to Charlie Patino. He has spent time on loan at Swansea and Blackpool, and while he has played a fair amount there, he has not shown enough to warrant a first-team spot at Arsenal. The fact that he has not been involved at all in pre-season with a very young squad says something about his prospects, and with the arrival of Ethan Warney, any glimmer of hope he might have had is all but gone.
At 20, he still has everything ahead of him and sometimes a player has to take a step back to get ahead. He’s probably in the same bracket as Norton-Cuffy and Mika Biereth. Not quite where we need him to be, but we’ll let them go for around £3m-£5m. There’s a sell-on clause so if they really make progress we’ll benefit going forward. We’ll see where he goes.
Elsewhere, Arsenal reported: Ajax reject loan move for Aaron RamsdaleI would prefer a sale. I don’t know who is in the market for a number one goalkeeper in the Premier League, because what Arsenal are asking for in terms of fee is a pretty prohibitive deal for most clubs outside of England. Another case where things could get a little bit tense.
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With the new season coming up, I wanted to do a little promotion on Patreon and show you what you get if you decide to subscribe. This is the starting lineup for the 2024-25 season.
- No ads Arcecast, Arcecast Extra, and Arsenal Women Arcecast.
- no way Podcast Preview All Premier League and European matches, as well as some big cup matches – Louis Ambrose
- 30s: A weekly recap podcast of the Premier League Phil Costa
- New Player Podcast: Every time a deal is reached, we’ll be on the mic to provide insight into the player and the deal.
- Andrew Allen’s Arsenal Bits Weekly Recap: Andrew publishes an exclusive newsletter on Patreon every week, showcasing the most interesting Arsenal-related stories and content from around the web.
- waffle: A podcast where Andrew and James talk about anything but Arsenal (usually the most popular podcast on Interlull).
- Poorly drawn things: As always, we will team up with friends. Arsenal not drawn properly We bring you photos, animations, and other fun stuff.
- Access Discord: A chat server with multiple channels/topics, including the ability to submit questions to Arsecast Extra.
- fantasy football: The new season has started and the top prize is €1000, but registration is required. Before Friday, August 16th 6:00 p.m. (GMT).
- Patreon members get advance notice of live events and tickets, and the chance to purchase them before they go on general sale.
- Your support on Patreon allows us to reinvest across the site, and this season the Arsenal Women Arsecast with Tim Stillman will follow a more regular post-match schedule and take on a slightly updated format with a section for listener questions. This, along with other recent developments, underlines our commitment to providing the highest quality coverage. Arsenal Women somewhere.
- We also added Annual subscription optionAny existing member can get a 10% discount for 12 months if they wish.
- memo: Due to changes made by Apple, this is described here. https://news.patreon.com/articles/understanding-apple-requirements-for-patreon – Highly recommended Do not subscribe using the iOS app Because you have to pay more, which is completely out of our control. Just sign up via the web and then use the iOS app as usual.
- We know that the Arseblog app for iOS and Android needs some attention and updates. If you can assure us that it is ready, we expect to release a new version soon.
So you get everything plus instant access to all archives etc for $6 + VAT per month in that jurisdiction. If you like it, you can sign up here: patreon.com/arseblog – Your support is welcome and appreciated, and we want to make sure that we give you enough value for your support this season and beyond.
Okay, that’s all for now. Have a nice Wednesday, everyone.
