Arsenal copying Liverpool in Van Dijk chase as Man Utd ‘adopt Brighton model’

Editor F365
Virgil van Dijk and Dusan Vlahovic
Virgil van Dijk and Dusan Vlahovic

Arsenal not buying a striker in January might be a sign that they are conducting themselves like Liverpool. Unlike Man Utd.

Send your views on the transfer window to theeditor@football365.com

 

Genuinely happy Arsenal did not buy striker
The negativity about Arsenal not signing a striker is not felt by all fans, myself included. Havertz’s abilities in front of goal remind me of an old saying Glenn Hoddle used to make about Andy Cole: “He needs five chances to score one goal.” This was always a tongue-in-cheek comment, and Kai Havertz will never be as good a goalscorer as Andy Cole.

But this weekend, there has been so much unjustified criticism of Havertz for missing an easy chance, even though he unselfishly passed up a simple opportunity to give Ødegaard an assist and then scored the more difficult chance. When I look at those ahead of Havertz in the Premier League scoring charts, I find it ironic that many of the strikers Arsenal were linked with also missed chances. Check it out for yourself – Mateta, Kluivert, and Wissa, to name just three, all missed opportunities that, had Havertz missed them, would have created a huge story.

Sure, maybe they weren’t quite as easy as Havertz’s chance, but they were still chances you’d expect strikers to score. And yes, I’m ignoring the fact that Mateta actually scored two goals – just as people are ignoring that Havertz both scored and assisted one.

Throughout the January transfer window, I said I’d be happy for Arsenal to sign a value-for-money, Premier League-ready striker, ideally based in London. That’s why I would have gone for Jiménez, very much as a stopgap until the summer. Then, in the summer, Arsenal could go and get the attacking player they believe will truly make a difference – someone who would have the summer to train with the team, relocate, and settle in. Mathys Tel looks like a great prospect, but let’s see what material impact he has this season. Can Rashford just slot into Villa? What happens if he doesn’t score in his first few games?

Arsenal, like Liverpool and Man City before them, are prioritising signing the right player – not just any player, as Chelsea and Man U have done. Remember when Liverpool couldn’t get Van Dijk in one transfer window? They didn’t just grab Maguire or someone else instead. Likewise, Man City tried to sign Kane, couldn’t, and waited a year until Haaland was available. Should they have panicked and bought Lukaku instead when Kane was unattainable?

People ask, “What happens if Havertz gets injured?” and yes, it’s a risk. But equally, we could have spent £60m on Watkins who I consider a second-tier goalscorer (i.e., not at Haaland, Salah, or Isak’s level)—and he could have gotten injured, as has happened at Villa. Another thing Arsenal need to consider is how many games this new striker would actually play if Havertz is fit.

We did pretty well with Havertz in the team on Sunday. We’re out of the FA Cup, have at most two games left in the League Cup, only 14 games remaining in the league, and have managed to avoid the Champions League play-off—so at most, we could have seven games left in the Champions League, assuming we reach the final, which we’ve only done once in our history. If we had bought Watkins for £60m, does he start the next game? No. Does he come on as a substitute? Probably, but not ahead of Nwaneri.

Arsenal need to focus on maximizing this season without the distraction of parachuting in a big-name signing with 17 games (hopefully more!) to go. This summer, we need money to offer new bumper contracts to the likes of Saliba, Gabriel, and Saka, who will all be entering the final two years of their contracts. We also need to identify the big signing we want to make – personally, I’d go for Vlahović.

Finally, to any disgruntled Arsenal fans: From this January’s transfers, out of all the players who moved, who would you have wanted Arsenal to sign? For me, there’s no one in the Premier League. Widening the scope to Europe, I would have loved for us to go after Kvaratskhelia, but it appears PSG had that sewn up from the start. Apart from that, maybe Muani – but he probably would have wanted assurances to start, which I’m not sure we could have given him.

Arsenal have shown they will spend money on the right player, people are aware Rice cost £100m right?
Paul K, London

READ:  January transfer window losers: Manchester United, Leicester, Newcastle, Arsenal, Liverpool fans

 

Maybe not Set-Piece FC
Not really a hot topic right now BUT from memory Arsenal have scored 1 from a corner against spurs since Saka got injured. I think that was from Rice who takes them from that side anyway. Odergaard’s corners are more lofted and so have yielded nothing. So maybe Jover is just doing ok and it was just really Saka all along who was good at taking corners.

Secondly, a pro tip. The good people at F365 always say ‘Stewie’ in the title to his emails. I am sure they know it’s rage bait stuff but it’s a bit of a meme to get some responses. So you can just scroll right past it. I do it every time. It’s great. Sometimes he writes very long emails with lots of capitals. Odd person they are.

Nice one,
James

 

What happened to the OG Stewie?
I think I’ve said this before in the mailbox but I maintain that the person writing in in the name of Stewie Griffin is not the same person who wrote in ten years ago. Back then – when Arsenal were much worse than we are now – Stewie’s emails were articulate and, while generally negative, difficult to disagree with as an Arsenal fan.

This straw man loving character (apparently Gooners whine that nobody thinks we’re any good, bleat about conspiracy theories and demand the UN step in to review match incidents) is surely not an Arsenal fan and the CAPS HEAVY emails are largely gibberish. From claiming Arsenal paid over £100m for Zinchenko and Calafiori to suggesting a game against the four in a row champs every pundit said was must win for Arsenal was really a pressure free walk in the park, this current Stewie’s Trumpian ‘feindbilder’ (identify your own weak points and project them on to your ‘opponents’ i.e. other fans & mailboxers) guff is just comedy.

By all means keeping printing Stewie 2.0 emails for the laughs but please also bring back the OG Stewie Griffin for some grown up debate.
Simon (get behind those Gunners) Cochrane

 

Glazers out
I confess I was duped, like many others, when “local boy” Radcliffe and INEOS swooped in making all the right noises. The drunken sailors were out and now adults were running the show! Then we started to hear about the questionable decisions, staff layoffs, former players losing benefits, ticket price increases. Still I held out hope for a better run club in the longer term.

But this January transfer window has revealed (to me anyway) what is truly going on. With revenue stagnant and sporting success unlikely, the only way for the Glazers to still slice of their pound of flesh is for the club to sell a couple of Academy players every year as they represent pure profit. Who in their right mind would even contemplate selling Mainoo or Garnacho?

January has shown us that we will continue to collect talented young players that we can sell on for $20/30/40M. In short, we have adopted the Brighton model but without their recruitment success.

Even in the bad times, we always had a little sprinkle of stardust that excited us such as Robson, Hughes, Coppell, McIlroy, Whiteside. Now, we all collectively hold our breath that the young and frail Amad doesn’t get a serious injury and bails us out every week.

Does anyone seriously think we are going to spunk millions on a quality players in the summer? It just feels so helpless.
Adidasmufc (I’m not sure of the science behind it but it does seem to me that slathering Vaseline on your goalkeeper gloves may not be working!)

 

Liverpool fan pretends he is happy Arsenal are winning…
As the last few emails have been Arsenal/Citeh based, thought I’d offer a few thoughts from a little old Liverpool FC perspective (you’ve barely heard of us ain’t ya?).

Bournemouth win was gigantic, and with Arsenal’s incredible dismantling of Citeh, has gone by the radar a little, I think this suits LFC, unsure if other readers agree? Liverpool seem to play better when we’re in the ‘This is going well, sure it will all fall apart, but let’s cross our fingers’ camp. That’s where we are currently, and gigantic Arsenal wins kinda help that.

Disappointed in lack of transfer action, though if we remain injury free, we should be looking good in terms of squad depth.

Btw, I was there at Villa Park for my first ever LFC game when Ronnie missed. In the home section, as a kid, I can still remember the Villa crowd giving me some (shit loads actually, of very sweary) stick. Deserved stick as well.

The Havertz miss was a belter though. I still see Arsneal dropping points in the remainder of the season, but we will too.

Anyway, as you were, Arsenal great (No, Arsenal shit – says a frothing at mouth ‘fan’ Stewie Griffin) and, what’s that? Utd Shit. Ah, same as it ever was.
David (Jan also played in that Villa game) Molby, Shrewsbury

 

Fanmail for Gooner Simon
Did your partner leave you for a Newcastle fan? Was it Michael Oliver?

At this point I think we can all agree that Arsenal fans are worse than Liverpool fans.
Chris, NUFC

 

…While I don’t think I can help with whatever mental issues are at the root of Simon, Norf London Gooner’s profanity-laced, maybe-a-little-racist screed, I can at least tell him he’s right that I think Mikel Arteta is a c*nt.

And that in a legal sense, Simon is off his head about conflicts of interest. You can’t rule people out of jobs because of what football club they support. And technically speaking, there is no conflict of interest, anyway. Hoping one side wins is not the same as having an interest in the outcome. Simon can ask his lawyer about that one.
Chris C, Toon Army DC

 

…Simon, Norf London Gooner – firstly I just want to check you’re ok? That was really weird mate.

To suggest that no one can be a PL ref if they support a PL team is absolutely nuts. How does a ref reach the PL if their team is in the Championship? Can’t ref in the 2nd tier to prove themselves so they just stay in League 1 forever? Or do they skip straight from 6,000 at Wycombe to 75,000 at Old Trafford? Or perhaps you would rather have people that don’t support a club at all, or don’t even like football?

People are always saying that the current referees understand the game too well so it might be a good idea to bring in people with no knowledge of the game at all. What happens if a ref’s team gets promoted? The ref loses their job, so in fact they wouldn’t want the team to get promoted, so would stop being a fan and could therefore keep their job? Seems a bit paradoxical but you said this was a serious suggestion so I am sure you have thought through the logistics.

Simon cannot comprehend that someone might have professional pride and want to do the best job possible. He knows that he would cheat to ensure Arsenal always win so assumes that everyone else would do the same.

Did anyone question whether Wayne Rooney should have been allowed to play against Everton? The man is as big an Evertonian as you could meet, but it didn’t stop him scoring against the team he loves. In Simon’s world Rooney shouldn’t have even been allowed to play against a team near Everton in the league in case he missed a chance on purpose to help the toffees move up the table.

My team got shafted on Monday night. Firstly it was a clear foul by Colwill on Bowen – I have no idea how the ref missed it. Secondly, Cucurella was offside. There is absolutely no doubt that Guiu touched it, slow motion makes it hard to tell but in real time you can see the ball and his hair move.

However, I didn’t spout conspiracy, I didn’t look up the team that the ref or VAR support to find a link back to a predetermined narrative. I did what any self-respecting football fan would do and called the referee a c**t. I seethed in my anger when Chelsea got a jammy second. And I then called the ref a c**t again at full time. But I woke up the next morning and got on with my life, because to do anything else would be pointless.
Andy the Hammer

 

Arteta is hated because he is good…
Rich, AFC – If you’ve been a football fan for most of your life, it’s obvious why rival supporters hate Mikel Arteta—because he’s succeeding.

In his first-ever managerial job, he’s transformed Arsenal more effectively than most managers have with their teams in the same timeframe. How dare he challenge Pep Guardiola as a rookie coach? What an absolute disgrace! And to make things worse, he’s outspoken too. Clearly, football has never seen such audacity!

Funny thing is, I never hated Erik ten Hag or Ange Postecoglou. I just found them irrelevant. You only hate a rival manager if they’re doing incredibly well and wish you had what they did (see: SAF, Mourinho, Pep). I even remember my Manchester United-supporting friends boasting about Ten Hag’s trophy count compared to Arteta’s. My response was always the same: “If he’s so successful, why does everyone at United want him gone?” Because, at the end of the day, a manager’s true worth is measured by league and Champions League performance.

I’d take finishing second three years in a row over winning three FA Cups and ending up ninth or fifteenth in the Premier League. Clearly, United feel the same—otherwise, Ten Hag would still be there, right?

Let’s just be honest: everyone hates Arteta because he’s made Arsenal competitive again, and that really pisses people off.

I apologise, I ended up shitting on Ten Hag more than I wanted to. Just used him as an example. United’s problem is far deeper than their managers.
Malcolm, AFC

 

Actually…
Tuesday afternoon’s Mailbox ended with Rich, AFC asking why rival fans “hate Arteta and the Arsenal players so much”. I obviously cannot speak for everyone but I would start by asking, who are these rival fans expressing hatred of Arsenal players?

I just scanned through the entire squad list and I do not see anyone that is reviled or vilified. I do not see names belonging on Mourinho’s Chelsea, I do not see kindred spirits of Diego Costa. Does someone not rating the likes of Havertz, Zinchenko and Jesus count as “hatred” in Rich’s eyes?

On Arteta though: I think I can explain why he is received the way he is by non-Arsenal-fans (rival fans + media included). In short, it’s not that people hate him, it’s that there isn’t anything non-Arsenal-fans would like about him. He doesn’t ever came across as funny or charming or particularly insightful.

Contrast that with various other managers who have made both positive and negative impressions over the years, Ferguson/Wenger/Mourinho/Klopp/Redknapp/etc. And considering even these wildly popular managers received various criticism and mockery over the years, are you really surprised that this would also be the case with Arteta?

RE: the rest of Rich’s mail, and in response to various other Arsenal Mailbox entries over the last few weeks/months: you guys need to keep things in perspective. There are 8 billion people on Earth. Lots and lots of these are idiots who watch football and have access to social media. You shouldn’t take seriously the criticism and barbs of clearly-unserious people, it is neither healthy nor productive. If criticism of your club seems like unfounded nonsense, it probably is, so why not just ignore it, safe in the knowledge that it’s nonsense?
Oliver (would mostly count Stewie Griffin as a serious person, though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) Dziggel, Geneva Switzerland