The Vini Jnr story, despite Gary Cotterill’s insistence, appears to be very much on the cards…
It’s hard to pinpoint a central point of truth right now — and I suspect that’s the same for Arsenal folk who are at the centre of the saga.
Some things to note that give me hope that something could happen…
The big advantage Arsenal have with regards to finances is that we can offer Vini Jnr 100% of his image rights. A player of his pedigree would be doing much better if his agency, Roc Nation, could put more of those deals into his pocket.
Another thing no one wants to talk about is that Arsenal are probably a bigger club right now from a cultural perspective. New Yorkers won’t spill out onto the streets for yet another Real Madrid formality trophy. Sure, they are a spectacle, but they’re the bell of the ball in a league that is struggling badly for eyeballs. The Premier League has 3.2 billion viewers, to their 600 million. Why do I mention this? Commercial deals are more potent if you are playing in a league that is popular in markets that have people with bigger wallets. I’ve been in America for 10 years, I’ve rarely met an avid Real Madrid fan. I’ve never seen a Madrid pub. They are just a brand that exists in the ether because of their history… for current relevancy? Arsenal are the rocketship.
Vini is also not the big man at Madrid and he never will be. There’s always something new on the block. The Spanish side are actively pursuing Olise and Haaland for next season. They will need capital to do that. If they give Vini what he wants, they’ll have to give Jude the same; that’ll leave them very little room to spend on next season’s Galácticos. They’ve spent heavily already this summer without many exits to speak of… one would imagine, at some point, someone is going to have to go. Especially as Madrid have taken the free transfer route more often than not to get big players in the door, with a stadium debt of €1.1 billion to service. If they want to keep adding big names, they have to pay attention to growing wages… giving Vini all that he wants might be an impediment to bigger deals next year.
If Vini moves to Arsenal, he will be the face of the organisation. They will make him king. He will be the star on every poster, billboard, and TV commercial. He’ll be forever cemented in our history as the guy who made us a Champions League contending team. That will come with ego perks he’ll never get at Madrid and I suspect that deep down, he knows that, and so do his people.
There’s also the close ties Ben Winston has with Roc Nation, the Vini Jnr agency, through his work on the Grammys and other such projects over the years. I’m not saying that’s a dealmaker, but football is a small community, and having someone trusted at the club your client is interested in going to, at that level of prestige, will certainly count for something.
I’m shifting to a 55% feeling this transfer now… long way to go, but the smoke smells good, and it looks like there’s fire.
In other shocking news… Eddie Howe is out at Newcastle after rejoining for just one game of pre-season. The English cup winner saw what was coming and tapped out before he was tarred with a relegation scrap brush. This is smart work from him, his stock is high, no one would give him flack for leaving an uninterested club… and he’ll have the pick of the Premier League jobs when people start getting sacked in 2 months’ time.
What does this mean for Bruno? That Eddie knew he was going to lose his captain, and the smoke Newcastle’s press have been denying, has choked them out, and now they have to abandon the ‘Bruno is staying’ hut and watch it burn to the ground.
This, without doubt, is a game-changing signing on so many levels. He’ll raise the dressing room, he’ll have the fans doing cartwheels, this is what we wanted this summer. It takes pressure off our midfield and means we can look forward to a more technically gifted midfield next season.
Finally, there’s some concern about the Timber return to the UK. After surgery, I believe it’s common practice to go and see a specialist. Very much doubt he’s broken again. Still, a bit of warning that it’s far from over with regard to his problems.
Ok, I don’t have much more to give to this post… so I’ll say goodbye and ask that you listen to the latest early bird podcast I ran with Jacob. x