HAPPY TRANSFER-WINDOW-OPENING DAY!

DIVING RIGHT INTO FANTASY TRANSFER TALK, BUCKLE UP!

Well, Happy New Year my friends. 2025 has landed and I think this season is going to be the beginning of something special. The Premier League might be a little bit out of our control right now, but a League Cup run is within our reach, and this squad we have is well-placed to do some damage in the Champions League.

2025 is Arteta entering his 5th full year at Arsenal. The squad is in his image. The coaching staff are all his. Everything at Arsenal is built around his vision... and we're really, really good at what we do.

What do we want? NOT CALENDAR YEAR NONSENSE.

Ok, ok, I hear you.

We want MAJOR trophies. This next half decade is going to be all about how far we can push on that front. Klopp managed 2 at Liverpool in 9 years, 3 months. Arteta needs to better that. If he wants to be considered a legend, he'll have to deliver 3 Premier Leagues. If he wants to become a god, he has to deliver Arsenal its first EVER Champions League.

For once, we can dream of these things. It's no longer a pipe dream. We are competitive at the highest level. We don't need to have a fluky run to win the biggest trophies. We can win them because Arsenal is where it should be... a top 5 club in the world.

So let's get down to business.

Dani Olmo *might* be exiting Barca today on a free transfer because the Blaugrana have pulled all the levers known to the financial gods and they are still short to the point they have to exit good players. It's all a bit embarrassing. You can't run a club like this. This is rolling dice to pay the rent. The chickens will come home to roost very soon and it's a shame. The team that had Messi for 21 years and got close to a billion in revenue should not be destitute... but they are. I’m not even sure a Hawk Tuah crypto rug pull can save this transfer disaster from unfolding.

Dani Olmo exiting on a free IF IT HAPPENS is interesting.

• He's 26 and worth 60m euros

• He was raised in the RB Leipzig system, so he works like a dog and does all the off-the-ball things Arteta demands

• He's a Spanish international and is at Barca... so he's a control player

• He covers off false 9, 10, right wing, left wing... he has all the versatility Arteta looks for in a player.

Everyone in the game knows he's an outrageous talent - bringing him into the squad would lift everyone in the squad.

BUT…

The main issue? His injury record.

Was Rob lying? No man. He wasn't.

185,000 euros a week for someone who can't hack it in weaker leagues probably isn't the smartest move we could make. With human bodies, sadly, history is an excellent indicator of your future. If you have never been robust, coming to a league where you'll be worked harder than you've ever been worked is one issue - then factor that you'll train under Arteta who could break Ironman if given 7 months in the Premier League.

This one has gone from a fantasy move to the sort of thing you can guarantee Manchester United will indulge in with a £ 380,000-week deal.

I don't want to sign any more players on mega money who can't be regulars. At some point, you need them, and they aren't available. So what's the point? If you need a sharpener on those sorts of players... Jesus, Zinchenko, Partey.

‘but we’ll only need him for 20 games’

Behave and put down the transfer crackpipe. I know that you know this is a bad idea. You just like the high you get from the fumes of a sexy transfer that’s oh-so-wrong. Step outside, splash yourself with some cold UK bus-stop puddle water, and get back to reality

I don't know whether we'll move on anyone this transfer window. Arsenal aren't going to do dumb things because fans are angry. They'll know that a bad move just to move won't be tolerated after the meth high subsides and we're sitting in a carpark listening to Spice World wondering why we championed Patson Daka and Joshua Zirkzee (sorry for all the highly addictive substance references).

Look at the profile of players we were linked to last summer. Benjamin Sesko had one good season of football under his belt, and we offered £45m for him. 20 years old, fast, two-footed, outrageously strong, with the ability to score any type of goal. Nico Williams, 20 years old, fast, strong, technically monstrous, and good enough to end the career of Kyle Walker... £45m release clause.

Ahem… Mudryk. Future Balon d’Or winner… I’m sorry. I can’t. Especially after all the references I made to banned substances.

My guess... if we're going to add attacking talent to Arsenal, it's unlikely to be Alex Isak who would cost £100m. It'll be a young player with an outrageous ceiling who has 1-3 seasons of professional football under their belt. I don't think we have the money for a finished article type signing. We've averaged about €89m euros over the last three windows. That would suggest we're thinking about PSR.

Bryan Mbeumo (25) is the sort of player that fits the bill. He's worked under Thomas Frank, who is a really tactical manager and a Premier League monster. I said on the podcast last week that he reminds me of Sadio Mane before he moved to Liverpool. He'll have one year left on his deal next summer. 60 goals and 44 assists for Brentford. Not bad. Also, when you pick up players from deeply unfashionable clubs, they come with a chip on their shoulder. They're not wasting that chance and they'll work like monsters.

There is also the other option... grow your own talent this season so you don't have to spend mega money in the summer. We've already seen it with MLS. He's been brilliant since he came into the side. So good, that Zinchenko can be sold now. That's £40m saved. Why can't Arteta do that with Ethan Nwaneri? Give him a run now Saka is out. Let him start the cup games. If he shows he has it, give him more minutes, prioritise him over Sterling if we can.

In short - Arsenal is the best-positioned club in the league to succeed in the long term. Madrid aren't raiding us in January for our best full back. Our best winger isn't whining that the deal on the table is shite (though it's clear he probably will sign, which, as you know, is delicious for us long term), and our best centre backs are tied down.

Arsenal need to continue pushing forward with players fit for the long term. You can never stop in football. Keep layering in excellence, keep progressing the system, always put yourself in the mix for the biggest trophies and at some point... they land.

That starts today with Brentford. They're fucked right now with injuries. We have our own problems. This will be a very tough afternoon... but there's only one outcome that is acceptable... a win.

Ok, Happy New Year. Thanks for reading this site. Thanks for listening to the podcast. I know you could be hanging with many different platforms and audio spaces but you spend time with ours. It means the world and I feel extremely blessed you donate a bit of your most precious commodity to Le Grove.

Big love. Have a blessed year. Hope is all we have. The journey is the joy. Together, we're going to have a fucking amazing few years together watching Arsenal find the next level Wenger was going off about. x