In it to win it

Morning all…

So, erm, there was a slight administrative error regarding who was supposed to be covering the blog today, so I’m stepping in at very late notice as emergency cover. 

A safe pair of hands or Almunia coming on in the Champions League final? Let’s see…either way, I’m going to keep it short and sweet. 

First things first, James Olley has written an interesting feature for ESPN that includes interview snippets with Josh Kroenke and LA Rams Head Coach Sean McVay. I mentioned in Monday’s piece that KSE appear to be proactively bringing their organisations closer together and it’s something Kroenke Jr referenced openly: 

“I’ve always preached that we need to figure out a way to get our different groups together because it is apples, oranges and watermelon but it’s all fruit to fruit.”

He’s clearly proud of the progress his father’s organisation is making across the board and that sceptics on this side of the pond (of which there were many, including me) are starting to be won over by year-on-year progress under their ownership. 

He said: “I have been involved with the club for over 10 years now, around the board, and I really enjoy it and I love the club. I knew it would be very rewarding to get it back in a position to succeed and prove a few people wrong along the way.”

Mistakes have been made along the way – the post-Wenger structure that was put in place never looked like working and the Super League nonsense was a fiasco – but they’ve developed momentum, invested heavily in the club and generally look like they are paying closer attention to the day-to-day stuff. If not personally, by hiring people who care and have an intimate knowledge of how the club works. 

“I don’t want to give away any of our secrets but what my dad has taught me over the years is: one, know what you don’t know. Two: put people smarter than you in positions to succeed and that’s a good way to find success.”

From what I’ve heard, Tim Lewis – who has been a Kroenke family confidante for a very long time – is the man pulling the strings at the Emirates. He goes by the title Executive Vice Chair but from the outside, it looks like he’s operating more as a traditional CEO. Since Vinai Venkatesham departed last month that title is vacant, with his de facto replacement, Richard Garlick, being appointed Managing Director instead. Stability in the upper echelons requires clear roles and responsibilities and everyone recognising the ultimate aim. We have that in place now. 

Eight years ago, Stan Kroenke made headlines for stating, “If you want to win championships then you would never get involved [in football].” While the context of that soundbite was perhaps missing from some of the coverage – he also talked about the need to have a ship-shape business model to compete with the oil clubs – Josh is clear that the motivation is winning silverware, whatever the sport. 

“We’re in this business to win and winning is a lot more fun than the alternative, I can assure you.”

Interestingly, he also dangled the carrot of improvements to Emirates Stadium. It’s coming up to 20 years since we moved from Highbury and our ‘new’ home – once state-of-the-art – has been surpassed by some incredible arenas around the world, not least the KSE-owned SoFi Stadium.

“It would be premature to talk about any plans in depth, but the internal conversations are starting to occur about [the stadium]. It is not an easy renovation, but we see the possibilities of what’s there.”

I think it’s important to note the term ‘renovation’. The stadium in its current form was not designed to be expanded. Indeed, when the topic of safe standing came up (it’s all gone very quiet on that!), the club said it would result in a reduced capacity. Realistically, we’re talking about a tech and environment upgrade.

This summer, the club is supposed to be sorting out the mobile connectivity issue and last year they replaced the big screens. These things take a long time to plan and execute – even the new external artwork took nearly a year to come to fruition – so don’t expect anything soon. 

It’s worth bearing in mind, that we haven’t even finished paying off the original bill for the Emirates so anyone who thinks we’re about to knock it down and build a new arena on the site (which is penned in by existing infrastructure including a railway and loads of flats) is leading you on. Of course, while the prospect of improvements is exciting, such things don’t come for free. I’d expect prices to keep rising year-on-year whether you like it or not.

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Right before I go, let’s round up a few other bits and bobs…

David Ornstein writes that Arsenal are expected to turn down Marseille’s £20 million offer for Eddie Nketiah. While the Ligue 1 side has restructured the deal to offer more cash upfront, it’s still well below our asking price. When you consider the fee paid by Monaco for Folarin Balogun, you have to assume we’re aiming for similar if not more. I think we’re right to flick the Vs at them again but suspect a deal will get done before the season starts. 

On a sort-of-related-note, have you noticed most of the strikers who’ve been linked with Arsenal in recent months haven’t moved? Viktor Gyokeres. Nope. Ivan Toney, Nope. Victor Osimhen. Nope, although Chelsea might take him on loan! Benjamin Sesko. Stayed put. The only one who actually secured a transfer was Joshua Zirkzee and he looks like the type of forward you sign when you’ve just finished eighth in the table. 

Elsewhere, Emile Smith Rowe completed his Fulham medical and his £34 million move will be confirmed later. I plan to have some onions nearby as an excuse. 

Finally, Arsenal’s USA Tour ends tonight with a friendly in Philadelphia against Liverpool. I can’t say I’ve paid much attention to the Reds’ pre-season preparations under Arne Slot, but I can say with confidence that their new coach has the shiniest head in the galaxy. Honestly, the referee should make him wear a cap. People have paid good money to see Riccardo Calafiori’s glossy locks in person and they don’t deserve to have it ruined by the glare of a Dutchman’s bonce. 

Will we actually see Calafiori make his debut? When Arteta was asked in his pre-game press conference, he didn’t rule it out. 

“I don’t know. He had a long flight, and a medical over the past 24 hours. Today (Monday) he hasn’t really done anything with the team, and tomorrow he will probably train some parts. Let’s see how he is, we don’t want to rush anything. If he’s available and fit, great.”

We’ll have more on the match tomorrow.

Right, that’s your lot. I hope everyone who made it to last night’s Arseblog event had a good time. From what I can tell it looked suitably bonkers, so kudos to Poorly Drawn Arsenal for coming good on his promise! 

Ciao.

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