DEADLINE DAY: ARSENAL NEEDS A FORWARD

Well good morning Arsenal fans.

Did you wake up to a tweet from your favorite ITK?

Were you expecting Neto?

No, of course you weren’t. Up there with Wenger’s ‘big surprise’ in 2008… and it was Silvestre.

Ok, ok, that’s unfair. This news is up where it needs to be for a reserve keeper - loan, no obligation to buy, a 35 year old. I don’t need us to be dropping £21m for a cup keeper. That’s a madness.

Neto is perfect, he’s experienced, he kept 7 clean sheets in 30 odd appearances for Bournemouth, and he was made captain at one point. Proper solid cover without breaking the bank.

We are now heading into the danger zone with regard to forward cover. I don’t care for a striker, but I do think it is verging on extreme arrogance to head into the season with no Saka cover.

Sane is on the market - Chelsea are basically telling Raheem to do one - there are plenty of broke clubs with wingers who can do a better job than Reiss - we cannot be accepting excuses for the third season running.

Arsenal need to get a bargain over the line today to ensure we’re well stocked.

That’ll take the transfer window from a 6/10 to an 8 if the deal we push over the line is at the level we know it can be.

I’ve seen Arsenal fans say they’ll accept Sterling - like he’s some bum off the streets. If we can get Raheem over and Arteta can rehab him like he did Kai Havertz, we’ll have a real weapon off the bench that will be able to settle instantly.

He’s a winner, he’s robust, he’ll have the respect of the dressing room for his immense career… and his impact could be felt instantly.

… and boy do we need it. We’re playing a lot of games. The group stages super league stage goes through January.

Matchday 1: September 17–19, 2024
Matchday 2: October 1/2, 2024
Matchday 3: October 22/23, 2024
Matchday 4: November 5/6, 2024
Matchday 5: November 26/27, 2024
Matchday 6: December 10/11, 2024
Matchday 7: January 21/22, 2025
Matchday 8: January 29 2025

Once Champions League kicks in, we’re looking at 2/3 games a week through January. Crazy to think we’re doing this right after an international competition. Needless to say, bulking up now feels like a necessity.

I quite like the draw - PSG are the spectacle if you like fancy players - but Atalanta is for the football nerds. I’m also keen to see how Girona handle CL after a stunning season in Spain. Our packet of matches seems very doable and I have to admit it… the ‘it’s not a Super League primer’ format looks way more fun than the group stage borefest of the last 20 years.

Ok, short one today because I’m getting up early to watch the internet all day. If you want a podcast, jump on Thursday Therapy. It’s a banger if we don’t sign anyone today. xx