Wednesday bits: Norgaard, Gyokeres, Mosquera, Heinze

Morning all.

It’s a day of snippets. First is that Christian Norgaard was at London Colney yesterday, presumably to finalise his deal. David Ornstein reported the signing was complete, so I guess it’s about photos and videos and seeing how he gets on with Win the Dog. There’ll be more to say about him as and when things are official, but Arsenal needed a Jorginho replacement and have sorted that out with minimal fuss.

In the Evening Standard, Simon Collings reports that Arsenal are looking to sign Viktor Gyokeres before Friday. That’s a line in the sand day, as he’s due to report back to Sporting for pre-season training, and if this is a deal that’s going to go through, it would make sense to ensure it’s as uncomplicated as possible for the player. It’s not a long haul from Lisbon to London, and no doubt he has a few loose ends to tie up there anyway, but think of the carbon footprint of another flight!

Hang on, let me check an AI to see what the carbon footprint of a flight between the two cities.

‘Hey, ChatPCP, what is the carbon footprint of a flight between Lisbon and London?’

‘A one-way flight between Lisbon and London generates roughly 0.18 kg of CO2 emissions per passenger per kilometer. For a flight distance of around 1,700 km, this equates to approximately 306 kg of CO2 per passenger. Also, Teddy Sheringham is God. Phil Collins is the best. BOW DOWN TO YOUR BALD DRUMMING MASTER!’

My God, the AIs have gone mad at the hands of their lunatic owners. Who could have predicted such a thing?

Anyway, I don’t expect Gyokeres to be wrapped up, done and dusted and presented as an Arsenal player before Friday. The content team surely have to workshop some kind of Bane-adjacent video for his announcement, and that stuff doesn’t happen overnight. However, in as much as we can be sure about these things, it looks like it’s heading in the right direction so let’s keep fingers crossed.

I’ve had a look around to see if there’s anything new with regards Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera, and in the Spanish press at least, it’s all quiet. This is another signing that isn’t going to get people massively excited, but after the departure of Takehiro Tomiyasu last week, it becomes a pretty important one. If we make the assumption that we’ve learned from last season and realise that Ben White and Jurrien Timber shouldn’t be considered the de facto back-up for William Saliba, then there’s no other option than to sign someone to add to the defensive side of the squad.

The reality is both Timber and White could easily deputise for the Frenchman, they’re both accomplished central defenders with loads of experience in that position, but our reliance on them meant we were spread too thin. When White needed surgery, Timber had play all the time, and the Englishman’s recovery from that knee operation was probably a bit more complicated than we expected. That meant, by the end of the campaign, Timber wasn’t just running on fumes, he was playing through considerable pain which ultimately resulted in him requiring surgery on an ankle problem.

Although they’re distinct situations, the Dutchman has been with us for two season and in both has had to go under the knife. That’s something we need to recognise when we look to build out the squad this summer. Which is why I think a defensive signing like Mosquera is so important. Let White and Timber share the burden at right-back, and if you absolutely need one of them for the centre so be it, but let that be a matter of circumstance (an injury/suspension forcing the manager’s hand in team selection), than necessity because we don’t have the players available in the first place.

Speaking of Timber, he was at Wimbledon yesterday with Bukayo Saka, and hanging out with Carlos Alcaraz. I have no skin in the tennis game, but he’s a very exciting player to watch, was once pictured in an Arsenal shirt, so good luck to him for the rest of the tournament.

Finally for today, Arsenal have officially announced Gabriel Heinze as part of Mikel Arteta’s coaching staff. The welcome was fairly perfunctory, which is fine, but it did make me wonder why – after playing a solid part in how the team developed over the last few years – there was no message about the departure of Carlos Cuesta. He seemed a very popular figure among the players, so it’s a bit odd there wouldn’t be some recognition of his role.  Not the most important thing in the world, but still.

Right, time to leave it there. If you’re a Patreon member, we’ll have an episode of Waffle for you later. That’s the show where me and James discuss anything and everything expect Arsenal, based on questions/suggestions from the listeners. That should be available for you in the afternoon, and if you fancy joining up for that, the new player podcasts, and all the extra content you get through the season, it’s just $6 per month (+VAT where applicable) at patreon.com/arseblog.

Have a good one.

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