James Johnstone Football
Arsenal 23-24 Review
And welcome back to the channel and another video. Long time no see for everyone that well all 198 that subscribe and log time. Yeah, I know we did quite we did quite well before I obviously stop, stop, stop, stop. But yeah, Mr. Mr. Tom Batchford. How are you doing my friend? Oh, I'm all right. Get on with it. Yes. It's usual. Yeah, the world's a tough place. We're getting on with it. Yeah, the world is tough, but the Premier League starts next weekend. So yeah, yeah, at least that's something. It can only get better. Exactly. So basically we do these every year. We normally do them earlier, but we've had so much going on, especially me. I'm not going to, I'm not going to throw you under the bus, Tom. I'll throw myself under it. I've had a lot going on. So that's why we haven't done it. To be fair, when we did this last year, we already had three players in. We're doing it this year. We've only got one. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, we haven't done, we forgot to do or we couldn't be bothered or too busy. We're too busy to do our review of the last season. If Arsenal aren't active, why should they be a newbie active? That's the reason. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But going into it, this is obviously, so it's an Arsenal season review of the last season, just gone. And then we're just going to do a bit of previewing and a bit of hearing there for next season. So Tom, just straight into it because everybody's heard my opinions. I'm a bit of the horrors they say of the Arsenal podcast. I'll go around and do ones here, there and everywhere. So everyone's basically here to hear what you've got to think instead of me, and I'll chip in every now and then like I do. But let's just go straight into it. Extremely poor video. Let's just go straight into it, Tom. So first and foremost, in case people have forgotten, what were your expectations at the start of the season for Arsenal and how well did Arsenal meet them? I think I said, I think I predicted us to win the league, but more because we had to win the league. I said, I think we had to win the league because we had improved and see it got worse. We both said, if you spend a hundred of five billion pounds on the player, you have to win the league. That was pretty much what we both said. So it's an awkward one because we did a win the league, which maybe we should have done. But then it's that city team. But also we basically had like one of the best seasons we've ever had. What was it? Most wins, most goals. Is it most clean sheets? So it's like the best season we've ever had, but we still didn't win the league. I don't know what more you can do. I know people throw out and you bottled it. But you lose gains, didn't you? You lose gains. You can't win every game. You can't go undefeated all season. Oh wait, no we can. That's difficult, isn't it? It's difficult, isn't it? It's really difficult. So yeah. Do you know what, I'll just go out. I'm just happy to be enjoying watching Arsenal again because it was an absolute torrid. What was it? It could be 15 years. I've read this 15 years, really. It has got worse. Then it got even worse on the Antetta. I thought it was getting a lot better. So I don't think it's winning trophies in the league, everything. As long as you enjoy the ride, as I enjoyed watching us, I had a good time in the season. You just go, "Do you know what? I don't think there's much more we could have done." Yeah, I think now looking at it, I think definitely this season coming up, and obviously we'll go into that a bit more later. I think we've got to win something. You've got four competitions that you're in. Again, I think that this year we didn't necessarily take the cups as seriously as we should have. OK, the Champions League, I'll say to get to the quarters, was it, on our first try in five, six seasons? That's nothing to be sniffed at. But I think now we've got to do a lot better on all four fronts and not just. I still think that we prioritised the league over everything else last year, which haven't got a problem with out of all of them that you want to win at the start of the season. You have to say the league, don't you really? The rest are all lucky. It can be luck on the draw. I don't necessarily think always the best team end up winning the Champions League, but it's how lucky you get on the day and within the draw and everything else like that. I think what was it there? Chelsea, Chelsea for seven or eight. Didn't they end up winning the champion? I wouldn't have said they were the best team in Europe at that time, but they did win the Champions League, so it's one of them. Especially the cup competitions last season. Did we get knocked out by City in League Cup? Was that the season before? Did we get knocked out by the League? The season before was West Ham won it. We went to West Ham away, and they absolutely slapped us with Kudos and Bowen. We got Liverpool the first time, which wasn't great, but they played a lot of... They didn't really play first team, is that game really? We batted them. It's from what I remember. We batted them in that game. We just couldn't score. Yes. They'll soon put us one-nil up in like a minute and a half. Yeah. Yeah. Obviously Champions League. I can't remember exactly why I was so annoyed with the Champions League, but I was. I think maybe I was annoyed at how negative. He wasn't very positive with his substitutions, I think it was. He was sort of like for like, rather than trying to actually win the game and stuff. Very late with his subs, which I think is an issue all the time to be. I think he does do that, but we'll see. We'll see, won't we? Yeah. I mean, that was leading into one of my next questions. But are there any matches that you feel that Arsenal underperformed did? And what do you think went wrong in them? It was just them two games with it. Was it Fulham and West Ham? Was it Fulham away? Yeah. Yeah. We lost to Fulham away just before New Year, or it might have been New Year's Day. And then right after that, we had West Ham at home. And yeah, we were diabolical in both of those games. I mean, most of the time, the big thing that I can point out was that those were games that I think it was seven or eight of them that we didn't get a result in, were him putting habits as the eight again. Yeah. And I think from the start, you should have always been a centre forward. I think that we learned that a bit too late. Yeah. We, you know, weirdly, we started the season quite slowly. It felt like I think maybe the Fulham game at the start was the home game where we drew, drew two. Didn't they are 10 men, didn't they? Yeah. They drew a score a lot. Yeah. So, I mean, so what, if we just held on to that, if we just held on to that win, we would have won the league. Yeah. I mean, that's how it was. I think that's the game that killed us, really. I think you can, you could lose to West Ham and you could lose to these teams, especially, you think that people think you have to win every single game. If you lose a game, you would have worse team in the league. You just lose one game. But I think, you know, what, Goldbridge has been touching on it. Is it back in the, back in the past, in the old 20 years ago, you'd go and lose to Nottingham Forest. They'd be like, "Ah, the title race is going on." Then you'd expect that. But now it's just you expect to win. You expect Arsenal would sit here and Liverpool to win every single game. Yeah. And since you don't, then you get jumped on, didn't you? I mean, yeah. Definitely the Fulham games. Yeah. I mean, I'm thinking about years and years ago. And I want to say it was either, I think it was 2001, 2002, double year. And I want to say that we played Charlton at home. And I think we lost, like, 5-2. I think Lizz B and Jason Yule just absolute. And was it like Sean Bartlett or whatever his name was, I think, was playing for it? They just absolutely obliterated. I was like, what are we doing? We are losing 5-2 to Charlton. I was like, what are we doing? And then, yeah, we're still going with the double anyway. So, yeah, you are right. I think it's the case of, you know, Man City, you're just so perfect that when you do, it hurts more losing the game now because of how good everybody else is around you. You can't even draw games, can you? No. I don't know. Is it City a perfect? Or do people just, they just can't be asked when they play City? See, this is a good debate which I was going to save until we probably do our season predictions video if you do that. But we'll do it now. We'll throw it into there now. We're riffing, as they say. I think that a lot of people go, we're probably beaten already. Yeah. Before a ball's even kicked, they're like, look, just don't get embarrassed. Yeah. Don't let Harlan score 5 or don't let this one get, you know, don't let phone and get a hat trick. Don't let Docu get a hat trick or whatever. You know, you're trying your best. But I think now with everything that's gone on, with the charges and everything else, I think this season coming up, a lot of people, because really, I don't think a lot of clubs hate them because, you know what, everyone's just like, we don't really care about man's life. I don't really, it's a bit like in my friendship circle. And, you know, we have the same sort of friendship set. We've got a lot of, you know, we're all friends here. Everyone's like, I don't really care if man's city with the league because I don't know anyone who supports man's city. Yeah, yeah. They're always like, oh, no, don't worry. Oh, if you were Batchered with the league, or Harvey, or whatever, you had to be. Yeah. Or we've all got that one annoying, Chelsea friend who never shuts up. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. We all hate Man United because we were brought up through the 90s. Yeah. Everyone just hates Liverpool because everyone hates Liverpool. So, you know, it's one of them things, isn't it, where just the man's city, nobody knows. You know, if we were to have, if we were to have kids, it would be that generation. Because I've seen it where we lived, Tom. There's the front of JJB's in Chelmsford, Scott, a highland shirt on it, or a de Bruyne top. But they're becoming the man. They're becoming the man United of the 90s now. So the next generation, they'll be, oh, we all hate Man City, but us lot. Hopefully. We don't. If they don't get ready. It's one who sits behind me at work that supports Man City, and he's a lovely guy. He doesn't glow about it. You know, he's like that way inclined. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know any of them. I don't know any of them. Yeah. I genuinely have never met a Man City fan. Genuinely. But I've hit the fingers as well. Like the teams that like city of no history. So these teams have no like, oh, we need to beat city. Because this happens in like 50 years ago. Oh, we ate. We had this game like us with Stoke. Like we had a rivalry with Stoke for no reason. No one has that. No one cares. No one has like in 1972. It has this game with city. They've got there's no hit. I don't want to turn into like a slagged off city. But I think that is just the facts. I think I think I forgive it for my point of view. I think if I was a player, if I was playing for like, not an enforced or something. And it was the start of the season where you're not desperate for points. And I'm going to city away. I'd be like, really can't be asked. Because I'll just have to run about a lot. And I just can't be bothered. I know I'm probably going to lose anyway. So why bother wasting my time running about? Yeah. Yeah. Because like you said, they are going to keep the ball when it's yeah, you've got to chase it and get it back. So even us, there's like games are watching him. And I'm like, it doesn't happen to see even against any team for us. They'd be like 10 or 15 years ago. Yeah. Yeah. It doesn't happen to see even against any team for us. They'd be like 10 or 15 minutes where we couldn't get the ball. And we're like defending on the edge of our box against anyone. And like, that just doesn't happen to see. Yeah. I think again, it's, and again, you know, we're doing it right now. We're part of it. But we've got a large community of obviously podcasts, YouTube channels, et cetera, et cetera. And I think a lot of these clubs, their fans like to watch. Arsenal content because we have got a select few amount of people. That just react in really silly ways and they find it funny. And I think that goes, I think that goes into the players as well. I think some of the players. Probably for these opposition teams as much as they want to help their own team. I think there's some of it that's like, well, I'd like to go to Arsenal score against Arsenal. Turn on my YouTube when I get in and watch bloody tie or whoever have a meltdown about it. Yeah. Yeah. Like you can't tell me Neil Mopay doesn't want to score against Arsenal just to turn on. He's like, just to turn on Arsenal Fair TV later on in the night. Yeah. Yeah. That's true as well. Yeah. All right. Yeah. I just think, I mean, I don't know if they've even got fat. If they've got popcorn, I know, like, I could, I could tell you, I'm probably not the names, but I've seen loads of, you know, Chelsea content and United content creators. Obviously Arsenal ones. I could not tell you a single man city. Yeah. And we're back again. I did. I did mention to Tom before that we could be disturbed through this recorded slam. So we're back. We're back now. We're back now. So Tom, let's just move on to the next topic because we can't really remember what we talked about. We can't report. We can't report. We're talking about before. Yeah. Yeah. Because that's what we do here. Let's get it back on Arsenal because I know we were talking about all the other clubs. But let's get back on Arsenal topic. Tom, season just gone. Who was your player of the season and why, please? You know, I like to go controversial with these most of the time. I do. That's why I like asking you. That's why I like asking you. That's a great morning. Two seasons ago. Yeah. Was it two seasons ago? I went from Rob Holden. Was it only two? I want to say three. Because two seasons ago would have been when he got sent off against Spurs. And you were like, oh, he's got to go now as much. I love him. You would have picked him as player of the season that year when he got sent off and cost us that Spurs game. It still says, I would say I would do. Yeah, it does. Yeah, but no, I don't think. But you've had Rob Holden. You've had Rob Holden. And then I think two years in a row, you've stunned with me and gone with Odegard. I didn't do Chaka the season before. I think he did. Yeah, you did. Yeah, you did. Oh, the God, we won you. And then Chaka the year after that. Yeah, you did. You did. You did. I was just holding it before that. Yeah. Last season, you picked Granite Chaka. Yeah, I remember that much. Yeah. It's difficult player at player of the season. Because I think there's so many. So many players had a good season. It's between two for me. Yeah. I think I'm going to have to go with Benny Blanco. Ben White. Oh, wow. Yeah, nice choice. Go with Ben White. I think he was incredible. Oh, he did that. I don't think he had a bad game all season. He's just solid. I enjoy watching him. I just think people didn't like him. I think people were guys. He's in rubbish right back. He's nowhere. And then they got annoyed when he turned down the chance to play for England. Because they wanted him in England, too. They'd go, "Oh, you're doing great in there, do you?" I just think it was our best. I do generally think he was, but he wasn't our best player. But I think for me, he had a really good season. Obviously, you know, Saka had a really good season. I mean, people said he had a poor season. Saka had a poor season. He still got, what, like, 30-year-old goal involvement? That's a bad season, is it? Obviously, I love Odegard. Haverts. You know, I love Haverts. I was always on his side. Rice was incredible all season. Even like togenio. I think togenio had a really good season. But a really close second for me was Gabriel. I think Gabriel had a really good season. I think that Saliba's the better center back, but Gabriel had a better season loss. I think, really, that Saliba's suffering from success. You know, DJ Khaled. That's just Saliba in it. He just does that. Whereas we're a bit surprised by Gabriel. And I think that's the best pairing in the league, definitely. There were some games last season where I think Gabriel pulled Saliba through. And in that first year, it was Saliba basically bailing out Gabriel a lot. But I think, not necessarily, I don't like saying second season syndrome, but there was a slight drop-off in Saliba after Christmas, I think. And Gabriel really, yeah, I think Gabriel was much better in a lot of the games that we had. Yeah, I do think... I think Saliba was incredible last season, personally. Oh, yeah. I think he's just slick. But I think, yeah, Gabriel, I think there's a lot of times, and he was the one... I just feel like I remember more occasions when he was the one putting his body on the line, getting in front of stuff that he was just loving it. Yeah, I think Ben White, I think he had an incredible season. But he even liked Ray, you know, people criticized Raya. But he didn't do anything wrong. I don't think he did anything wrong. He might have made some dodgy. We could have saved it. But he's not a tall goalkeeper, but he's got like the highest crosses claimed in by a long way as well, by a long, long way. And that's why Martetta likes him. She'll come and claim across and chuck it out. Chuck it out quickly, which is what Ramsdale doesn't do. It doesn't claim across and throw it out quickly. Ponders on it a bit too long, whereas Raya just gets rid of it. So I think... Yeah, Ben White, playing a season. Gabrielle, probably second, and then probably Ohdegaard, third place for me. Yeah, so obviously people have heard my opinion. I did say it again in case they haven't, but yeah, I picked Martin Ohdegaard. I just looked at him and was just like, this guy, and he's still got people to rate him or don't like him. It baffles me, Tom. I literally think that it's daylight robbery that we did to Ramadry to get this guy. Oh. I can't believe how cheap he was and just how good he is. He's even better than he was when we first signed him. Oh, he's incredible. Arsenal fans didn't want him. We had him on low, and people were like, "No, why are we buying him for?" I was like, "You're not watched in play for half the season. What are you talking about?" He was incredible. He's been so good ever since we had him on low. Yeah, and do you know what I like as well? He's the first captain, probably since, you know, even Merta Saka, and to some extent, even Artetta, that I actually like them. Obviously, a Bamiang and that had his moments, but I was just like, "Yeah, but you've just got the armband to, I think, just to appease you and to keep you to stay." But he was never ready to capture. If you remember, if you remember, we'd lose games in that, when it was like you said the Torrid Times, and Bloody Smith, Rowan Saka would do the interview, because a Bamiang couldn't be bothered, or he just didn't want to, you know, he just didn't want to take the criticism. Martin Odergaard, win loss or draw. Normally, nine times out of 10, he's the one that stands there and takes the accountability for it. You know what I mean? He did. I generally think he actually loves the fans, loves the club and everything else. And I'm quite happy that he's the representation for this club and my captain. But moving on just quickly as well. What was your goal of the season, if you could pick one out, if there was one that stands out in your mind? What was the one? It was a Saka goal. Yeah, I think it was at the start of the season. Oh, not in a forest. Very first game. Yeah. Was it that way? He cut his side absolutely, smashed it top quarter. Yeah. Yeah, it was literally the first game of the season. Yeah. Oh, was it? Yeah. Yeah. I can't think of, I can't think of really many others. Sorry. So, mind the idea. I think part of Irish is shooting from outside the box, isn't it? Well, mine that I picked was a Declan Rice's versus West Ham away. Oh, yeah. One just because it was him against West Ham. So annoyed everybody that I know that supports West Ham. But two, it was just a great goal. Like you said, outside the box, bang, have that. And even this goal against Chelsea, that was a great goal. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there was part of me when I was thinking about it that was like, "Is it the first Havert's one against Chelsea at home?" Where he like rifled it in the top. He's done Cookarella and then he just smashed it into it. Oh, I can't remember if that was his second one. I think it was his first one. But yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah. He sends Cookarella for a Mars bar and then just smashes it into it. That one was a really good goal as well. But yeah. Okay. No, that's a good choice. To be fair, that's second one. Yeah. Probably, you know, on paper probably was the best. But Tom, again, another one. Who was your most improved player of the season? I picked Havert's for this. What? Does that count? Yeah. I think they improved throughout the season or they improved in the season before. Mate, there's no rules here. You can say what you want. But for me, I picked Havert's for the point of view of. And again, I'm going from first, I think first game that I've watched live was '96. But I remember some Arsenal games before that watching them on the telly and everything with my family and stuff. But I've not seen in the whole time that I've been watching someone that from the start of the season was like that. To end in the season to being, you know, he went from being someone that was like, "Oh, for God's sake, why?" To this guy's one of my favorite players. I think it's hard to choose anyone else, really. Yeah. He was like, yeah, he was getting sick from absolutely everywhere. Any, you know, all the Chelsea fans celebrating that he'd gone. Even though they'd spent like three seasons saying, "Oh, it was the best play in the world." I mean, I suppose, you know, I think Gabriel improved a lot. So I can't even figure he was playing left back for us at the end of the season. It was our left back at the end of the season. Oh, it probably said Cenco, wasn't it? No, he weren't playing, was he? Well, Tomiassa left back for us. Tomiassa? Yeah. Yeah, it must have. I actually can't remember who was playing left back for us. A lot of people, a lot of people on the other shows that I did, a lot of them said "Trossard" for this one. Yeah, I did think about, he did pop up in my head about most improved, but I don't know, most improved. I think you have to say, "Havarts," but yeah, "Trossard" had a really... I don't know if he improved, or Martin Eddy just had a bad season. So "Trossard" got more game time. I think maybe he was just doing it. Because he's done it since he started. He's signed for this, isn't he, "Trossard" really? That's what he does. I think he just got more game time last season. And then, last one is, who was your unsung hero of the season? unsung hero. Do you know what? Genuinely, Georgina. Good answer. He played most of the games. He played most of the games all season. I think Georgina was injured, and "Havarts" in midfield didn't work. Georgina came in, and when he came in, that's when we looked like a real, real good team. The only mistake I remember making was against Spurs at the start of the season. I think he gave the ball away. But I think no one talks about him. I think he gets much, much praise. But I think he does a really good job for us. And I think, yeah. I'm going to say, Georgina. Yeah, for me, just on Georgina, I think when we played the big games against the big sides, he always put Georgina in. I'll tell him. He's like, "Oh, I have Georgina in there." And yeah, you're right. I had reservations when he come in, because I was worried about, obviously, the age, and then coming from Chelsea as well. I was like, "Oh, we never get good signings from Chelsea." And yeah, like Havarts, he's proved me wrong. I've been quite, you know, I worry about Georgina over potentially in the next season, because the mobility is just depleted. But at the same point, him compared to Thomas, I mean, just going off pre-season, he looks like he can run faster than Thomas' party. Yeah, yeah. Now, Thomas' party looks absolutely a bit abysmal. I hate to say. Yeah. He really does. But yeah, on the unsung hero one, I went for David Rayer. So that's who I am. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. He was in mine like, again, he's just wanted to get sick. But he doesn't do anything wrong. Nope. But I feel like on Georgina as well, I think having Rice there really helped him, because Rice, he can just run all day. He doesn't look like he can run all day, but he can. He looks knackered for the first minute that he can run all day. I think having that extra bit of mobility next to Georgina has really helped him. I think Georgina will play the ball, but he'll just let him get on with it. He doesn't want to do anything particularly spectacular. Exactly. So this is the main fun bit that obviously people like to tune in for Tom. So just starting off with, obviously, we've got David Rayer now permanently. Are you happy that that's been done? Yeah. Yeah. Cool. Yeah. And then obviously I'm not going to ask you because I know that potentially you probably do not watch a bunch of Syria, but are you happy with the califiori siding? I mean, I'm happy for the point of view. I'm happy for the point of view of I watched the long year three times last season. Yeah. He wasn't the one that stood out for me. It was actually Xerxes was the one that I was watching going, well, you're quite a good player, actually. Yeah. Yeah. But just on purely aesthetics. You said earlier that we've got the best set of back partnership in there. I think we've got the best looking back four in the league. Possibly the world. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm saying this is a very, very heterosexual man. Yeah. They are for good looking lads. Yeah. Yeah. If they could play half as good as they look, then they're. We would, we would, we would have conceived a goal. Yeah. Exactly. I mean, I had led, you know, it's that, that back for that, that good looking back for led by the captain, not in her regard. I mean, you know, give us, give us like 10 points just for that. Best looking team. But, yeah. So that they're the two that are in. So Tom, I'll quickly go through this with you. If you could sell, you know, Michael, I'll tell you, I had to have rang you up. They're gone. Tom was stuck. They're like, help us out, Tom. Who's going? Who's selling? Who's going in the bin, Tom? Who's going in the bin, Tom? Yeah. I'll let you off that Lecongre and Tavares, they're already out. So, Smith, Smith Rose already gone. That's a good point to start with. Would you have sold Smith Row? I think so. I think, as much as people, as much as, as often for us, we love Smith Row. I think he just, he just made a glass, wouldn't he? He couldn't, he wasn't good enough to get in the team last season. And when he does play, you know, he does pick up injuries. I think for the financial reasons, the, you know, it's pure profit because he's academy or whatever. I think it's a good deal. Good. It's a very good deal for Fulham. I think, I think it had to be done, really. Well, I'd rather, I'd rather watch him playing for Fulham than watch him sat on the bench at Arsenal, I think. Yeah. I mean, for me, I think it's a good deal for us. It's a 35 million for a player of dirty plays. That's the highest ever transfer. I think that's a remarkable bit of business. Yeah. You know, I think it had to be done. It had to be done. Obviously, I've forgotten as well. I can't believe I've forgotten him because what a player. But, um, El Nene right now, there's no point in asking. You wouldn't have called him. You'd have, you'd have had a contract for life for you, wouldn't he? Yeah, yeah. I would have just had him around. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We'd just like having El Nene there. But no. Moving on to it now, properly. Who's going, Tom? Who would you, who'd you want to get rid of? If you can. I'll tell you. I would sell parts. I'd ship them off to Saudi Arabia. Uh, I think I really like Ramsdale. But I think you could get a good bit of money through it. You could get our money back for him. I think it's still worth it. Maybe a bit more. I think he's probably got up in value. Uh, I think it really, I don't know about Zinchenko. I sort of would, I feel like I would count. I know a lot of people would get rid of it. But I think I would keep him. So I think he's, he's a good decent squad player. Um, I think here we all. I think we'd count a few already coming in. There's no, there's no space for him to get rid of him. Uh, obviously, you know, K. Nelson, they're, they're linked to be going anywhere. I think they will be gone. But I think definitely them, them too. And again, that'll be, you know, the PSR or whatever. That's muddy straight, you know, straight profit. So, you know, we could make a hundred, hundred mill just pure profit. Which would be decent for any club. I think that's about it, really. I can't really figure very, you know, apart from like. The ones that are really on the fringes of the team. I can't, that's them. Yeah. The players that played apart last season. Uh, like me, especially Kettia, he should have been given the opportunity to even be an option. A lot of sick of it. Would you, would you get rid of the era? Because that's a name that's obviously come up a few times with people. I think he did, he did all right, didn't he? Because when, when Havot's was playing mid, in the midfield, which go wrong, the era came in. And Havot's got dropped and he did really well. But then he, you know, he picked up an injury and sort of missed the rest of the season. Yeah. And he got, he got that, he got that sending off, didn't he? And our tech got really angry as well. Yeah. I think, I think he, you know, he definitely deserves another, another season. Because I think it's, it's probably too much of a, probably too much of a loss as well at the minute. He's probably not going to be worth. Where, where do you think he plays Tom if, if he stays for another year? Because for me now, his position, which is basically either the understudy to Odargard or the understudy to whoever is the other. You know, I'd say at the moment, Rice will be that eight, but we don't know. We'll touch on that in a minute. That spare, you know, eight on either Rice's side or the backup to Odargard now for me has to be Nannwary. I've said, from what I've seen of Nannwary, even in last preseason added to this preset, for me, he's ready and has to play. And I would rather him give them minutes, the Vieira get them. I mean, they've tried Vieira as a winger in Saka, where Saka plays. But I don't think he's strong enough to beat, you know, Saka gets absolutely moolered out there because they normally put two or three on him. But I'm like, do you ask Vieira to do that in the league? I mean, Saka gets walloped and gets straight back up. I can see Vieira getting, unless he bulks up or he's got something in that we've never seen before, I can see him getting really hurt, mate. I can see him getting injured for a significant amount of time because I don't think he's strong enough to play as a wide player. Yeah, yeah, but I certainly wouldn't put him wide. But I do think, as a squad player, I think he's good to have a round, you know, caribou cut a fake up. Yeah. And even, like I said, it either be between him and Nannwary is like, you know, if we need a goal or something, you know, he'd be the one that you'd either take, Eugenia or Rice off or whatever, you put him on and have the two attacking midfielders. That's what I'd be looking at in for is that midfield. But, you know, he don't get in the team. But you do need, you know, you need to squad players. These people are happy beard squad players and they're, you know, they're half decent, then you've got to keep them around. Yeah, yeah, no, no good points. And then lastly, before we obviously shoot off, who are you buying Tom? Like, let's just, again, the big what if game, but you know, Michaela Ledo, Michaela Ledo, bring you up. Tom, we need help here. Yeah. Because when I did this, obviously me and Jack on the purely asked them, we love all this transfer stuff and we did quite a big show. I will throw my hands up in here. I got it all wrong, Tom. Who I thought we were going to buy and why, completely wrong. But the positions still stand for me. But the players are obviously going to be different. So, just obviously, because I'm guessing you didn't listen to it. Not a problem if you haven't. But I was so, I was on it on in the background. I was confident that we were going to get Sesco. Yeah, I said that we're going to get a six and I reckon it would probably be, I said, I'm hoping it's so nana. But yeah, but, you know, that went, and if not, I'm not, and I reckon potentially we'll probably get Zubermendi again, both of them completely wrong. I said about getting a backup goalkeeper because obviously Ramsdale is going to leave. And I said that we're going to buy a left back, which we've done. I didn't think that would be as expensive as the one we have bought. But I said that we would buy a left back. And then I also said we're either going to buy a winger or a centre forward. So that's still up in the air. But what about you? Have you got positions of players in mind that you think we should go for? So, I feel like we're not happy with Haverts up front. I love Haverts. I'm happy with Haverts. But do you think he's on that? Do you think he's scored up? I think him and Hazus are enough to be honest. I think if you, with the confidence that he's probably built up now, like Haverts, I think starting at the season at centre forward. And I think you probably see, I mean, we've got a good return from him last season. And he was, he was awful far off of it. So I'd like to see him, you know, confident and, you know, knowing where he's playing from the start of the season. I would like a winger. I feel like, I do feel like a left winger. I know we've got Trossard and Martinelli, but we also need backup for Saka, really. But in Hazus, you know, he can play out wide. Obviously Nico, we've been linked with Nico Williams. I absolutely love him, but I don't think it's going to happen. I think it's a hold mid-fielder, really. I think a hold mid-fielder is important. We've got enough defenders. I bought a board of that now. So obviously, you know, when we spoke about it before, I said "camervinger". But absolutely love "camervinger". Who do they, because round Madrid, they signed a mid-fielder. They signed a mid-fielder? Oh, they were linked. Oh, they were going to, I think they were going to get Bruno G or something. They were linked with him, weren't they? Yeah, I mean, to be fair, they've already signed a buffet, which makes me think they're definitely selling somebody to make that up. But then I don't believe they've got Alfonso Davies yet, but they're still linked to him, aren't they? So that makes me think I was playing for France and mid-field, wouldn't he? Yeah, but I'm like, if they signed Alfonso Davies, that probably means that "camervinger's not going to be used as a left-back", which is where he's been playing a lot for round Madrid, as well as playing in mid-field. But yeah, I'm with you. If "camervinger" is on the market and Arsenal do not go in for him, then we are idiots. He fits the bill because he's a very, very good footballer, but also he's a lovely set of hair again. He fits the good-looking quota, so... Well, I said it because he could play like hold in mid, and he was like, he could play left-back. So I thought it'd be, obviously, we signed a left-back now. And obviously we're linked with heavily linked with that merino. Yeah, but he's not necessarily a number six, he's predominantly playing. No, that's the thing. So that makes me think you're going to put rice back at six again. Because I don't think, as much as I know he can do it, I think he's better further up. Yeah, I do wonder if it will just be, if we sign merino, I could see him playing rice with merino. And just be like, look, be sensible. If we're building down the right, you know, merino, whoever it is, you're on the right side of centre-mid. You go forward and rice-tuck it, you know, cover him. If it's the other side, rice goes, you know, surely you've got to... That's how they played 4-4-2 back in the day. They did have a hold in mid-fielder back then. We just try this thing where you need to hold it either. Yeah. Just have... I think they could play together. Especially the way we play is, you know, Califiori will have our fullbacks moving to mid-field. They like having the box there, then they see the 2-cent of backs. The fullbacks are basically in front of them. I suppose there's a lot of timber. Like, where do you think timber is going to be? Could he play as 6? Well, this is it. I've seen a lot of people online say that Ben White has 6, and put timber right back, and then you've got timber, Zaleeba, Gabriel, Califiori. There's all these interesting theories. I don't believe that's going to... I look at timber and think you're probably still going to have your minutes managed with your ACL. So you're going to be right back or left back in some games, but not all the games. So I think it's a bit like, you know, with... Again, I hate mentioning them. It feels like we've mentioned them a lot, but with Man City, they can chop and change for all the competitions. But the level doesn't drop. I think that's what we're trying to do. So it's like, as just as good as our first 11 is. Because that's the thing we've asked, like you said earlier, especially with Michael when he substitutes. It's not necessarily... There's a plan B. It's plan A, but with different players. Yeah, yeah. And I think it's... And I'm like, well, if you're going to do that, then you need to make sure that your plan A, the quality doesn't drop. And I still fit... Yeah, I think that's what we're looking at doing, is signing players that that quality just does not dip at all. Yeah. Yeah, so who knows what he's going to do. I think I sort of thought Marina would be, you know, like a rice back up, really. That's how I sort of see him, you know, play rice. They sort of occupy the same position, really. So still need a six. But who that could be? I don't really got no idea. I'd like, you know, if Ra would you do have to sell someone? I'd be tempted to, you know, to a manie or Camabinga, definitely. Yeah. You said earlier a winger, Tom. If you could... If you could pluck a winger out of your head, which obviously you said Williams. Is he your main one or do you think? Is there any other? He was just so good with the Euros. He was so good. I think he's on like... I don't know if this is complete, but he's on something like 300 Euros a week because they pay high wages, isn't they? Because they're all Basque. Yeah. But Bill Bell, they don't... They basically don't pay transfer fees to that. So their players get really well paid. He's on like 300s. I don't know what that is. Maybe 250 grand a week. But I feel like he's Barcelona interested in, but they haven't got any money. Oh, Barcelona have got nothing, mate. Yeah. Oh, Barcelona have got nothing, mate. Yeah. Well, they owe Bordeaux nine million pounds. They just wait for Bordeaux to go out of business. They still owe them money for maps of Malcolm, I think, is as well. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Good years ago. Yeah. Yeah. So, I don't know. I mean, they've just bought Danny Almo, haven't they, Barcelona? Have they actually generally got him? Yeah, yeah. Oh, fair enough, because I was like... I thought that was still... Can't be done until this is done, that stuff. Because I think it was like they're going to try and flog us refini and all that. But I know a lot of their Barcelona boys are like, no, the contracts that we're on, we're just happy sitting and like, right? Like, apparently Frankie de Jong's like, I don't want to leave. He's like, I'll take all my, I'll take all my 300 or 50, 400 or whatever it is grand a week. Until my contract runs out. He's like, I don't care if you don't blame him. Yes. I know. Yes. I would love Niko Williams. Yeah. Would have liked Pedro Anetto, but just before we did this, started this, sort of Twitter. He's got to Chelsea, got to Chelsea to whatever they're up to. I don't know what they're doing. I'll throw this one out yet. Now that Chelsea have got Anetto. Oh, yes. No, the answer, yes. Yeah. I was going to say, would you still take Madrid? Yeah. There's a player in there. I know he's a bit of an idiot, but there is a player there. Chelsea's just the wrong team for him. He didn't want to go there. Anyway, it was begging for us. Yeah. If anyone could turn him around, because anyone that could turn him around. It's just annoying, though. It's just, again, it's like Chelsea reject. If he comes good, it's all right. I don't know. I think there is a player there. He could score for outside the box. He could dribble. He's just a bit of an empty. If he could get everything about his game, he's actually really good. Yeah, I would take it. I mean, we would spend 90 million on him. So surely they obviously saw something in him. Yeah. That kind of changed that much. Yeah. It's one of them as well, where I think if it was, if it was a good price. And I think when he said it would be like, yeah, I can get you. I can do another habits for you. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I'm not trying to say, but it does stroke his ego a bit, doesn't it? You know, I'm the man that made him come good. Do you know what I mean? There's that in there. I think that counts. Yeah, I think that counts. I really do. I think that that's a big, big part of it. But like, really, he's not worth any more. I think if we paid 40 million for it, we'd get pelters. But I would pay 40, you know, we sold, let's say, sold a Smithrow for the pure profit. You go right. That's in the, if you could sell Smithrow for, I know it's add-ons and stuff, but, you know, it could go up to 34 million or whatever it is. If you sell Smithrow for the pure profit and you buy Madrid for 40, I'd do it. Yeah. I'd do it again. It's a hard. I look at it as well. And I think to myself, okay, this in Katie, your thing is such a night. It's hurting my head how much of a mess of a situation this is. But if in Katie, it does go. And then you want to get rid of Nelson as well. You've got to sign an attacking player. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's just negligent to not have an attacking player. Yeah. So, so I'm, I'm like, if them two move, who is it going to be? That's the thing. And, yeah, obviously, like I said, I think he's got plans for in where he is, isn't he? Oh, yeah. And why are he? I think he'll play more of a part. I don't think Chelsea would sell him to us. I listen, I listen to that desperate because I mean, I've spent, I don't think they are. They are though, aren't they? That's the thing with them. They're absolutely mental, Tom. And the last three years, we've, we've bought players off them. They've bought players that that's what, you know, we've, we've, we've, for some reason, we've gone from not sending anybody to anyone to us and Chelsea, like being quite close. Yeah. Yeah. He's bomb. They are bomb because I mean, that top only is obvious. He's obvious. He's obvious. I know we're getting off topic again. He is mental though. He is absolutely mental. I get the feeling there's a, there's maybe a transfer band coming their way that they're anticipating, which is either the buying all these, you know, all these young players for the future because, yeah, get them now because we won't, we won't be able to buy it for the next three seasons. They're probably sorry in the pipeline. Probably. Yeah. I'd love it. I would be as big as fan. I would be as big as fan. Everyone would hate him. You'll get that new monster's ink. Uh, Sully asked on top with Richard on the back, wouldn't you? I think I'd get the same haircut as him. Who said his hair? He's like shaved his hair off. I'd get the, uh, only Jesus could judge me whatever he's got on his neck. Oh, I'd love it. He would score. I guarantee you would play five games and it'd be awful. It's called absolute screamer. And then we'd love him. Okay, so you're saying you want a six. Yeah. And then either Williams or Vodrick would be the winner. Yeah. It's bold, mate. To be fair, you, you, this is why people like it when you come on, because you, you know, you say, well, no, you're just your bold, you're a bold man and it's, you know, it's, it's good, mate. Oh, I don't get how people can't see it. Can't see that. But it's got Sully cannot see it. I think he's a pace merchant that don't know what to do after, you know. Yeah, but I love that. I love that. So I can run all day and then when I get to the box that I want to do it. If he's got no idea what he's going to do, imagine how the defenders feel. They're like, Oh, God, like what is going to happen. Oh, it's a bit like a double try. Go get a double try already. Where's he? He's only got five mil. I don't know. We should have got it. We should have, you should have dropped Smith Rose. Yeah, I think I think I think Smith Rose put in the baby oil on his arms, isn't he? He's got the Smith Rose. Yeah, it was a good, it was a good goal as well. I'm telling you man, again, totally off topic. Him and him and a Wobi, if they stay fit and they're cooked, they'll cook for full of them too. Yeah, yeah. They'll have such a partnership them too. How old is the Wobi? He looked about 45. He's still young. He's got to be younger than me. I know that much. Yeah. I'm 33 next month. He's definitely younger than me. Yeah. Yeah, I know. Where's the time gone, eh? But yeah, in conclusion, Tom, is there anything else you want to add, Arsenal-wise, either from last season or going into the next one? Yeah, just come on. Just come and ask them. Yeah. We could do it. We could do it. If we don't do it, as long as we enjoy the season. Yeah. Okay, well, that's a lot, everybody. I hope you've enjoyed it. And yeah, if you don't already, please subscribe and leave a like on the video. We'll do some more. We'll get Tom on more and we'll crack on. This is inverted, isn't it? This character is whatever we're using now. I'm not doing the wrong way. Oh, well, you're trying to point to your Twitter. Don't it? Don't it? Oh, no, I could do that. Look, that's difficult, that is. Yeah. And they would have followed you on it now before it gets banned. Elon's running his mouth, going a bit nuts. They're going to show it down. Yeah. What else is there to do? You can follow your TikTok, if you want. Yeah, you still doing gritties on there, or is that? Not recently, no. If you follow me, you'll see my gritties from Switzerland last year. Yeah. What else is there? Not really. What was it? Well, tie, screwty, was it? Yeah, I've not seen anyone do a higher grittie than that. It's about 4,000 meters above. That can't be right, 4,000 meters. It's on a mountain with snow. That's quite high. It's got to be the highest. And then I did the grittier, was it Lake Bern or something? One of them, one of them lakes. Yeah. So I'll probably be out of the first, the only person in the world to do that. Yeah. Well, you're a man of culture, Tom, so. Yeah, that's my satyr on a bean bag. Ladder behind you. That's me. Is it a ladder behind you? Yeah. Yeah. That's all by DIY equipment. Brilliant. What was that? No, nerve gun there. Yeah. It's not real. Don't ban us. Yeah. That's my dog. All right. That's it. Thanks, everybody. And we will see you again soon. I hope you enjoyed it. Take care. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [BLANK_AUDIO]