All or Nothing: Arsenal episode 4

Episode 4 begins dramatically with the end of Aubamayeng's captaincy and his exile from the club, as he trained alone.

People often ask me how I feel about Auba and my answer is: 'He is still a legend and one of my favourite players of all time.' The problem for me is Mikel Arteta is even more legendary, I feel, for the values he's brought to the club and I also can't forget what an exemplary skipper he was when he joined Arsenal as a player.

Luckily, the club and the fans mostly backed the manager, who is coming out of this documentary as potentially one of the best in the world.

This episode documented how it was the last straw with Auba, as he broke the camel's back. Perhaps some people think it's strange, but in the workplace, you often have to document misdemeanours, when you're in a managerial role. No one likes to do it, but it's often necessary. That's why I believe that Arteta was justified in assembling a dossier on Auba.

The Auba decision was vindicated by results and the episode ends with Arteta getting Covid, Gabriel getting sent off unjustifiably, Man City getting the softest penalty you've ever seen, and a defeat at home.

Watching from home, Arteta told the players how proud he was of their performance, and it's easy to understand why.

The other thing to come out of this was what a nice guy Martinellli is. You can see how hardworking and humble he is. Not only that, he's really talented.

To be honest, when he first arrived in England, I couldn't see what all the fuss was about but I was wrong: Martinelli is the real deal. Who says: 'nice guys can't succeed?'

I think the next episode promises to be full of disappointing news, as the winter transfer is open and we all know it was more about the exit door than the entrance to Arsenal Football Club.

Jesus Makes Marmalade Out Of The Seville Oranges!

The super striker roadshow finally came to the Emirates, as Gabriel Jesus nailed his goalscoring credentials to the Arsenal mast, or should it be corner flags?

I feel a song coming on:
'Jesus Gabs
Superstar
Wears number 9
Faster than a car'.

Well, I'm not sure he's the fastest at the club, but he can certainly accelerate.

Maybe the last line should be: 'And he sets the bar' because he has certainly set the bar high by scoring so many goals in Arsenal's best pre-season in recent memory.

Quite honestly, I've never seen Arsenal hitting this kind of pre-season form against strong opposition in my life before. Of course, it may not translate into league form, but when players perform badly before the season kicks off in earnest, you can usually read something into it.

For example, when Fabianski first arrived, he dropped the ball when coming out to claim it against Barnet. It was one of the most nervous Arsenal debuts I'd ever seen and I had second thoughts about him. Obviously, he's gone on to have a decent career at Swansea and West Ham, but it never filled me with confidence to see him between the sticks.

Even Almunia was a safer option, in my opinion, and the then-manager Arsene Wenger must have agreed, as he drafted in 'the Spanish waiter' and, personally, I thought the defence was marginally better. In other words, this is an example of how a poor pre-season can make the forthcoming campaign something to dread and, if that's so, why can't the reverse be the case?

Without further ado, let's hit the first-eleven ratings versus Sevilla, a team that don't generally concede many. I still can't believe Arsenal hit them for six!

Ramsdale 7 - looked confident, but wasn't really tested.

White 7 - has fitted in well at right back, but will be tested on Friday against Palace's Zaha. Over-ran the ball a couple of times.

Saliba 8 - a faultless display and some amazing trickery when he needed to get out of jail.

Gabriel 7 - generally comfortable.

Zinchenko 8 - raking, diagonal passes, perfect positioning and has proved he is a 'plug-and-play' signing.

Saka 8 - two goals and always with a trick up his sleeve. A cool penalty-taker.

Odegaard 8 - finally confirmed as the new club captain. Another solid performance with measured passing and incredible workrate. Arsenal couldn't ask for more from a skipper, who leads by example.

Partey 7 - an essential lynchpin in the side, who keeps everything ticking over in the middle. However, he was guilty of a couple of stray passes.

Xhaka 6 - very vocal in the team huddle, more so than Odegaard. However, he had a relatively quiet game.

Martinelli 8 - a proper team player, setting up sub Nketiah for a goal at the end. He caused the opponents no end of problems.

Jesus 9 - a hat trick on his home debut. How do you top that? Sharp as a brand new razor blade, he cut Sevilla to shreds, turning those oranges into marmalade.

Transfer news

Nuno Tavares is off to Marseille for the season. Good luck, Nuno!  

Obituaries:
Terry Neill
I was a big fan of Terry, even though he'd managed Spurs previously. He brought the excitement back to Arsenal, making the Gunners a cup team.

I never met him, but he seemed to have a bubbly personality, which is suggested by the some of the big names he brought to the club like Malcolm Macdonald and Charlie Nicholas.

Maria Petri
I was lucky enough to meet Maria on Arsenal's pre-season tour of Asia in 2013 in Japan.

Although I didn't really know her well, she seemed such a positive person and was always smiling, enjoying following her favourite team over land and sea.

My thoughts are with both her family and Terry Neill's, at what must be a difficult time.

Arsenal pre-season Q&A with TLC's editor

Thank you so much for sending in so many questions. Here are the questions that made it to the starting XI, plus one sub!

1. Will Gabriel go to Juve?

Probably not - unless silly money is offered

2. Will Jesus propel Arsenal into the top four?

Yes, there’s a chance. Look how many goals Arsenal have scored in the pre-season: 5 v Ipswich & 5 v Nurnberg, 2 v Everton and 3 v Orlando.

3. Will Tierney & Tomiyasu ever be ever-presents?

Tomiyasu had more chance, as you’d like to think muscular problems heal. Tierney must be getting the best medical help available, so maybe there’s hope. He’s determination is there, but can his body keep recovering? I’m not sure.

4. Do pre-seasons mean anything?

Yes and no. No points, of course, but if you’re getting hammered in pre-season, it probably means the tin tack for the manager eg Frank Lampard.

5. Will Saliba sign a new deal? 

Not yet. I think he’ll make Arsenal sweat. Maybe he feels that he hasn’t been treated well by the club. After all, he missed a cup final two seasons ago. Then last season, he was going to be around, but no! Off he went to Marseille. 

However, he may actually start a lot of games if he stays, so I think he’ll stay, unless a monstrous offer comes in.

6. Will Saka sign a new deal?

I’d expect so unless something terrible happens during negotiations. I can’t imagine that Arsenal will mess Saka’s deal up but, then again, you never know.

7. Who’s off then?

Torreira almost definitely, Bellerin probably, but it wouldn’t totally surprise me if stayed. Nelson probably, but it’s hard to say. I think he wants to stay and, if so, maybe he will.

8. Who’s in then?

At this stage it’s a revolving door. With Zinchenko in, it could be curtains for Tavares, some say. However, it may be that Tavares is Zin’s back-up, as Tierney is perennially crocked.

Additionally, it looks like Teilemans might come in. Not quite sure why it’s taken so long, so that makes me think it will never happen, but these days nearly all transfers are protracted sagas, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised.

If he comes in, there’s talk that Xhaka will leave. I can’t see it personally. He stayed when nearly everyone hated him, so why would he leave now that he feels the love. It doesn’t make sense, especially as Arteta rates him too. It’s taken most of us a long time to warm to him and his silly fouls and faux hard man approach, but in his old age he’s becoming slightly more reliable. Maybe he’s like a vintage wine, but I’m a bit worried he’ll turn into vinegar and leave us with a sour taste in our mouths. Even vinegar has its uses though: where would fish and chips be without it?

9. Is Thomas Partey good enough?

Yes, if he can steer clear of injuries. That’s a big if. So far, he’s not really managed it. On his day, he’s one of Arsenal’s best players, but have injuries wrecked him already? It’s hard to say, but I’m disappointed to see so many fans writing him off already. The end of the season will be the time to judge.

10. The captain: who will it be and will it be a good decision?

If it’s Odegaard, it’s a great decision. He’s not going to pick up silly yellow cards and he’ll lead by example. He’ll probably play every game as, dare I say it, he’s like Ozil for chance-creation, but he has Ray Parlour’s workrate. What’s not to love? At least, Arteta learned that Emery’s five captains idea was a dead duck. No more of that please!

11 Will the new Vieira thrive or will his match-stick frame splinter under the pressure of the Premier League. 

Well, I’m not saying he’s fragile, but arriving with a foot cast is not a good sign. I’m sure he’s got technical prowess, but we haven’t seen it yet. Stick insects can thrive in the Premier League, but if he has physical fragility, it’s going to get tested in the England, that’s for sure. No one takes prisoners: ask Eduardo! 

Anyway, let’s hope Vieira is more of a praying mantis than a stick insect!

12 Do Arsenal get enough protection from referees?

Have you got any more jokes? No! The red shirts cover the blood. If Arsenal changed to white or whiter than white or pure white, everyone would connote that with innocence. Maybe then Arsenal would get away with murder like a certain team that plays in white and not be considered a bunch of murderers, who deserve every foul they get. And Arsenal get fouled a lot, let’s face it! Even in friendlies! 

Arsenal’s 100% pre-season start continues

Despite all the 'bad' news circulating around Arsenal, such as Marcelo Flores being upset about being left out of the pre-season squad to tour America, Omari Hutchison's defection to Chelsea and Oleksandr Zinchenko's inclusion in Manchester City's pre-season squad, the 2-0 demolition of Everton gave fans something to cheer about.

The truth was that the second half was nowhere as good as the first, from an Arsenal perspective, yet never did the Gunners look like surrendering their two-goal advantage.

Player ratings:
Turner 7 - never looked likely to concede.
Cedric 8 - tidied up well at the back, when needed to.
(Bellerin 7 - looked quite sharp.)
Saliba 7 - mostly played it safe.
(Mari 6 - didn't make much impact.)
Gabriel 7 - quite solid.
(Walters 7 - the youngster has been well-coached, as he kept it simple.)
Tavares 6 - not at his best yet.
(Holding 7 - passed well in a back three in the second half.)
Partey 6 - not influential.
(Elneny 7 - dominated the midfield, in the second half.)
Xhaka 7 - a good shift and hit the post with a header from a corner.
(Sambi 6 - played down the left, but couldn't make much of an impact.)
Saka 7 - scored the second goal and was a handful for Everton.
(Pepe 6 - nearly got in a fight at the end of the game, so is clearly frustrated to be a squad player at best.)
Odegaard 6 - a quiet game for the skipper.
(Maitland-Niles 5 - I only noticed he was on the pitch when he hugged Everton's Iwobi, a former Arsenal team-mate, at the end.)
Martinelli 7 - gave Everton problems.
(Nelson 5 - couldn't impose himself on the game much in 18 minutes.)
Jesus 8 - one goal and one assist in 45 minutes, plus another good shot on target. Hopefully, he wasn't too badly injured by Godfrey's rash, OTT challenge.
(Nketiah 6 - faced a tougher defence in the second half with Tarkowski in the team.)

Injuries
Ben White (quad)
Emile Smith-Rowe (muscular)
Kieran Tierney (muscular)
Takehiro Tomiyasu (muscular)
Fabio Vieira (bone)

Centre backs - who’s in, who’s out @ Arsenal FC?

Continuing onto the centre backs with contractual situations provided by The Athletic (theathletic.com), here's the TLC prediction as to whether these players will stay or go, during this summer's transfer window.

Ben White (2026)
Despite being bullied at Brentford on his debut in August 2021, White quickly became one of the first names on Arteta's team sheet.
As well as being one of the best English centre backs around, he can also be deployed at right back, so White is basically indispensable.
Verdict: STAY

Rob Holding (2024)
Although the 26-year-old occasionally gets stuck for his perceived lack of ability, the same cannot be said about his attitude.

He had a strange end to last season, being a saviour at West Ham by contributing a goal in a 2-1 win, while being a sinner at Spurs for getting his marching orders in a game which was officiated badly.

When all's said and done, Holding's a winner, a battler and someone that Arsenal simply need to keep 'hold' off, if you'll excuse the pun.
Verdict: STAY

William Saliba (2024)
This may be controversial, but I don't think Arteta really rates Saliba. Of course, the coach may have changed his mind about the fully-fledged France international, who almost literally uprooted trees while playing for Marseille on loan last season.

Despite all the public protestations which seem to indicate that the 21-year-old will stay, personally, I can't see it happening. He's got a year left on his current deal, so don't be surprised if he moves on before the transfer window closes shut on Thursday 1st September 2022 at 11pm.
Verdict: GO

Pablo Mari (2024)
Although Mari is a decent centre back, like Cedric Soares, some of the criticism aimed at the Spaniard seems to be motivated by the fact his super-agent Kia Joorabchian negotiated the deal that saw Arsenal sign him.

Personally, I've got nothing against the agent, as the success or failure of signings is not the fault of the representative surely. Arsenal fans can't forget David Luiz, who some see as an expensive flop. However, I would remind fans that the Gunners won the FA Cup with the Brazilian in the side. Meanwhile, Willian, as mentioned elsewhere on this blog, was an unmitigated disaster.

Whatever the success or failure of Joorabchian's other clients, I don't really understand why some fans think all of the players represented by the Iranian businessman are duds.

Apparently, Joorabchian is in talks with Hellas Verona, Napoli and Fiorentina about moving away from Arsenal permanent, following a successful loan spell at Udinese last season.

Personally, I think Mari's time at Arsenal is at an end, mainly because he lacks the pace to be a starter at a top four Premier League team and hasn't got the fighting spirit of Holding, who makes up for his deficiencies with his raw aggression.
Verdict: GO

Gabriel Magalhaes (2025)
There has been a lot of interest in this player, with Juventus leading the queue. However, he has formed a formidable partnership with White, so it is unlikely the club will sanction a move.

Let's not forget, he scored five goals last season, which is a higher tally than any other centre back in the Premier League.

He's got what it takes: fast on the ground and good in the air. However, his distribution could be improved.
Verdict: STAY

Auston Trusty (2025?)
The 23-year-old has been loaned out for a second time, on this occasion to Birmingham City.

Perhaps the American signed from Kroenke's Colorado Rapids will have what it takes to thrive in England, but only time will tell.

Verdict: GONE