Latest podcast: Finally Gooners have something to be truly joyful after our worst season in 25 years as Arsenal win their 14th FA Cup. Shotta and Blackburn George aka Arseblagger give their analysis.
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Positively Arsenal 
That meerat looks to have shed a few years. Is that what winning does? .
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lots of stories this evening that Arsenal are set to sign CFC’s Willian, on a Bosman, some reports its a 3 year deal, others its a 3+1 year deal. Massive wages. The guy turns 32 next week. If we sign him will he be another CFC cast off that adds little to us, or would he be our James Milner, not the most spectacular of players but a guy you can rely on no matter the game or opposition. kia joorabchian is his agent
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our goalies in our four most recent FA Cup Final wins, starter and sub
2014 Fabianski, Szczesney
2015 Szczesney, Ospina
2017 Ospina, Cech
2020 Martinez, Macey
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Our reserve keepers always win the cup except Jeff Barnet.
Willian is chelskis best player and I was chuffed to see he wasn’t in their starting line up.
Don’t what he’ll be like in a couple of seasons but I think he would be good for the next campaign.
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See the world and his wife on Twitter complaining about Willian and the fact we don’t need another winger. I’ve always thought of him as more an attacking midfielder than a winger, and certainly used to covet him – he seemed to have energy, skill and a will to win. I heard someone say earlier this year that he has played better since Eden Hazard left, as the other players would always look to move it to Hazard as their first option, often leaving Wilian in space and frustrated.
As the great man predicted, more and more players are looking to see out their contracts. Free transfers are not free at all, the difference from normal transfers being money going direct to player and agent rather than owning club. I note in passing lack of outrage from pundits and media about Chelsea letting him get into his last year. In fairness, perhaps they would not have done so had they not been banned from making signings – and in any case, I doubt the odd 15 milion or so would bother their freshly laundered owner.
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willian a player I have grudgingly admired during his time at CFC, many a time I’ve been glad he went there instead of Spurs who thought they had him signed.
I do have concerns about a 3 or 4 year deal for a player who turns 32 next week. But I’ve a simple view on Arsenal signings, if they are who the head coach wants then they will have my full support. Willian will be no different
Willian could if signed become our modern day John Hollins, who signed for us at the age of 33, played for 4 seasons, and won our Player of the Year award at the age of 36
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reports from Spain that Arsenal and Barcelona have agreed a deal for Couthino, a 2 year loan with an obligation to buy him in summer 2022
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so Arsenal are reported to be going Brazilian
22 year old central defender Gabriel Magalhães linked in a £25M deal from Lille
soon to be 32 year old, wide midfielder Willian linked to a 3 year Bosman deal from Chelsea
attacking midfielder Couthinho linked to a 2 year loan deal with obligation to buy in 2022, from Barcelona
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reports that Unai Emery wants to sign Matteo Guendouzi for Villarreal. Initially on loan with a view to a permanent deal
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fulham have taken the lead in extra time v Brentford in the play off final
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Fulham now 2-0 up, only a few minutes left, they are getting promoted again, was hoping to see Brentford in the EPL as I have relatives who live in Brentford
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FT: Brentford 1-2 Fulham
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now that Fulham are back in the EPL might they try and sign their player of the year from the last season they were in EPL, namely, Calum Chambers
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Arsenal to lay off 55 staff
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we have been working hard to ensure that Arsenal Football Club emerges in a robust and strong position for the future.
In line with other football clubs and many other businesses operating in the sport, leisure and entertainment arena, we have been impacted directly by COVID-19.
Our main sources of income have all reduced significantly. Revenue from broadcasters, matchday and commercial activities have all been hit severely and these impacts will continue into at least the forthcoming 2020/21 season.
The pandemic represents one of the most challenging periods in our 134-year history and we have responded promptly by implementing wide-ranging measures to reduce our costs. Our players, senior football staff and executive team have volunteered pay cuts, we have stopped pretty much all of our capital spending, and our discretionary operating expenditure has been strictly controlled.
We have also received significant financial support from our owners, Kroenke, Sports & Entertainment in terms of refinancing our stadium debt.
These steps have all reduced the impact of the pandemic on the club and have helped us continue to maintain investment in the team. This will continue to be a key priority.
It is now clear that we will be facing more significant and longer-lasting reductions in our revenue than we all hoped. Current indications are that we will not have fans back at Emirates Stadium for the start of next season and fans will only be able to return in limited numbers after that. The global economic projections are also very negative.
This will impact the disposable income of our fans, the money corporate clients have to spend on hospitality and sponsorship, and the ability for broadcasters to invest in TV rights.
We all hope there will be no “second wave” but we also need to accept that is one of the many uncertainties ahead of us and plan accordingly.
Over recent years we have consistently invested in additional staff to take the club forward but with the expected reduction of income in mind, it is now clear that we must reduce our costs further to ensure we are operating in a sustainable and responsible way, and to enable us to continue to invest in the team.
Our aim has been to protect the jobs and base salaries of our people for as long as we possibly can. Unfortunately, we have now come to the point where we are proposing 55 redundancies.
We do not make these proposals lightly and have looked at every aspect of the club and our expenditure before reaching this point. We are now entering the required 30-day consultation period on these proposals.
We know this is upsetting and difficult for our dedicated staff and our focus is on managing this as sensitively as possible.
These proposed changes are ultimately about ensuring we take this great football club forward, creating the right organisation for a post-Covid world, and ensuring we have the resources to return to competing effectively at the top of the game here and in Europe.
Raúl Sanllehi, Head of Football
Vinai Venkatesham, Managing Director
Copyright 2020 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source.
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Seems Arsenal have sacked Francis Cagigao, the man who bought us Cesc and Santi amongst others.
Seems the Kroenkes have bought into Rauls slightly more expensive form of scouting. I hope our owners know what they are doing with Raul and co
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yes Mandy, and the brain dead in the fan base are only too happy to go along with the soundbite that its all Ozil’s fault, him failing to take a pay cut is the reason why we have to let theses people go, its why we can/t sign several world class players, its why brexit is happening and its why Covid is here
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Quite unbelievable if they can’t see through what is really happening with Ozil, a scapegoat for a lot of issues.
Raul must have some type of charm, or some bewitching quality that is not immediately obvious, outside looking in
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Very classy and a public-relations own goal from Arsenal. They let the glow of the FA Cup win last less than four days, all for the sake of a few million pounds in cost savings. A few million pounds, which amounts to a rounding error in the finances of the owner.
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I would love to know the breakdown of positions held by those 55 staff that are being let go.
How many are on the stadium staff, how many are admin, how many are on the scouting side. It was reported before lockdown that we had dumped a batch of the scouts, right across the UK, Europe and rest of the world.
Maybe Raul and Co’s way of recruitment will prove to be very good for us, and will lead quickly to much improvement at AFC, but being very cosy with one or two super agents surely brings a hell of a lot of risk.
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Matt Law
@Matt_Law_DT
·
1h
Just to be clear. Arsenal this evening insistent they will not sign Coutinho on any kind of deal (because Willian is so likely to happen).
Matt Law is also saying that the Willian deal will be a 3+1 year contract
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so it seems winning the FA Cup and getting in the EL has seen the players get back 5% of the 12% wage cut they took during lockdown. It this the reason for the 55 staff cuts
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New post is up
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