Hey guys, so it looks like Mikel Arteta is really keen on getting Mudryk on board as soon as possible. With a decent set of fixtures coming up in January, Arteta wants to have Mudryk training with the team so he can get to know him and get him acclimated before things get a bit more intense in February.
From what I’ve been reading, it seems like all the journalists are saying the same thing, probably because they’re all following one source. But personally, I think this deal will be done relatively quickly. If the fee is agreed upon and it’s just a matter of figuring out how much cash needs to be paid upfront, I’m hopeful that it’ll be sorted out soon.
It’s pretty clear that Mudryk is desperate to join Arsenal. He’s been dropping coded AFC messages in his music choices, he’s been watching more Arsenal games than you or me, and it’s clear he’s really passionate about the club. There are even rumors floating around that Martinelli has been communicating with Mudryk using Naruto hand gestures… apparently they both love the show. And for the record, I had no idea what Naruto was until today.
Anyway, it’s worth pointing out that Chelsea won’t be able to get involved in this deal, especially after their subpar performance yesterday. Mudryk only has eyes for Arsenal, just like Martinez only had feelings for United this summer. That makes things a lot simpler. In my opinion, players who join your organization because they love it tend to give a better output. There’s less chance of recruiting a mercenary.
As for Felix, I don’t think anything is going to happen there. I don’t have any intel on that, but I just don’t think we’re going to be able to get the loan for 21 million euros. And for the love of god, don’t listen to anyone who thinks that’s a good idea at that price. 21 million euros is two-thirds of what we paid for Zinchenko and Odegaard. We’re a club with limited resources, we can’t just blow that kind of money on a player who doesn’t really have a specific role to fill right now. The only club with the financial recklessness to do that would be Chelsea, or maybe United (although with a sale pending, why would they burn cash?).
On a totally unrelated note, did you hear that Barcelona has told local radio journalists that they need to reduce their wage bill by 200 million euros? Can you even imagine messing up your finances so badly that you have to cut a number that’s basically the same size as the entire Arsenal wage bill? I wonder what will happen with the worst-run club in the game. Will there be a fire sale of players? Will they have to release one of their superstar kids? Only time will tell.
But seriously, a good rule of thumb when running a football club is probably not to build your finances around the worst-case scenario of needing to win every single trophy. Just a thought.
Now, let’s talk about Spurs. Unai Emery led his team to a perfect 2-0 win over a Tottenham side that seems to only have one idea… and it’s not a very good one in 2023. It was the perfect start to the year, especially seeing Antonio Conte getting booed out of the stadium by fans who are devastated that all the things I said would happen are happening far quicker than anyone thought. And to top it off, Conte went on TV after a summer of lavish spending and basically admitted that he doesn’t have a solid foundation to win. Absolute perfection. Especially because I called it and people argued with me about it.
Oh, and
by the way, did you know that Spurs are 700 million euros in debt and have a coach who is costing them 20 million euros a year and says he needs 200 million euros to compete? Talk about a mess. Couldn’t have happened to a better club, in my opinion.
Also, keep an eye on how Conte is talking about his injured players. Bentancur has yet to return to the team and is waiting for an MRI scan for an injury similar to Thomas Partey’s. It could be two weeks or two months until he’s back. The Swedish winger also didn’t make the match squad and is getting a scan as well. Not a great start to the year for Tottenham.
But hey, at least we have Mudryk on our radar. That’s something to look forward to. And who knows, maybe we’ll see some more exciting developments in the transfer market. As always, stay tuned for updates.
