Viana

Is that not true of the whole after dinner/pie and pea supper scene? I think if you're going to this it's more about getting to spend the evening with Keegan over learning anything new.

Now Gordon has gone I think the reasons to sell him are moot. When I consider that Elanga cost 55m, I don't see much value in selling Gordon and Barnes (a collective 44 goals in 3 league seasons) for 110 million.

I wonder what the plan is for Arsenal this summer. Attacking upgrades? I mean nothing about Arteta's attacking plan to date seems to suggest it's a talent issue.

Adam Clery did a really thorough and fair evaluation of them and he did touch on this. There were a lot of defensive positives, but if Sunderland's goal-scoring takes even a minor hit next year it could be trouble.

A lot of teammates have remarked that Jones could actually play football and that the reputation over-shadowed what was a good footballer (for the time). His story has been done to death though. In terms of football docs, I find Netflix are producing a lot of stuff that's already been done to death.

Chelsea with a bit of post-match needle.

Fairly sure they need some dosh this summer, so if our 30m lets Strasbourg 'buy' someone from Chelsea it might make sense.

Agreed. The perceived gain of 'seeing where the goalkeeper is leaning' is massively offset by how much it over complicates the penalty taker's action. I've always been a believer that if you want the best chance to score. Pick a spot (or a technique if you'd rather blast it ala Stuart Pearce), settle yourself, and then perform it in one fluid motion, no breaks.

That's just your standard marketing 101 though. For a season it was their USP. Pre-documentary they really struggled for cultural relevance south of Darlington.

Of the right backs mentioned he has me most excited.

Gabriel will get the headlines, but Eze's pen was equally as crap. Great example of the regret Arsenal's style creates. Spent all that time just trying not to lose the game instead of winning it.

I do find Arsenal's style so infuriating. To think all the shit we took for that 0-0 we got there for 'dark arts' and now it's the only way they've been able to win anything.

Yeah, their fans were something else after winning the league. It's funny though, I can't remember the last time football united to dislike a team in this way. Liverpool had a longer break between league titles, and yet people were ok with them winning it. I think it says a lot about the way in which they've won and how Arteta has been. The Thomas Party stuff was a real low.

If Eddie Howe can hold these to a 1-1 draw then Arteta can absolutely produce a 1-0 win.

Carragher will be pleased. He seemed to hate Konate.

Fair play, I think between his last interview with us and a few remarks during his Barca presentation he's handled this incredibly well. He was very complimentary about us and our role in making him better and it seems clear this was the dream move for him. I can almost forgive the past season and just accept it as water under the bridge. I hope he smashes it (apart from when we play him).

I think that's a more recent development likely caused by separating from his wife. He's likely still dealing with some of that, but a change of scenery and a drop in quality should allow him to be closer to the Trippier that joined us.

There's an interview clip floating around from earlier in the season saying he's been learning Spanish so I can believe he preferred them. I think this generation of players have broader horizons than the generation that preceded them. My guess is, he's likely seen Barcelona as a once in a lifetime opportunity. If he went to Liverpool and smashed it they'd want an insane fee to let him go. Didn't they want touching £200m for Salah in his pomp? Contrast that with Barcelona who may be far more open to doing a deal if he does well. By the same token, if he stinks the place out, he's still proven in the Premier League and Liverpool might fancy a cut price deal.

Love a good pun. All jokes aside, I think he's the new Simon Mignolet. He'll look very good when he's busy (some of his saves this season were top drawer) but his decision making when playing out from the back seemed really inconsistent. Throw in the fact he's coming from Sunderland, I just don't see how he would ever make a success of it. I know some players in the past have to varying degrees but these days it would be asking for trouble.

I wouldn't go near Roefs.

That's a smart move by Wolves. If you need a culture reset in the dressing room Trippier is the guy to do that. The fact they've also kept Andre is another good sign. They've got a lot to figure out with loan players returning etc, but I think they should still be a favorite to come up.

But I think that's kind of the point, no? You've had a great season, but there's a lot ifs and buts surrounding the team from a recruitment POV. You hope you strike it right with two or three Rogers-esque signings, but perhaps a bit like us after last summer, due to PSR, things have been tricky.

Spot on this, great post. I was surprised to learn his big three signings at Villa have been Onana, Maatsen, and Diaby.

Honestly it's not a bad life. You get a seven figure paycheck, fans aren't nearly as problematic, and you can live a life outside of football without too much disturbance.

I appreciate Aston Villa have had a great season, but I think that has distracted from what was a somewhat poor set of transfers in the last 12 months. In the summer they nabbed a couple of youngsters that haven't played much (either with Villa or on loan) and dropped good money on Evann Guessand who finished the season with Crystal Palace (they'll recoup some of that when he joins them). They then dropped close to 40m on Tammy Abraham, Alysson and Madjo. They've not been able to register Madjo so he's been sat in limbo. They'll need to shift a few fringe lads who were on loan last year and if Morgan Rogers leaves that's a big piece to replace. For them it's less about the money and more about the ability to find talent that improves them.