Good morning, here is your Arsenal digest for Friday October 9.
The difference Thomas will make, according to former Chelsea boss
Arsenal left it late to get the Thomas Partey deal done, particularly seeing as they paid the release clause which they could have done a month or two earlier.
But if he thrives over the next few seasons in a red jersey, he’ll have been worth the wait.
And his former national team coach, and ex-Chelsea manager, Avram Grant believes that’s exactly what will prove to be the case - thanks to his good character and consistency .
"Even when he was relatively young and inexperienced, he knew what he needed to do in terms of possession and position, how to get in the right place at the right time,” he said.
"But he’s also a very good boy, on and off the pitch, with a great character. He wants to do his job and he is very consistent. Thomas doesn’t tend to have good days and bad days because you know every match what you will get from him, which is his best for the team.”
That’s pretty much what Arsenal have lacked for some time: a consistently good presence in the centre of the park who will dominate, be a positive force for the team and always improve those around him.
Two 27-goal strikers on Edu’s wishlist
Arsenal’s next transfer business could see them sign the heir to Alexandre Lacazette’s spot in the team, with a key job for Edu being to decide on the future Arsenal No. 9.
Two strikers he has his eye on both managed big goal tallies last year, albeit from leagues outside of Europe’s traditional big hitters.
At Celtic in Scotland, Odsonne Edouard is one under consideration, while in Austria, RB Salzburg’s Patson Daka is also making a big splash.
football.london note interest in both those players from the Gunners , while Jonathan David was also under consideration before his move to Lille in Ligue 1, a replacement for Victor Osimhen.
Factors such as Champions League qualification, the departure of high earners at the club and the impact of Covid-19 on revenue will all be taken into account before the final decision is made.
Behind the scenes at training
Smiles and jokes were abundant as the optimistic mood at Arsenal these days was made plain in a training session recently .
But those not on international duty didn’t have it all their own way, with a group of five involving Sokratis, David Luiz and Willian failing to complete an exercise game - with push-ups the forfeit for the group, as seen on Arsenal’s YouTube video post.
The Greek defender only needed to guide the ball home into a tub after a keep-up session, but fell short in his final touch to hand the whole group the light-hearted punishment.
