Some good players, Merino talks, Arsenal Women in the US

Morning all.

I saw the image of the Arsenal players at the PFA Awards last night, five of whom made it into the team of the season, and two things occurred to me. First, we have some very good players, and while we wait for a little more to be added to the squad, I think we should feel pretty reassured by that. I know it’s not necessarily what anyone wants to hear, but this squad doesn’t need major surgery this summer.

You can always use a bit extra, but I don’t think this is like previous transfer windows where there have been big, obvious gaps that have to be filled for us to make progress. I do think we can get more out of this current squad, but obviously I would also like us to be active before the end of the window (beyond the tediously imminent arrival of Mikel Merino).

The second thing I thought was: Where the hell is Bukayo Saka? Just the 20 goals and 14 assists in all competitions last season, and he’s not there? Sure, Cole Palmer took a lot of penalties and played very well for Chelsea, while Flat Track Phil Foden had a productive season himself, but Saka’s absence stands out to me. I know it’s not really a big scandal in the grand scheme of things, but still.

Speaking of Merino, it’s being reported that Real Sociedad President Jokin Aperribay has travelled to London to close the deal. Last week we heard that Edu was in Spain, but perhaps he was simply sourcing some top class Txuleta for his barbecue, and not in Bilbao negotiating for the services of a midfielder I think we really need due to concerns about a couple of our more senior squad members.

It seems there’s some disparity between what they want (€40m) and what Arsenal are prepared to pay, but if there are more face to face talks and the player continues to be left out of the Sociedad squad, then I think some kind of compromise is inevitable. I get why they want as much as possible, but he’s got less than 12 months on his current deal, and can leave for free next summer. That doesn’t give them a huge amount of leverage, but they’re clearly trying hard.

Anyway, even if things were to be sorted today, it means it’s a case of what we have we hold for Villa on Saturday, as Merino would be unlikely to be involved at such short notice. Then there’s a home game against Brighton before the first Interlull of the season, so if we do add more players before the end of the window, chances are we don’t see them until the North London derby after the break.

If you look at how Riccardo Calafiori is being eased into action, then I’d imagine any other additions might get the same kind of treatment. Which is fine as long as we’re winning games, but I then go back to the point I made at the top which is that this is a good team with good players who are capable of doing what needs to be done against Villa and Brighton. Watch this space, I guess. Or, you know, a space where transfer news happens first if you’re really keen.

Meanwhile, Arsenal Women are in the US, and Tim Stillman is out there covering things for Arseblog News. He spoke to boss Jonas Eidevall about the opportunity to connect with fans, and he’s producing a tour diary while he’s over there – first edition of which you can find here.

We will be continuing our coverage of Arsenal Women throughout the season, with a more regular podcast schedule too – hopefully bringing you something after every game in a similar kind of format to Arsecast Extra (with fewer magpies and other nonsense though!). If you want to keep up with that, just bookmark our Arsenal Women section and check back regularly for stories, updates, news and lots more.

Finally for today, here is your official Arseblog line-up for the 2024-25 season, let’s keep everything crossed it’s a good one. For now, have a great Wednesday.

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