Shootout success in LA as transfer dealings come to a head

Morning all, as I start writing this it’s 5.45 am in London.

On the other side of the world, Arsenal have just beaten Bournemouth 5-4 on penalties having drawn 1-1 after 90 minutes. I’ve not watched any of it, so cue the doorbell music while I figure out what happened…

*30 minutes later*

Right, I’ve got the gist of things via the club’s match report and some bitty highlights from some of the Arsenal aggregators on Twitter. 

Here goes…

The lineup

Having predicted yesterday that we’d go strong from the outset, Arteta selected more of a mix-and-match outfit. Karl Hein started in goal, the defence featured Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ayden Heaven, Ben White and Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey anchored midfield. Ethan Nwaneri and Salah-Eddine played in front of the Ghanaian while Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira supported captain Eddie Nketiah up top. 

As expected, there were plenty of subs as the game went on. Odegaard replaced Salah-Eddine at the break before a raft of changes at the hour-mark saw Jorginho, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Omar Rekik, Jakub Kiwior, Leandro Trossard, Charles Sagoe Jr and Gabriel Jesus come on. White and Nwaneri made way later to allow Jimi Gower and Josh Nichols late runouts.  Three keepers, Michal Rosiak and Emile Smith Rowe (more on him later) were kept in reserve. 

It’s worth pointing out that Bournemouth, coached by Arteta’s boyhood pal Andoni Iraola, played a very strong side. 

The goals

Arsenal took the lead on 17 minutes. Nwaneri swept a pass out to the left flank for Nelson who worked his way to the byline with a stepover and change of pace before dinking a cross to the back post where Vieira hammered home a left foot volley. It was a very aesthetically pleasing finish from a player who needs to hit the ground running given last season’s lukewarm campaign. His celebration was befitting of the occasion, very understated. 

The equaliser came on 73 minutes. Omar Rekik, trying to dribble out of defence, was dispossessed by Bournemouth substitute Antoine Semenyo who drove into the box and fired a low effort that looped up off Ben White and over a helpless Hein. When the camera cut to the keeper he looked thoroughly f*cked off. I suspect that might be the last time we see Rekik, who is now 22, in an Arsenal shirt. 

The penalty shootout

It was decided in advance of the game that a penalty shootout would happen whatever the result. It’s something we saw this time last year after friendlies with Manchester United and Monaco and serves to give the players experience of a pressure situation that can’t be replicated in training. Odegaard, Zinchenko, Jorginho and Jesus all netted for the Gunners while Hein saved Trossard’s blushes – the Belgian hit the post – by denying Phillip Billing and Ryan Christie. Jakub Kiwior stepped up in sudden death to seal the win. 

Star performers

Clearly this is difficult for me to answer but judging by the reaction on social media, Karl Hein’s heroics both in normal time and in the penalty shootout won the hearts and minds of fans. While scrolling I spotted one guy remarking Hein could save anything, even his relationship. I think that might be the most depressing compliment I’ve ever seen an Arsenal player receive. 

BBC Sport singled out Ayden Heaven for praise claiming he looked ‘composed’ despite a tough opponent in Dominic Solanke and, for what it’s worth, Blogs gave Ethan Nwaneri three thumbs-up emojis in his only Twitter post of the evening. 

Reaction

No doubt the academy prospects who played will have enjoyed their taste of the big time. While this was a relatively low-key affair – the 27,000-capacity Dignity Health Sports Park wasn’t a sellout – it should stand them in good stead ahead of sterner tests against Manchester United and Liverpool. 

Afterwards, Arteta said: “I think we had a really strong performance against a side that is a bit ahead of us in their schedule. They had a full first-team available, so I’m really proud of them, both the young kids and the senior ones because they have fulfilled their roles in a really impressive way.

“We looked really connected and as a manager, it was just a joy to see the faces of those kids making their debut, participating, and the excitement showed, and as well to see our senior players put themselves in their shoes and give them the support and be the role models that we want.”

What’s next

Arsenal will spend the next couple of days training before taking on Manchester United at SoFi Stadium on Sunday/Monday. Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes and Kai Havertz are expected to join up with their teammates today and an Italian lad with flowing locks could follow soon after. Those additions will be a welcome boost although it does sound like a couple of guys are also on the way out.

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Yep, things are getting interesting on the transfer front…

After the drip, drip, drip updates about Riccardo Calafiori’s move from Bologna, David Ornstein turned on the tap yesterday claiming final agreements are in place and the player will now undergo a medical Stateside before joining his new teammates in Los Angeles. Hopefully, there are no nasty surprises when we put him through his paces in the treatment room. Obviously, he had a horrible knee injury as a teenager and it’d be a shame if we found out the joint was held together by Play-Doh or suchlike. 

I’m also curious as to whether Calafiori speaks English. Since Arteta took over, almost all his signings have been proficient on this front. Off the top of my head, the only exceptions have been Big Gabi, Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos and Jakub Kiwior. I’m not saying a lack of language skills will be a blocker to him getting minutes, but judging by comments made by the manager a couple of years ago, he’ll be expected to sharpen up quickly. 

“I always put a lot of emphasis on players when they arrive – the first thing is you have to learn the language. You have to be able to communicate.

“That’s whether you are coming from the academy or not it doesn’t matter – you have to be able to talk with your teammates. It’s something we talk about because in my opinion it’s a key to success.”

For what it’s worth, when I asked Twitter about Calafiori’s English ability, someone did share a clip of him saying (unprompted) in an Italian interview, “I broke everything.” So read into that what you will…

Elsewhere it looks as though Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe are both edging towards Arsenal departures. 

Fabrizio Romano broke the news yesterday that Leicester City are keen to take Nelson on loan for the season before buying him outright next summer. 

I can see how the move would appeal to Nelson. Not only will he fancy his chances of playing more football, he also has an oven-ready relationship with new Leicester boss Steve Cooper who managed him for a year at England under-19 level. We all thought Nelson was going to be a world-beater back then so that, coupled with a couple of goals against Cooper’s Nottingham Forest in 2022 may well have left a lasting impression. 

These “try now, (obliged to) buy later” deals are becoming a regular occurrence in the age of PSR. David Raya’s move from Brentford is a prime example, so we can’t exactly get snooty about them. Given we’ve already allowed Lazio and Sevilla to recruit Nuno Tavares and Sambi Lokonga in a similar fashion (albeit only an option to buy clause for the latter), the club must feel our finances are in a decent enough shape to cope with our planned summer expenditure.

It certainly helps that Fulham are ready to spend £35 million on Smith Rowe. In his second big story of the evening, Ornstein reported that the Gunners are on the verge of a sale that would match Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s club-record move to Liverpool in 2017. I have to say when I read the news this morning, my first reaction was sadness. 

While Nelson gave us *that* goal against Bournemouth, Smith Rowe’s impact on the first team was more sustained. His introduction to the team in December 2020 (and subsequent performances) galvanised the fanbase when belief in Arteta’s project was rocking. I recognise he’s barely played in the last couple of years and that there are long-standing question marks over his fitness, but on his day, he really is a lovely player to watch. The marauding dribbles. The late runs into the box. The tidy finishing. I hope he finds his form again at Craven Cottage. 

Having opted against fielding Smith Rowe in LA, Arteta hinted at a deal being close: 

“Yeah, there are things happening in the background at the moment and we decided the best thing to do was to keep him away from the game today.”

Honestly, I think I need more time to digest the news of his impending exit before committing words to paper. Like I said, I’m sad, but it’s a deal that is probably too good for Arsenal and the player to turn down. 

Right, that’s your lot from me today. Lewis will see you through Friday and the weekend and I’ll be back on Monday. Have a good’un.