ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!

On Saturday The Emirates welcomed Jesus, Zinchenko and Saliba. The incredible thing about this statement is they were all wearing the Cannon on their chests! Not many would have dared to predict such riches would bestow our great football club after witnessing our season fizzle out like a damp squib only a couple of months ago.

Unfortunately it is here I feel I should start my opening blog of the season, it of course needs to be addressed. I understand it is about opinions, there will be biased ones (I may fall into this category), there will be balanced opinions (I do try, honest), and there will be opinions from people who would not be happy unless we won the world cup every year....and boy do we seem to have a few of them supporting our club.

If we go back to January, Arteta was deep into his quest to drive out dead wood. There was also the Aubameyang issue to contend with. I have sympathy with the arguments that maybe Arteta went too far on point A, a couple of players we let go on loan could have been very useful towards the end of the season. I do however support his actions concerning Aubameyang. He was obviously proving to be a bad influence in the camp, how frustrating must it be for a manager to see his captain roll up late whilst trying to lay a foundation of discipline and unity in the team. And this is all we know about the situation. I am sure there was more to it, maybe the Amazon prime series will cast more light in this. The team definitely responded following his departure, lending more support for Arteta's actions.

So being left with no main striker, the club did act in trying to fill the void and went big in trying to secure the signing of Vlahovic. However he only had eyes for Juventus which is where he ended up.

So what do Arsenal do now? Panic buy and end up with a player that does not feature in their long term plans but are now stuck with, exactly the situation Arteta has been trying to rectify with the squad as it is?

So we moved on relying heavily on Lacazette and a very slim squad. It was like walking on a tightrope, it was a squad good enough to challenge for a top 4 slot. However any injuries would be disastrous.

And as we know, this is exactly how it played out. But only after some fantastic performances which demonstrated that this team are ready to push to the next level. Who can forget our battling goalless draw away to Liverpool down to 10 men early on, and our pulsating win away to Wolves, again down to 10 men! Our victories away to Villa and Chelsea and of course playing Man City off the park in one of our best performances in recent years.

But it turned out we just did not have enough to cross that line to reach the top 4. Injuries and fatigue bought us to a halt. The initial disappointment for me was short lived. We are in a European tournament we can actually challenge for. Who knows, next season we could be in a position where we could be really competitive in the Champions league as well, unlike a certain club up the road despite all the noise.

So we move on! Were you not entertained on Saturday? The sight of Jesus owning the pitch and playing with such obvious enjoyment was thrilling to see. The squad had been trimmed to quality not quantity, and now bulked up with yet more quality. what is there not to like? We now have a striker who scores goals, we have Eddie who has been able to show his true talent. And yet one of the most exciting things for me is a certain person who has been looming in the shadows for a couple of years.

I sit in a 4th row seat at The Emirates, it does not give me the incredible views afforded to those higher up and in upper tiers. However I do feel as if I am amongst the action. Last season I was in absolute awe of Van Dijk when Liverpool came to play. He was a giant, looked so comfortable on the ball. The game appears to come easy for him. He was like Gandalf, 'you shall not pass!'. Oh for Arsenal to have such a player.

And yet....in walks Saliba. You can accuse me going totally overboard if you wish, but overboard I will go. He looks the real deal, strong, fit, oozing with confidence and his ability is obvious to see. How will he cope with the Premier League? Well, we will have to wait and see, but all the evidence points to him being a roaring success. Now is that not music to your ears?

We have quality cover all over the pitch and I am sure the transfer activity has not finished yet. Leno has left which has led to cries that A) we let him go too cheaply and B) He is better than our current number 2 and therefore what if Ramsdale is injured? A) It's not our personal money, chill! just let the club deal with such situations, they know all the background information that leads to these deals and B) If Leno does not want to play second fiddle any longer of course he will want to go, he is too good to be a back up keeper. Now show me a team with two top top keepers? Any team will suffer if their main keeper is injured. It's the nature of that position.

We have so much to be excited about for this season. Our starting line up only 4 years ago had a defence featuring Kolasinac, Sokratis, Mustafi and Bellerin. On Friday we could be seeing anything from Tierney, White, Gabriel, Saliba and Tomiyasu! This upgrade is immense and the praise Arteta and his team deserve for this cannot be understated.

Crystal Palace of course will be up for this in front of their incredible fan base. But so will we.

Let the battle commence, buckle up....this could be some ride!!

Thanks for reading, speak soon.

Up the Gunners - North London forever!!

Rob