There are a few bits for a fast Sunday replace, beginning with information that the long-awaited signing of Riccardo Calafiori seems to be set to undergo within the subsequent couple of days.
Numerous experiences counsel the settlement between the varied golf equipment is full, the participant will journey to London to finish a medical and all of the formalities, and can develop into a Gunner. It’s such an attention-grabbing signing, as a result of as we head in direction of a brand new season, we take into consideration what we would do in a different way from final. Mikel Arteta has spoken usually about eager to be extra unpredictable, and the Italian worldwide definitely gives qualities on the left hand facet of the defence that we don’t actually have.
Clearly he can play at centre-half, and there could be just a little little bit of future-proofing right here for the LCB place, however my guess (proper now) is that he’ll play as a de facto left again, utilizing his ball carrying capability to assist the staff progress from an attacking perspective, and his defensive numbers are spectacular too.
I do know individuals have been anxious about signings, and there’s nonetheless extra to do – not least within the attacking finish of the pitch – however I’ve stated for a while that I believed our left-side and left-back want some consideration and that is clearly a part of that plan. I’m glad to see this one undergo, though when you’re Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Kieran Tierney, most likely not as a lot. The futures of these guys will likely be beneath the microscope just a little bit, and I’d say not less than two of them will depart earlier than the top of the window.
In the meantime, because the staff heads for the US immediately, the signing of the younger Ajax goalkeeper Tommy Setford is reportedly going forward so he might be a part of the squad. We’re very gentle within the senior goalkeeping division with Aaron Ramsdale and David Raya away on holidays, in order that does makes some sense. Karl Hein is the one one accessible proper now.
There was additionally a sport yesterday, a 2-0 win behind closed doorways in opposition to Leyton Orient. The objectives got here from Gabriel Jesus and Emile Smith Rowe – there’s a report and a few highlights on the official web site. There’s not quite a bit to learn right into a sport like this, however it was attention-grabbing to see Myles Lewis-Skelly begin at left-back, and good to see the goalscorers get on the mark. Clearly there’s appreciable uncertainty about Smith Rowe’s future, however I actually imagine if we are able to get Gabriel Jesus correctly match, he might be an enormous asset for the staff this season. A superb pre-season would go a good distance in direction of that.
Proper, I’ll go away it there for now, however we’ll have an Arsecast Additional for you later tonight. Hold an eye fixed out for the decision for questions on Twitter @gunnerblog and @arseblog on Twitter with the hashtag #arsecastextra – or when you’re an Arseblog Member on Patreon, go away your query within the #arsecast-extra-questions channel on our Discord server.
Pod ought to be out by 9pm or thereabouts. For now, have a superb one.
