Hello everyone. It’s Wednesday morning and I’m starting the blog.
I watched the footage of the players back at London Colney for pre-season training and was a bit surprised to see Kieran Tierney alive and well. Not that I expected him to be the other way around, I just thought the injury he sustained at the Euros meant he would be out for a while.
To be fair, he may not be 100% fit, having just stood in the corridor with Martin Odegaard instead of sprinting or something like everyone else, but hopefully he won’t be too far off. It’s a shame that his chance to put himself out there in the Euros has played out that way. It’s basically the worst outcome for him and the club. He’s spoken about the possibility of a move beforehand and it looks like Arsenal will accept a move if the right offer comes this summer.
As I’ve said before, I think he’s a player who could work for a lot of Premier League teams, but if you’re looking for a left-back, it’s a risk you’re taking because of Tierney’s injury record. Sadly, there’s no sugar coating it. Interested parties could consider moving for a similar player who is far less quality in the ‘availability’ column, or they could look at other options. If there are clubs willing to take a risk, some of them are likely to be tempered by the offer they initially made to sign him.
We’ll see what happens with him, but the fact that he’s been active on the training pitch could mean that injury hasn’t completely ruled out a move before the end of the transfer window. Other than that, there’s not much going on in the training pitch footage, but it’s a bit interesting to see that Albert Stuivenberg, who was linked to a number of other jobs last season, was there. While it’s not ruled out that he’ll get his chance at some point, for now he’ll be Mikel’s right-hand man, and it’s curious to see who else is added to the coaching staff. For someone like Arteta, who’s always looking for a little something extra, regardless of the source, recruiting staff could be a way to achieve that.
Ben White was there, looking charred (amazing). And after Gareth Southgate announced his resignation as England manager, there was some chatter about him possibly returning to the national team. On a purely selfish level, I hope that doesn’t happen, even though I think he certainly has a lot to offer England. The fact that he and Bukayo Saka fit together so well at Arsenal has to be a factor, and that’s the kind of relationship any sensible England manager would want.
Graham Potter is one of the top candidates and, knowing Ben White from his time at Brighton, the door could easily open, especially if Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier both announce their international retirements (even if they don’t, it’s not hard to imagine the new England manager saying ‘give me time, gent… and give you time, Walker’).
Arsenal fans won’t want to see Ben White squeezed into more game time after a knee problem last season, but Arsenal’s depth means he could make a comeback if he decides to return to England. We’ve got Jurrien Timber back, who we think is a right-handed player, and we’ve realised he can work left-handed too. Takehiro Tomiyasu is there too, and if you add Riccardo Calafiori (who remains a slight possibility at the moment) he’ll definitely be a presence at left-handed. That means the area is really deep (and incredibly competitive) thanks to another option on the right.
I still think it’s possible White will decide to focus solely on club football, but now that Steve Holland has left with Southgate, there’s no reason Ben White wouldn’t play for England. He’s previously said how proud he is to represent his country, so it’s something to keep an eye on.
Okay, that’s all for this morning. Have a great Wednesday, everyone. Take care of each other.
