hello everyone…
So, um, there was a bit of an administrative error regarding who would handle the blog today, and so I’m stepping in as an emergency replacement with very late notice.
A pair of safe hands or Almunia reaching the Champions League final? Let’s see… Either way, I’ll keep it short and simple.
First, James Olley wrote an interesting article for ESPN that included snippets of interviews with Josh Kroenke and LA Rams head coach Sean McVay. I mentioned in Monday’s article that KSE seems to be actively bringing the organization closer together, something Kroenke Jr. has said publicly.
“I’ve always preached that we have to figure out how to bring different groups together, because we have apples, oranges, and watermelons, but they’re all fruits.”
He is clearly proud of the progress his father’s organization is making overall, and is delighted that skeptics in this area (of which there were many, myself included) are beginning to be won over by the progress being made year after year under his leadership.
He said: “I have been involved with the club for over 10 years and have really enjoyed being on the board and loving the club. I knew it would be very rewarding to get the club back to a position where it could be successful and prove a few people wrong along the way.”
There have been mistakes along the way. The post-Wenger structure didn’t seem to work and the Super League nonsense was a failure. But they have gained momentum, invested heavily in the club and generally seem to be paying more attention to the day-to-day operations, hiring people who have a keen interest and knowledge of how the club operates, if not personally.
“I don’t want to give away our secrets, but here’s what my father taught me over the years: First, know what you don’t know. Second, put people who are smarter than you in positions where they can succeed. That’s a great way to find success.”
From what I understand, the man in charge of Emirates is Tim Lewis, a longtime friend of the Kroenke family. He has the title of Executive Vice Chairman, but from the outside he seems to act like a traditional CEO. That title has been vacant since Vinai Venkatesham left last month, and his de facto replacement, Richard Garlick, has been appointed Managing Director. Stability at the top requires clear roles and responsibilities, and everyone needs to be aware of the ultimate goal. We have that now.
8 years ago, Stan Kroenke made headlines On saying “if you want to win championships, don’t get involved (in football)”. The context of that soundbite may have been lost in some reporting – he also talked about needing a boat-shaped business model to compete with the oil clubs – Josh made it clear that the motivation was to win silverware, in any sport.
“We work to win this business, and winning is a lot more fun than the alternatives, I’m sure.”
Interestingly, he also waved the carrot of Emirates Stadium improvements. It’s been almost 20 years since we moved from Highbury and our ‘new’ home, once state-of-the-art, has been overshadowed by some of the world’s most amazing stadiums, most notably KSE’s SoFi Stadium.
“It’s probably too early to talk in depth about any plans, but the internal conversation (about the stadium) is starting. It’s not an easy renovation, but we see the potential there.”
I think it’s important to note the term ‘renovation’. The stadium in its current form was not designed to be expanded. In fact, when the subject of safe standing came up (everyone was very quiet about it!), the club said the capacity would be reduced. In reality, we are talking about upgrading the technology and the environment.
This summer the club will be solving mobile connectivity issues and replacing the big screen last year. Things like this take a long time to plan and execute. Even the new exterior artwork took almost a year to complete. So don’t expect anything soon.
It is worth bearing in mind that Emirates’ original bill has not yet been paid in full. So anyone who thinks we are going to tear it down and build a new stadium in its place (surrounded by existing infrastructure including a railway line and many apartments) is fooling themselves. Sure, the prospect of improvement is exciting, but it doesn’t come for free. Expect prices to continue to rise every year, whether you like it or not.
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Before we go, let’s summarize some other interesting facts…
David Ornstein writes that Arsenal are expected to reject Marseille’s £20m bid for Eddie Nketiah. The Ligue 1 side have restructured the deal to offer more cash up front, but it’s still well below our asking price. Given the fee Monaco paid for Folarin Balogun, we have to assume we’re aiming for similar or more. I think we’re right to throw Vs at them again, but I suspect a deal will be done before the season starts.
On a related note, have you noticed that most of the strikers linked with Arsenal in recent months haven’t moved? Victor Gyokeres. No. Ivan Toni. No. Victor Osimhen. No. But Chelsea might sign him on loan! Benjamin Cesco. He’s stayed. The only one who actually did get a move done was Yoshua Zirkzee, and he looks like the type of striker you’d sign when you’ve just finished eighth in the league.
Elsewhere, Emile Smith Rowe has undergone a medical at Fulham and his £34m move will be confirmed later. I’m going to keep the onions close by as an excuse.
Finally, Arsenal’s US tour ends tonight with a friendly against Liverpool in Philadelphia. I can’t say I’ve been paying much attention to the Reds’ pre-season preparations under Arne Slot, but I can assure you that their new manager has the brightest hair in the galaxy. Frankly, the referee should make him wear a hat. People pay a lot of money to see Riccardo Calafiori’s shiny hair in person, and he’s not the type of person to have it ruined by the Dutchman’s glare.
Will we actually see Calafiori make his debut? Arteta Pre-match press conferenceHe didn’t rule it out.
“I don’t know. He had a long flight and had a medical check-up in the last 24 hours. Today (Monday) he didn’t do anything with the team, tomorrow he’ll probably train some parts. Let’s see how he is. We don’t want to rush anything. If he’s available and fit, that’s great.”
We’ll give you more details about tomorrow’s game.
Yes, it’s your turn. I hope everyone had a great time at the Arseblog event last night. It was a bit crazy in my opinion. Kudos to Poorly Drawn Arsenal for keeping their promise!
hello.
The post In it to win it first appeared on Arseblog… The Arsenal Blog.
