Arteta and Edu have set Arsenal up to dominate the next five years…

The Mailbox is very excited for Arsenal after some stunning work from Mikel Arteta and Edu. Also: Jordan Henderson as an ambassador; and Harry Maguire’s prospects…

Get your views in to theeditor@football365.com…

Get excited about Arsenal
Below is a list of 11 core Arsenal players with their peak years ahead of them, along with their ages and contract length (including +1 options) at the club:

Declan Rice (24) (5 years)
Kai Havertz (24) (5 years)
Gabriel Martinelli (22) (5 years)
Bukayo Saka (21) (4 years)
Gabriel Jesus (26) (4 years)
Aaron Ramsdale (25) (4 years)
William Saliba (22) (4 years)
Gabriel Magalhaes (25) (4 years)
Oleksander Zinchenko (26) (3 years)
Ben White (25) (3 years)
Martin Odegaard (24) (2 years)

That is an incredible core group of players with their peak years ahead of them. Then we have the following “prospects” who could grow in seniority but should retain a good sale value if they don’t:

Jurrien Timber (22) (5 years)
Jakub Kiwior (23) (5 years)
Reiss Nelson (23) (5 years)
Fabio Vieira (23) (4 years)
Eddie Nketiah (24) (4 years)
Takehiro Tomiyasu (24) (3 years)
Emile Smith Rowe (22) (3 years)

That list of 18 players is supplemented with additional playing “experience” as follows:

Matt Turner (29) (3 years)
Leandro Trossard (28) (3 years)
Thomas Partey (30) (2 years)
Jorginho (31) (2 years)
Mohamed Elneny (31) (1 year)

That takes us to 23 players for the coming season. There is a need for a 3rd choice GK (Okonkwo/Hein) and another outfield player (unless players from the above list are sold). Beyond the possibility of Partey (and possibly Nketiah) I can’t see anybody else leaving.

We then have the following “value” to try and recoup from player sales (figures in euros from Transfermarkt):

Runar Alex Runarsson: 1.5m
Auston Trusty: 10m
Rob Holding: 8m
Kieran Tierney: 25m
Nuno Tavares: 18m
Cedric Soares: 3m
Albert Sambi Lokonga: 15m
Nicholas Pepe: 18m
Marquinhos: 12m
Folarin Balogun: 30m

That’s £120m in pounds sterling.

Of course, we will almost certainly not get a fee for Pepe or Cedric. Marquinhos is likely to get a developmental loan, Balogun, Tierney and possibly Holding may still be members of our first team squad for 23/24 and some players we just won’t be able to shift permanently and will get a loan instead.

Nevertheless, when you assess our squad, particularly in terms of age and contract length it is clear that Arteta and Edu have done an absolutely incredible job in terms of player recruitment and player retention to prepare this club for the next 4 – 5 year cycle and Gooners should be really excited about what the future holds.
Naz, Gooner.
PS I haven’t even mentioned exciting academy prospects like Nwaneri, Cozier Duberry and Norton Cuffy or other imminent sales like Charlie Patino.

Read more: Summer transfer window 2023: Rice deal sees Arsenal become Europe’s biggest spenders

New Sol
I saw that some comparisons were being made to the Rice signature with Arsenal signing Vieira, but anyone old enough to remember will state there is no similarities. Vieria was a complete unknown, even the most ardent Serie A follower only knew Viera as Desailly backup at Milan, he was not an established international let alone a household name as his two caps at Milan. Previous to that he’d not even played 50 games in French league football.

Although they play in different positions the Rice singing reminds me of the Sol Campbell singing. Obviously there are lots of differences, the fee, the rivalry with Spurs etc.

However there are also lots of similarities. Spurs then were similar to where West Ham are now, a big London team who finished mid table , had a decent stadium and who went on good cup runs.

Sol was one of the best Premier League players in his position and had amassed 255 caps at Spurs.
Rice is one of the best Premier League players in his position with 204 caps for West Ham.

Sol was a high profile England player with around 40 caps similar to Rice who also has 40 odd caps to date and similar to Sol played in major tournaments for England.

Sol was a trophy winning Spurs captain having recently won a secondary competition in the League cup, Rice similarly left as a trophy winning captain winning the secondary trophy that is the Europa Conference League.

Of course Sol was a free transfer but had massive pressure on him to perform based on the circumstances of the transfer and his at the time massive wages, whereas Rice is a 9 figure singing hence has similar pressure to perform for different reasons.

What do you think? For me this is the closest signing to Sol or am I missing another top and established England international that Arsenal have signed in the last 25 years?

Obviously the huge difference is that everyone expected the Rice deal and there is very little anger from West Ham Vs the Sol signing who no one saw coming and the Spurs fans never forgave him for, plus Arsenal were already a winning team.

Either way if Rice goes on to mimic half of what Sol did at Arsenal I’ll be very happy!

Cheers,
Paul K, London

World Cup buzz
Women’s football is actually quite cool for those who haven’t watched,

Here is the truly wonderful aspect of the game…It actually looks like the football you played as a kid, you know, with tackles allowed, and players jumping back up after receiving one of them, instead of often hurtling themselves to the floor in hysterical feigns of injury.

The game can actually flow, it is quite entertaining to the say the least.

And for now at least, it feels rather more honest than the gents’ code, which for a fan of sport in general, means it becomes thrilling, I don’t have 20 controversies at the end of the tournament to ponder if the right team won etc.

I have my picks in for the cup, I do think USA does it again, but if you just look at some of the groups, we have top quality football from the outset to enjoy.

Group A, Group D, Group E, Group F and Group H should all be tight with some crackers, very much worth a follow if you have been on the fence.
Manc from SA (IT’S WORLD CUP TIME AGAIN!)

Love football but not watching the women’s World Cup? What’s wrong with you?

Justifying Jordan
Really Ved Sen? You can’t see the difference in a player changing location within England or Europe for a higher salary and a player moving to one of the most oppressive regimes on the planet as part of a sportswashing enterprise?

It doesn’t take ‘yogi like mental gymnastics’ it just takes a very basic moral compass to condemn the already hugely wealthy individuals who are facilitating this grotesque power grab by a country that treats women and LGBTQ+ people as second class citizens.
James Outram, Wirral

…Found it funny that Ved Sen, MUFC thinks that Liverpool fans condemning Henderson are guilty of ‘yogi like mental gymnastics’.He should have a quick look in the mirror. He seems to think fans of bigger clubs shouldn’t get on their high horses because they are often the winners in the ‘bigger fish eats little fish’ world of football capitalism. He equates this to what Saudi are doing now, throwing fistfuls of cash at anything that moves. He is totally missing the point. People aren’t objecting to the cash per se, it’s more the beheadings, the murder of dissidents and journalists, the repressive treatment of gay people, and the modern day slavery.

If he wants an example of proper mental gymnastics, though, he should read Alex, Singapore’s mail. I’m still mesmerised by this dinger of a sentence, the second half of which completely contradicts the first : ‘I reckon if he does go to Saudi Arabia that he has the intention to maybe go as an ambassador to see if he can change hearts and minds as an ally of the LGB community but let’s face it I seriously doubt that’. Take a bow son!
Pablo, MUFC, Dublin

…”I reckon Henderson if he does go to Saudi Arabia that he has the intention to maybe go as an ambassador to see if he can change hearts and minds as an ally of the LGB community”.

One of the stupidest comments and takes you’ll find on the interwebs. Quick question… how does one go about trying to “change hearts and minds” in a country in which fruity love is punishable by death?

What this silly commenter fails to understand is the toxic mix of belief and culture that perpetuates harsh laws in some countries. Not to mention thousand years of history. Plus, who’s Henderson anyway? He has zero clout. And his moral standing was f*cked the moment he bent over to receive the big bucks.
Money Magnet 

Maguire to thrive, Kane to flop?
Haven’t written in for a while and have only been reading sporadically as every time I take a peak I run away twice as fast when I see the beloved mailbox has been taken over by politics mongerers or the submissions are so thin they seem to be letting in people in from the comments section. I know it’s off season but come on people!

Anyway, thought I’d try a nonsensical email about footy to see if those are still allowed…

With the 2 Harry’s, Maguire and Kane possibly about to move clubs, am I the only one that feels that both will have completely different results at a new club?

It is not unreadonable to expect Harry the defender to start playing better for a new club with probably a large weight off his shoulders allowing him to play for club more like he does for country. However, I just have this hunch that should Harry Kane move clubs he just wouldn’t be the same. There isn’t much logic to my argument, more of a gut feeling that some players won’t travel, they are institutionalised and just a perfect fit for their long time club. Think Le Tissier at Southampton and there must be others, I just can’t think of them…
Jon, Cape Town (don’t get me wrong, as an Englishman and England fan I hope both do well should they move)

Felix at Villa
£10 m for a season long loan is complete madness, he was bang average at Chelsea so much so that they don’t want him back. Likewise PSG. And to top that he has stated that he is no interested in playing for Aston Villa.
So could some one explain why on earth Villa would be interested, don’t know what I am missing but this is way beyond comprehension
Colin

An ideal world
After a week that saw Jordan Henderson shake our collective moral compass to its core, I offer a serious but light hearted (yes that is now a thing) list of things Football needs right now to return us to the days when men were men, bravely taking a tackle from behind was not a euphemism and someone in the midlands thought a brown away kit was a good idea

1. When two clubs are said to be “battling it out” to sign a player I demand that both clubs nominate an executive to decamp to rural Lincolnshire to engage in hand to hand combat, the winner emerging with a signed contract and severe injuries

2. Any club that is reported to have a war chest should be legally obliged to display publicly (with adequate security provisions) an old Pirate inspired Oak Chest overflowing with gold coins. The contents of which can only be used to buy munitions and at a stretch, fund the loan signing of a 4th choice goalkeeper

3. “Sack The Board” signs (or duvet covers) should have a clear printed disclaimer acknowledging the clear logical fallacy of making such a demand of the board

4. Player Heat Map graphics should be when possible, embellished with details of average rainfall / wind-speeds in the vicinity of that player.

5. All players (and at this point it is almost all players) who have a sleeve tattoo should have that tattoo printed on the long sleeve version of their jersey so consistency / vanity can be maintained during the winter months.

6. Actual bins to be placed in the top corners of each goal-mouth

7. Managers to be encouraged to think outside the box regarding “taking each game as it comes.” In this era of data analytics, artificial intelligence and great thinkers like Rickie Lambert and Matt LeTissier, we should applaud managers who say in August “I’m not thinking about Utd on Saturday Geoff, I am working backwards from Luton away in February”

That is all, for now

Regards
Rob, Kilkenny