Arsenal latest news: Merino deal agreed | Patino's sad exit | Villa revenge | Season predictions

Intro hello everyone Charles wats here welcome back to inside Arsenal as you can see I'm joined by James benj of CBS Sports which can mean it is time for inside Arsenal extra time James it's been a while mate how are you getting on you've had a haircut since I last spoke to you I have um it has been a very long time hasn't you taking your two weeks holiday disgraceful um robbing me of these opportunities to earn a bit of money on the side yeah it's been uh quite fun I was in holiday in Sicily you were in holiday in Portugal i' suspect people don't want to hear us chat holiday all the time but how was it was the weather nice a few beers there it was it was very nice had some nice food nice wine played some golf it was yeah I can't complain totally switched off as well didn't do didn't record anything I was going to I was thinking about doing a few shows while I was away but I got there within a day and thought no I'm I'm not going to do that I'm going to have a proper switch off and I did and I got back Friday night straight to the game on Saturday straight back into it and uh yeah it was it was it was a lot of fun we'll talk about that uh a little bit later on in the show is that guitar behind you I've just spotted there is that it's a banjo a little bit small for a guitar should we go get it let's have a look are you gon to give us a are you g to give us a CH can you actually play it not no it's not mine ah I I would have loved to have seen you suddenly launch into some spectacular banjo solo that would have been a funny a funny start to the show because I take my job seriously Charles I'm uh up in the Midlands at my mom's house a few days before the game at Villa Park I mean I've told them it's obviously to to catch up with family but it's not it's to get my buzz on for is always one of the most fun games of the Season it is I just noticed but when you go out there we've given a very nice sort of branded section of the show to Adidas from you standing up there in this there are other sportsware companies available uh as we launch into this although we are about to talk about arsenal of course who have their Adidas links as well so um so yeah it's been a decent start to the season obviously I didn't get to see you on Saturday because I was in the stands you were in the Press Box but um job well done to goals clean sheet three points on the board can't really ask for too much more than that can you yeah I thought it was a really nice start like you could see the sort of room for Arsenal to grow but you weren't worried about that because it doesn't feel like Arsenal have to go into the transfer market to solve all their problems I we you know we we can talk a bit about that but there's just room for growth within this team players to get fitter players to just play themselves into form and even while they're at that stage they're still brushing aside opponents two-nil good Premier League opponents so what more could you want than that from the opening weekend no there's a lot of continuity about it as well wasn't it when you sort of go back to this time last season and it was all was like oh what's going on you obviously you got Thomas party playing at right back Gabrielle was out theide you had Kai ht's trying to fit in in that left eight role um and maybe that contributed to Arsenal sort of struggled to get going really through the first few months of the season but this season it certainly looks like you know there's a lot of continuity and why not given they won 16 and last 18 games last season and I think when you got these tough trips which we'll talk about of course Villa coming up this weekend and you got City Chelsea sorry City and Spurs coming up then um you don't want to be to changing too much do you you want to sort of keep with what's working and and what Arsenal I've got right now is working and like like you said I I came away from that game really really happy I know there's some people are a bit sort of negative towards the performance in the second half but look you're going to you're not going to hit the ground running straight away and and and look at your very very best and from from what I saw from Arsenal I was I came away from that game very very happy Sun Sun was shining few beers before the game and um yeah I thoroughly enjoyed it but are the beers the reason you only gave Martin erard a six oh I got hammered I got absolutely hammered in my ratings for uh I always get hammered for my ratings like absolutely they're always a big s a big talking point I always find my ratings when I'm doing it and I don't know if it is maybe the beer talking I'm not going to say that because it's Farm far to but when I'm in the stands and I'm not sitting there with the TV screens the replays I'm not looking at like stats of the game and stuff like that I always find my my ratings are very very different when I'm sitting there watching but is you know I spend load of the game talking to my dad talking to the guys around me you're not always watching exactly what's going on you don't pick up as much because you're not watching it as closely as you kind of are when you've got your work hat on and you're doing all your ratings so um yeah I a lot of people took uh took exception to me giving Martin odard a six and Thomas party a seven I have to say I was was I was struggling to defend that for like the first two days of uh two days of the week but know you know the season started again when people having G me for my ratings so uh so yeah it was H it did you think Martin was that that great did he was I so wrong with a six for martinon I thought he was one of the best players on the pitch for did most people seem to us so I'm presuming I was very wrong well yeah I think I think there's there's so many different ways to sort of experience the game and I tend to find like I I can't really I find it really hard to watch football in a non-work context quite often I'm sure you you were the same when you sort of came out of goal and football. London and you're so used to sort of um you know almost like being in data ingest mode rather than sitting back and enjoying it and um yeah so sometimes it can be I think if you watch it in a different sort of mode I think especially like fans on the TV I think they always enjoy erard because it's the sort of Clips where you go oh wow but quite often when you're working at a game and the ball's in sort of central Midfield with Martin erard you're kind of like that's a moment to to keep to do a bit of typing maybe if it's in the second half because you know he's not going to give the ball away in his own half and that' be a goal out of nowhere so quite often I think if you know some of our viewers if they were ever sat in a Press Box they'd realize there's quite a lot of the wow skill moments that you sort of look up because the crowd made a sound and you missed it because it was in Midfield and at some stage you do have to do your work well you know when was it it was this must have been in the second half and people because I gave party a seven and I missed quite a few like I missed you know that misplaced pass that led to a shot I can't remember who took the shot it was a left from outside a I missed that I turned around I was talking to someone and I heard the oo from the woles fans and look back and ab board flashed wide and I totally missed what had gone on because I was in conversation with the guy next to me H so I you know I didn't know Thomas had given away the ball and that sort of stuff for that so I was still missing things as well but um but yeah everyone's going to always you know you can never do ratings that everyone agrees with and uh and it's always a it's always a source of it's just different opinions isn't it but um I didn't think M Ard played badly I thought six was you know six was I just thought it was an average odard performance from what I had seen and taken into account but clearly I might have been a little bit wrong anding so apologies to Martin if you are if you are watching that we're going to talk about plenty of stuff we're going to focus on the Villa Game of course uh we're going to do our season predictions as we haven't we didn't sort of meet up with each other uh so to speak over this uh medium to um do our predictions before the season started we're going to do it now a week into the season it's a little bit cheated maybe uh so we'll talk about that going to talk about obviously we transfer window stuff as uh as we head towards deadline they got a couple of questions to wrap up as well at the end but I wanted to start today on I'm going to talk about Charlie patino so obviously all the talk at the Patino's exit moment is about Mel uh Marino or Eddie and keto going to not Forest you know type of deals we're expecting big money deals we're expecting to happen at some point pretty soon the the Charlie one yesterday I thought was it really caught my attention and I know it caught a lot it sparked a lot of debate may not because he's gone I think everyone was expecting in this summer you know I certainly was this was a summer they were going to sell Charlie patino it was going to happen but just1 million pound he's gone to De portiva which I think is a brilliant exciting move by the way fantastic Club you know massive Club despite their recent struggles and uh obviously he's got the family connection there as well so it's a really exciting move for him and I really hope he does well but Arsenal just getting one million pounds for a player who you know I remember doing a peaceful goal and I spoke to the Scout who discovered Charlie and brought him to Arsenal and he said he's the best player I've ever seen at that age coming through and um you know lots of hype about him scored on his debut in front of 60,000 in the cup um he never made a premier league appearance after that only made one fa that FA Cup not and Forest defeat wasn't it he played as well um two loone spells in the championship 70 Championship appearan or more than 70 Championship appearances over the last two years and he's gone for a million I think that's low other people haven't uh don't think it's low what were your what was your thoughts when you saw it I mean I certainly thought it was I I think it was low based on what we might have thought Arsenal could have got from P for patino I mean maybe even a year ago but but but certainly a long time before then because you know like you say it was a player of huge talent that that you were really excited to see develop and that a lot of people thought could have been in the Arsenal first team and even if that didn't transpire it felt like a player who would kind of get a fee you know an eight an eight fig um I think to an extent like he's played a lot of games in the championship but he's not been great in the championship and you know sometimes it's easy to hammer the club but but maybe the truth is that patino developed very well and this is the point with development it's very rarely like a smooth upwards trajectory and maybe he's in a down moment and that happens to have coincided with when the time came for Arsenal to to make a decision on his future I think to an extent you could make better lone move decisions for him I I I think looking at his style was the championship really the right place for him he's a bit smaller and more technically Adept would he have made would it have made more sense kind of loaning him to Spain earlier in the earlier in his development so that he can kind of build that um and build that admiration within La Liga so that there's clubs there that want to pay him big money but I think we maybe also just have to accept that this is what happens that you know for every loan for every young player that does make it through there's one or two that go for big money and then there's four or five that go for um a bit of money and 10 that go for no money and we all thought Charlie patino had the potential to be an Arsenal first team player but I don't think anyone ever thought it was guaranteed and no obviously with ner and lisis Skelly at his heels it it's just become apparent that that pathway was not there yeah it's just yeah it feels a little bit sad this one I think because there was like you said there was a lot of hope that he could potentially make the gr there was always a worry about his kind of slight physical frame wasn't there like would did he did he have the physical capability of succeeding in England I mean you say they weren't the best loans they weren't bad loans I mean at the time he was immensely popular at Blackpool when he first went there yeah really made a name for himself there the fans were loving him he he did pretty well he scored some goals got some assists didn't start too badly at Swansea I think the manager change last season at Swansea really killed him in December he barely played when the new manager came in after that um so yeah he's still R you know he's 20 years old he's got SE over 70 appearance in the championship it's not too bad um but yeah I I agree I just think it's it's pretty sad really how it's all sort of ended like this and um I I always look I look back to with Charlie I think I do wonder if Mel might look back and think maybe I could have manage things a little bit better with Charlie because you had that the season when he break through he scored the goal and then he played the game against Forest didn't really play after that did you know thrown into the forest game a little bit that was always going to be a really tricky game and it was his first start FA Cup third round in a cauldron like forest or be at a championship side at that point but it was a much changed Arsenal team and it always felt like he might he was going to struggle in atmosphere he did and we didn't see him again after that but then that following summer he had a really you know was in around the first team training with him I know he made some big impacts in behind closed doors games that Summer with the first team then he went over to Germany remember the game jayus made his debut scored against nurenberg within like 70 seconds Charlie came on in that second half played well and then they were going to go to the USA tour and he thought he was going to go those around him thought he was going to go and at the very last minute like literally the night before I think it was they were going to go he was suddenly pulled aside and told he wasn't going and I know that really sort of knocked him a lot and I wonder if that if he ever really got his confidence back like do they really believe in me from there and then obviously went off on loan to Blackpool and that was kind of done pretty late on and um and I yeah I do wonder if he sort of lost his confidence a little bit in terms of how much belief the uh sort of Senior Management had in him and whether that's played a part in What has been a pretty underwhelming potentially a couple of years for him I I hope he goes over to Spain and does really really well I I do look at Spanish football and think is he just a little bit more suited to that as well that sort of pace of the game and the style of the game because he's a very technically gifted footballer and um yeah it'll be interesting to see how he gets on there Arsenal do have we must say quite a significant Clause I haven't had the exact number but I think it's from what I hear it's over 30% um so if they do if he does do well and they end up you know and Deo end up making some money out of him then Arsenal will will get a nice little chunk of cash a few years down the line which will Top up their overall fee for patino and um yeah I hope he does well because um it would be sad if his sort of career doesn't isn't able to not really live up to the height but at least go somewhere after such a you know he had such high hopes for him coming through at halem yeah I mean that Clause thing Arsenal just made two million pounds from from Mark mcginness who yeah was kind of never really that that was never really like he was never going to be in the Arsenal first team but they made the right sale and I I think that makes more sense than kind of looking to get three or four million up front and with maybe no sell on Clause you know like you say if no no no no I mean like you know in terms of how you think about how you structure the deal maybe it is better to to back Charlie's talent to shine to elsewhere and I mean I think the other learning point from this and one you can see Arsenal applying with Ethan rer is if you think someone is really really good and could break into your first team and we kind of of the view now that ner is a higher level than patino quite ever quite got to but those players you need to keep them round they need to learn how to play your style of football not you know I don't see the value right now of a weri going and getting kicked about in the championship or kicked about in the second Bundesliga when he could you know learn from Martin erard and learn from jayus and and Kai havs and all those players and it's interesting to see that there's not really any Prospect of Neri being loaned out from what I've heard because they want him around the squad that they see him eventually playing in yeah no I can't see him him going out at all um interesting mil miles goes out I obviously he wasn't with the squad of the weekend he was back with the 21s playing at left back again for the 21s um it' be interesting to see if they decide to to loan him out to get some to get some football um i s s talking about patino and the and the fee did you see the Liverpool selling Bobby Clark to um uh sber about 10 million for him um he's only played about 10 games or be it for Liverpool rather than uh you know dropping Downs in a championship but there's sort of big difference in you got patino 7 old games in a championship Bobby Clark going for 10 times the amount that patino's gone for um so yeah Ed can't sell huh edu can't sell do can't sell to be fair the sell the selling has been pretty decent this summer especially if go what looks like he's going to go for you can't really complain too much about um about the selling so yeah uh that's uh the end well it's not been confirmed yet obviously but we're expecting confirmation at some point that that Charlie is heading out right what about other sort of transfers we're still waiting last time we spoke uh we were probably waiting for Mel Moreno um deal to go through or Marino I keep saying I keep calling Morino it's Marino and I need to keep slapping myself um in terms of the pronunciation lots of people prefer Albert Mareno would you yeah everyone keeps everyone keeps Maro I Transfer chat don't know why I keeps slipping into it it's Marino obviously but um yeah we're still waiting for confirmation of his deal not not agreed yet so he might be waiting a little bit longer can't imagine we're going to see him even if he does sign now until after the international break because even if he does sign I doubt they throw him straight into the game next week against Brighton probably take a little bit of time to uh to bed him in but we're waiting on waiting on that we'll see what happens V and ker in not and Forest but well we got about eight days n days left of the transfer window now with these de these deals potentially happening and maybe some other things later on Happening Now how do you sort of assess where Arsenal are sort of incomings and outgoings with the squad as we as we head into the F towards the final week it's fine um I don't want to come across as sort of negative for the sake of it but the one thing I would say is look you know there's a lot of talk about sell to buy you know keeping the books tidy my understanding of that situation is it's not a absolute Financial requirement that Arsenal have to you know Arsenal aren't in the same position Chelsea are in where they just have to get the money in if they want to then you know keep within PSR compliance and bring someone else in i i i my from what I've heard it's really more about being conscious of it not pushing yourself up to the PSR limit and then maybe robbing yourself of the chance to do a deal in the future I personally I I disagree with that I understand those that think that's the right way to do it but right now I feel like Arsenal have this sort of window that they could crack open a little bit wider by being more aggressive in the window by getting in that that forward that extra forward to really add to add to their quality and look I think the way Marino will work is is almost like a forward he'll be Ted with pressing well winning aerial Jews recycling possession in the final third is that LE left eight but yeah I I worry that Arsenal will sort of feel like their window has closed a little bit come the end of or not not that their window has closed that they didn't open it in the way they might have given that this is a transitional season for City it looks like they sort of bring back gundan to strengthen of the Midfield it's good but it's not not going to rock anyone's world it's very good I should say it feels like this is a moment and I worry that Arsenal might let it slip I might be in the minority there but that that's kind of where my head's at no you're well you might be the minority I I agree with you I think they're one short I think if if it's just Mourinho and then potentially a replacement for Aaron if he does go I still feel they're one shot I think I think they needed to get a forward in whether that be a striker or a Winger I think they I think they're definitely in attacker short especially when you think they've sold Eddie well looks like they're going to sell Eddie as as long as that goes through and they sold their Mill yes they didn't play that many minutes between them last season but they're still two attacking players that have gone out of the club two attacking options you had within the squad that you've you've let go we don't even know what's going to happen with if there might be a late move for ree Nelson as well so I I think I think they have one short uh going forward and I'll be a little bit disappointed I have to say I don't think it's I don't think it's a disaster if they don't sign anyone I still think they can easily well not easily but I think they can still compete for the for the league title if they do just go with what they've got but I would have preferred them to have gone with one forward one more forward and look that might still happen you know there's still plenty of time left in the window and um uh and I don't think Arsenal are ruling out the possibility of signing a forward I've always been told that a forward is on the agenda this summer and so I don't think that's necessarily finished I need to watch what I said say here because I was doing my show with te new and ticks earlier and we were just chatting about Nico Williams and and I was saying you know that that obviously they like Williams we know that it's not a secret it's been reported widely and uh and so who knows he's got Rel CL that could be something that they look to do and I wasn't saying they were going to do it now all of a sudden it's all over Twitter that are just in from Charles watts and it's all me saying about niik Williams which wasn't what I was saying at all it was just in a wider conversation so if anyone's listening please don't do that but you know that is the sort of option isn't it who first he would need to want to sign for Arsenal in the first place but um and they would need some green light for that to happen but there are those sort of release Clause options which you could do later on in the window and surprise everyone and you know if they were to do something like that I just think they give themselves so much of a better opportunity of going on and winning this title this season I just feel they're one potentially one short and it'd be such a shame if they just as we sort of progress through the season if it becomes very very apparent that they probably going to have left themselves a little bit short and they could have maybe done a bit more in the transfer window exactly um sorry I got a little bit distracted just as we were um recording that's a few reports coming out from San Sebastian and the Spanish media that a fee may have been agreed we shall i' I was literally while you were talking looking at the exact same thing before that as well I saw Romano tweeting a picture of a pen and uh above Mel Marino so safely say about that we may well be getting uh there may well be some news by the time we finish recording this or indeed he might just someone might just be um continually tweeting about something because then you always have a tweet that says you were right yeah somewhere you'll find it and quite we can we can but speculate yeah but look I think we're all expecting Marino to be done this was always kind of the week that L like it was going to happen but it's just more that attacking player I still feel they're short in that in that regard and it' be it' be a shame shame if um if it didn't happen what do you think about the Eddie Eddie stuff 30 million good deal great deal really good deal Freddy as well um yeah I think so Forest although I mean agree with you like I I think he will do we probably do well there but if I was Nuno I would be sort of looking at aan and sort of using him more um I mean if I don't know if he sort of gets in the 11 if you playing one up top because Chris Wood's been very useful for them as well um but you know I think that's not really an Arsenal problem is it if if a team wants to come in for the 30 million Mark Freddy and KY yeah that's a great deal go and look at that fa youth Cup squad from Freddy jungberg season in charge of the 21s or whatever it was and look how much money Arsenal have raped in from that one of the great Academy classes from from any club in recent memory yeah good deal Freddy really did make huge amount of money from from that crop of players didn't they when you when you look at it and that's before you even sort of add what B sacker is now worth and stuff into that mix as well it's incredible uh how much that team has generated um yeah I think it's a good deal I think he'll do really well for them as well I I honestly you just mentioned in the name Chris Wood just I I just get angry I just think back to those misses against Manchester City I like I saw him he scored the other day on the opening day didn't he and I just looked I was just like how did you miss three open goals against Manchester City that can you not stick one of them away every time I watch him now hear his name but what didn't he didn't he score for Forest the year the year before against City not sure can't remember that was the day we were at Villa Park of course he the last point that City dropped yeah yeah he got the late the late equalizer in that game didn't he he's done Arsenal enough favors well not really not really UND he undid all his good work by missing about open goals last season against him in theame I was watching that at the Spurs after Arsenal beating Spurs 3-2 and it we were watching in the Press R and i' walked out after about the fourth open goal miss just I'd had enough had enough at that point it was quite you talked about Aston Villa there obviously that game is coming up now for Villa preview Arsenal this weekend really big game on the back of you know both sides actually I thought Villa were good against West Ham I didn't see the whole game but the of extended highlights I saw could have been out of sight after sort of half an hour of that game let West H back into it but then Duran scored the winner um so yeah big game revenge on Arsenal's mind you think back-to-back defeats against Villa Hing away last season Mel versus un I've seen so much conversation about who's the better manager between Mel and I wonder you know if they're both managing Arsenal and Villa in eight years time I wonder if there'll still be that debate before every time they play play against each other if there'll still be the who's the better manager Mel Arsenal I did Arsenal make a mistake in second unai Emery it's like no they didn't make a mistake emry is a fantastic manager he's doing brilliant things at Aston Villa but Arsenal didn't make a mistake in sacking him it was the right it was absolutely the right decision to sack him the mistake was not sacking earlier exactly the results were terrible the football was worse the stadium was half empty they lost a change room they just had to sack him and it was the right decision it was the right decision to appoint artetta Villa made the right decision to appoint Emory both clubs are now reaping the benefit of having two fantastic managers working for them and uh yeah that's it we don't need to have this conversation every time they play each other about who is the uh who is the better manager but it's a big game for Arsenal this I mean it's a big game for Villa as well but it's a big game on the back of those two defeats last last season um we know that Arsenal used defeats and sort of Revenge missions to their advantage in recent season artetta loves to sort of remind his players of that I'm sure he'll be doing that ahead of this weekend's game but it is a big game isn't it because of what happened last season huge and and I think that Revenge will be particularly strongly felt for these two games because these are zero points where Arsenal should have got six um I mean like from a refereeing officiating point of view I think there's a valid thing to say they should have got at least one for uh that goal that wasn't that was definitely a goal but all sorts of V weird weirdness early in that season but I think we forget the first half of the second Villa game was some of the best football Arsenal played all season and would go on to play All Season they were Sensational there and the ball just didn't go in the net um and actually I thought were you know we remember back that December evening Villa Park brilliant atmosphere brilliant experience um and as good as Villa were at that stage of that season and arsenal were better they just had just incapable of navigating a basic offside trap um one of those S of really weirdly off games for Martinelli because but also almost like everyone was a bit like why why are they like five yards in their inside their own half um so I think there will be a real strong sense of Let's Go and show this team how much better we are than them it would be intriguing to sort of see how much better Villa are I thought Anana had a great game but I wonder in this game will they miss the sort of do a bit of everything presence of of Douglas Lise off the ball um yeah I I'm quietly confident that Arsenal will will go there and and really assert themselves intrigued to see who plays at the base of Midfield though that's the one thing where I sort of think you know do I want olle Watkins hurrying at parte or jinho or rice I don't know the answer to that but I'm very intrigued to see how Etta goes about that it feels like it's the only real spot in the 11 that's up for grabs because I thought zenchenko was quite good last week interesting so you think zenchenko is going to I don't think zinenko will start I think he'll take him out the team I I think that's the one position I I think Thomas will start in that game but I think I I think when you look at how Villa set up where they how they attack Bailey look really really good against West Ham uh did you see that uh the Miss where he put it into the side netting early on but the touch to bring down that ball and get around the goalkeeper and and the sort of second touch as well brilliant foot wonderful piece of play from Bailey it was a shame he missed it um and I I wonder if Mel might a lot of it depends on if Timber is fit because I don't think cury is going to be an option yet the fact that Timber came on ahead of cury last week suggest I don't think he's going to be seen as an option yet for this one so but if Mel thinks that Timber might you know can do 70 minutes I wonder if you might think that's a better defensive option than zinchenko for this game I think I think that's a that might well be that's a big decision I think he's got to make that's a hard one to call though I I thought T Timber was great fun when he came on but it sort of felt like he was playing with a point to prove and so was some of there was a giveaway that I think if it been zenko the Emirates would have been like yeah yeah he it was when he did that lovely bit of skill and the whole crowd and then he tried to do it again and got robbed of possession and they nearly scored and he ran back holding his hands up and it's like yeah I agree the first thing I thought was if sinenko had done that he'd be getting absolutely hammered exactly um I I always think with the I I tend to sort of disagree with you on the sort of like making the change to strength in your defense if it means hampering your Effectiveness on the ball but I I mean I do think that zinchenko and parte while that pairing gives you so much ball progression I think at Villa Park I would be open to sacrificing one of those two in terms of possession just to be a bit more secure so I guess it does become you'd have R I think I probably would agree with you though and play Timber at left back parte at the six because I think rice will be very helpful for for getting at Tans getting at on and meeting them in the you know high up the pitch getting the pressure on and then yeah um I think probably then you do have to sort of say not a game for zenchenko bring him off the bench as well I think he'd be so he could be really useful off the bench because pretty obvious he's not got in him to play a full 90 at the moment because if you play if you if you went with rice as a six say sticks with jinen chenko and brings rice to six you got to play havit probably then move habits out of the striker role don't you play as the eight and jayus up front which you know he he's inclined to do and he's done it before but he both those games that Arsenal lost last season that was how Arsenal played didn't he brought jayus in for the game at the Emirates and hav dropped back to eight and they lost that game and it's like could you we all talk about it don't we like oh no and fans do whenever they see HS at eight it's like oh I can't do this he can't do this I Mel wouldn't think about that obviously but when you sort of look back to those two games and think that's how I set up last season we lost both games like can can you do that again can you do this make the same decision again when you lost both games because of it not because of it but playing that way last season I I I don't I'd be very surprised interesting what he does I thought trossard would start last week against walls um he started Mar obviously um I didn't think Martinelli played badly in that game but um when you look at that that High Line and you talked about what happened last season and how Villa play you would think that Martinelli be better placed again than trossard maybe to expose that High Line um so would he start again was that why he started against wolves to get him ready for the Villa game I don't know so there are some decisions that Mel has to make yeah but they're all good decisions such luxury decisions at the start of this week I did a sort of how like question from the opening week on like the three title challenges um and I was like I have no idea kind of quite how City are going to set up their Midfield um and their front line there's so much fluid at the moment with a guys like Alvarez and with rodri injured I wrote about Liverpool I have no idea if they're the team from the first half against hi switch or the last half an hour whereas with Arsenal it was just like H who do you want to play on Midfield it's all good I'm just looking sorry I've lost my way there I'm just looking at the the report rep are coming out from the reporters in in San Sebastian saying that um live reporting yes agreement between Arsenal and Sid dad for Marino Arsenal will pay 32.5 million EUR plus five M five plus five million in feasible variables this is my translation so I presume that's like fairly fairly achievable clauses I imagine that means doesn't it Marino leaves after six successful seasons in San Sebastian so that's that's what's being said right now as we're recording over in Spain uh obviously I'm sure me sort of subtly chase that up going to be chasing this up as soon as we're done recording this we're going to be chasing this up to see if we can get confirmation of that from from the sort of Arsenal side but that is certainly coming out so it looks like we are approaching the end game finally when it comes to uh Mel Marino um right let's move on to a couple of questions now shall we before we oh no got forgot about predictions before we got that that was what we were most excited about in today's show wasn't it so we're going to Rattle through some of our predictions now everyone we're going to Season predictions do some Arsenal ones and then a couple of sort of wider Premier League ones uh to go with so we'll do with the generic ones first of all in terms of Arsenal shall we so who have you got down as player of the Season Martin erard um I mean I I I made some of these I have him as the Premier League player of the season and I made some of these calls just kind of off the back of preseason but this guy rocked up to preseason very very ready to uh to show the rest of the world who he is and that he's one of the best players in the world so yeah I think it's I mean there's lots of options but for me he actually felt like quite an obvious pick and everyone complained I didn't put him in the top five last season so there you go yeah I agree he's my he's my player of the Season as well that would be would that be three years in a row if he wins player the season would that be three years in a row from an Arsenal point of view anyway from a club player of the season um yeah not many people have done because sacka never quite Managed IT no sacka got two didn't he until odard rocked up and uh so yeah now I'm going for that top goal scorer top goal yeah this was one where I am changing my actual pre-season pick I had jayus but I think you probably need to give it to sacka because when he's scoring those open Play Goals and then probably taking the bulk of penalties I hope Etta keeps doing what he did last season and and Tink ING with that but yeah bulk of penalties plus his shooting form of late he seems actually quite an obvious choice I think he might even get to 20 if he yeah I I I've gone sacka as well and I think he'll get 20 Premier goals this season sacka I mean to be fair the rate that hav is scoring at since he's moved to the central Striker role you know he could well be pushing if he can continue that he could well be pushing between the 15 and 20 goal Mark come the end of the season if he can carry on that that sort of rate that he's scoring I think have four or five players in double figures for the Premier League alone that is a very good way to win a title much more than having doesn't hurt if it's earling Island but much more than having sort of one guy score 30 and the next guy score eight what about cards on the table time Arsenal's final league position what are you going for easy peasy no doubt in my mind Arsenal are going to finish first has more doubt in my mind having seen City uh at Stanford bridge on Sunday but I still think AR going to win the league you've got the same haven't you I have got the same yes I've said that I've said that for a while I think Arsenal win the League this season has your opinion changed somewhat not just from CN City the weekend but the fact they're now bringing gundan back as well do you think that makes a massive massive difference uh I mean it's it's not a massive difference he was good at Barcelona last season and obviously he will slot in but he is still 33 I mean it's it's possible that the legs might not be what they were and I think that's got to be kind of the worry across the whole city team isn't it that the players that are still there don't quite have the legs in them to to do it all I think they're so reliant on rodri having said that I do think it will be sort of one and two neck and neck decided on the final day or two um but yeah I mean it's certainly like I I would have put it at like a 55 Arsenal 40 city five the rest I think maybe now it's sort of 53 42 and 5% the rest bit more you you were at Stanford Bridge weren't you for the Chelsea Chelsea C I didn't see great I didn't see it they didn't look great did he say I mean Chelsea looked okay as well I mean they were playing a higher level of Opp position city than uh than arsenal were of course but sort of looked like they were still trying to figure a lot of things out it was de bruyne was sort of in a very different position the Wingers were um struggling a little bit to get past kukar and Gusto and they weren't creating a lot of good opportunities even while seeing quite a bit of the ball I mean you only need to make one when you've got Harland but yeah I certainly didn't come away from it like feeling Blown Away by how good they were no but then again I suppose you can say the same about Arsenal it's just about winning indeed and winning at Stanford bridge on the opening day it's not you can't really complain about that um right what about Champions League where do you think Arsenal reach this season in this new Mad crazy Champions League format which I still don't actually really understand well I could I think they'll get in the top eight and then they'll reach the semifinals getting in the top eight would be massive if they don't do that then I think that will spoil some of their trophy chances but yeah top eight semi-finals beaten by Madrid if you get in the top eight do you skip around do you have less fixtures you do you go straight into the round of 16 okay and then the teams that finish 16th to 24th or sorry 9th to 24th will play a preliminary round in in February so that's basically like a playoff that's like a playoff is it to get round 16 so there's also eight games to eliminate eight round of game to eliminate eight teams um I mean we we'll know more about kind of their prospects when the F fix list comes out because I just think if you get a bad fixure list and then you therefore don't make the top eight because a few few of the the super teams have got favorable draws then I think you could kind of find yourself really up against it with those two extra games probably against a good team so if I was arteta I'd be sort of fingers crossed for the the AI software favors AR yeah when is that draw that's next week is it it's Thursday Thursday and then Thursday Friday deadline day Friday is it which we do need to consider when we think about when we're going to do our pods well do you know where I am next Thursday and Friday Golf Course chesington world of Adventures it's been booked in pages and I just did not take deadline day or anything into account uh for it and I am see you on Wednesday we staying we're staying in the hotel and like doing Thursday Friday at chest World Adventures and it just Happ s to be on Champions League draw day and uh and transfer deadline day as well going up down the roller coaster David orstein bom while we're talking Arsenal reach agreement in principle with sad to sign Mel Moreno 33.5 million plus 5 million add-ons so those reports coming out of Spain were correct personal terms already done obviously we already know that to join on four-year contract with an option of a fifth which and that option is in the club club's so uh so yeah Mel Moreno on his way to Arsenal finally and also some other reports in Spain are that he could even be traveling tonight do his medical now he's just waiting clearance from sad to be able to make that Journey so yeah Mel Marino is a Marino keepo stop it stop I don't know what it is it's like a tick or something Mikel Marino is now officially on his way to Arsenal so uh so yeah it' be good to see him on board so right where we got to Champions League we both said oh no you said semi-finals sem yeah what are you going for um I am going for I am going for I'm going for quarterfinals again oh yeah I'm not sure they get past semifinals again I'm I think that the it's all all guns blazing on the Premier League this season so uh yeah I think quarterfinals for that right moving on to sort of top four now we obviously know one of your top top four predictions is Crystal Palace because you've said that for in the past and puts on that so really it's just a top so it's a top three prediction really for you plus Crystal Palace I believe I was very very clear that that was subject to them only losing Michael Alis um and taking out their two starting center backs has perhaps prompted a reassessment for me when worried is am am I hearing a bit of concern some nerves here there's some nerves here I should say I would still stand by my preseason prediction that they will finish above Chelsea although I'm worrying about that one as well I mean losing and gay I get there's a lot of money but Anderson to Fulham for 30ish million seems daed anyway we're not inside Crystal Palace uh second and third I'm sure deafening sound of backtracking going on here second and third uh I'm sure we're the same um I've got City second Liverpool third then I have Newcastle in fourth Newcastle right well I am yeah I I agree I think top three is going to be as you were um and I haven't really put any thought into this before we came on came on air I'm trying to think who the who the fourth club would be I don't think it's going to be that lot from the bridge I don't think it's going to be Spurs I just think they're going to concede too many goals um I think it might be Villa again you know I know vill have lost Louise and they've lost deby but I don't think they were too bothered about losing diby obviously they they've replaced Louise with Anana which is a different type of midfielder um I just think with Em In Charge really good manager I think they're going to score plenty of goals I mean they're going to need Watkins to have a similar sort of season to what he had last season and they've got the the Champions League to sort of concern themselves with as well but no I think have no Europe that's my pitch to you for picking Newcastle no Europe they got no Europe they got no Europe at all at all what about man united can man united sneak forth with all the signings that they're making can they just about do it oh no I'm going V I'm going I'm going the same top four as we had last season I mean I I would I'd be delighted to see Villa back in the Champions League as well and see them kind of rewarded for ambition I think it I for me I thought Villa and um Newcastle were were just as convincing as as United and Spurs actually had Spurs fifth when I did the whole table but skeptical about that if they can't even beat um Lester so who's going down then who's your who's your bottom three uh IP switch yeah leester on the assumption that the PSR uh penalty comes they might lose six points I reckon if they lose six [Music] I think 100% I know they've bought sandberger and I think he's very good I still think Fulham are going down they're never going down I I against United this is as bad is your Palace top four your prediction that Fulham are going down no chance they going Southampton are going to go down ahead of Fulham Chelsea would go down ahead of Fulham I be Hampton it's hard to read much into into that that opening game because obviously so much everon are going to struggle again I think you know are they going to get hit by another another penalty at some point F never going down I tell you what if fulam go down we I you you won't owe me anything if Fulham go down I'll WIP I'll wipe the Crystal Palace bet if Fulham go down I'm that confident that they're not going to they're not going to go down um I think forest or Bill W I think Eddie will fire them score enough goals to keep them up so I I think this might be the season which would be quite funny not from an Everton point of view as well but going into the new their new stadium as a championship club uh maybe Everton might I think if they're in the championship they may not there may not be a club to fill that new stadium that is true that is true I just don't know if ever are going to score I just don't see where the goals come from for everon again this season so I I think between Southampton I don't want to just predict that the two the three teams that came up again go straight back down um so I might just throw Everton in rather than Southampton so I'm going ipswitch leester and Everton yeah I think that's all valid for me like ips switch and Leicester look like they might get a bit cut Drift But no PSR penalty and I think Leicester right in the mix I how the hell Tottenham didn't how they drew that game against leester I will never ever know it's hilarious honestly the first 20 minutes it should have been 5 60 is that every time they went forward they created not just a good chance not just a chance but a really good chance and they just couldn't hit bar door SP just made is the history of the Tottenham it isn't Jamie vard's uh Jamie vardy when he's getting substituted was just absolute gold absolute gold one day I would love to do set aside like a whole pods to to think about the sort of alternate reality of what happens in 2016 if if Jamie vardy says yeah go on I fancy playing under big ass and Wenger let's see how that goes yeah that would have been interesting if V had turned up right let's move on to some questions and comments now because we're approaching the 50 minute Mark just got a couple of questions to round this up the first one comes from Johnny says hi Charles have you seen lukan's goal against lusen luk goals against lusen Left Foot Right Foot power and accuracy with both but would you buy him obviously they have been linked with luk lukman which you know nothing that I've had confirmed at all on that so it is just purely speculation uh which I think might well have even been debunked elsewhere by now uh but would lukman be a player that um that you would could get on board with had Arsenal if Arsenal did move for him um I mean I would be sort of okay with him as a depth piece at the right price depends on the price yeah yeah as always it depends a bit on the price I do think sort of the way Atalanta play there's not an obvious sort of CounterPoint in Arsenal for what he does where he's a sort of second Striker and you could really see that from a left from left eight for lman so it wouldn't be one I'd rush out to do but then again I love I love everyone that's come through the Chon Academy I think they create both good footballers and good young men um so I wouldn't be like saying this is a disaster but I don't think it would move the needle either and and like you say it's one that has been debunked almost as quickly as it's reported and I've not heard anything to make me think that's going to happen and then one from Avon Teddington says hi Charles and B another one in call you Ben Arsenal have two Arsenal have to play two additional group stage games in the CL this coming season we might also have to face top tier clubs in the draw already have a very crowded schedule with many games between September and April taking place at three-day intervals so my question is have we added enough to the squad to take up to nine additional fixtures for going deep in the fa and League cups or is it more likely the field a mixture of backup players and youngsters in the Cup competitions that they have in recent Seasons um yeah I thought this was an interesting one just a sort of discussion about the cups because Arsenal I I think this season is a big one for Arsenal in the cups I think they have to do better they have to show that they're now A Team capable of going deep in all competitions you can't just be throwing I don't think they've necessarily thrown the cup Rec they gave it a good go you know they played very well against Liverpool in the cup game in the third round they could easily have won that game had their finishing been on point and obviously they they wasn't and they got hit on by sort of two sucker punches late on but it's been a while now since Arsenal had a good cup run basically since they won won the cup and I think that needs to change this season they've got to they've got to go a little bit deeper you can't just be relying on you know putting all your eggs in the Premier League basket you see what I mean and so I would hope that they take they take the cup seriously this season and they've got a squad capable of doing that I I do agree broadly I haven't really sort of worked out in my head how the efl cup will work with the those two extra Champions League games because normally I would sort of say oh well you know um different teams and actually there's normally quite a bit of breathing space early in the season for you to sort of go at the efl cup but that might not be the case and so I think it's therefore it's perfectly valid to just sort of roll out the B team on mass and if they run into a team like West Ham that are a bit more up for the competition like they did last season I'm not going to slaughter them for getting knocked out you need the luck of a draw don't you you do and yeah it's the same with the FA Cup isn't it I I just think in the end you know Arsenal's white whale at the moment is the the Premier League I mean if you want to argue it's the Champions League that's fine so I I know it's frustrating and I know the the aim of the the the the game is to win trophies but the aim of the game if you're arist to win the big trophies it's really hard to balance um but and you have to be able to balance it that's what Liverpool Prov that's what city prove but I think that actually really it's probably been about right and Arsenal just got some bad draws at some some inopportune moments and delivered bad performances yeah right before we W wrap this up then as the news has broken while we've been on on air you sort of immediate thoughts now on the fact that Marino is you know Breaking - Merino deal agreed! potentially arriving in in London later on tonight I mean it's a it's a big deal for Arsenal for it's a you know Spanish International a player who um has had a very good time of it at sad you would think he's a player who is going to come in you know maybe not straight away but to be a a starter in Arsenal's strongest teams against the best clubs away from home um what' you make of it excited not well I mean you know without wishing to sort of spoil the party I not thrilled but but I think impressed because I can sort of see how he will fit into what Arsenal need he does feel like a really natural left eight that allows you to do more try more with Kai HZ I prob agree with you basically what they hoped htz was going to be last season is I think they've basically signed havs from last season but someone who's used to playing that role and has played that role before and also maybe with a few more of the sort of jackary qualities from Deep um you know he's not maybe quite as expansive a passer as as Jaca but he's not going to give possession away very technically strong as well and just gobbling up all those aerial balls that should be very fun I'm sure Declan rice is sort of looking forward to another target for his Corners I I mean I don't want to sort of seem down on it it's just um I don't think it's transformative but Arsenal don't need to transform so I think it's a good signing that will yeah like you say be either the third man in Midfield or the first man Off the Bench to to add to the Midfield so positive signs does everything like you said that Arsenal would want from a left eight so quick easy fit and um I guess now contrary to what we were saying half an hour ago maybe you could imagine him sort of coming off the bench against Brighton and uh getting some minutes in and then he can really hit the ground running in I was G to say in the international break but presumbly he'll be with Spain so actually quite good to get it done before the international break so that he can get a a little bit of climatized and when he comes back from the Spanish national team he's not like right where's my locker all that stuff yeah yeah well you say it's not transformative I mean it is in a way just because you would think that it means that deam rice is now going to be Arsenal's number six in those games which you know for the second half of the Season he really hasn't been and um so in a way it is because then we're going to we're kind of going back to what the plan was at the start of last season weren't we that that got thrown out because harberts didn't really work as a left eight and suddenly he did work as a central Striker so they had to change that then they had to fill that left eight role with someone else it was Dean rice who moved forward further forward for the majority of the gam so it does transform things a little bit I would say only if we definitely assume that that Marino starts over parten I guess rice has been really good as a left eight than he's been as a six but I don't think M I don't think Mourinho is coming in to be a squad player at his age for the money that Arsenal are paying for him I think he's coming in to start again maybe not straight away he'll will be he'll be allowed time to bet in and adjust but I think he's being signed as a more often than not a starter especially in the in those big games so you think if arsenal were going I was he said Old Trafford big games if arsenal were going to the etad when Arsenal go to the ETI had you think the Midfield will be right at the base necessarily because that's virally straight after the win is that the f is that yeah let's say it's December I think I think he needs you know a month six weeks whatever until Mel's really happy that he's settled and and has learned the learned how the team plays and and all that um but I think as the season progresses he's he's obviously coming in as a as with a long-term view of being that guy in the in the big games I think so you think sort of at anfield on May the 10th if everyone's fit it'll be a Midfield tree of rice Marino and erard if he's played well by that point May yeah yeah I I know but I know what you mean but yeah I think it's clearly the plan I would say that the plan is rice odard Marino I would say I think you're probably right in many ways I think the most exciting bit is that it can be rice Marino erard it could be exactly rice there's so many ways of doing it so many options that's the challenge for aretta Is He said all all summer long that that's what he wants from his team um I want to see him prove that that's real because I think sometimes he's had options that he's not used um and I hope that sort of getting this doesn't mean that it comes to March and one of those three gets injured and you know you're sort of looking at jino and um or parte and they've not played any minutes and you don't feel ready to Chuck them I can't imagine that's the case because yeah there be lots I think there's lots of times when you can take Marino out out out for games and you can play your party or geino you can move rice back to that position so yeah it just gives him so many options I think but I would say in those in those big games where you're playing potentially what you think is your strongest 11 if he h comes in and is a success that that that will be the uh that will be the Midfield three for that game so yeah interesting one it's been a good show we've had breaking Transfer News coming during it which which we've had to had to jump on which has been uh which has been a lot of fun and it'll be interesting to see what happens in the next 24 hours Mel speaking 9:30 tomorrow at um so we'll get the latest from him although he will no doubt say I can't talk about players AR players even though is probably going to be at London con at the exact same time um but uh yeah hopefully that will be wrapped up very very swiftly and I wonder what number you get 14 14 what's going what's floating around 10's available oh yeah imagine that giv that'll be as bad as Galas always um I mean people should know football. London used to do huge numbers sh not just when he gets the shirt number the shirt numbers available to him yeah yeah I suppose 10 isn't out of the Realms of possibility for the position that he plays actually I'm not sure he doesn't he doesn't feel like he's obviously not a number 10 but um it wouldn't be I it I said it' be as bad as Galas it wouldn't it wouldn't quite be as bad as Galas no give it erard yeah no I want to keep odard as eight I'd be a bit worried that he sort of give oard 10 it might like curse him or something so I'd be sticking with I'd be sticking with eight thr to God for now but around sorry we need to get this we need to answer this before we let the viewers go I was just looking but I couldn't it was too it was it was too tough to work out on the Fly for me because I'm looking at the numbers in the squad now so got one two three four there's oh no five six who's Seven's seven eight nine so yeah 10's free 11 is Martinelli obviously 12's timber timber 13 did someone take 13 recently no you don't want 13 though do you no you don't really want scream back up goalkeeper 14 is be is Gonna Come clear 15's Kar that might become available fairly soon 16 is free there's no great standout numbers there what did zenko just give up to take 17 35 35 so it might be something like that but maybe maybe he'll take 13 maybe he doesn't care about that maybe he'll go for 13 give him the oft contested number 34 shirt yeah right we are going to cut this now cuz we are right on the hour I think it's the longest show we've done for a fair while but it's been a pleasure been good to be back doing it once again we will do one next week I'll do it before I head up and queue on the vampire R so uh we'll get that done and um yeah enjoy you g you're G Viller I'm not there this Saturday um Michelle's working on Saturday and had it booked in for ages so I've got the kids on Saturday I'll be in the Press Box for the Brighton game so uh I will see you then I imagine you going to be there at Brighton that's the wife's birthday so no game that weekend I won't be with you in the Press Box I see sometime in October I guess or whatever late September after the international break all right mate have a good one I'll catch up you soon see you soon bye-bye byebye