Turner couldn't bail us out this time, saving one PK while his opposite number saved two in the shootout. Few of the MLS players in the roster for this Gold Cup can say they sealed a spot in future World Cup qualifiers (if any--the US, as co-hosts, is an automatic participant this cycle). Ferreira scored a lot of goals. Turner was always a lock. The rest gave energetic performances but didn't stand out.
....
The lawyers took a week to draw up the paperwork, so Declan Rice's welcome to Arsenal happened today, though everyone knew it was coming. Jurrien Timber arrived from Ajax a day earlier. £200M has bought us three big pieces in the jigsaw puzzle that just might look, when assembled, like a trophy celebration. Our first choices in every position save center forward are first rank, and there is more than adequate cover for them all, with the possible exception of Rice. Xhaka is gone, and Partey expected to follow (though it's not certain). Were Rice to have to miss a big game, we could go three at the back, or repurpose a defender (Timber?) as a holding mid. Either one would be fine with me.
We'll have to sell, and there are some fine players who will attract significant offers. Balogun should go for £40M, Holding for maybe £5M, Cedric for almost nothing, Tavares and Lokonga for something between £5M and £10M each. If we sell Tierney, he should bring £25M. (All those are guesses; Transfermarkt thinks I undervalued a few of those players.) That can either be reinvested in another good player or return to Stan Kroenke's piggy bank.
Speaking of our esteemed owner, I owe Mr. Walton an apology. He's a winner.
In 2022, Kroenke experienced a unique feat with three of his teams winning championships in the same calendar year - the Rams winning the Super Bowl (February), the Mammoth winning the NLL Championship (June), and the Avalanche winning the Stanley Cup (June).[56][57]
In 2023, Kroenke's Denver Nuggets won the NBA Championship, giving him four different sports titles in a 16-month span.
Now he seems determined to back Mikel for a run at a major title for Arsenal--maybe more than one. In the past, I have criticized him, but he's done well in the last three years. I believe he has confidence in our manager and Edu, the guy who does the transfer deals. We got Martinelli for very little and he's an elite winger; Edu had proven his worth. Now it's on to the next step. If there's no silverware for a third year running, it will be a huge disappointment.
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