I think if we have to play without Raya, Rice, Saka, Odegaard, Bruno, Zubi, Timber, and Eze, with them all out at the same time, we are *really* gonna have some problems.

"The gloom deepens for Mikel Arteta" says the moron with the microphone. Who cares about the result? This is a practice game with a backup keeper. Honestly, not everything matters that much.

So I have no idea what the player will do (ego, prestige of Madrid, emotion, it's a messy choice), but this isn't exactly a surprise.

1.76 Acres@onepointsevensixacr.es · 7d ago

I suspect Thurs/Fri we get a leak about an “improved Madrid offer” with nothing to explain exactly just how improved that offer is. People will react accordingly but nobody will really have any idea of what “improved” means. Consider the sourcing, and who the story will benefit if Vini leaves.

Vini saying "I sign" or "sell me" are both easy solutions to deal with for Madrid. The decision they will have a harder time with is if he says "I am going to run down my contract". Presumably they would need the most time (from now until the window closes) to deal with that latter answer.

“Who the hell needs two Brazilians in a week?”, asked the salon owner. “Arsenal, that’s who”, I replied. One down. One to go. The second won’t be smooth, either.

I wonder how close it is to this. The Taylor story at the top of this thread seemed rather evidently Newcastle briefing, and it has mostly manifested. Took longer than expected, but if you filter out all the BS ITK stuff and all the recent posturing the early info is quite like what is happening.

1.76 Acres@onepointsevensixacr.es · 4w ago

So then this deal is getting done around 60-65+10/70+5 etc etc... Nothing about that is going to scare the team off, in my mind.

Time for another old fashioned Ornbomb pic

David Ornstein@david-ornstein.bsky.social · yesterday

🚨 Arsenal nearing total agreement with Newcastle United to sign Bruno Guimaraes. Desire among all parties to bring situation to close + deal now on course for completion; 28yo awaiting #NUFC permission to undergo medical & seal #AFC switch 🚨 @theathleticfc.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/743...

Cool thing is that I can just get a gold pen and sketch a lion on the sleeve of a kit in my drawer and save a chunk of change. Nice shirt, but I already have one.

People saying “I’d sell MLS for x and x only” is confusing to me. Everyone has onboarded player sales and the cash they generate as essential (or at least very important) to team success. I’ve still yet to really absorb this connection. It seems a given for *everyone*, culturally, with football.

Takeaway from that game? The new blue kit slaps.

The Ornstein story describes…everything we already know. If Vini wanted to leave he’d probably already have left. He clearly prefers to stay if he can get a measurably better deal than what he has already out of Madrid.

Hey Magic 8 Ball toy are you the source of all these "ITK"s' transfer reporting?

Milhouse and Bart with Magic 8-Ball

ALT: Milhouse and Bart with Magic 8-Ball

static.klipy.com

Winning the league did break the Arsenal Derangement Syndrome fever a bit, to be honest. It’s hard (or futile) to argue with the ultimate success, for many. If we sign Bruno (and, god forbid, Vini), it will return with a vengeance. It’ll be box office.

I suspect Thurs/Fri we get a leak about an “improved Madrid offer” with nothing to explain exactly just how improved that offer is. People will react accordingly but nobody will really have any idea of what “improved” means. Consider the sourcing, and who the story will benefit if Vini leaves.

The Sky report on Vini contradicts Ornstein's note that Madrid don't want him to leave for nothing, and frankly it doesn't really state anything new. Everyone knew the parties were trying to negotiate a contract and that's still ongoing. The sourcing reads like it is via Mourinho.

Still somewhat chill about the summer transactions but if you told me we’d win the title and basically get to August with the totality of our moves being one out/one in (and the out being a key player in the title run) I’d probably not have believed you.

I mean come on, this is ridiculous. I know some of the names are cannon fodder, but this franchise is not laughed at enough.

One thing the Vini transfer is not, at least to me, is complicated (beyond any transfer’s baseline complexity). 1. He has to not renew 2. We have to give Madrid a lot of money 3. We have to give Vini a lot of money Not complicated. In fact, maybe less complicated than most transfers!

Without saying your age what is your favorite movie from the year you turned 18.

Sam Kinison: Say It! Say It!

ALT: Sam Kinison: Say It! Say It!

static.klipy.com

Cartoon Steve Bould.@cartoonstevebould.bsky.social · last wk.

Without saying your age what is your favorite movie from the year you turned 18

If LFC get Barcola, and Isak stays healthy, they very well could score two or three a match and maybe stay within a goal or two of their opponents.

🚨 🔴 ⚪️ 🚨 My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from a guy who knows a kid who's going with the girl who saw Vini wearing an Arsenal kit at 31 Flavors last night. 🚨 🔴 ⚪️ 🚨 (via @buellerferris)

Madrid: “We will take nothing less than X” Arsenal: “You had us at ‘we will take nothing less than’”

First batch of ice cream done (peanut butter, milk chocolate, chopped peanuts), second batch in (fresh strawberry). Gonna be a rough week for the waistline.

If the Diomande chip fell to Madrid then how fast does this situation resolve itself for us, either way?

Just imagine this: We’ve battered a team all game. Our new continental LW has torn the defense to shreds. A 70th minute substitute takes the stage, relieving the starting dynamo who has run rampant over our opponent. Imagine the despair in our opponent when Vini strides on to give Tzolis a rest.

Two hours since the Ornbomb and NO new updates, no conclusion to this never-ending saga. Pathetic.

Three years ago @giantgooner.bsky.social told me “one day we could contemplate a guy like Vini” but I wasn’t permitted to distribute that information to anyone. He told me it was not for public distribution, lest it not manifest for a while. (Have I done the “in-the-know” stuff correctly, here?)

Just imagine this: We’ve battered a team all game. Our new continental LW has torn the defense to shreds. A 70th minute substitute takes the stage, relieving the starting dynamo who has run rampant over our opponent. Imagine the despair in our opponent when Vini strides on to give Tzolis a rest.

Wage structures are ever-evolving and I therefore try not to concern myself with them too much. A Vini signing, presuming reports of his wages and demands are (even only somewhat) in the ballpark, would definitely do *something* to our wage structure. A legit question is “does that matter?”.