Morning.
Let’s begin with a little bit of Arsenal stuff earlier than we glance again on yesterday’s World Cup motion, and it seems as if the primary addition of the summer time can be a goalkeeper. Stories emerged yesterday that former Leeds man Illan Meslier can be becoming a member of the membership after his contract at Elland Street expired on June thirtieth.
The 26 yr previous performed 215 video games for Leeds after becoming a member of them from Lorient in 2019, 107 of these coming within the Premier League. Having damaged by way of and emerged at fairly a younger age for a goalkeeper, he established himself as number one at Leeds, however over time that fell away. Once they had been promoted from the Championship in the summertime of 2025, he performed nearly each recreation that season however misplaced his place within the run-in. Final season, he didn’t play in any respect, and most weeks was not even within the squad as Leeds used veteran Karl Darlow with Brazilian Lucas Perri on the bench.
So, it’s not unfair to say he’s misplaced his approach a bit. On the time of writing, regardless of a widespread expectation that Kepa Arrizabalaga will go away, our data is that the membership anticipate the Spaniard to remain, and the arrival of Meslier as third selection will enable Tommy Setford to exit on mortgage and acquire expertise. In fact a lot can change between now and the shut of the window. Kepa has a launch clause of simply £5m, and I’m fairly certain that if he will get the possibility to play first crew soccer someplace, on the age of 31, he’d be greater than keen to go and try this, and I don’t assume that’s past the realms of chance in any respect. £5m on this marketplace for a vastly skilled, if considerably flawed goalkeeper is nothing.
Which then leaves Arsenal with an issue, as a result of with all due respect to Illan Meslier, I don’t assume he’s adequate to be the quantity 2 keeper at Arsenal. I definitely wouldn’t really feel snug if we needed to depend on him for any extended time period, and this opens up that whole dialogue about how you discover back-up for a longtime number one like David Raya. There’s at all times going to be a drop-off. It’s there between Raya and Kepa, and it’s much more pronounced between Raya and Meslier.
Some are of the opinion you simply want some bloke, and that complicating the scenario with one other good high quality keeper means this can be a drawback it’s important to maintain fixing as a result of inevitably that man will need to go away as a result of he’s adequate to be number one someplace. I believe that’s my choice although. I’d a lot reasonably have somebody who’s not less than near the primary selection than nowhere close to, and based mostly on the final 18 months, Meslier is definitely not near Raya.
Perhaps Inaki Cana can revive his profession, however Inaki Cana can also be the man who really helpful Alex Runarsson and Matt Turner. We’ve lived with this example earlier than, when the goalkeeping coach’s need to herald Joan Garcia from Espayol, regardless of having signed Raya from Brentford, led to a protracted scenario the place on the eleventh hour Edu needed to go scrambling round for anybody, so we had Neto on the bench for a season and he was not deemed adequate for very a lot in any respect. So, let’s see how this one performs out. As quantity 3, Meslier is ok as a result of 20 yr previous Setford can go play and develop, but when he finally ends up because the back-up for Raya, I’d be fairly involved.
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On the World Cup, I actually felt for Egypt yesterday. They had been 1-0 up, and within the first half their goalkeeper, Mostafa Shobeir, was glorious, making a string of actually good saves – together with a penalty save from Lionel Messi. They thought they’d gone 2-0 up within the second half with what would have been one of many objectives of the event, however VAR dominated it out after going again approach too far to name a foul on Lisandro Martinez. I simply don’t assume you have to be disallowing objectives for incidents thus far faraway from the end up the opposite finish, it felt very beneficiant for Argentina.
Nonetheless, Egypt scored one other nice aim to make it 2-0, and it regarded as if a giant consequence was on the playing cards. Sadly, the keeper was weak for the aim that made it 2-1, and that strike turbo-charged Argentina. I believed the keeper’s wrists had been a bit flappy for Messi’s equaliser too, though he did hit it rather well to be truthful.
There was drama late on when Mo Salah misplaced the ball within the opposition field, and I’ve seen a number of dialogue about whether or not that ought to have been a penalty. I don’t assume it was, however I do assume there’s an apparent off the ball foul within the field from Alexis Mac Allister that may vex me significantly if that occurred to an Arsenal participant in certainly one of our video games and nothing was given. If the Martinez incident was sufficient to chalk off a aim, then this was definitely sufficient to offer a penalty.
From there although, Argentina went upfield and scored a winner, which was devastating to witness in real-time, and I’m simply an Irish bloke who received invested in Egypt for this recreation. It didn’t assist it was some Chelsea wanker who scored it both. What I might say although is that of their need to get ahead and discover a winner in regular time, they left themselves too open on the again. I don’t assume you may find yourself 2 v 2 in harm time like that, and sadly they received punished to the max. It was a valiant effort from Egypt who’ve had a extremely good event, and Argentina now face Switzerland.
I watched the primary half of their recreation towards Colombia, however determined towards the remaining. It was 0-0 after 120 minutes, Switzerland went by way of after a penalty shoot-out, so I believe I’m fairly snug with my choice making there. Right now there’s … nothing. No World Cup in any respect earlier than the primary quarter-final tomorrow, so hopefully there are not any withdrawal signs.
Proper, I’ll go away it there for as we speak, have an excellent one of us.
