More than just a pot of Rice

 

Rice helped West Ham bring home the Europa Conference League trophy this last week, but it seems that will be the end of his journey at the London club with Arsenal and Bayern hungry to sign the England star.

The Rising Star:

Declan Rice, a product of the West Ham United academy, has emerged as one of the most promising midfielders in English football. Known for his exceptional versatility, composure on the ball, and ability to dictate play from deep positions, Rice's performances have caught the attention of top clubs across Europe.

Arsenal's Pursuit:

If you were a betting man, gambling compliance followed of course, you would think that Arsenal would be first in line. Arsenal, a club with a rich history and an ardent fanbase, has had its fair share of struggles in recent years. The Gunners have been in search of a commanding midfielder to bolster their ranks and provide stability in the middle of the park. With his impressive performances for West Ham and the England national team, Rice has emerged as a prime target for Arsenal.

The Transfer Rumors:

The media frenzy surrounding Rice's potential move to Arsenal intensified during the off-season. Rumour's suggested that the Gunners are keen to acquire his services, with talks between the clubs and player representatives ongoing. Speculations ranges from the transfer fee involved to the player's willingness to join Arsenal.

Player's Ambitions:

While Rice has a deep connection with West Ham United, it is natural for ambitious players to seek new challenges and a chance to compete at the highest level. The allure of playing for a storied club like Arsenal, with its rich history and the prospect of European football, may have been a significant factor in Rice's consideration.West Ham's Stance:

West Ham, on the other hand, would be reluctant to part ways with their prized asset. Rice is not only a talented player but also a leader within the squad. The Hammers would demand a substantial transfer fee, which could potentially break Arsenal's transfer record. Furthermore, West Ham's recent success under manager David Moyes might make them more determined to hold on to their key players.

Impact on Rice and Arsenal:

Should the transfer saga culminate in Rice joining Arsenal, it would undoubtedly be a significant move for both parties. Rice would have the opportunity to showcase his talents on a bigger stage and compete for major honors. Arsenal, on the other hand, would gain a player of immense quality, who could provide stability and dynamism to their midfield.

As with any transfer saga, the outcome of the Declan Rice-Arsenal situation remains uncertain. The final decision lies in the hands of the player, the clubs, and various other factors that can influence the outcome. Ultimately, the transfer saga serves as a reminder of the excitement and drama that surrounds football's transfer market.

Arsenal rank in the top 10 - in the worlds biggest football clubs

 

The guys over at With a Fun Filter, as sport mad as they are have created a really comprehensive list of the top football clubs in the world. And Gunners fans Arsenal as I am sure you would all have guessed from the title of this have placed in the top 10. 

In fact Arsenal rank 6th in the worlds biggest football clubs. With over 125 million fans worldwide Arsenal truly is a global brand. In recent years as you all know we have had our ups and downs but with Mikel Arteta at the wheel (yes I said it) fans like myself are feeling more hopeful than ever. 

Arsenal have some hard fixtures on the horizon, but the the improvement in form is there for everyone to see. The 1-0 loss to Man City was actually a disappointment to fans, when it past years it was just a formality. 

With Auba as captain and new summer signings such as Gabriel and Partey, fans are looking forward to games again. Soon Arsenal may be finding themselves climbing the ranks of the biggest teams in the world. Aren't you tired of seeing the Spanish giants and Manchester United there?

I sure am.  

Arteta brings fire to Arsenal

 

Arsenal in recent years have lacked what you would call, 'fire'. When coming up against tougher opposition or even going behind in games, the team lacked the fighting spirit to compete and get back up. But since the Spaniards return to the Gunners fans have seen something change.

If you had to look at igaming search or any other betting company before his arrival odd's of finishing in the 4 would have been slim. But this year fans and players are already starting to look with hope at what can be achieved. Arsene Wenger has backed Arsenal to be the “surprise package” of the Premier League this season and believes Mikel Areta’s side could achieve more than a top-four finish.

Asked in an Observer Q&A what advice he would give to Arteta, the 70-year-old replied: “To continue to have a grip on the team, as he has at the moment. And to go to the end of his beliefs.

“I think there is a good team spirit and they have a good chance to do well. I believe it will not be very difficult to improve on the number of points they got last season.

“But I’m convinced Arsenal can be in the top four, if not more. Why not more? They can be the surprise package for me this year: they bought well, they strengthened the defence well.

“And they kept the players who were already there. In my last year I bought (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang, they kept him. They have every ingredient and no real weakness.”

Arsenal take on Pep's Man City next in the league which will be a real test for the team. Arteta got one over his mentor in the FA Cup semi final earlier this year and he will be hoping for a similar performance from the team. 

As Arsenal fans lets hope that he can get it done. 

Top 5 Premier League Managers

Football is something that can bring entire nations together, and your favourite team can mean a great deal to you. Websites such as Olybet provide great betting odds on your favorite teams. However, the teams we know and love would be nothing without their managers, and over the years we’ve certainly had some fantastic managers as a part of our premier league. We have put together a list of 5 of the top managers to take you down memory lane and remember the true heroes of the premier league.


1) Sir Alex Ferguson

There’s no way we could put this list together without including Sir Alex, and for good reason. Ferguson managed to win 13 Premier League titles as manager, which was more than half of all Premier Leagues his team were involved in. Since his retirement, it is clear that a huge gap has been left in football, and it seems unlikely that anyone else will ever be able to live up to the excellency that Ferguson brought to the table.


2) Arsene Wenger

Second only to Ferguson when it comes to Premier League titles won, Wenger has certainly helped Arsenal to reach great heights within the Premier League. Indeed, this excellent manager was responsible for the one and only undefeated league run in history – a feat that seems unlikely to be repeated at any point in the near future. His revolutionary ideas helped to transform the Premier League, and it seems certain that his influence will be strong for many years to come.


3) Antonio Conte

It may seem as though it’s early days to be putting Conte in a list like this – but we think it’s just as much about potential as anything else. As only the second manager to lead his team to victory in his first ever Premier League season, Conte had to work incredibly hard to lift Chelsea – who were not in a good position at the time – towards their win. The formation of three at the back that Conte adopted has been copied by many other teams in the league, showing just how influential this manager is.


4) Claudio Ranieri

Sometimes, something happens in the world of football that leaves everyone stunned, and nothing shows this more than Leicester City’s Premier League win. Claudio Ranieri was the man at the helm for this victory, and although he had a lot of support from the rest of the training team at the club, it is clear that his leadership was key when it came to getting the most out of each and every player in the team. He had also done a good job at Chelsea before getting the manager’s role at Leicester, but we’re fairly certain we know what he’ll be remembered for the most.


5) Manuel Pellegrini

In charge of Manchester City, Pellegrini managed to become one of just nine managers to win a Premier League title, which is no small feat. Pellegrini helped the team to develop one of the best attacking sides seen for a number of years, leading to many clubs following their lead to try and copy their style. There is no doubt that Pellegrini has made his mark on the competition thanks to his work with City.

How Many Points Do Arsenal Need to Gather in Order to Hope for the Title?

As soon as the previous season in the Premier League ended, which was a month ago, a new one has already started in the novel circumstances. The new season in England began with the traditional match between the champions and the winners of the FA Cup. In the battle for the Community Shield trophy against Liverpool at the cult Wembley, Arsenal showed their fans the contours of what can be expected of them in 2020/21.

In the overture of the beginning of the Premier League, scheduled for September 12, both teams fought for the 16th trophy of the competition, once known as the Charity Shield, in the club’s history. Given that both teams were deprived of the services of several important players (Arsenal lacked Calum Chambers, Shkodran Mustafi, and Gabriel Martinelli), the win over the champions weighs tones.

The rivals commanded by Jürgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta had the last faceoff prior to the Community Shield in mid-July, when ‘The Gunners’ prevailed by a 2-1, thanks to the goals of Alexandre Lacazette and Reiss Nelson after the turnaround. Although the victory on Wembley came after the penalty shootout, it’s counted as the second in a row against the reigning champions and heats up the title hopes of the Arsenal fans…

Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ Created a New Breed of Title-Winners

Given that the encounter for the first trophy in the season happened so close to the start of the 2020/21 Premier League, it has to be stressed what chances do Arsenal have to be at the top of the table by the end of May next year. More importantly, do ‘The Gunners’ need to adopt a specific pace in the season? Of course, winning the FA Cup in the post-corona part of the last season, followed by the win in the Community Shield, showed a glimpse of hope for the title battle…

Actually, the study showed that exactly the way Arsenal won the championship, 16 years ago, pointed out to all the teams in the Premier League what rhythm of playing is necessary to set in order to get crowned. Some think that the arrival of José Mourinho at Chelsea was the turning point in the way titles are won, given that he was a supporter of a fast start of the season when a club has title aspirations, numbers say that in reality, the Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ are the new breed of title-winners.

‘The Gunners’ led from the front in 2003/04, tallying 24 points in the first 10 games of the season which was, at the time, the second-highest point tally at that point of the season in the Premier League history. At the end of the season, Arsenal had 90 points – also the second-highest score at the time, this time in the total points tally.

Is the Statistical Margin Achievable for ‘The Gunners’?

Since then, a 10-game margin became highly important. The study says that prior to 2003, the average points tally of eventual champions was 20.8. After that, it turned out it was necessary to collect 24 points on average in the first 10 rounds to hope to win the title. Until 2003, the average placement on the charts of eventual champions in the first 10 games was 2.5. Now, every placement lower than the second place in the first quarter of the season means a farewell to the championship.

What about qualifying for the Champions League? When the Premier League’s ‘Big Four’ turned into the ‘Top Six’ (and Arsenal is, of course, in both) in 2010, the teams falling into this crème de la crème of English football were to flex their muscles from the day one in the season to finish in the top four and advance to Europe’s most elite competition.

Ever since, there have been 14 points tallies of 25+ after 10 matches, compared to three beforehand. It showed how much harder it has become to even be in contention for a top-four spot after 10 games, let alone secure one by the end of the season.

Statistically, if Arsenal want to secure at least the fourth place in the table on May 23, they have to earn slightly above 19 points in the first 10 games. Before 2010, it was easier to clinch the fourth place given that a team aiming for that had to collect 18.1 points on average. 

England, Panama Pillow Fight at the FIFA World Cup

It seems as if the battle between England and Panama was more of a man’s pillow fight rather than a soccer match. On Sunday, 24 June 2018 we witnessed the English team clashing with Panama. England scored 6 goals and Panama scored only one. It was actually like cutting into a cake for the English team while Panama was struggling to stand on its feet since as it was getting heavy blows from its opponent. In the first half, England managed to get its first four scores while Panama was still staggering.

Wenger likely to go all out for Europa League win.

Europa League Tied to Wenger's Future

Arsène Wenger is picking the strongest possible squad for Arsenal in the upcoming Europa League as the decision over his future with the club comes into question. Without a doubt the manager will be going all out to win the competition ahead of the summer review of his position with Arsenal. Should he fail, this will be the first season in which he has not managed to lift a major trophy or even finished in the Top Four. 

Cech is underperforming, and Szczęsny is doing great.

Should Wojciech Szczęsny Have Been Sold?

The Gunners sold the goalkeeper from Poland to Juventus last summer, but Szczęsny has gone on to make waves as a stand-in for No.1 Gianluigi Buffon, while the Arsenal first-choice, Petr Cech, has seen his form questioned.

Arsène Wenger is interested in signing Oguzhan Ozyakup.

Wenger Wants to Sign Midfielder

Arsène Wenger wants Arsenal to sign a midfielder on the summer free transfer. He has reportedly offered Oguzhan Ozyakup, the former player for Academy, a big contract in an effort to entice him back to The Emirates. The 25-year old player is reaching the end of his contract at Besiktas, the Turkish giant, and is able to start talking about a move in the summer.

Travelling to the League Cup Final?

Zeelo a new on-demand coach service is helping Arsenal fans get to Wembley on the 25th of February. As much as we all enjoy the Wembley experience, the worst thing about it, is leaving the ground. Getting there on the tube is not a piece of cake by any means, that is why I am so happy that Zeelo are here to help.

Zeelo will be doing return journeys from the following pick-ups in Essex and Hertfordshire: Basildon, Bishops Stortford, Broxbourne, Chelmsford, Cheshunt, Colchester, Harlow, Hatfield, Hertford, Hoddesdon, Rayleigh, Southend-on-Sea, Stansted, Stevenage, Ware and Welwyn GC.

You can make you booking here https://zeelo.co/event/14963 

Arsenal take on Manchester City in the EFL Final at Wembley on the 25th of February. Get behind the Gunners and travel with Zeelo direct to Wembley. Direct coach travel in exec comfy vehicles with a guaranteed seat.

Avoid the chaos of Wembley train stations and the endless queues. Book a Zeelo today.

The Gunners are off to Wembley again!

On Wednesday night a packed to capacity Emirates Stadium played host to the 2nd leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. With the aggregate set at 0-0 after a deadlock at Stamford Bridge for the first leg both teams had it all to play for at the Emirates.