Is it possible to assess the effect of a player upon the future of Arsenal FC after just a few games? Normally No, but every so often a player just ….. fits.
Think back to April 1996. We were playing Sheffield Wednesday (what happened to them?) and losing 1-0 when Ray Parlour got injured. Onto the pitch came a lanky French kid as his replacement and by half time, just 17 minutes, we knew we were witnessing the arrival of Wenger’s Arsenal. Despite Wrighty scoring a hatrick PV4 was named MotM.
It would be hyperbole to say that Mustafi will make a similar impact at AFC but he has done all we could ask so far. As I wrote above – he fits. In just a few weeks he has meshed with Kos into a fine CB partnership. BFG, Gabriel and Holding will struggle to get pitch time as a CB pairing are rarely rotated.
There have been concerns about our lack of height at set pieces and we do appear to be vulnerable; at Burnley, Vokes could and should have scored plus some blob hit the bar. Kos and Xhaka are both 6´1″ and Mustafi just 6´0″. Santi, Sanchez, Theo, Bellerin, Monreal etc are all under 5´10″. I guess we will have to rely on our massive GK who stands at 6´5″!
€35m makes Mustafi the 4th most expensive defender in world football, today it appears to be money well spent. Who would you prefer – David Luiz, John Stones, Mangala, Ottamendi or Mustafi? BTW Mangala is out on a season’s loan at Valencia which is why we haven’t seen much of the oaf.
What do I like about Mustafi? His positional awareness is excellent, his passing conversion averages over 85%, he is not afraid to carry the ball, he is vocal and already bosses the defence, his tackling is powerful and the man will not be bullied- will he Mr Costa?
What I do not like is his first name …. Shkodran. What kind of a parent names their kid Shkodran? What is wrong with Peter or Michael or Brian? And yes, I know his parents are Albanian – it doesn’t excuse them.
I rarely make predictions but here is one – Mustafi will be the next Captain of Arsenal. He is that good.
written by Big Raddy
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Excellent, BR.
Mustafi does look as though he was born to play in red and white.
Early signs are very promising.
The price tag these days is almost irrelevant with all the money sloshing around the Prem.
How good is it that we can finally pay an inflated price simply because the player is rated so highly by the manager?
Obviously he was available but only at that price, unlike others who weren’t available at any price (regardless of the bleating of a few).
How on earth were the negotiations for Sideshow Bob carried out? We paid you 50 m, the least you can do is allow us to only lose 15m on the deal.
As for Paddy, what a fine excuse to put this video up for the umpteenth time. 🙂
With Chelsea desperate for a defender and wanting to bid 60mil on Bonucci at Juventus after having Napoli reject 58mil for Koulibaly it’s funny how the media were all focused on Arsenal defensive woes and desperation at start of season but almost nothing on Chelsea. Even after paying a tidy sum for Louis, they are still in strife.
So 35mil for Mustafi is a master stroke let alone the 2mi for Holding which is just genius when you compare the caliber of quality/value to a (IMO inferior) Stones.
As for the graphs at the end of the previous blog, again, it’s funny how the 3 main title contenders are now ManC, Lpool & Arsenal. Then way back in distant 4th are Spuds who are still undefeated, just beat ManC and are in 2nd place but already are not seen to be in the title race. LOL!
And still on the last blog and RA’s last comment. It reminded me of a word riddle –
What’s a four letter word?
That only relates to women
And ends in _UNT
Answer
…
…
Aunt
The next generation of top quality defenders in their national and club teams after Höwedes, Hummels and Boateng ;; Mustafi, Matthias Ginter and Jonathan Tah (in this order of similar resemblance).
When my wife found out that I’d replaced the sofa with a trampoline she hit the roof………………….
A rich, beautiful young lady was being driven by her chauffeur when they got a flat tyre. He attempted to remove the hubcap with a tyre iron but after struggling for a while the young lady leaned out of the window and said “would you like a screwdriver”.
The chauffeur responded “We may as well, because I can’t get this bloody hubcap off”
ppppphhh Raddy, next captain? That’s a tall order especially until we have Koscielny in the squad. But I give you that – at 24 he is exceptionally good, one would never know he is a new team member. Fits like a glove and does a terrific job. I like his name and I liked all the Albanians until bastards robbed me blind!
Another question mark about your otherwise great post is the height of Santi, Bellerin, Theo and Sanchez and Nacho – Nacho is the tallest of them at 5’8″ 🙂 bless the little darlings, especially my Santi
All in all – good post, thanks and good purchase from Wenger, thanks.
Cheers BR – great post about a great prospect, and yes what a fine start he has made at Arsenal. Early days of course and we need to see how he will respond when he makes his first big/costly mistake. The ability to quickly overcome this is key for a CB imo.
Height is overrated, as a big leap and excellent timing can also make a big difference and our CBs have the latter two alright. I think the game is changing and CBs now need to be very mobile and dynamic, aggressive AND excellent passers, good readers of the game and intelligent. I sometimes feel that the good CBs now look more like DMs…. a bit like Vieira 😉
And whether he gets the armband or not, he is a born leader and could not stop himself even if he wanted to. What I love is that Mustafi’s extrovert personality and playing style is allowing King Koz to play the more sensible and senior CB role without giving up on his natural bite and hunger to dominate attackers. The way this CB pairing is developing is very, very encouraging for Arsenal. KosMus ruler of time and space! 🙂
https://www.premierleague.com/players/4472/Nacho-Monreal/overview
Thanks Erik
I don’t think there’s anywhere else on the pitch like the central defenders, where understanding is so important, which makes it all the more remarkable how quickly Mustafi has settled in alongside Kos.
Ok, they haven’t been tested because we keep thrashing teams, but it’s been a great opportunity for them to get to know each other and for the partnership to gel before sterner tests ahead.
Like you, I reckon the signs are really positive, and he certainly appears to be captain material.
chas – I used google converter; google meters to feet and type 1.78. The answer is 5.839895. Now, is it 5’8″ or is it 0.839895th of a foot?
No idea, I can only do metric 🙂
UKIP ha ha ha ha 🙂
Eddie. UKIP are no laughing matter.
Brexit was a triumph for them.
Still enough of politics, Hoping Wales smash Austria. and Iceland do the same to Finland.
Italy Spain is on ITV4 if that’s your sort of thing
I wanted Spain to win until I’ve seen costa on the pitch grabbing an Italian by the neck
Raddy – UKIP are going through some turmoil which makes me giggle. They conned gullible citizens, such as Didit into beliving they will be better off out of Europe
Theo is faster than Bellerin!!! well I never
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/premier-league/the-fastest-players-in-the-premier-league/ss-BBx44Nr?ocid=spartanntp#image=2
Eddie Dearest
I never once listened to a single word uttered by UKIP.
Then Theo must have sped up, because I’m pretty sure Bell overtook him at some point
Beware bad language
Or Hector has slowed down. Could be the detrimental affect of dating beautiful women
chas. Is that written by the Labour leader Mr. Corbyn?
Funny that Erik, as most chaps seem to speed up the better looking the lady
Chas
Who’s the gunner hanging out with ambassadors?
Ooo, good guess Erik
Here’s the tweet.
Didn’t want to put any of you UKIP followers off with the mention of the Labour party. 🙂
it is not as if you were to admit you attended their annual conference, is it Didit?
bloody boring game and I missed the only goal. Good night!
Iceland win after scoring two goals after 90 mins. Wales almost made it a double but let down by silly defending.
Eddie
Ooo goodie, goodie, we’re on Brexit again are we? 🙂
Funnily enough Chas, proper Labour lefties voted out. Corbyn is an outer, and quite right he is too, just remember the Tony Benn Out speech.
Now, of course, yer educated, white, pinko, leftie, champagne sodden, Guardian reading hipsters sided with Cameron. Fact.
What an excellent start to my morning, and I’m much better 🙂
Slider?
Post-Brexit Britain
ha ha ha
What a fine bunch of free independent thinkers they look 🙂 🙂
Oh that’s brilliant 🙂
“Hello, my name is Holly Ell…oh fack shitballs”
https://twitter.com/PaddyConsidine/status/784253720825466881
https:/twitter.com/guardiannews/status/784234541028413440
Chas
You come up with some sensational stuff off Twitter. I’d understand if it was all Arsenal linked, but how do you search for such diverse material because I thought you could only search posters rather than topics such as “weird shit and the like”
How are you getting on with the Mother vinegar.
Isn’t it meant to stop you getting poorly?
I don’t ‘search’ for anything.
Just follow a couple of hundred peeps and it gets delivered to your doorstep like an old bottle of milk. 🍼
Even The Mother is helpless if one morning you awake to find that in the night someone belted you over the head with a very heavy object
Other than that, it’s brilliant for me and brilliant for Dotty. My apples are not quite ready yet (we’re quite high, and they’re late fruiters) but I will try to make my own
As we get to Friday, and the full horror of an Arsenalless weekend dawns, how strong is the temptation for a full on no holds barred pretendy?
I voted out for a joke. Very fooking funny.
I have 4 sets of apples brewing, all stopped smelling of booze and started to smell awful. I think another week or 2 and I can start drinking it. Don’t know why as all my illnesses are incurable, but hey, for protection I suppose.
Arsene should brew it for the team. I wonder if he does?
Pretendy Friday Night Football planning meeting scheduled for early doors tonight.
Eddie
How come you were allowed to vote?
Rasp
How’s your tennis elbow responding?
I thought you used to pretend you were at a game.
Now you took it further – you are pretending there is a game.
What next?
Eddie
What’s gone wrong with Brexit so far?
Vinegar. Did you add anything other than water?
chas – there is nothing in the law that forbids mad people voting. DidIt voted too
Morning All,
I will be interested to read about the Mother vinegar and Rasp’s elbow.
micky – pound collapsed yesterday, but hey it only affects thousand of small businesses dealing with Europe, who cares?
Brexit hasn’t happened yet.
The worst thing is that you Little Englanders wanted Brexit to stop influx of foreigners coming to this country. That is not going to happen
I followed a recipe and added some sugar.
Pound down to it’s lowest point in 35 years and likely to fall further. Don’t start me on the effect of Brexit.
Fight, Fight ….
Me and Eddie against those Exiters. They haven’t got a hope.
Eddie
It’s just that I thought ‘foreigners’ were discouraged in the new Tory vision of post-Brexit Britain. So am surprised they allowed you to vote.
Nowt to do with being bonkers.
Raddy – that’s because you and I are Europeans, cosmopolitan and free thinking. The rest of them are not.
chas – I didn’t ask permission, just went to the polling station hoping they will try to stop me and I can kick off. Nothing happened, they just made sure I ticked the bottom box. Even said thank you
Ah, I suppose they assumed from your name you’d take the sensible option. 💅
they assumed nothing. They subjected me to pre-voting brain washing, assuring me that ‘they don’t mind the Poles’ (yes, they fooking do), and describing immigrants and ‘vile and stinking’. I swear on my mother’s life that that’s exactly what they were telling me and other voters.
Eddie 7.57 14.5m Brits are, unfortunately 15m Brits aren’t.
Raddy – I meant chas and Didit 🙂 and probably rasp and LB.
Oh still on Brexit. Yumee 🙂
Hey Eddie
Which currency do you think is more vulnerable to a complete collapse, the £ or the €?
If you answer £, I think you are wrong
Pound even lower? Seriously good news for small businesses who can now afford to export.
Oh god, I haven’t even started on the Statist bit. So much fun to be had 🙂
Hey, football chatists
I didn’t start it, Eddie and Erik did 🙂
Theo shoehorned through the middle? 🙂
small businesses reported that their profits will fall on average by 20% due to the low pound. I am glad Mr Didit finds it funny
Pound crashing has little to do with Brexit, it is the Asian market that started to collapse, long overdue if you ask me. Strangely though it all coincided with Theresa May’s announcement of the Brexit schedule.
Honestly Eddie, I don’t find things funny at all.
I think we, in the West (US, Europe), are in really big trouble politically, socially and economically. Please don’t think I voted away from EU on grounds of immigration or any economic gains.
Most men turn into good drivers –
So ladies be aware of men turning corners!!
Seems like I’m flogging a dead horse with my little funnies – but I will continue to flog until I, at least, get a smiley………….
A young man takes his new girlfriend home to meet his Dad and say’s –
“Hi Dad this is my girlfriend Amanda”
His Dad responds “It’s a what”?
ha ha ha
no smiley face
More is good
ok 6 o’clock
Tools downed for the weekend
What’s the plan? Are England playing and do we care?
Arsenal Ladies got a game?
Here’s the menu for tomorrow afternoon:
England v Mighty Malta at football or
S Africa v All Blacks at Rugger
? 🙂
At least there is the cricket and GN5’s jokes 😀
Friday Night Football pretendy in full swing. 😆
We’re two up within 18 minutes, by the way.
It’s feckin great. 😆
Theo just missed a sitter to make it three.
Weak link – hmmmmmmmmmmm.
what’s the score chas?
I wrote a little piece, as promised for tonight’s game, where shall I send it? nuts are no longer working. Shall I send it to you chas?
Eddie
Afraid I can’t help as I have the same email address as you ie Arsenalnuts@live.co.uk
And, morning absolutely everyone 🙂
If anyone else wants to get in the zone before going surfing, then watching the world surf is useful
http://www.worldsurfleague.com/
thanks micky, I sent it to nuts.
did you have the wrong address?
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