It was good, but Marcus wanted eight.

Marcus, Andy and their respective giddy aunts react to England’s season-closing demolition job! There’s lots of love for Bukayo Saka, not so much love for Thibaut Courtois who’s been an enormous silly sausage, and Wales leave us feeling nothing much at all. Plus, Spanish Mike Dean signs off in style! Off he pops. 

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Reasons Why Arsenal Should Sign Nicolo Barella Instead of Declan Rice

Signing Nicolo Barella instead of Declan Rice would bring a host of benefits to Arsenal. His versatility, offensive contribution, passing ability, energy, and durability makes him an attractive option.

Furthermore, Barella’s fit within Mikel Arteta’s system and a more reasonable price tag, make him a promising addition to Arsenal’s midfield.

Gunners legend raises concern over the club’s pursuit of Rice

Arsenal legend Gilberto Silva has raised concerns about the Gunners’ pursuit of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice. The club has already had two bids rejected for the 24-year-old, and now faces competition from Manchester City, who have expressed concrete interest in the player.

While Rice is believed to prefer a move to Arsenal, Gilberto believes that the club’s transfer chief Edu may end up paying an exorbitant fee for the midfielder.

The former Arsenal Invincible expressed surprise at the high price tag associated with Rice’s potential transfer, especially for a central midfielder.

Arsenal have confirmed to West Ham their plan to submit one more bid for Declan Rice — after £75m plus £15m rejected. #AFC

How Arsenal can use Kai Havertz in his starting line-up

Arsenal’s pursuit of Chelsea forward Kai Havertz has sparked speculation about how he would fit into the team’s lineup. Here, we explore three potential ways the Gunners could line up with Havertz, taking into account their current squad and possible tactical adjustments.

The first option is to use Havertz as an alternative to Gabriel Jesus, the Brazilian striker who had a significant impact on Arsenal’s game last season.

While the German may not be a natural goalscorer, his ability to bring teammates into play and provide an aerial threat aligns well with Mikel Arteta’s system. This could offer a similar dynamic to Jesus and alleviate Arsenal’s struggles when the Brazilian was sidelined due to injury.

Kai Havertz at striker might be the move, this is a fantastic header against a good team. pic.twitter.com/npiFia3oCZ

Jakub Kiwior has disclosed that West Ham had approached him prior to his move to Arsenal in January.

The Polish international impressed during the World Cup, which caught the attention of Arsenal, leading to his inclusion in their squad following the tournament.

While the transfer surprised some Arsenal fans, it appears that the club had conducted thorough research before bringing him on board.

Nevertheless, it seems that Kiwior had the opportunity to join the Premier League earlier if he had accepted a proposal from West Ham prior to his move to Arsenal.

The ex-Spezia man made this revelation in a recent interview. He said via Sport Witness:

A new revelation about Declan Rice’s future emerges each second, each minute. After West Ham lifted the Europa Conference League, their Chairman, David Sullivan, admitted it was time they let Rice leave for greener pastures. Ever since then, the feeling has been that the Hammers captain was headed to the Emirates.

It was no secret that the Gunners had labelled him their must-buy in 2023. Two bids later, Arsenal are yet to convince West Ham, who are very open to selling him, to sell them their midfield engine. Arsenal are set to try again with a third bid.

As they consider doing that, Manchester City have watched them fumble in their move for the 24-year-old, and they have now fully entered the race for the Englishman. In fact, at the moment, it is still being determined who Rice will end up joining. Although the thought is that West Ham could decide where Rice plays next as they are the ones to accept a bid, in the end, he will be the one to decide where to play next, City or Arsenal.

Gooners believes he wants them, but are you sure he will tell Man City a big ‘No’ if they come in with a better bid and higher wages and can convince the Hammers to sell to them? instead?

Wherever Rice decides to go, it will rewrite his name in the history books. Rice’s desire to leave West Ham already labels him as unloyal. Unlike Harry Kane, he has got his hands on a trophy (the Europa Conference League) at West Ham; looking at that trophy win, a Hammer can be convinced of winning further trophies at the London Stadium – but not Rice.

When particular jersey numbers are mentioned, football fans immediately think of some of the game’s best players. When the number 10 is mentioned, many people immediately think of Messi; the same can be said of the number 7 for Ronaldo and the number 14 for Thierry Henry. Players’ jersey numbers are constantly changing these days, making it difficult to keep track of which jersey number they prefer.

Kai Havertz is set to join Arsenal from Chelsea, and there’s so much talk about which jersey number he’ll pick. But don’t you think it’s obvious which jersey number he’ll settle on?

The German has always won the No. 29 jersey, whether at Bayer Leverkusen, where he rose to prominence, or at Chelsea, and there’s reason to believe that at Arsenal, he will continue to have the number 29 at the back of his jersey. In 2021, he revealed to the Athletic why he settled on such an odd jersey number. “When I was young, I always used to play FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer with my brother,” Havertz said.

“We always made ourselves in the game. My brother always put number 29 on his shirt. When I came to the professional game, and Leverkusen asked me what number I wanted to have, I asked them which numbers were free.

“When they said 29, I said I’d take it because of my brother.

Arsenal have confirmed the permanent departure of 20-year-old striker Nikolaj Moller, who has joined Swiss Super League side FC St. Gallen. Moller’s move to St. Gallen comes after his loan spell at FC Den Bosch.

Moller, who joined Arsenal from Malmo in 2020, spent his first season with the U21 team, impressing with 10 goal contributions in 18 games. His performances earned him a loan move to FC Viktoria Koln, followed by a switch to FC Den Bosch in January 2022.

All the best, Nikolaj

— Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) June 20, 2023

During his time at Den Bosch, Moller faced some injury setbacks but managed to score seven goals and provide two assists in a total of 35 games across two spells. Now, as he embarks on a new chapter with St. Gallen, the young striker will look to overcome his injury issues and establish himself in the starting lineup consistently.

In less than 30 days, the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand kicks off on July 20. By now, I know you already have your favourite team — the one you want to be crowned world champions.

As a Gooner, I am sure you’ll be on the lookout for our Arsenal Women, who are set to feature greatly in the one-month tournament. And to make it easy to track them, here’s a list of Gunner women who are expected to feature in this year’s Women’s World Cup:

Australia: Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord are in the provisional World Cup squad, but it is almost certain they’ll make the 23-woman squad once officially announced.

England: With Beth Mead and Leah Williamson out due to injury, only Lotte Wubben-Moy made it to Sarina Weigman’s squad. Alessia Russo, who is also tipped to join Arsenal on a free transfer after leaving Manchester United, is also part of Sarina’s squad.

Ireland: As Ireland’s skipper, Katie McCabe is tipped for a big performance.

Arsenal board hold emergency meeting

In an internal meeting held on Thursday, Arsenal’s board members reportedly discussed the possibility of an accelerated pursuit of West Ham United’s captain, Declan Rice.

According to Arsenal Informer,  the meeting revolved around the Englishman’s potential as the new face of the Gunners, with key figures envisioning him as a critical addition in the upcoming transfer window. Tim Lewis, Edu Gasper, and Vinai Venkatesham were among the key personnel present during the discussion.

Declan Rice is him pic.twitter.com/SK7fOcq2Pz https://t.co/mRPlWeCWpX

— 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 ✪ (@AfcBanks_) June 23, 2023

The signing of Alex Rúnarsson has been widely regarded as one of the worst transfer decisions made by Arsenal since Mikel Arteta took charge.

The Iceland international struggled to adapt to the club from the outset and has subsequently been sent out on loan on multiple occasions.

Arsenal is now actively seeking to offload him, and according to a report from Sport Witness, Anderlecht has expressed interest in acquiring his services.

The Belgian club is in search of a new goalkeeper and has identified several options, including Alex, as potential targets.

If the deal materialises, it would be a positive development for both Arsenal, who are eager to trim their squad of underperforming players, and Alex himself, as he would have the opportunity to begin afresh at a new club.

International football is BACK! Football will never end. Ever. Don't worry though because Mr Worldwide himself Marcus Speller is joined by Andy and Pete to react to an eventful week for Jack Grealish, Callum Wilson’s unusual art collection, and Scotland’s showdown with the Big Huddy.

Plus, Phil Neville has already ushered Canada to their first major final in 23 years. Haters gonna hate.

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Dotun and Andy are joined by Miguel Delaney, Jonathan Johnson and Nicky Bandini to discuss the big trends across the season that was!

Will clubs like Lens and Union Berlin continue to upset the odds domestically? Can anyone really vie for Man City’s UCL crown next year? And it begins: where is Kylian Mbappé off to?

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s strops? Marcus’ random beef with Harry Potter? Kevin Keegan’s involvement with the Freight Association?! Yep, those things all happened this season!

Pete guides you through the Ramble’s best bits from the first half of this bumper season! We’re back next Wednesday with Part 2!

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Even if you couldn’t stand him, you were glad to see him. Unless you’re Ryan Shawcross.

After his recent retirement, Marcus, Vish, Andy and Jim look back on the life and times of Zlatan Ibrahimović. 

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That’s a wrap on the Champions League! Marcus, Jim, Vish and Pete salute Pep Guardiola for the second treble of his career and Des Kelly for his charitable generosity. 

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Marcus, Vish, Jim and Andy look ahead to the big one: Manchester City vs Interazionale!

… aaaaand then get on to more pressing matters, including a Cumdog/Cumdingo/Cumgeroo update, the state of Luciano Spalletti’s Fiat Panda, and Neil Warnock’s plans to manage Huddersfield Town until 2123. Join us!

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Dotun and Andy are joined by France football expert Jonathan Johnson for the most farewells we’ve ever had on OTC!

We discuss whether Zlatan Ibrahimović really leaves behind legendary status at any of his clubs, the reasons behind Karim Benzema’s sudden Real Madrid exit, and just how Lionel Messi will be remembered in Paris after what Jonathan argues has been two seasons of regression. At least Neymar (aka Barney Gumble) is still there though…

Plus, the small matter of this weekend’s Champions League finale!

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David Moyes embodied the spirit of Steve Bruce celebrating on Fifa as the Ferryman became the Trophyman thanks to West Ham’s first European trophy in 58 years.

Marcus, Jim and Andy are here to revel in a glorious evening for the Hammers. But is it time for Moyes to sail off into the sunset with his trophy in hand?

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The A-Team, the Expendables, the Inglorious Bastards.

José Mourinho’s treble-winning Inter side were a rag-tag bunch of disillusioned stars, but united by the most powerful combination football has ever seen: determination, plenty of skill, PLENTY of Argentinian barbecues, the power of volcanoes, and a huge chip on their shoulder!

Ahead of Saturday’s final, we look back on one of the most remarkable club seasons of the 21st century.

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