March 11 – April 15, 2023

Peter’s here! And he’s actually meant to be! On the downside, he’s developed an addiction to shoplifting.

He joins Marcus, Vish and Jim to look back on a weekend of some brilliant performances and quite delicious capitulations. Have Arsenal blown the title? Is Christian Stellini just Conte, but sh***er? And what did Todd Boehly get up to for an hour with the Chelsea players on Saturday?

Tweet us @FootballRamble and email us here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sign up for our Patreon for exclusive live events, ad-free Rambles, full video episodes and loads more: patreon.com/footballramble.

***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***

Why artist Scott Covert has devoted himself to finding famous people's graves

Ryan Gravenberch struggled to play at Bayern Munich when Julian Nagelsmann was their manager and the Dutchman was tipped to leave the club at the end of the season.

This alerted Arsenal and several other Premier League clubs who wanted to make him a member of their squad for the next campaign.

The Gunners wanted a top young midfielder in their squad in January and failed to land Moises Caicedo before moving for Jorginho.

The Italy international is considered a short-term fix to a problem area at the Emirates, so Arsenal is likely to sign another midfielder in the summer.

Gravenberch is one of their targets and the former Ajax man might want to leave, but Bayern has a new gaffer and it could all change.

Arsenal has reignited their interest in Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins ahead of the summer transfer window.

Watkins was on their radar last season and they were expected to move for him at the end of the previous campaign, but that never happened.

The Gunners signed Gabriel Jesus instead and Watkins remained a key player at Villa Park.

He has been in fine form under Unai Emery in the last few weeks, which has caught Arsenal’s attention again.

A report on Football Insider reveals he is on their shopping list and they are keeping tabs on his development.

Arsenal has pursued an interest in Dusan Vlahovic for much of the last two seasons, as the Serbian perfectly fits the profile of the striker they want.

Vlahovic ignored their interest in moving Juventus at the start of last year, but the Gunners haven’t given up on the struggling striker.

At the end of this term, Arsenal has been tipped to add a new goalscorer to their group and DV9 is the player Mikel Arteta wants.

Juventus had previously said he was untouchable, but as he struggles for goals, they are now open to letting the 23-year-old leave them for the right price.

Having spent around €80m on his signature, a Calciomercato report reveals that any suitor paying €90m will get their man.

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has admitted he follows Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga.

The Premier League legend has led Burnley back to the English top flight and fans will expect him to sign some players with Premier League experience to add to his squad.

Sambi Lokonga is struggling at Arsenal and was sent out on loan to Crystal Palace in the January transfer window.

The Eagles could keep him, but he might return to the Emirates. Will Kompany sign him for Burnley?

The Clarets boss admits he follows every player he worked with at Anderlecht, but that does not mean he will sign them.

Three unions representing 9,000 faculty members at Rutgers University are suspending their strike after reaching a tentative framework on Friday night with Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) and his staff.

After more than nine months without a contract, faculty unions and the Rutgers administration worked out the deal in marathon negotiations in Trenton. The framework secures major pay increases for union members, along with improvements in job security, working conditions, and other areas. Classes will resume on Monday. 

“We were told it was impossible. We’ve been doing this for four years. It’s hard. It takes a long time. But it is possible.”

Rutgers faculty had never before gone on strike in the university’s 257-year history. In a show of cross-faculty solidarity, unions prioritized improving conditions for the poorly paid adjunct faculty and graduate student workers that Rutgers relies on to teach many of its courses. Their success could serve as a model for faculty at universities across the country.

“This was a campaign…where those in our community at Rutgers who have the most on the faculty, who get paid the highest, who have the most job security, were in this fight not for themselves but those who have the least,” Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union President Amy Higer said during a virtual town hall meeting on Saturday. “That is really important and we should all know that.” 

Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway called the framework “fair and equitable.” Union leaders told members they “believe we have secured profound victories.” Among other wins, Rutgers AAUP-AFT President Rebecca Givan said during the town hall that graduate student workers would see their pay go from about $30,000 today to $40,000 starting in 2025.

Olympique Marseille has become the latest club to show an interest in Arsenal man Folarin Balogun.

The Englishman is spending this season on loan at Reims, where he is in double figures for goals scored.

Arsenal simply had no space for him in their squad this season and sent him out on loan, but he has exploded into life and is now one of the sought-after players in Europe.

The attacker will demand regular game time when he returns and Arsenal might struggle to offer that to him.

The Gunners have some top attackers who are helping them to challenge for the league title in England, so they might struggle to keep Balogun and several clubs are now looking to add him to their squad.