Arsenal Women Arsecast Episode 169: June Mailbag

0:00Who knew Walmart business could help a thriving office motivate their employees? Pamela knew. She uses Walmart business to get the assortment of items her team needs at the prices she loves.

0:08Jamie: As the office manager, it's my job to make sure my team stays on top of their game. I can get the basics like cleaning supplies and paper towels, but what they really care about, snacks. And she can get everything they need when they need it. Greg loves wheat crackers, Brenda craves sour candy, and Max, oh boy. He needs protein bars and milk and applesauce and jerky. Built for your business. Who knew?

0:45Hello and welcome to the Arsenal Women Arsecast on Arseblog.com with me your host Tim Stillman sitting slowly marinating in the June summer heat here in England. I've had to turn all my fans off close windows, I have to close my porch door. So by the end of this episode, so it doesn't interfere with the sound. So by the end of this episode, I might well be a husk of a man, but I am on a bit of a weight loss thing at the moment. So maybe I'll be a few pounds lighter as well by the end of the recording. But here as ever with us to record this summer kind of mailbag episode is our co-host Jamie Spanger who being Australian has no experience of intense heat.

1:31Jamie how are you doing?

1:33Jamie: Oh Tim I hope you don't turn into a puddle by the end of this episode. I'm good, I'm good, I'm very good. It's obviously a little bit colder over in Melbourne where I am right now. Winter's definitely hit. It does make me laugh though watching you guys freak out over the high temperatures. However I always do say a 30 degree day in England is like a 45 degree day in Australia. It's just not built for it. It's actually awful. So yeah, it's better than the US and their hydration breaks when it's like 22 degrees at 8pm. But anyway, I'm good, Tim, and I'm excited to be back and speaking about Arsenal.

2:04Yeah, definitely. Like a very good bellwether for me is like, you know, my wife is from a tropical place where it's intensely hot 12 months of the year, and she's struggling. And obviously, she grew up in an area where they are used to that and all the buildings are built for that and they don't have carpets and aircon is everywhere we do not have that in England we can't have that in England because our winters are cold so um yeah your climate change anyway we we haven't spoken for a few weeks frankly there's no secret behind why we haven't done an episode in three weeks because there's basically nothing going on but Jamie you've you've you're free you've finished your your studies I'm free Tim I

2:44Jamie: thought I was I thought I was never going to make it out of my library chair can I be honest it's been a month of darkness for me so it kind of uh ended I finished last at the end of no sorry the start of this week so World Cup fever I'm like finally watching all the games and like being that person so I'm free I'm finished my degree university over I returned to to England pending so yeah happy days all round amazing amazing yeah I'm on a kind of sort my life out kind of tip at the moment so like um I've got a personal trainer at the moment because I need to lose some weight man like I was always I was always like very fit and healthy until my mid-30s and I got this hip thing that meant I'd stop playing football I'd stop swimming I'd to stop running and like I'm I've never been a gym bro because like I always did those things so my fitness just stayed quite naturally and I can't do them and I'm seeing the impact and basically I've got to learn how to become a gym bro basically so I've done becoming a gym bro is the ask me women transfer news of the summer yeah so I've had to get a personal trainer because I don't know what I'm doing with that stuff I've never done it um like upper body strength for me was always swimming and so like I need someone to tell me what to do basically and I need someone to push me a bit and say okay a little bit more weight there and like because I go very easy on myself so I need someone to be a bit brutal with me so yeah um done three of those the first one i couldn't lift my hands above my head for about three days but but like i've done three now and i feel much better for it so you know stand by for me being uh pivoting to being a bodybuilder in the next 12 months anyway um since there's not an awful lot going on uh we are we are doing like a pure mailbag um edition today so this won't run as long as our kind of post-game podcast really but we have asked for your questions to be submitted on Blue Sky and as ever when there's not a lot going on I think you get some kind of good creative you know thousand foot view questions and I'm just going to start with this one Jamie you're going to go in right off the bat from biased Arsenal Chicago Stars how do you think Arsenal's much delayed rebuild looks to be going?

5:00Jamie: This is a loaded question let's get into it what a way to start the episode um how does it look to be going so far I think to be honest Tim this summer we knew we were going to say goodbye to some big names I didn't I didn't really prepare myself for it to be as um much of a clear out in terms of those big profiles as it was I know that it's circumstantial like the Katie McCabe exit is a bit different in circumstance the Beth Mead one obviously we've spoken about how both of those individual uh releases were handled and I know there's a lot of nuance to them but I think it's a really positive sign that Arsenal are moving on to a new generation now and obviously there's some rumen signings that I'm sure we'll speak about many times during this episode but to be honest Tim I think that look there's a long time left in the transfer window I think it's good that we've been linked to a lot of players I am happy with the departures obviously I've kind of grieved and moved on from Katie McKay but I actually think now like it's time it's time to move on from that and start a new era so So I think there's plenty more work to do.

5:57Jamie: I don't think that our quality of our depth is near where it should be, being an Arsenal team. But I think that we've got some stepping stones in there. A big one as well was Jodie Taylor's appointment earlier in the year, I believe. Was it this year, 2026? Yeah. I think that that is a big – it's not just about players on the pitch. It's about direction. I think we're not going to reap the rewards of that until probably this season, next season when there's some real structures being put in place as well. So, yeah, I think that there's movement. but if we're talking purely squad I think there's plenty more work to do in terms of the depth and also just raising the ceiling so I'm sitting in the middle of it Tim with that one but I do think there's a there's an upward trend yeah same here that's how I feel like the the summer transfer window always kind of goes in two stages particularly when there's no tournament and like the free transfer bit is coming to an end now there's a couple of high profile ones probably still to sort out in the next few days.

6:51But then July, we get very firmly into the paid transfer ones. With Arsenal, we know about the free transfer ones. And I really like basically all of those signings. A couple of the kind of rumoured ones, I'm not clear on whether they're done yet, like Selena Churchy and Lisa Baum, like the sound of those. But I'm with you. I think really there's more work to do. I know the club know that and I'm expecting that work to be done. But really, until the centre-back comes in and the other winger comes in, I think those are really pivotal pieces. I think there's a bit of a danger in the fan base that because we've known about Barche and Stanway and Reuteler for so long, that almost we're not taking those into account anymore.

7:41But those are still big summer signings that are coming on big salaries and all of that. But they almost feel like last season signings, like they almost like don't count. But definitely for me, the centre back piece and like maybe towards the end of last season, this isn't absolutely gospel, but, you know, I was kind of told that they wanted to bring in a bit of a young project winger. and that seems like Lisa Baum is the one they're interested in there. But they wanted to bring in a more established one as well, ideally. I don't have any names at the moment. That might change in the next few days.

8:21And I kind of like that idea of building a bit of youth underneath as well. And again, no names, but it was kind of suggested to me that if a good young midfielder came on the market, like a project kind of signing that they'd be open to that as well. And I like the idea of all of that. But until I see who that winger and that centre-back are, I can't say this rebuild's been amazing. I think there's just too much that's still to be done. But I do think it will be done. Do you have a question?

8:52Jamie: I do. Let's just stay on the topic of kind of the rebuild and the signings. This one is from at Cosmo Kramer 35. What player that we are rumoured to be signing raises the ceiling of this team the most? Oh, that's a really good question because I think the thing is, particularly Stanway and Barche, they are massive players who've won. I mean, Ona Barche has won everything, right? Except for the Euros. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And obviously, Georgia Stanway has won league titles. Those are two really big, significant players. but at the same time like owner bache is a bit of a replacement for katie mccabe who herself is a world-class player and georgia stanway that's probably part of the kind of future-proofing kim little so like i'm not sure we're talking about them as ceiling razors we're talking about them replacing potentially like world-class players already so that they might be retainers if that if that makes sense um I think the fascinating one is Reuteler because I just don't know how she's going to be used there just seems to be so many different ways that she can be used I'm fascinated for what it means for Frieda Mornham for example I'm fascinated to see with Alessia Russo do we see her drop back into the 10 even more I think the answer instinctively I think the answer is what Renee wants is loads of flexibility and she wants everyone playing everywhere.

10:30I think she'll want the fullbacks playing on both sides, the wingers playing on both sides, Russo as a nine and a 10, Reuteler as an eight and a 10. I can see all of that. I really think what she wants to move towards is high flexibility and unpredictability, which makes it difficult to establish who's really a ceiling raiser. Instinctively, I might say Reuteler just because I think that attacking midfield position, assuming she plays there, which she might not has needed addressing for a little while. What do you think on that one?

11:01Jamie: I think I was going to say the exact thing that you just said. None of these players fit a profile. No player at Arsenal right now, other than maybe Emily Fox and the goalkeepers and Leah Williamson fit a profile. Everyone else is kind of asked to do a hybrid job. So yeah, it's kind of hard to say. I think that a player that will add something that maybe we're losing through Katie McCabe is Georgia Stanway. And I do think that this is a kind of personality in that midfield group that Arsenal have been crying out for for a while now. You need someone that's just going to get in there and win you the ball and kind of recycle.

11:31Jamie: We have a lot of classy players in that midfield group, but I think it's time for just a crash and bash player that can hit the ball from distance, someone with a bit of audacity. I do think that's kind of, it's a player profile and a personality that I think this team needs. And if we're looking at her, but then again, it comes to the same question. Are we keeping Mariona high, sorry, deep with Kim Little? And then where does Georgia Stanway play? But then if Georgia Stanway comes in and plays the eight, I think that that raises the ceiling of the team if we're having Mariona play in the 10. So I do think that this is a player that holds a versatility that is exactly what Renee Slaggers asks for.

12:01Jamie: But I also think her addition to the team is going to raise the ceilings of the world-class players that we already have in that midfield group. Like let Mariona run free. Russo might be able to play higher as well. So yeah, I'm excited by the Stanway prospect by the same reason that I think it's hard to pinpoint who the ceiling raiser is. I think this is a player that can add a lot to her position, but also the players around her. Yeah, definitely. I think where Rene really wants to go is just highly adaptable, highly versatile, and that we come to a stage where we see the names on the team sheet, but we have to wait until the game starts to really know what's going on, which I don't think has really been the case to this point.

12:39How about this one then from at Nick's Clips 72? It's been interesting to see the difference in fan response between Meade's move to Manchester City and McCabe's move to Chelsea. I understand the Arsenal-Chelsea rivalry, but with City the clear champions last season, why aren't fans seeing a growing rivalry there also? And what will it take for that to happen? Why don't we care about Manchester City, Jamie?

13:06Jamie: This is a double-barrelled question. I think the reason we're more upset about the McCabe one than the Mead one is I think we've all seen a lot where most fans see a place for McCabe in the starting 11 and in the squad. And I think Beth Mead were a lot easier. we look at Olivia Smith and we're like, there's the direct replacement. I think there's a little bit of hesitancy with McCabe to think, oh, there's still so much you could offer and you've gone and you're offering that to another club and in our direct rivals in London. And I think it's understandable that it just obviously feels like Katie McCabe is more important to the squad or was more important to the squad.

13:35Jamie: In terms of the rivalry, the Chelsea-Arsenal rivalry has been the only rivalry in women's football for however long. And I think that you can't force that. You can't like make that any other rivalry anything like it's kind of like how Arsenal Manchester United in the women's game doesn't have the bite to it although it has it in the men's game I don't think we have that correlation as much as we do the North London Derby for example as well like I don't think men's rivalries matters in women's football and I think it's always just kind of been this Arsenal Chelsea thing Manchester City I don't know why we don't have a rivalry I don't know I don't hate them as much as I do I don't dislike I really dislike the men's team but But I don't dislike the women's team.

14:11Jamie: I think when someone fresh is winning it, then that's not Chelsea. If it wasn't going to be us, I think that was a relief last season. Like if Chelsea went again, it would have really, really looked worse on Arsenal. Whereas City have had two to three seasons now where they've bottled it. Like it was almost they had to win it. Otherwise, serious conversations had to be had. But I can't diagnose why we don't hate Manchester City as much. I just I don't think there's a rivalry between Arsenal and City yet. Maybe that will brew if Arsenal finally want to compete in a title race. But we'll see. Yeah, I think there's some circumstantial stuff here.

14:44Like we've never really competed for the title with Man City, whereas we have with Chelsea. I mean, we haven't competed for it, let's be honest, for a few years, but it's always kind of been with Chelsea. We do seem to play Chelsea in more finals, if not semi-finals. So there's a little bit of that to it. There's also just a little bit of Chelsea. Chelsea are the ones who properly challenged and maybe even usurped Arsenal's domestic dominance, whereas City have been a bit more spotty. If City had won the league five years in a row, you'd probably see that develop a little bit. It's like in the men's game.

15:22Arsenal and Man City have never had a rivalry in the men's game, but it's slowly grown over the last couple of years because we've been competing with one another, whereas Arsenal and Man City just never seem to simultaneously have a good season. and one of them always seems to just fall off a little bit. A lot of it would just be proximity as well. You are more likely, if you're an Arsenal fan, I think, particularly in the UK, you're more likely to know other Chelsea fans than you are Arsenal fans. But even to the players, Arsenal-Chelsea just seems to matter that bit more. Even Chelsea-Man City, they play each other a lot in massive games all the time, but I don't detect an awful lot of needle there.

16:04So I think for that to happen, Man City would have to become the unarguably dominant domestic team and win a few league titles in a row and maybe take a Champions League because they haven't really looked like doing that yet either. I do think that would change. I could see them challenging for it this year. But, yeah, I think they've got to become more consistent and maybe we've got to become more consistent. Do you have a question?

16:32Jamie: I do. This one is from at Lexi M 1987. Why do our men's team utilize our academy products, product, produce players more than we do in the women's? Feels like we let a lot slip through that have amazing potential. I want to add to this, Tim, in women's football in general, like there is a lack of academy product. I guess what's your take on that? Yeah, I had this one down. I think there are a few things to this. So if you look at the England team at the moment, I certainly know in terms of the FA and stuff like that, this is a very live conversation. And this is why you're seeing stuff like the National League proposals for academy teams to go into the National League.

17:14It's because if you look at the England team at the moment, the pipeline does not look that good. There are not many players like this generation that won the Euros, that will go through certainly to next summer's World Cup. You look underneath it, there's not a great deal coming through. And when you look at the WSL, the number of players under 24 are dropping in terms of minutes. And I think a lot of that is just because the league's too competitive. And, you know, like there just aren't enough games to give academy products. Like there's no, if you're in the Champions League, there's no Subway Cup group stage for you.

17:54and you know if you're in a situation like Arsenal where you draw a couple of games in October and you can't win the league anymore there just isn't the space to bring young players through and give them those opportunities whereas you look at someone like Barcelona Barcelona like they they really can bring through youth talent and one of the reasons they can they play a lot more league games and quite frankly they play a lot more uncompetitive games because they're so good and so they can bring like an 18 19 year old on with half an hour to go and give them a lot of minutes which is much much excuse me much harder to do in the WSL so so really the answer is that they just aren't the games and it's just there isn't really the incentive to kind of really play young players um and I think we're beginning to see this a little bit in the market and some of the choices young players are making as well so Felicity Schroeder going to Real Madrid for example when everyone was interested in that player everyone a lot of clubs I believe Arsenal included were put off by the numbers but she's gone to Real Madrid and I have to believe that's because I think really sensibly they've looked at it and thought she gets into that Real Madrid team as a starter now and she will play whereas if she goes to like Chelsea for example she might be rotated in a little bit more.

19:19And you see a lot of young players we've seen at Arsenal, they fall away if they don't play at that age. So I think maybe there is a space for some teams to position themselves in the market as a good place for young players. And I'll be interested to see if that's an overall project for a team like Real Madrid, for example. Barcelona can do it. But in England, I just think it's just so much harder. And I guess for us, Jamie, the live question around that is around Michel Ajamang and Katie Reid, because those are the clear, these guys could be first team players for Arsenal for the next 10 or more years.

19:59And how do we bring them through? I think that's the Arsenal part of the question, right?

20:04Jamie: Certainly. I don't think that this is an Arsenal specific academy issue. I completely agree. It's just women's football in general. You look at Chelsea, they have some unbelievable academy kids as well that have been loaned out to three or four clubs over the last two seasons. and it's just women's football. I couldn't agree more. The league is too small. Like the seasons are too short in the WSL and I agree with the competition, but I just think the league's too small. We don't play enough league games. The season is too short and there's no real like opportunity to rotate. So I agree. These big clubs, like they're being looked down on to say, okay, you're not really producing academy talent.

20:37You're not letting them breathe.

20:38Jamie: But at the same time, like they don't have the choice. Three or four losses and you're out of the Champions League. Like look at Manchester United. So it's just high stakes. There's not enough games. And I think that's the biggest issue. And then you also look at Arsenal and you say, there are some players in that team that have made it into the first squad. And I think Arsenal probably have one of the best cases for academy talent in the WSL as well. So we saw Katie Reid start this season. I think that she would have continued to do so if there were injuries. And obviously Steph Catley missed a couple games at the end of the season.

21:07Jamie: I think that she was nailed on to be not always a starter, but a heavily rotated player in that starting 11 this season. So I think it is to do with individual talent as well. And I think Arsenal have it. It's just really, really awful timing for both of those two players and Michelle Adjomay and Katie Reid with their ACLs. But yeah, it will be very interesting to see what happens in the future. So Tim, I don't have a lot to add. I think you hit the nail on the head. There's not enough games in the WSL and it's kind of hard because teams want to win the league, but teams want to stay up and teams want to make the Champions League.

21:33Jamie: So they have to be always playing their seniors. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think what we'll do is we'll go to a break there and we will be back in part two with more of your questions and there are some meaty ones i was looking for a quick one to squeeze in before a break but they're they're all quite meaty so we'll go to a break and we'll come back with more of your questions in part two right after this

22:0333 days 33 episodes no off switch from the goals and the glory to the politics and the problems of

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23:35okay welcome back to the arsenal women ask cast on askblog.com with tim stillman and jamie spanger june mailbag edition and jamie how about this one um i think this is a a really kind of good talking point that maybe we stuck a pin in earlier in the season and we can kind of come back to now and it's from at goal at goal hyphen mouth goal mouth with the season now over what feelings do you both have if any about the article in the athletic last year about issues of division in the changing room with some senior players having too much influence even though arsenal denied everything it seemed a bold no smoke without fire article i would say i don't think arsenal publicly denied it.

24:24I might be wrong on that. Generally, Arsenal don't comment on anything ever. But yeah, how about that article about a bit of dressing room discord last season?

24:34Jamie: Yeah, I think that that was in the mail. We spoke about that very extensively when it came out. I think we don't really know a lot right now. It's all very nice and well and good for me to sit here and say, I think it's fine because I haven't seen this team perform and play in two months now. It's very easy to kind of sit back and say, I hope that division's ending. But obviously, there's a turnover. I think we can probably name the players that we think it was, but that's counterproductive. I don't know that's going to do anything. I think that what's important is this squad is getting a refresh and some of the senior players that have been there since the beginning of time are moving on and we'll see what effect that has.

25:06Jamie: I also think we're in a position now where Renee Slagas has finished her first season. She's then gone and done her first full season, but now she's handed an opportunity where a lot of those players are out of contract. she can move on a couple she can renew the ones she sees fit to to be in the squad and then she can go and explore the market and I don't think Arsenal had that leverage last season to explore the market although there was a Champions League win I think that they didn't utilize the leverage maybe that's more like it so I think that we're going to see a squad this summer where there's a director of women's football there's a technical director there is a backroom staff that are maybe a little bit more equipped to to deal with things and Renee is going to sit down and say this is the culture that I want to build and I don't think she's afraid to do so.

25:46Jamie: Maybe correct me if I'm wrong in six months if this playing group looks like they lack chemistry but I do think that this is a manager that has made it very clear to us as fans, commentators, whoever you are, that this is the kind of football philosophy we want to play and in doing so if you're going to be a versatile player on the pitch you also need to be a versatile person in the changing room and I think that there is going to be a culture reset and I really hope that there is because it does seem like for the for the last few seasons, Jonas and then Joe as well, it was kind of like a player's dictate and then also the managers trying to dictate and it feels like there was always like a lack of cohesion.

26:19Jamie: I think that Rene is saying, look, you have to be held accountable. I'm going to make your responsible players and from there we have to work up. So obviously I don't know what's going on in the back room. That's something that I'm just hopeful for. But the biggest thing for me is Jodie Taylor. Obviously Claire Wheatley is still there. There is structure in the back rooms and it seems like players are being scouted and we can see the profile. whereas it didn't feel like we could used to see the profile when we signed players. It was like, how are they going to fit? And now we're saying, no, this is a versatile player that we've seen play three, four positions.

26:46Jamie: We know that that's what Renee asked of her playing group. So hopefully there's a culture reset that comes along with that. Yeah, my view on it hasn't shifted really. I'd say the kind of the views on the article kind of, I don't think it's enormously disputed, right, the content of the article. It's just a matter of perception. I think some people I've spoken to say, well, yeah, sometimes there is a bit of tension in the dressing room, but actually that's very normal. Some people would say that should happen in elite teams. You've got lots of very, very competitive people who are together every single day.

27:23But actually, that's part of demanding more from one another. Some would say, yeah, a bit, but it's a bit over exaggerated. So there's a lot of like perception in there. I'm with you on the kind of speculating around players because like for example Katie McKay was actually offered a contract it was only a one-year contract but she was offered a contract so like any speculation about like oh she's the and you know look she was taken out of the leadership group last season that's something that Arsenal kind of tried to keep under wraps but it became evident in the end anyway when she never wore the captain's armband and Russo wore it and at the end of the season Rene kind of said yeah actually Alessia has been in the the leadership group so you know stuff's gone on there um but at the same time like i don't think it has to be anything particularly dramatic it's just what happens in elite teams particularly when elite teams have been together a long time and they've had the same leadership group for a long time like it doesn't have to be because anyone's trouble or a bad person like this just happens like it happens in organizations as well look at like if you look at a role like ceo of a big organization what happens they rotate every few years because every few years you need fresh ideas fresh voices things go stale in england at the moment prime minister is a temp job you know um they're like getting ousted every couple of years um which i think is a bit too far but i just think it's a natural thing that happens in competitive environments and yeah it was time to refresh it um i don't think there's there's really any doubt about that and i think most fans regardless of like the article or like what might or might not have been going on in the dressing room.

29:07I think most fans, just from what they see on the pitch, are ready for a reset anyway. So I don't think it's like a massive deal. Do you have a question now?

29:18Jamie: I do. This is player specific. This is from at NDMW. The loss of Meade's reliable GA output arguably makes it all the more important for Smith to have a strong second season. What work do you think needs to be done in preseason and to help improve her effectiveness and consistency? Yeah, I had this question. Yes, I think Olivia Smith is actually very similar to Beth Mead in that one of the things she's really good at, and I really see her getting a lot of goals from, is she's so good at pressing. She's so good. She's got that thing Beth had of like, she's on you in 0.5 seconds and she'll take the ball off you.

29:58And I think Arsenal, towards the end of last season, really worked that out. I think that's something they perhaps maybe didn't know, not didn't know, but weren't aware of how good she was at that because at Liverpool, they weren't really asked to press in the same way. And so they've kind of become aware that she's got this amazing weapon of forcing high turnovers. So some of it's about us utilising her properties a little bit better. honestly um you know there'll be little bits and pieces that they'll work on in terms of positional awareness and and things like that which are very natural for a young player i think it's just going to come with games to be honest i think when you've got a talent like this she's already like there are no concerns whatsoever about like her defensive input for example there's no like oh she's got to track back a bit more she's already got that um particularly because she played at Liverpool as well.

30:54I think that was quite helpful in terms of giving her that grounding, playing in a real counterattacking team. So she's got everything. She's still quite young and it will come with games. I don't think there's any huge kind of, it's just like a little bit of details really with a young player like this. I fully expect this player to become like, she could be the best in the league. Like she's got the potential to go there. She's not far off that already, but I think she's got the potential to go to that kind of every single week. This player does something, makes a goal, scores a goal. Her involvement in games, she probably needs to be a bit more involved at the moment.

31:41Like I think Caitlin Ford is a good counterbalance for her because Caitlin Ford is almost like her opposite, like very highly involved, but perhaps won't score the goal. whereas Olivia is a bit more kind of low involvement but when she's involved she'll do something. I think just getting that level of involvement up really and as much of that is about us getting the ball to her as much as anything and us learning her movements, her patterns and I fully expect her to become a real kind of central player in this team just as we've seen with Russo. Like Russo was good the minute she walked in the door but like in her third season you could really see the like I'm one of the best players in this team I'm getting the ball all the time I'm doing stuff like that just that just comes with time what do

32:30Jamie: you reckon yeah I think you've covered pretty much everything I think that what Olivia Smith does so well is just she she has such a high football IQ and I think in football you often see so many young wingers that just they lack the kind of the they lack the intellectual edge because they're so keen they're just they're buzzing and they want to get the ball and they want to win the ball and they want to shoot and I think that what we've seen of Olivia Smith this season there was a few goals where she forces a high turnover and she's very very good at finding those pockets of space and kind of anticipating the move I think the one thing with her that could make her more effective and consistent is just sometimes her decision making lacks and again I think that just comes with maturity I don't think that's who she is as a footballer I just think she's young and she was taught at Liverpool like you're the best player you're the you're the player that's going to get the ball in the back of the net, do it yourself.

33:16Jamie: And I think towards the back end of this season at Arsenal, she's done a fantastic job at knowing that she has the players there to service and just her decision-making sharpened a bit. So I think that's something that comes with maturity. But I couldn't agree more with you, Tim. I think this is a player that could be one of the best in the world and she's already fantastic. She's already one of our better players. But, yeah, I'm very excited and I'm excited we got her at a young age and I'm excited that we can kind of nurture her and make her into a footballer at Arsenal rather than kind of bring her in while she's already this, like, world-class 25-year-old.

33:44Jamie: I'm glad we got her in the door early. So, yeah, I'm super excited for second season, Smith. I think it's going to be, yeah, one to watch. Yeah, and that's a big part of the reason Arsenal put the money down that they did because they see this as a long-term signing, basically. Okay, another one that's – two questions I'm going to kind of cram together, kind of, I guess, about spending in the transfer market. And I think you're seeing this summer it's a tough market because everyone's really expensive. even Chelsea are struggling with that at the moment you know two big targets for them Bunny Shaw and and Schroeder they've not got and the sums for those I mean Bunny Shaw was a bit different but like the sums involved are really really big and you know there's a lot flying around about Salma Paroleo at the moment and yeah it's looking like the transfer market at the top end is really inflating and there's a couple of questions around that first one from uh castle studies trust at castle studies with lots of wsl clubs spending large amounts on transfers and wages and the lack of investment in others outside two to three clubs is there a danger the wsl becomes like the premier league i.e they can only sell to each other and at from at awfc321221 what short and long-term impact do you think these 1 million yearly wages will have so I think that second question really refers to Salma and obviously Bunny Shaw has signed a massive contract at Manchester City as well yeah I think there's always the threat of just inflation in the league and I think that in women's football right now it's this the sport is still so vulnerable and I think the WSL is still so vulnerable and that is something that is obviously a massive massive raise like it it concerns me a lot because I think that if you have these clubs that are the ones that can put down the money, the ones that are willing to put down the money, then it's just going to widen the gap even more.

35:43Jamie: Like we've seen what happened with Leicester City. I'm obviously extremely worried about their fate now that their men's team has been relegated for a second time in a row. So I do think that there is a massive concern of like this is going to inflate the league and this is going to inflate the best teams. And obviously men's football is fantastic, but it does have a similar problem all over the world, not just in the Premier League. So yeah, there's a concern there. I think in the short term, you have to have the clubs that are already kind of in those conversations. And I think it will promote spending from your Manchester United's, your Arsenal's, these clubs that haven't really been making these massive moves in the last three, four years.

36:19Jamie: I do think it will promote activity in that. So maybe it makes the top of some leagues exciting. And like, look at Real Madrid, good on them as well, because Barcelona are running away with the league every season. And it's good to know that a club like that who have famously kind of denied their women's team the access to being successful is doing that and putting that money forward. Obviously, it comes with the caveat that they've lost Caroline Veer to Lyon. So that's a massive output as well. However, it's good to see that these bigger clubs. So I think in the short term, you're going to see these clubs competing but not quite the massive powerhouses get involved.

36:52Jamie: And it really does inspire them to get involved. But at the same time, I think women's football in the WSL is far too vulnerable. and it worries me for clubs like West Ham, like Charlton Athletic coming up into the WSL. Who else is there that worries me a bit? Like Everton's and Liverpool's, I don't think that they're going to be putting their money towards their women's teams right now, which is disappointing. But yeah, we'll see, Tim. However, I think short-term, good for the title race, long-term, bad for England's football. Yeah, I'm with you. I am worried about this. Like if you look in WSL 2, there's two teams that have already decided they can't afford to compete in it.

37:29And Durham were very, very close to being a third. And now they've been kind of saved by a local investor, but that's not healthy. And I think there is a concern that a lot of the clubs who aren't in that kind of elite bracket are just going to go, do you know what? There is no point in trying. We can't get there. But then you look at a club like Tottenham, for example, and Tottenham are investing very strongly. they seem to have decided, no, no, we can invest. And so maybe other clubs have to do that. I think what makes it so difficult is we still don't know what the overall financial potential of the WSL is.

38:09And there is a danger of overspending and going over ski tips and stuff like that. I know we've got American listeners. The way things are set up in the US has always been a bit different anyway. way but us listeners who have been around women's football for a long time will have seen leagues collapse um i'm not suggesting that necessarily would happen here but it is fragile and in one respect i look at a contract like bunny shore and i kind of think you're probably the best player in the league yeah fair enough you should like there is no argument from me about bunny shore being the highest paid player in the league like that is fine i guess the problem comes when because realistically there should be quite a big gap between bunny shore and your average wsl player but that's not what happens in reality in reality the players just below that bracket will go oh she's on like a million a year or whatever i want 700 000 and it's a bit like you're probably not worth 700 000 and i look at something like salma if if the reporting is true that she's around 1 million a year i think she's a really really good player but i i wouldn't pay that i wouldn't pay 1 million a year for me that's bunny shore like you have been the golden boot winner like 17 years in a row and you're 29 and you're amazing and we know you're going to continue to be amazing and you know unless you get like a really bad injury or something like that is an incredibly safe bet to sign bunny shore up to a massive salary someone like salmer that's that's a bit more questionable really so it's it's it's a bit like on one hand I think the best players the most established players should just get the bag but there is like an inflationary effect just below that which is worrying and there are you know we've already seen it mooted about stopping relegation for a couple of years and a lot of that is because a lot of clubs are looking at this and going this needs to slow down yeah a little bit and I know it's easy to be cynical about that but I do think there is some truth to that.

40:16Undoubtedly, some of those clubs are speaking out of a bit of self-interest as well, because they kind of don't really want to invest. But at the same time, that doesn't mean it's completely untrue. So I do worry about it a little bit. I do worry about wage inflation going beyond where the WSL can possibly go. And I do look at things like attendance figures and as Arsenal fans we are rightly very smug about what those look like in terms of having an average attendance of 33 ,000 but we are a massive outlier massive like the second highest is like Chelsea on 8 ,000 and then like you're into the low thousands after that and that's you know I feel like that stuff needs to kind of happen first but that's not the way that market forces work so I am a little bit worried about it to be honest but we'll see where all of that goes.

41:10I think what we're going to see is most clubs, big clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea, they're going to have to make their choices about who they spend big money on because they're not going to be able to go to the prices for every player. I think we're seeing that with Chelsea. I think Chelsea are looking at things and going, we can't give four players £1 million a year. We can perhaps do it with one or two players. We have to choose who those are. I think Arsenal are the same. Arsenal will step back on some players, but they'll be more aggressive with others like they were for Olivia Smith. So there'll be a lot of that going into the market.

41:44Let's do one more. Yeah. Short term for a question, isn't it?

41:49Jamie: It is. I think you should take it. Do you have a good one? If you have a good one. Yeah, I think I do. One second. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This is, this is what this one from at Mary OD eight O day with the, So Mariana Odegaard, eight, enjoyer. I've been listening to 2021 AskCast episodes. Thank you. And when we were beaten twice by Barca in the group stages and lost to Chelsea in an FA Cup final. In your eyes, how far has the recruitment and squad improved since then? So, yeah, 2021, we lose to Barca 4-0 and 4-1. We get done 3-0 by Chelsea in the FA Cup final. However, that's also the last season we came anywhere near winning the WSL.

42:40But nevertheless, I do think there have been a lot of improvements in recruitment. What do you reckon?

42:45Jamie: Yeah, it's interesting when you put it that way, because obviously that was the last time we were at all involved at the last day in the title race. However, at the same time, it feels like the quality of the squad is so much better. I think if you played in a world, these two teams against each other, if that was at all possible, I think that this squad is far better. I think that women's football, it just follows the trajectory of women's football as well, though. I do think that there is just more access to the game. Every team around us is improving as well, especially in the WSL. So it's hard to kind of look at Arsenal in isolation in 2021 and say, like, there's been a massive improvement.

43:17Jamie: I just think the technical side, the way clubs are around in the back room, like, everything has just increased. In terms of Arsenal's recruitment, 100 % it's better. I think that we had a squad in 2021, which was a really, really strong contending squad for where the WSL was at at the time. We obviously struggled in Europe because it felt like those teams were kind of pulling away. But I do think that we're in a situation now where our recruitment is way, way, way better. But I also, again, want to reiterate, I think that just comes with that kind of 2020 cusp of women's football felt like when these current stars that we have now were really coming into the game.

43:54Jamie: And I just think the level's higher. This generation I think is higher. and I think that Arsenal have done a really good job at capitalising on that as well. So in terms of recruitment, I think it's been a lot less these are kind of players that we've seen in the women's game and they've done a really good job and now I think it's let's go out and explore the market in Europe. I think we're looking further in Europe than we used to as well and less in England and the United Kingdom in general. So yeah, I don't really know how to pinpoint it but I do think recruitment has improved which is funny to look at because it doesn't feel like it's been a successful six years for Arsenal at all.

44:23Jamie: But I also think there's a direction with the club where the coaching situation was kind of on ice at that stage as well. It's on ice again two years later, and then we finally kind of found a solution for it. So, yeah, all in all, that was a long, long answer to say I do think it's gotten better, but I also think women's football has become more competitive. So, yes, we've gotten better in Europe, but I don't think that should dishearten the fact that we've not gotten better in the WSL. I just think everyone's kind of following the same trajectory at the top of the table. Yeah, I think the recruitment's more targeted than it was.

44:55I think if you look at the time Jonas was in charge, he didn't have enough help behind him, which is something I think the club concede because a lot of the recruitment was, who does Jonas know?

45:06Jamie: Yeah. Basically, it was very manager-led. Even signings you wouldn't, like, Haffaele, that kind of came about because the coach of her national team was Swedish and knew Jonas very well. You know, it was a very, like, who does Jonas know type thing, and that's why a lot of Swedish players came in and all of that, whereas I think it's a little bit more hybrid now and the net's a little bit wider. I think the arguments with Arsenal over recruitment in the last couple of years, I struggled to put my finger on too many bad signings, really, like Jen and I swung her. Don't know what happened there.

45:45That's almost like a glitch in the matrix. I don't really quite know how that happened. But other than that, I look at the players we've signed and I like them all. I think the questions around Arsenal were around volume now, whereas I think it was the other way around a few years ago. We signed a lot of players and about 50 % of them worked. So I think we've refined the approach and now it's probably just about, particularly this summer, where we've got quite a lot to do, like bringing that volume up and having the capacity and keeping things where we're able to sign more players, but they're all kind of relatively hits.

46:22I think if a nice one happens every three years or so, you kind of live with it and go, all right, that didn't work. But there were quite a lot of signings where it was like, even good players like Manitil Wabuchi, Nikita Paris, and it's like, yeah, they weren't right for us at the time. Whereas I think that happens less, but it's more about boosting the volume a little bit. But I definitely, you know, you look at 21-22, we played Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarterfinals. We were kind of brushed aside quite easily. Whereas now, you know, we've beaten Barcelona in a final. We've beaten Lyon in a semifinal.

46:59We've taken them pretty much all the way in another semifinal. Like, I think, you know, that's where you really see the level in the Champions League. And now I look at us as a semifinal team. Whereas I used to look at us, at that stage, I looked at us as a quarterfinal team. that makes sense um anyway we will leave it there um like i said things have been a little bit quiet on the transfer front i'm expecting that to change as we tick into july and um we'll come back with another episode probably in a couple of weeks when there's a little bit more happening but uh but

47:33Jamie: jamie thanks so much for joining us again thank you tim it's been good to chat and hopefully we have uh some good news in the coming months yes yeah i think we will i think we will i think um You know, the grapevine is starting to rustle a little bit. So let's see what the next few weeks brings. Thanks so much for being with us for this episode. Again, apologies we didn't do one for three weeks, but to be honest, there's nothing to say. There was nothing to say. And at Arseblog, we are under no commercial pressure to churn content out when there is nothing to say. So we didn't. But we envisaged that will change.

48:08We'll get some guests on over the summer as well to kind of, you know, freshen things up a bit, get a few different perspectives. So thanks so much for being with us. And we will speak to you very, very soon.

48:43Jamie: It's my job to make sure my team stays on top of their game. I can get the basics like cleaning supplies and paper towels, but what they really care about, snacks. And she can get everything they need when they need it. Greg loves wheat crackers, Brenda Crave sour candy, and Max, oh boy. He needs protein bars and milk and applesauce and turkey. Built for your business. Who knew?