Episode 841 – Eze does it

0:00Musa Okwonga: You're either all in on this model, or maybe you're building with another. You're either speed, or is it security? Or, you're AWS AI. Don't pick a side. Pick them all. AWS AI is how.

0:41Hello and welcome to a brand new Arseblog Arsecast right here on Arseblog.com. How are you? Hope you're well. Thank you very much indeed, as always, for being here.

1:05For those that aren't aware, that was a recording from the Arsenal boardroom yesterday after everything that went down. Yesterday did not start in a great way. We had a David Ornstein story about Kai Havertz picking up a knee injury. And the way he was reporting on it, you went, oh, this is not good. This is going to be a significant absence for Kai Havertz. just when we thought we had our injury problems sorted out, they pulled me back in. The fates deliver another crushing blow to our title hopes. We bought Jokka Rez. We had Havertz fit again. It looked like we were well set for the new season, and then something really, really unfortunate happens, and you're thinking, ah, fuck, not this shit again.

1:48We dealt with enough injury stuff last season. Can't you just give us a goddamn break? And the question was, how are Arsenal going to react to this? How quickly would they react? What could they do? What would they make happen in the transfer window? Would they go for another striker like Oli Watkins, who's been on the list? I saw people talking about Alexander Izak. I don't think that's possible, but I can understand why they were talking about it, because it looked like we were just another injury or a little ache or a sprain or a suspension away from, well, Mikel Moreno up front again. With all due respect to him, he did a great job last season.

2:21But if after two or three games of the new season, you're relying on a midfielder up front, people will ask questions about what you did during the summer and what you did in the transfer market. And just for the record, I think I've said I think Arsenal have done good business this summer. There was always the sense, though, that there was something missing, something outstanding. And so in the afternoon, some shit started to go down. I went to the cinema yesterday evening, early showing of weapons, which is a bit mad. Quite fun, though, if you're at a loose end. And I'm driving back from the cinema, and all of a sudden my WhatsApp starts pinging away.

2:59I can see there's messages from Andrew Allen, from James, from Lewis Ambrose, and a load of other people, too. And I'm thinking, oh, God, what's this? Something big has happened. But I can't look because I'm driving. And I didn't hit a red light for about five minutes. So I was on edge trying to figure out what's happening here. I was expecting to open up my phone and see a load of Kai Havertz ACL for fuck's sake messages. That's where my mind went. I did not expect to see another David Ornstein story saying that Arsenal were in for Eber Echeese and that Eber Echeese was, well, into Arsenal. It was reciprocated.

3:40And what makes this so funny, of course, is that there was so much talk about him going to Spurs. Painful talk, unpleasant talk, ugly talk, if you ask me. It would have been a real shame for a player as good as he is and a player with his arsenal heritage to end up at White Hart Lane. No, he didn't deserve that. There are some players who absolutely deserve that, but not Eber Echeese. And so I'm sitting at the lights and I can touch my phone and put the screen on and I'm looking going, oh, I like this. This is good. I approve of this message, these messages. I approve of Arsenal's action in the transfer market, in the transfer window and the way that they responded to this injury to Kai Havertz, which is terrible news for him.

4:27It's really, really bad news for Kai Havertz, and I feel very sorry for him. But Arsenal did not sit on their laurels one bit. They reacted quickly, and they reacted in a way that I think has pleased the vast majority of Arsenal fans. Because even if you were happy with what we've done so far, and even if you are relatively happy with the state of the squad, adding a player like that, of his calibre, his quality, his skill, his craft, this sort of midfield maverick who can play off the left and play in central areas and add real quality and depth to this team. Boy, oh boy, there's a lot to like about that.

5:00Not to mention the fact that it has absolutely driven Spurs and their fans completely mental. I'm sure you've already seen many of the videos doing the rounds on social media. Meltdowns galore. What is that gif? The hook it into my veins. That's the very gif. And you know what I was thinking about as well. Back in 1997, I know this is not exactly the same, But Emmanuel Petit was at Tottenham to discuss a move to Spurs. And he got a call or the agent got a call from Arsene Wenger saying, don't do anything. Don't sign anything. Come and talk to me and I might have a proposal for you. So Emmanuel Petit borrowed taxi fare cash sterling from Tottenham.

5:49He said he needed a couple of days to think about it. They thought he was going back to the airport. Instead, he took a taxi to Arsenal on Tottenham's dime and then signed for the Gunners. It's not quite the same, but it's in that sort of ballpark, isn't it? He was close, so close to a move there. They thought they were getting the player. And now he is going to be an Arsenal player. And while the most important thing, of course, is that we're getting a really good player who can add a lot to our team. the fact that they're fucking miserable and going out of their minds just adds something a little bit extra to the whole situation.

6:25So it's unfortunate that Kai Havertz got injured. It's great that we're signing Eber Echeze, and it's fucking amazing that they are losing their minds. They're tiny, tiny little minds. Some will say... It's the history of the Tottenham. But perhaps it's best summed up by this guy. It's just who we are, mate. It's just who we are. It is, it has been, and always will be. Spurs without end. Amen. Okay, joining me on the Arsecast this morning, I'm delighted to welcome a duo, newly independent. You will have heard of Stadio Podcast, but they're back for a new season and back standing on their own four feet.

7:08Is that the way to put it? I guess. On the hind legs. Like a pair of Rory Calhouns. It is Musa Kwonga and Ryan Hunt. Good morning, guys. Good morning. Good morning, man. Listen, this could be quite a fun one from an Arsenal perspective because yesterday was a hell of a day from an Arsenal perspective. In the transfer market, injury news. I just want to sort of play a little thing because I was out yesterday morning. I think this was before the Kai Havertz injury news dropped. So I was out walking somewhere and I said, I better listen to the new Stadio podcast before I have these two guys on. And there was just a little bit here where you were talking about Eber Eche Eze.

7:58And at that point, it looked like he was going to Spurs. And this was sort of the little snippet that I picked out. There was a lot of talk about getting Eze.

8:06Musa Okwonga: And then it cooled off and really feels like Spurs have taken the lead in that conversation. I would just say. That's a bit pain for me. I don't like that. Look, I will just, I hope I'm wrong, but I liked him as an option centrally for Arsenal. I thought actually they needed him there because if you look at that midfield three, which I think is fantastic, Odegaard, Rice, Zubimendi, I just wish they had a bit more of a blend in the central area. It's the one thing I think I look at and I go, Arsenal have a fantastic squad, great balance. It's just the one place I look at and I think, I wonder if they've missed a slight trick there.

8:40Musa Okwonga: Do you know what it is with Arsenal in that central area. It was just when Saka came in field against PSG and started running at the centre-backs and they hated it. And it was something about being a kind of like a ball-carrying genius in the centre of the field, which is something that's the one thing that I feel that Arsenal lacked. And it's not that Martin Odegaard doesn't have the technique to do that. It's more that like it's a mentality, right? And if you're the architect, you need someone with a bit of a free hand, a free rein. And Eze is just elite at that. And it's funny because watching Real Madrid against Osasuna, I was joking that actually Real could do with a player like Eze as well.

9:15Musa Okwonga: I think he's a genuine game breaker. And I think that he could be an incredible catalyst for Arsenal in those central areas. I really believe that. So speaking of catalysts, Ryan, the catalyst appears to have been, depending on what reporting you listen to or read this morning, the injury to Kai Havertz sort of pushed Arsenal into action on this situation. Now, we know, and it has been widely reported throughout the summer, that Arsenal were interested in SA, but it seemed to have been tied to some concerns over the future of Ethan Weneri. And he put pen to paper on a new contract. It all went kind of quiet.

9:56Then there was this Tottenham interest, of course. And then yesterday there was the news about Kai Havertz and he's got a knee injury. And David Ornstein reported that Havertz had picked up this knee injury and that Arsenal were in the market for something to help replace him. And that made you think, oh, this is not good, because if they're in the market that quickly, it suggests that this is an injury that, if not really, really serious, is definitely not short term anyway. So I think we have to, if we're going to go through the arc of yesterday, we do have to start and acknowledge the fact that it's come off the back of some bad news for Kai Havertz, bad news for Arsenal because he was going to be, I think, a very important player for Arsenal and for the player himself, having had that big injury last season, big hamstring injury surgery, made his way back before the end of the season and then spent all summer working on his fitness.

10:52it's really, really unfortunate for him and unfortunate for Arsenal.

10:56Musa Okwonga: Yeah, and I think a lot of people forget how much Arsenal missed him last season. When you immediately have good news after bad news, it can be, you know, oh, wow, we've got Eze. And someone who we all, I think any Arsenal fan, any football fan really, I think would love Ebrecht Eze to play for their football club. I actually mentioned to someone earlier, just like some signings just aren't that deep. You know, sometimes you just want a player to play for your club. But with the Havertz thing, that is really bad news. Because he's a really, really good football player. And we missed him a lot.

11:27Musa Okwonga: I think we will still miss him this season. But also just for him, that's kind of really unlucky because he seems like someone who is a really good professional. Everyone who talks about him just sings his praises. I think he's still underappreciated in what he brings to Arsenal and just any team he's in. But I'm also quite impressed that Arsenal moved so decisively and definitively for Eze so quickly. Because in the past, it strikes me as something Arsenal would do would be to wait and wait and wait, and then there'd be a couple of maybe underwhelming loan deals to fill those gaps. But someone like Eze coming in, I think, is massive.

12:11Musa Okwonga: And again, it kind of goes to the summer that we've been talking about, right? It feels very much like it's now. It's time to really, really move. But yeah, I mean, confusing day for Arsenal, a surprisingly busy day. And while I'm really excited, I'm sure we'll talk about like Eze coming in. I am really gutted to see Havertz out for a while. Because I think he's great. World Cup year as well. Yeah. That's the thing, the arc, Havertz's arc, the heartbreaking thing about all of this is he's added pieces by, he's added a different piece of his game each year. And the final element, I think, was just really the consistent finishing.

12:49Musa Okwonga: And that's not much to add, right? We saw Carver Lewin at it under Ancelotti, right? The final 10%, I think, was coming for Havertz. He'd added the physical bulk. He was ready to lead the line, even in front two or a lone striker. You could see all the pieces just falling into place. And this is, it's devastating because I feel like this affects his arc now. Yeah. No, I agree. I agree. I think it's, you know, for any player, it's really difficult to be out injured. But then if you pick up two serious injuries in quick succession, relatively quick succession, particularly after a pre-season where your preparation would be just getting yourself absolutely physically ready for the start of the new campaign.

13:27And I don't know really what happened. There was a clip maybe of a challenge in the game against Man United where perhaps he tweaked his knee somewhere. We don't quite know what the prognosis is. I don't want to get anybody's false hopes up or anything like that. I am hearing it's maybe not the bad, bad one, but still one which might keep him out for a little while. So we'll keep absolute fingers crossed on that. It's a really tough one. But then it's a question, Moussa, of how do Arsenal respond? And I think the signings this summer, and it's been pointed out, are signings which suggest that Arsenal really want to go for it this season.

14:09and not just this season, but a couple of seasons to come where you're building a squad that is ready to go and ready to win. The experienced players they brought in, they brought in Jokeres over Shesko, for example, preferring the experience over the slightly more raw talent. And across the board, I think they brought in players who really add something to the team's ability to go for it. So then it's like, well, what do they do? Do they go for Ollie Watkins? I saw people talking about Alexander Izak. I think that was obviously very fanciful. People were talking about Sorloth, who wants to leave Atletico Madrid, a player that Andrea Berta wants to or would certainly know quite well.

14:48But then they've gone back forever at JSA. And it's not a like for like signing by any means, even if Havertz is somebody who can play in that left eight position or has played in midfield for Arsenal. but you know from the sort of outside objective point of view what's your thoughts on the way that Arsenal have decided to deal with this Havertz absence I think it's been incredible

15:14Musa Okwonga: I think actually just it typifies their entire transfer market Swift they needed to be decisive filling a gap that was clearly there it's not often you see a club raise both its floor and its ceiling and the same transfer window this is like a solid grade grade a transfer window and Eze was the final piece for me because the thing that Arsenal had last year it wasn't they were necessarily missing chances right they were getting they were finishing the chances they got and the beauty of this signing now is the forward line are going to get really good looks they talk in basketball about space and when you've got a player who's so creative so devastating that draws players that allows other players more room to finish and I think now if you look at the the forward line and what Eze is going to give them in terms of spacing.

15:57Musa Okwonga: When you have a guard that, I was talking to the chat about this yesterday, just we're having a chat in the group and going like, when you have like Nani Maduweke coming at you and Saka and Eze on a counter-attack, who do you mark? Like, who do you go with? Because they can all carry the ball. They can all finish. I think Maduweke is a superb signing, by the way. I think he's brilliant. In terms of a player who can bring in something to a system, add that chaos, you look at Barcelona now and the forward options they've got and you look at the midfield options they've got they're probably the elite barcelona in terms of like attacking options they're the gold standard arsenal i think are just slightly a tier below but in terms of a complete package of midfield defensive options they feel like they have the best rounded squad when i look at the major squads arsenal squad for me is so well rounded all they need now is confidence to take the next step in in my opinion but the quality is there ryan you You know, Eze is a player who, even when Airey signed his new deal, people were very keen for Arsenal to sign because he felt like something a bit different, something of a maverick in what we understand and have experienced is quite a structural team under Mikel Arteta, right?

17:12That that sort of expression in the final third isn't always there or hasn't always been there. and people have assumed, maybe rightly, that that isn't something that Mikel Arteta wants. And I can remember maybe having a conversation with you or it could have been James on the Arscast Extra where we were talking about like, what would you bring to Arsenal to just give it that something a little bit extra? And someone like Alexis Sanchez was a player whose name was mentioned in that regard. That relentless desire to make something happen for better or worse, sometimes worse, but very often better, was or felt like something that Arsenal really needed.

17:57So when we talked about Eze and when you looked at the squad and when Havertz was fit, there was that discussion about where does he play? Is he left winger? Is he a more central player? For me, he's far more effective in the centre than on the left. Although I think we will see him on the left-hand side. Arsenal do have a track record of right-footed players coming in off the left-hand side down the years. I think we will see him out there, but it was a question of how do you fit him in with Havertz, with Marino, with Rice, with Odegaard, with Warneri, with Zubimendi, with Norgard. Where exactly does he fit into that team?

18:34And I think those were legitimate questions. Nevertheless, I think most people would have said, well, just take him in anyway and figure it out as the season goes on. It does look as if the Havertz injury has precipitated this sort of development in the move. But I can't remember a sort of more universal joy, for want of a better word, among Arsenal fans when it comes to a signing. Maybe Declan Rice. But maybe you're going back to someone like Mesut Ozil when he came in from Real Madrid that time. And that was really, really sort of out of the blue. quite similar in a way in that it was like, oh, well, wow, this is happening and it's happening fast.

19:18And that's what happened with SAS today.

19:21Musa Okwonga: Yeah, I think the tell is when you see opposition fans as well or fans of rival clubs just being like, he is amazing. And Arsenal have got an amazing player. That's usually people start to do, well, is he really that good? Or is he the player that is really going to shift the needle? It's universal across Arsenal fans and fans of other clubs. I think tactically and stylistically it's a really interesting addition because he is multifunctional he starts that he can start on the left and come inside I think his best work happens in a central area but in that little pocket outside the box where he is not afraid to make the right decision which I think it makes him a perfect player for an Arteta side in terms of being a balance of individualist and team focused right he's a really good decision maker a hyper-intelligent footballer but if he needs to he can be like you know Moosa using basketball analogies he can drive to the rim right give me the ball I'm going to like just smash one in from 20 yards out if I need to and I think what it gives Arsenal is a really like with Calafuri coming back hopefully fit this season as well it makes the left-hand side kind of interesting because I don't think Myles is going to end up playing on that left-hand side for example he's going to play midfield eventually and he he's a midfielder right so he's going to be in midfield if Calafuri is coming in and as we've seen from pre-season and from the first game of the season if he's fit I think Arteta wants to play Calafuri at left back just because the kind of randomness that he gives Arsenal as well but that combination between Calafuri and Eze I think is the is the thing that is really interesting for me on that left hand side because you essentially can take Eze on paper where he might be starting as the left winger in quotation marks.

21:09Musa Okwonga: But you're essentially going to have Calafuri doing the whole left flank and just being a bit rogue, which just gives Arsenal way more options in the middle, which has been a problem because when teams have figured out where to shut Arsenal down over the last couple of seasons, that's when Arsenal struggled. And even if he's not playing every game, being an option off the bench or allowing Arsenal just to have different options for different setups is nothing but a massive positive. And something that we've lacked over the last couple of years and could have been the difference in two seasons, really.

21:43Musa Okwonga: So yeah, there are no downsides to this apart from, excuse me, if you want to get like financial, and that is obviously something that they're going to have to address now for the rest of the window. It's going to be raising money and getting people out the door. I guess so. I mean, I do think Miles is going to play a lot on the left. I think there is going to be a sort of timeshare situation with Lewis Skelly and Calafiori. But when you were talking about Calafiori and Eze, I could see Moose's eyes light up a little bit there. Just to clarify, I mean like long-term, Marles is a midfielder. So just in case people are like, where's Marles going to play?

22:17Musa Okwonga: I'm not too worried because I think he will end up in midfield a lot more than we've seen. One area the same. One area can now deputise without the risk of having to be... It was a bit of a poison chalice. I was excited to see more of one area and Lewis Skelly this year. But I was also concerned, if you look at the kind of emotional, psychological load on Lewis Skelly, this rapid ascent last year, and you look at the two ties against PSG and what's expected, and a phenomenal footballer, and also you see sometimes the emotional strain or psychological strain of being expected to make things happen.

22:52Musa Okwonga: Sure. And that would only have intensified. Now that Lewis Skelly has shown everyone what he can do, I think the the weekly expectation on him in the absence of a more senior creative presence in the central midfield I think would have been a bit too much whereas when you bring an essay now it liberates Declan Rice to do what Declan Rice can do like we saw those two free kicks in Declan Rice and I think it was funny because I think it's the first a lot of people saw that he had that in his locker Declan Rice is is exceptionally skilled but plays within a certain constraint And I think with Eze distracting people on one flank, Rice in a midfield configuration with Zubimendi, phenomenal player as well.

23:30Musa Okwonga: I think it just frees up space for those people all to be a bit more expansive in their game. So I think this signing liberates, you can tell I'm excited by it, I think this signing just liberates so many other forward players. I think what's another aspect of this Eze thing that we need to look at before we take it to a different level is that we live in a world in football where everything, I don't know, it's hard not to be cynical about certain aspects of the game, right? But with Everett Sheaze, we have an example of a young player who's been through quite a lot in his short life so far. He's 27 years of age.

24:12This is a little clip from an interview he did with the Rising Ballers YouTube channel, which is doing the rounds this morning on social media. And I just think it's nice to consider, you know, what has happened to him since he joined Arsenal at eight years of age and how hard he has had to work to get back to this point and to come sort of full circle to be at Arsenal again. So here's this little clip.

24:36Musa Okwonga: Started off at Arsenal. That was eight. Got released from there at 13. Went to Fulham. Got released from there. Went to Reading. Got released from there. Yeah, it's bare rejections. A lot of rejections during that period. Then went to Millwall. Having to try and prove yourself again, which is, as a young kid, it's difficult. Again, that didn't work out, got released from there. Arsenal was probably the hardest. My dream was to play for them. So hearing them say no at 13, that was tough. And I remember training after I got released and I couldn't focus. I was just crying whilst I was training. As a kid, that's all I knew.

25:17Musa Okwonga: Arsenal was everything. Oh, my God. not a dry eye in the house that's it's amazing that's that's that's it look i think like you said man i think that football is quite often at the top level now just more grim than it is great you know and when you have stuff like that that it's just so real you can't you can't fake that shit like you can't and yeah man i love it it's the odyssey isn't it it's the odyssey like the The Odyssey was only nine years. This guy was on 14-year Odyssey. Going around, went to all the different leagues, like gave an incredible account of himself wherever he went, fully respected.

25:58Musa Okwonga: And how many Eze's are listening to that, watching that clip, feeling like the bittersweet sense of we couldn't keep going. Sure. Like that is such a, that is such a beautiful journey. And I will say this actually about Arsenal. One thing, a transfer strategy that has never failed Arsenal in recent years, you have to sign a man on a mission they bought declan rice they bought declan rice this was a man on a mission right they bought esi you need to have someone and it's the angolo cante thing as well when you buy someone who is so hungry for it that that that ultimately cannot fail yeah and i think you know the football is a is a tough it's a brutal world at the very very top level i think people kind of forget about that like for all the the Eberace essays that that that make that journey that ultimately um find a way in the professional game having been released by Arsenal having been released by Fulham having been released by Reading all of these clubs you know for every one of Eberace essay there's probably a hundred guys who who don't make it for whatever reason, maybe not because of talent, maybe not because of application, could be just a bit of bad luck, could be an injury, you know, your strength of character at, you know, when you're older, I think it's easier to dig into your strength of character because you learn things and you experience things.

27:24When you're young, you know, and I'm not being critical of anybody here, but there comes a point sometimes where you might say, God, I've been released by four or five clubs now, what's the fucking point? I'll go work in an office, I'll play some Sunday league and and what have you you know so for for a story like that to be sort of part of this this modern day football um landscape i think is i think is amazing

27:48Musa Okwonga: yeah completely agree i think it it's just it's just really cool when someone's so universally popular in terms of assigning also has that element to them sure and you know i'm it's it is different but you know the thing that made that makes ian so great for example you know he was on sure had him on the show the other day and obviously we work with him and one of the things that's really cool with him is just how like legit that story like you know how how it really it's not just a thing it's like no no no like it was i didn't think it was going to happen and that's why like the move to arsenal especially with with david rocastle being there it was that it had an extra thing to it and I feel like sign-ins when they have that it's just it's just because they're not normal anymore right they're not the norm it's all like yeah I want to play Champions League football or I want this or I want this or it's a World Cup year and I need to move and it's like you know it's just it's way more strategic or business and I feel like stuff like this taps into what fans feel a lot more because it's like oh god that's how I would feel if I got signed for Arsenal you know yeah put it this way how many players can say by the age of 27 they've already done something worthy of a club statue like flat out legitimately worthy of a club statue like the journey that as he took crystal palace on and like if you look at of course with his teammates but when michael lisa went to bayern i was like oh my god because they had such a great chemistry and i was really worried that as they would never get the platform and not the palace are not a great club don't get me wrong but in terms of the international platform for his talent i thought that move would never come because i really felt they were going sort of maybe sideways maybe a bit backwards for him to do what he did at palace like and to leave with all the goodwill like you know seeing palace fans talk about this like he's earned his move what he gave us the happiness he's already given that to crystal palace and i saw someone commenting the day like oh he hasn't played champions league football this is like he's he's done something harder than that this reminds me a bit when neymar came to europe and they were like oh he's not done it in that this man won a libertadores as a teenager for santos with pelle's going into work every day and seeing Pele's statue in the lobby like Neymar's got nothing to prove on a bigger stage all that was left for Neymar was self-expression I believe that Eze I don't think he has anything to to prove in quotes I think all it is now for him is just go and express yourself yeah go and play your football enjoy your football don't force the game let it come to you and I think the benefits will come for everyone around him I believe that it is amazing you know to have had ian on the the show this week talking about victor jokeres and the parallels between wow his career and ian's career and the time or the age at which you arrive at arsenal and then to sign as a from crystal palace to come to arsenal sometimes you know i'm not a great believer in higher powers and spiritual things but sometimes you think there's somebody up there in the universe who's just sort of like just pulling the strings a little bit a little listen plenty of evidence of lower power, I'll tell you that much.

30:53That's very true. That's very true. And without, yeah, you can't have one without the other. Exactly. Ryan, listen, we've got nearly 26, 27 minutes into this without having the opportunity to enjoy the other aspect of this Everett Chesa deal. Moussa, feel free to chime in or you can just sit there laughing if you want. It's fine. But obviously the fact that he was going to Spurs or, you know, was very close to going to Spurs was certainly a bone of contention among Arsenal fans. I think as much as we all wanted to sign him, if he'd gone to Villa or somewhere else, it'd be much easier to deal with and much easier to contend with.

31:38But the idea of seeing him in their shirt was anathema to many Arsenal fans. You know, it stung. It was a real stinger. and obviously we're all delighted that we're getting Eber Echeese, the player, but to have left Tottenham with egg on their face, I don't know if all the eggs, ostrich egg on their face, you know, it sort of added another layer to the enjoyment and the fact that this deal has been done not just to our benefit but at the expense of our local rivals is sort of it brings it to a different level doesn't it

32:23Musa Okwonga: yeah yeah i'm gonna probably sound like really disappointing for everyone because i know because like i think doing stadia and having to you know it's it's taken a lot of that stuff away from me let yourself go man let yourself go usually is but i think it is i think do you know what it is i think it's more like it's obviously amazing and it's obviously that is another layer to it but i feel like maybe we've been on the other side of that so much that i'm like oh fuck man we've been that we've been through that and that sucks not necessarily to spurs but that kind of thing i mean i think actually my initial response to it wasn't even that wasn't even really a factor in it it was more relief because the other day i was we were actually texting about it uh moose and i and i was like i'm just really sad that he's going to spurs like genuinely sad so it hadn't even it to my honest it could be anyone i know it is like an extra for like fans and like it should be celebrated and you know embrace the banter and all that lot but genuinely for me the initial thing was like fucking relief sure i really really really wanted to see him play for arsenal and i'm just like yeah i mean obviously stealing it stealing a player from under spurs is like noses and i don't know a lot of people are saying that they just kind of faffed about a bit on well Oh, you were saying that.

33:42Musa Okwonga: Yeah, yeah, yeah. My understanding is that they've been protracted negotiations regarding clauses and bonuses and things like that, where they dilly-dally to the point where they left themselves open to Arsenal swooping in and taking advantage of that. It's right there. Andrew, this is the thing. Sometimes I see the frustration with Daniel Levy because just get the deal done. Yeah. The parameters of this deal, this is a far less complex piece of business than other players they brought in. And he was perfect for what they need. Especially because they lost Son in the summer. I think he's a perfect player to take up that kind of role.

34:22Musa Okwonga: Poor Thomas Frank. When you're building something, you come in and you've got a plan. You can imagine, you've envisaged what you need. And you can't get that over the line. I mean, goodness. I mean, really, like, yeah. I mean look Arsenal space so not really the place to kind of do that we'll save that for Stadio Andrew I get it's good to have that opposing view you know or not opposing view but I understand where you know outside of the Arsenal prism or bubble you know your view on this would be very different I think Thomas Frank is a very good manager but it's the history of the Tottenham that very good managers go there and don't really do themselves justice.

35:05You know, there've been so many examples of that in the past. And I think, you know, part of it, I think you're right, Ryan, it is relief. It's relief that if there was going to be any club that sort of had, could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in that way, it could only be Tottenham, you know?

35:25Musa Okwonga: The Europa League was meant to get rid of this narrative. This is the thing. the Europa League and the Super Cup if the Super Cup happens you know I think that was quite a big thing actually I think if they'd won the Super Cup against PSG it puts them a different category um just in terms of the continuation of success and I just I look I just think from a Spurs perspective I want to know what the fallout is going to be for this internally right because some people should be really really embarrassed it felt like this deal was being talked about in terms of like summer business, it felt like the Eze deal was discussed almost as much as the Seshko deal in terms of like, it's right there, just pay the money and get the thing done.

36:04Musa Okwonga: And he was keen. And why wouldn't he be keen? Champions League football, centre stage, great stadium and a chance to be, a chance to be like someone really special in Spurs' history. And look, not a Spurs podcast, but if you, if they get Eze, that's a really good window for them. They've signed really well. They've signed, I think they've had a good transfer window. but they've now got a couple of key injuries Madison's out, Kulisovsky's coming back so they needed someone like similar position to Arsenal right but they've known about those injuries for a little longer I think yeah I feel like the first North London derby is just going to be oh my goodness it is going to be not quite the same as that sort of Saul Campbell one but there is going to be that edge to it now this season isn't there that above and beyond the way it normally is, and it normally is quite spiky, and there's a lot of tension around it.

36:58I think this one, all eyes will be on this one. Eze Hatrick seals the deal for Arsenal. And it's that Arsenal isn't the first one,

37:07Musa Okwonga: which I think is actually quite... I would just say as a Spurs fan, probably best is to turn off the WhatsApp until the game actually starts, because I think the build-up is going to be unbearable. Because nothing would have actually happened on the pitch, so it will all just be the chat, it'll all be banter. To be honest, I think that's true of every game in the Premier League this season. And the way they made it is to build up is fucking unbearable most of the time. Anyway, look, you know, we don't want to dwell too much on Spurs, but can we just take a moment to enjoy the fact that Jamie O 'Hara is absolutely fucking fuming this morning?

37:36He was damn bad. Damn bad.

37:40Musa Okwonga: When like Jason Cundey is bantering you that hard, you've got to be like, what? Yeah, you've got to. That's probably like, you're probably wondering how I got here. Where was your rock bottom? Right there. That was it.

37:58Ryan, there was some suggestion. I don't know how true it is, but maybe an Arsenal player could be going the other way, not as part of the SA deal. But Jakub Kivior being linked to Crystal Palace because he does appear to be slightly on the outs at Arsenal. They brought in Christian Mosquera. Gabriel is back. Calafuri, an option for left centre. half as well and Arsenal do need to sell players Palace might be losing Mark Gahy to Liverpool which would be a real blow for them particularly when you look at what happened in that first weekend of the season and how Palace went to Chelsea to Stamford Bridge and defended very well and you know came away with an important point there Kivio to Palace I don't know if it's going to happen or not but it does seem on paper like the kind of deal that would make sense for the player if he wants to play again in the World Cup year, as Musso has pointed out.

38:51But also for Palace, you know, as a way of building their squad. I think Kivior last season, particularly in the Champions League after Gabriel got injured, demonstrated that he is a very good player and could do a job not just for Arsenal, but for a lot of Premier League teams and for teams across Europe.

39:08Musa Okwonga: Yeah, a player that deserves to play every week somewhere, I think. And 25 years old, quite a key moment in his career. and I think Palace is I mean Palace is such a great place to play football just if you're anyone who's looking for a move and somewhere to go Palace is a club that always comes up like we always talk about it on Stadio just it just feels like a bit of a no-brainer and I'd be a little sad to see him go but I'd be happy for him to be playing football every week because I think he does deserve that he's a really really good backup for Arsenal and I'm just you know he's been needed in the last few seasons as well there hasn't been a season since he's joined where he hasn't featured in some pretty like regularity sure um but so yeah i mean makes sense and also arsenal have to you know we're gonna have to let some people go who we might be fond of because arsenal really do need to generate a bit of income yeah i think especially after i think yeah yeah so i think he he's definitely one the other option i wondered whether if they are losing as a is whether it might be an option for Rhys Nelson.

40:14Musa Okwonga: But I'm not sure if maybe there's other stuff to play with Rhys. Yeah, I'm not sure either. I mean, moving slightly away from Arsenal, Moussa, I mean, while we're on Palace, do you worry a bit for Palace? Do you worry a bit for Oliver Glasner? Because the work he's done there, I think, has been outstanding. No, actually, I'm actually happier for him because you lose Eze. Imagine if they're in the Europa League now. You've then got, you lose your main playmaker going through the Europa League season, which can be quite gruelling. and then you've got the league pressures too. Whereas the Conference League, in terms of their competitive element, is actually better suited than now having lost Eze.

40:49Musa Okwonga: So the European journey will actually be, I think, more enjoyable just because the level now, like losing Eze, and this is not a knock on Palace, it actually makes them a Europa Conference League team as opposed to a Europa League team. Sure. In terms of what he would have brought, that's how he raises the ceiling. I'm just going to ask, because Glasner has been a bit like, we haven't really done anything in the market Obviously, the Gehi situation is informed by his contract. He's only got a year left. And Eze, you know, at 27, was probably keen to make this last move. But that's fine. But in the sort of the arc of what he's done since he arrived at Crystal Palace, are you a little bit surprised that they haven't been a bit more proactive in terms of bolstering the squad, knowing that these Gehi and Eze situations were in play?

41:36And is there a sort of worry that if they don't react properly in the final part of this window, they could potentially lose, you know, a really, really good coach who's done good work there.

41:48Musa Okwonga: Yes. And also, okay, look, first of all, I think Glasner's, I love Glasner. Everyone that listens to Stadio will get bored of me ranting about how good he is. But also like, look at the wider context of how hard it's been to bring in that talent in the mid-level of the Premier League. Like Fulham, for example, they've struggled to bring players in. And people might look at that from the outside and be like, they've been lazy. But actually, people now know that if Palace are looking for a player, bigger clubs will come in for him everyone looked at the Michael Elisa thing and now he's a buy and balling out one of the best creative players and now how many players have been snatched from Palace's grip because everyone knows the Palace are maybe looking for an Eze replacement so if you hear that Palace are looking for someone just throw money at them like it's a real it's really really hard to buy at that stage and when you've got a manager like Glasner coach like Glasner like Europa League winner.

42:37Musa Okwonga: I just have a lot of sympathy for everyone involved, really, for the Palace recruitment and for Glasner, because it's very, very hard to make the step up. They don't have a huge amount of cash. Everyone now knows they've got that 70 million coming in. So everyone's going to charge them the Palace premium. I just, I'm less concerned than maybe than I should be just because I think it's a great club. It's great infrastructure. They'll always attract brilliant coaches. And if the worst case scenario happens, they lose Glasner at some point. who wouldn't want to coach at Palace, who wouldn't want to build their career at Palace or maybe spend a few years there.

43:09I just think it's not great for them,

43:12Musa Okwonga: but it's not awful. It's worth remembering that they've been going through a similar thing that Arsenal went through though, where they've been transitioning in sporting directors. Dougie Freeman left in, I think March. So a lot of their summer business was done by I think the assistant or his assistant at the time. They've only recently appointed a new sporting director. So I'm wondering if some of the business was because of that. I remember when Eddie was transitioning out of Arsenal and everyone was like, we haven't locked this person down. We haven't signed this person. That just sometimes creates a bit of a gap in how proactive you can be in that sense.

43:44Musa Okwonga: Yeah, good point. So I wonder if they've been negatively affected by not getting someone in to replace Friedman right at the end of the season. Because he was so, like, he was the integral person in that setup over the last few years in signing players and his coming back and stuff like that. So, yeah, I have a lot of sympathy for Palace because I feel like this is just one of those things where so much stuff is not aligned that it's just meant for quite an underwhelming window. Yeah, I mean, I think just from my neutral perspective on this, Palace have gone through quite a number of managers, high-profile managers, managers with potential.

44:25And then they've found this guy. He's got an FA Cup under his belt, got the Community Shield under his belt. He's going to lose maybe the two best players, having already lost to Lise last summer. It is one of those where, as a club like Palace, it's hard to get a manager of that quality and that caliber. and I think they're in a position now where they really, really need to do something to make sure that they keep him and hopefully, you know, from their perspective, keep that trajectory going as well. Musa, I wanted to ask you as well about Manchester United. You are a Manchester United fan, as people will know.

45:01My sins, yeah. Yeah, four-year sins. And look, Sunday played out the way it did. Arsenal won at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season. I don't think we need to go over the Arsenal side of things because we're all very happy with the results while acknowledging that maybe the performance wasn't quite where people wanted. What have you made of United's summer in terms of recruitment? I think you can see that there is a focus on one end of the pitch. Do you worry a little bit that it's come at the expense of another end of the pitch? Or is getting that sort of forward line in place and then building back from that rather than building from the back and putting the forwards in place.

45:43Is that the way United have chosen to go? Is that the right strategy for this Manchester United side and Ruben Amorim? I think it is, actually.

45:53Musa Okwonga: I was really encouraged by it. It sounds strange to talk about the encouraging defeat, but I was encouraged by it. And Bwema looked really good. First of all, he's really happy to be there, which is a big deal. Like, again, man on a mission. Really unsettled Arsenal, I thought, in key areas, pulling wide, really smart transitions and I think that the final stage for a club is as it's growing as a team is match control that will come last of all for Manchester United and obviously Arteta built from the back forward we're building from the forward back but there's some great players to come back like Aiden Heaven I think Jorah is a fantastic player we obviously signed him ahead of Madrid Mason Mount I think will be a big big factor and I think Seshko is going to be a real fan favorite i i really just thought look and my expectations for united to be clear our mid table this year i just don't think they have the midfield depth to consistently challenge for top of the table and mid table will be fine for me mid table some good performances show out well threaten some teams at the very top and yeah that that'll be good for me but i'm happy overall I would say.

47:01Yeah. Ryan, what was your sort of take on United and their performance and how maybe they caused Arsenal problems that we didn't necessarily expect?

47:16Musa Okwonga: Yeah, in terms of analysis of the game, I was just glad it was done. I'm just really glad that Arsenal don't have to go back to Old Trafford in the league this season. I liked what Ian said about how that result might age really well. Because I think you can start to see Manchester United getting it together a little bit. I think the Szesko thing is quite interesting because it's another player in a long line of high-priced potential superstars, if you like, for want of a better term. that Manchester United in the past haven't really been great at developing in the last decade. So I think that is one to watch because we've watched quite a lot of Seshko and his potential is so that you can just see it.

48:10Musa Okwonga: He can be unbelievable. Now, hopefully, Ruben Amaran does a better job of developing those players than previous Manchester United, from a Manchester United perspective, obviously. I'm glad that we maybe didn't meet them at Old Trafford later in the season when they've really had time to get it together. But also on the same time,

48:34Musa Okwonga: how many times have we seen games like that where Arsenal have just lost over the years? Or it's been the other way around. And we've outplayed opponents and not put the ball in the net. So just quite happy that Arsenal A won the game because I think it was a really, really tricky opening fixture. and yeah, nothing massively dramatic happening. That was quite like, no red cards. I was expecting a red card. So I'm glad that it didn't happen. We got enough yellows. Yeah. That's for sure. Can I say, I'm really glad that you bought, you didn't buy Seshko at Arsenal. I'll tell you why, because I'm glad you bought a striker who at least is like oven ready and the pressure on Seshko to be the final piece in a title challenge, I think it's not fair.

49:17Musa Okwonga: I watched quite a bit of him, obviously for RB Leipzig, seen him play for Slovenia And for me, it's like the striker to finish the big chance. He's not quite that striker yet. Like at that very highest level, you saw against England, actually, even in the Euros. And it's not a knock on him. Like very few strikers are ready for that yet. The thing about the strike you have, boy, is that he will keep going, right? Actually more like later 11, Dorski. Later 11, Dorski actually misses quite a lot of chances, actually, at Barca. But he manages, it's the Novak Djokovic thing. It's the reset. is the ability to reset after a disappointment almost instantly.

49:54Musa Okwonga: And yeah, a lot of people like bantering about like having a poor game at Old Trafford. But do you know what? Like, I think he'll chalk that off. Yeah, I think so too. I think it's going to take a while for Jokeres. Yeah, of course. Because he hasn't had much of a preseason. And also I think it is a different test. But I think he'll be able to level up. I just think it's going to take a little longer than people would have expected in signing a quote-unquote finished article striker. but I think the most encouraging thing in the plus column for the Ocaraz sign-in I think is how he played against Arsenal in the Champions League where that's a really good defence he went up against.

50:31Sporting were miles behind

50:33Musa Okwonga: and was it like three or four down I think and he was still going, still going, still going. Did he hit the post? He hit the bar. He hit the bar. He sort of ran off Saliba. I think it was Kivior was on at that stage. I think Gabriel had gone off. I was at that game. It was a lot of fun But he did stand out, you know? And I think, you know, let's look at it now that if it was Sesko who had come to Arsenal, all of a sudden Havertz is out. That pressure to deliver is like huge, huge now. Whereas I think Jorikovic was signed, and this is my theory. This is always my conspiracy theory. I fully believe that they went and they said to the Arsenal centre-backs, who did you least enjoy seeing last season?

51:14Musa Okwonga: And they just made a short list and they were like, hey, it's that guy. And I reckon they all mention, that guy. Well, listen, if you're using your ability to create chances against William Saliba and that Arsenal defence and cause Saliba and Gabriel problems, if that's your litmus test, that is the test. We haven't played that many defences that are as good. Yeah, exactly. I just love the idea of Saliba and Gabriel, the first training session being like, you've got a nerve, show your face around. Do you know what? That's a really good recruitment strategy. That's the one, isn't it? That's the one.

51:45Musa Okwonga: guys who would you like to see yeah exactly who does not want to play against the season who's going to give you hassle in training your day job who do you not want to see the canteen oh man well look let's see well he's obviously going to be thrust into action against leads at the weekend moosey you said something as well on the stadio podcast which i um i reacted to in quite a visceral way because you were talking about liverpool and you were talking about Alexander Izac and you said Liverpool need Izac. I think they do. And I was like, no, they don't. They don't. I think they do. Well, explain your reasoning to me there because they've scored four in their opening game.

52:32They've got Salah, they've got Eketike, they've got Gatpo, they've got Soboslav, they've got McAllister. I'm forgetting somebody, I think, as well. Like, are they not just being greedy? should they not stop and give the rest of us a chance?

52:47Musa Okwonga: Yes, yes, they're being greedy. And they also, they lost, obviously, the tragic. I mean, we can't even, where do we even begin? Yeah. So Diogo Jota, obviously, and then that's devastating. So having a player that comes in with a clean slate, I think is important. Then you've got Luis Diaz going, who I think will be a big loss. You're asking Chiesa to step up. They scored four goals, yes, but how did they score them? They got two really, really late on against a defense that's had multiple changes. And they're going to need rotation. Eketike can play inside left, so can Vietz. Vietz will take some time to find his bearings.

53:23Musa Okwonga: He's a phenomenal player. Many people listen to the podcast know I love Vietz. I just think you need an extra player to help you raise your ceiling. And Liverpool need that because now, look, Liverpool won the league last year, yes, but their closest rivals have all like bulked up, torn up. So they do, they do need something to keep them ahead of the pack. And I know the Arsenal fans would enjoy hearing that, but they need someone to keep them, to keep them sort of match fit. And I think he's, I think he's the guy actually. Yeah. But sorry, sorry to, no, no, I mean, there's no problem. It's, it's sort of, you know, obviously I prefer he stayed at Newcastle and it makes Newcastle more dangerous and maybe it creates a toxic situation there.

54:07which has long-standing implications. But it is scary, Ryan, isn't it? The idea that you could go to Anfield. I don't think it's going to happen in time. Well, famous last words. I suspect it's not going to happen in time for our game against them. But if you're going to Anfield and you're facing that kind of a forward line, that kind of depth and that kind of quality, Gabriel and Saliba, they want to take their vitamins before a game like that.

54:36Musa Okwonga: yeah yeah uh yeah i don't want to think about that i just don't think about it sorry like i just don't yep i'm sure everyone else's list is like what are you doing yeah all right fair enough we just signed ese man what are you doing this is very much arsenal fan stuff though isn't it like we have a positive figure that we're worried about a hypothetical that might not happen of course that's the way of football's defense is liverpool's defense is it should be a concern for them though and they're they're not fools i mean i said this on the stadio like they took off both fullbacks after an hour frimpong will have real challenges because if he can't get forward and gets pinned back he gets isolated these one-on-ones it's going to be a problem for him kirk has lights coming forward we all know that he needs to develop his chemistry with the center backs that's fine but two fullbacks that like to advance like that there is room and there are there's joy to be had i think liverpool they're well aware of all they're sorry they're well aware of all that but that's something to watch yeah i mean they have been linked with defensive players a guy from parma i think and gay he and yes another defender as well so they're not unaware of that right um a couple of quick things before we head off and before we talk about stadio for a second i mean this is a really interesting story from yesterday it's sort of been framed in a very specific way and i think it speaks to the media landscape in which we we exist these days the bbc have got rights to the bundesliga but it's being reported widely that mark goldbridge who people will know or maybe not know um but he has a big manchester united channel called united we stand he's also got a more general football channel called that's football 20 bundesliga games are going to be brought broadcast over his uh youtube channel among other YouTube channels and other digital content creators.

56:30I think it's really interesting. You know, I don't know what it says maybe about the reach of the Bundesliga through traditional means or whether it says more about the way people consume content these days and where people expect to consume content these days. I mean, what's your take on, you know, a YouTube channel, ostensibly one which is set up, you know to react to football games in the way that many uh the way that many do these days for better or worse um you know not everybody is into that kind of thing but when one of the biggest leagues in europe one of the top five leagues in europe is partnering to some extent with a youtube channel it is a real um step in a different direction isn't it look i think both of them are trying

57:22Musa Okwonga: something new the bundesliga with goldbridge goldbridge of the bundesliga i think for this to be successful for both parties there needs to be i think a departure from what mark goldbridge built this sort of empire on i think that kind of like the reaction the kind of um extreme takes i don't think it works on the bundesliga context just because it's so easy to go oh this league is dominated by bayern and actually the more nuanced coverage of the bundesliga about the football culture that's incredible the top two divisions in particular if they lean more into that i think it's really a great opportunity to bring the bundles they get a bigger audience i'm just concerned that it becomes a culture of like oh there's only one team winning everything why are we here that is my but if they can go for something more measured in terms of the fan culture the cities um the different traditions i think that's potentially quite exciting um and i want i don't want to be negative i want to be optimistic this is like a new audience and something quite exciting and engaging i'm just concerned about the kind of cultural fit between what what both parties offer to each other yeah i mean ryan the it's not true of everyone there are people on youtube who make really good content and deliver it in a smart intelligent and nuanced way but there is also a lot of stuff on that platform and and i think the platform itself drives people to a a quite specific way of looking at things the the bants culture if you like and everything is played off against everything else and it's who shouts loudest uh gets the most views and that kind of thing would you have some concerns that you know by existing on that platform and in that kind of space that the coverage of the Bundesliga on those channels will be informed by what tends to work in a more partisan way.

59:24Because what you're looking at basically is like, whether it's Mark Goldbridge, whether it's AFTV, you know, they're very, very club specific, right? So this is what they operate on. They operate on, you know, their own support, their own biases and what have you. But it becomes more difficult to widen that out then if you are trying to bring some of that audience with you to say, hey, I'm not just about making silly Alan Partridge kind of gaffes. I can be smart, sensible, intelligent, you know, and it's not just about Goldbridge, but I think it is about the platform itself and how typically football content on YouTube is viewed in the wider industry or the wider football world.

1:00:08Musa Okwonga: I think if it was the only place that you were going to see these games, I'd have quite a lot of concerns. But because it isn't, I actually think it's not, I think it's quite a smart idea for the Bundesliga. Because the cool thing about the deal is that you have the same games or similar games, I think, are going to be on the overlap. So they're going to get their audience, obviously, into the Bundesliga, depending on, I don't know who their lineup is for it. You can have Mark Goldbridge, and they're going to be watch-alongs, right? So they're going to be having the game and then they're watching along, but then you actually have the games as well on the BBC.

1:00:43Musa Okwonga: So if you want a traditional free-to-air TV experience, you're going to get that. So it feels like they're covering different demographics to try and get people into the league. And therefore, you might as well lean into the tone or the reason that those people watch those channels anyway, right? Because some people won't like the Bundesliga and they just might not be bothered with it. But if they are going to get into it, then maybe their path into it is by someone who they already check the really really cool thing for me as you know someone who watches a lot of german football and we obviously cover the bundesliga quite a lot is the addition of the bundesligas or the what the bundesliga is doing with their own youtube channel in the uk specifically i don't think this one go i'm not sure if this is the case in ireland as well but they're gonna i think they're showing every Speiter Bundesliga game on their own YouTube channel for free, which is going to be a really, really good thing, I think.

1:01:41That's a German second division.

1:01:42Musa Okwonga: Yeah, German second division, yes. Because that is, I mean, it's literally a bit on Stadio that we call it the best league in the world because it's mayhem. Like, it's mayhem all the time. At one point last season, I think there were nine teams that could have potentially still finished top with, you know, three months to go, eight weeks to go or something silly. It's chaos all the time. The fan culture is amazing. It's really accessible. For example, there are huge clubs in that league. It's very similar to England in a sense that you have these massive clubs in the second tier. Huge clubs like this season, for example, not wanting to go down the Bundesliga stuff too much, but Haas Foul, Hamburg, European champions in the past, back in the Bundesliga for the first time in ages.

1:02:29Musa Okwonga: They were in the second tier struggling for a little bit, trying to get up every season, kept missing out. So I think that if this acts as a path for people, as someone like Musa and I care very, very deeply about the Bundesliga and the Zweiter Bundesliga and just German football in general, if this acts as a pathway for people to get, to be like, oh, actually, I want to check a bit more of this. And, oh, wow, that's really cool that Fortuna Dusseldorf have a few games a season where they just let everyone in for free. Like, wow, they don't really do that in the Premier League. It's such a different experience to the Premier League and what we're used to over here, just in terms of culture, in terms of identity, in terms of fan involvement, you know.

1:03:06Musa Okwonga: And I think it will strike, especially at the moment, I think it will strike a chord with a lot of people who feel very disconnected with their own football clubs. And so, yeah, I mean, I have, I'm not, they wouldn't have been necessarily, some of the choices wouldn't have necessarily been my initial idea. But I feel like if that is, it does cover a huge amount of an audience with all of the people that they've ticked so I think yeah there are obvious bits of criticism you could throw at it but I think in terms of the overall big picture I think it's quite a good move but that's how it matches up with all of the stuff that they're doing It certainly is an interesting development Speaking of development to finish us off Musa you guys are back and like I said at the start you're newly independent you know and congratulations to you guys you were with the ringer for quite a while and now striking out on your own so you know tell us a little bit about what's going to be on offer this season from Stadio and what people can expect from you two beyond all the coverage of Bundesliga 2 and the German South Second Division Conference which I believe you guys are negotiating the rights for right now We just want to get all the Reganale League of games.

1:04:29Musa Okwonga: Well, I guess more of the same. So we have a certain focus, which is the largest five leagues in Europe. And we cover football both on and off the field. So not just the game states and the tactics and all the rest of it and the flow of games, but also like the wider political social context that won't change. What's going to be really exciting about the membership model we've got, I think, is just connecting more with listeners from all over the world. We started up our Discord just a few days ago, and it's really exciting really just seeing the range of cities people are from. And actually someone like a Londoner got involved in the chat and was like, hey, you people are like, you're kind of everywhere all over the world.

1:05:10Musa Okwonga: And that's like super exciting. I think that's the main excitement for me. So we're going to have some content available for free. So podcasts are free every week. And the stuff behind the pay will be a second podcast and then like our social club, which is I think the bit that we're really, really excited about. The dream for me, and Ryan can chip in any point, is the dream is to have people like making friends through Stadio, like meeting online, connecting through their love for, well, come for the football, stay for the wrestling takes, stay for the music takes, stay for the food takes, book club takes, all of that.

1:05:47Musa Okwonga: And then just go and like form your own groups. You know, grab a beer with each other, like grab a coffee grab a grab a meal grab a game that's the dream for me really we did we did the thing in there you know it's not like um anything that anyone else hasn't done before but just in that we hadn't done it a lot in our world so much we did a bit of a meet up in new york in march i think it was for the man united arsenal game old trafford classic football shirts and it was like done at a week's notice and it was very much like just come down and it was really cool a lot of the feedback we had were started listeners who hadn't met each other before or hadn't really had many friends that to enjoy football in the way that they like to enjoy it and they all connected and a lot of people were like oh we started a whatsapp group or whatever and that was a bit of a test run for this thing that we'd like to do with stadio so yeah i mean we were super lucky to to join the ring and when we did and the ring were you know it was like massive for us and um it was cool that we managed to like like the you know when it was just a mutual thing really and everyone was like it was really cool and like we got loads of love for those guys like shouts to chris ryan and all the gang just great people and um and yeah being able to then kind of like go and explore more stuff outside the podcast is is i think the real exciting thing for us like we we launched it with a video which was the first proper video that we'd done and we made a little film um which included some submissions from stadio listeners of just you know to show the community and then you know some spoken word from stephen camden aka polar bear and music from the great duval timothy uh featuring yuzu yuzu um so yeah it was just more about like look we want to do more stuff like this and we also want to just do the discord thing and yeah like kind of be able to um kind of sense like get a bit more of a temperature check of what people are after as well like you know oh actually if i'm going to be a game are people more interested in are people interested in hearing stuff like from that game straight away or little bits here and there and then yeah very kind of i suppose standard stuff in the grand scheme of things but for us it was all new and exciting and yeah if anyone wants to join patreon.com forward slash daddy well yeah listen we'll we'll put a link in the show notes and obviously a link to to your main website as well where i'm sure people can find out all the information they need on the podcast and the new community-based venture that you're undergoing.

1:08:11And I wish you both the best of luck with it. It's great to have you on the show. Hopefully we can revisit this at some point during the season, sort of do a redox of where we are maybe halfway through. But for now, Ryan and Moosa, thank you very much. Oh, thank you.

1:08:25Musa Okwonga: Thanks, man.

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1:10:46Thank you very much indeed. to Ryan and to Moosa. You can find the Stadio podcast in all the usual podcast places. And if you want to get involved in the new thing and get more content and be part of their community, you can find more details at patreon.com forward slash Stadio. So there you go. What a week. What a week it has been. We've had Ian Wright on a bonus arsecast, which is still there for you to listen to. If you haven't had a chance yet, well worth it. Talking about Victor Yarkarez and more. We also had our first episode of The 30 over on Patreon, which is our Premier League review podcast.

1:11:21And of course, tomorrow we'll be looking ahead to the Leeds game in a bit more detail. We'll hear from Mikel Arteta, maybe get an update on Kai Havertz, and maybe get an update on what he's thinking about Eber Echeese and what he can bring to Arsenal. When he holds his press conference, we'll have the preview podcast over on Patreon sometime in sort of mid to late afternoon tomorrow. You can get on board there. Patreon.com forward slash arseblog. helps support everything that we do here across Arseblog, Arseblog News. For those who use the Arseblog apps, I believe there is an update coming imminently.

1:11:55So stand by for that. We'll give you some more details as soon as we have them to hand. And the final thing I just want to mention today is that we didn't discuss it in the conversation, but people love shirt numbers. Can we assume that Eber Echeze is going to be the new Arsenal number 10? You'd probably say it was a bit of a safe bet if you're a gambling person, putting a few quid on him taking the number 10. But that will all play out over the coming days. It'll all come out in the wash, as they say. So anyway, look, I just want to say thank you to all of you for being here, as ever. I hope you enjoyed the show.

1:12:27I hope you enjoyed the conversation with Ryan and Musa. Let's hope our first home game of the season is a success. Victor Yacarez off the mark. That would be nice. Three points at home. Fingers crossed for that. You can join myself and James on Monday for the Arsecast Extra, so please do join us for that. In the meantime, have yourselves a great weekend. Fingers crossed for three points, and we will catch you on the next one. Until then, cheers. Bye-bye.

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