Isak on strike, Arsenal eye Eze & Man United spending with David Ornstein

0:02This is a Global Player original podcast. Well, we're days away from the start of a new Premier League season, but with the summer transfer window still wide open, it feels like the perfect time to check in with a man who knows more about who's moving where, the most club chairman. David Ornstein joins us to explain the latest on Isak's future and which clubs have won the window so far. We'll get the inside scoop on late deals still in the pipeline. we'll talk about the culture of transfer reporting and the social media in the know phenomenon. David's thoughts will be fascinating on how that landscape has changed over the last decade.

0:39Welcome to The Sports Agents.

0:49The Sports Agents with Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman. Hello, just me again. Today, Gabby will be back, though, later in the week for our Premier League Q &A, so please keep those coming via our socials, via the email, thesportsagentsatglobal.com, or by the already very popular, I'm told, Google form in the episode description. We've had the big news this week about Crystal Palace being kicked out of the Europa League and playing in the Europa Conference League now after their appeal. at the Court of Arbitration for Sport was rejected. We do have an episode on exactly what has happened there with Crystal Palace and their ownership.

1:31So if you scroll back, you'll be able to find that on YouTube, Global Player, or wherever you get your podcasts. And also, there were those huge protests by Sheffield Wednesday fans at the weekend in their away game at Leicester. So also go back and listen to our exclusive interview with Chris Powell. He had been assistant manager at the club. He's only just left, and he gave us a great insight into what has been happening there over recent months it's the not knowing it's the not knowing not knowing if we're going to get paid not knowing if it's going to be sold not knowing if we can fulfill a fixture it's the not knowing for the player staff and the supporters and to be honest mark there's no one to speak to there's no board of directors there hasn't been a ceo there for a number of years there's no as it is these days a sporting director but Shuffle Windsor you have no one and the owner I never spoke to in the 20 months not once remember to hit subscribe and follow wherever you're listening or watching the pod but back to today Alexander Isak is adamant apparently he won't play for Newcastle again the man who broke that the Athletics David Ornstein joins us next The Sports Agents with Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman So welcome to our Manchester studio.

2:50I look like I'm in Manchester. David is dressed as if he's meant to be on the Riviera. It was meant to be a heatwave today, 30 degrees in the North West. And as I stepped out of my house, there was biblical rain. So I feel slightly inappropriately attired. I thought you may be having to fly to the Mediterranean for a breaking story or something. It has happened before. So you've always got to be prepared in this industry. Look, this chat will include everything about your role, how the transfer industry has changed maybe over the last decade. But we're recording this on the morning where you have broken the story that the Alexander Isak situation has now got to the stage where he will refuse to play for Newcastle.

3:28Really? Yeah. So the crux of the news we've broken on The Athletic is that Isak doesn't have any intention of playing for Newcastle ever again, which sounds stark. It is a pretty significant development. I don't think it will be a great shock to anybody privy to this matter inside because he's not been training with the first team. He hasn't been involved in any of their pre-season games. There's no expectation he'll take part in the season opener against Aston Villa on Saturday. And of course, you know, Liverpool have been pursuing him. They had a bid rejected. It's been well documented that he wants to go for quite some time.

4:05We're also saying in the athletic piece, if you read it, that Isaac's perspective is that even if the transfer window closes and no deal has been agreed for his departure he has no desire to be reintegrated into the Newcastle setup his Newcastle career in his head is understood to be over and that's sourced from contacts privy to this situation and so it sort of lays bare the extent of his feelings and and the problem that Newcastle have on their hands and it'll be interesting to see how it resolves do your contacts and sources firmly believe that that is a viable way for isaac to approach this season i.e if newcastle decide not to sell him that he will in a world cup year as well which i always think is really important to reiterate at this stage in a world cup year he is more than happy to sit out at least until the January transfer window.

5:07They'll know more about this than any of us because they've been in these situations before and they're on the inside. I don't think Sweden qualified for the last World Cup. I could be wrong. Maybe there's a chance it won't happen again. I don't think that... Yeah, I mean, you have to be really terrible not to qualify for this World Cup. Every country in the world has an opportunity to qualify. And they do have some pretty good strikers, as the Premier League knows. I think those sort of things are hypothetical at this point because they're dealing in the here and now which is clearly how can we bring about his desire which is to leave to to move to Liverpool they maintain their interest after that bid in the region of 110 million pounds there's been no subsequent offer because Newcastle was so firm and swift in rejecting that that it showed their consistent stance he's not for sale not looking to trade him but they are exploring alternative candidates to replace him which will say to Isaac and his people that they are making efforts to prepare for this sale and another crucial part of this is that two things firstly a year ago and this again is Isaac's perspective Newcastle made clear that they couldn't or wouldn't be offering him a new contract one because of their need to comply with football's financial rules and two because he was already on a lucrative deal until the summer of 2028 and their view is that they communicated that this would therefore be their last season at the club and that Newcastle had plenty of time to prepare for his departure.

6:36People around Newcastle deny this. I've got to be very clear on that. They say that didn't happen and that it was always their understanding that he would be open to all scenarios this summer, including the possibility of extending his contract. Fast forward to the end of the season and he helped Newcastle to win the Carabao Cup, to qualify for the Champions League. And it's believed that two weeks before the end of the season, he told Eddie Howe that he wanted to go this summer and it would be his last season. And then again, after the final game of the season when they lost to Everton, he called Eddie Howe before flying to his homeland of Sweden and reiterated the message.

7:16So in their view, Newcastle have known about this for some time. It's not a sudden thing in the last two weeks of the transfer window. and Newcastle in fairness have been exploring the market. Eketike first and since they've got multiple options. It's really not a nice situation for anybody involved and back to your original question, if this market closes and there has not been a transfer which is Newcastle's prerogative, Isaac will have to decide if he remains true to his current feeling and doesn't immerse himself back in the set-up and let's be clear, he'll have to win back Eddie Howe and the players and the club if he decides to do that.

7:55He'll have to win back the fans. And the fans may be above all of those parties but then also what he will represent as a player after that. Is he still going to be what he was before in himself and in the minds of others? And that's why many people think this is now untenable and a solution will be found provided both Newcastle get the sort of figure that they would want financially from Liverpool and I guess more importantly that they've got a credible replacement or more than one for him. So I suppose there are a couple of things there as well which is what is the figure that they want? Are you aware of that?

8:36Secondly, are there indications that Liverpool will go back in with a second offer once they hear what the asking price is? and thirdly has Isak's stance changed Liverpool's perspective at all because some people would say well if he's doing this to get out of Newcastle to go to Liverpool could he do this in three years time or two years time to Liverpool to get to Real Madrid for arguments like that. Three very pertinent questions firstly the figure there seems to be a consensus around football and among contacts you speak to whether they've got links to piff to newcastle to parties involved of in the region of 150 million pounds there's also a sense that newcastle and piff won't achieve that so that's why the initial expression of interest from liverpool indicated they'd be keen to do a deal around 120 million pounds when their offer came in it was thought to be 110 million pounds which i think was probably putting a marker in the ground to work their way up towards they where they wanted to get you could theoretically see it going higher than that but still below the the ideal price but again that's completely the choice of of Newcastle and their ownership the second question on Liverpool coming back in they've been very quiet and and sort of reserved on this it's not like they've been throwing multiple bids in and and stories coming out on what they're doing in this it appears that they're kind of standing back and letting the situation between Isaac and Newcastle unfold.

10:08And then if anybody opens the door and provides encouragement, no doubt they'll step back in. And I think it's emerged to all of us since the Community Shield that maybe they could do with some extra reinforcement in that attacking department after the players they've lost. And then finally, Liverpool's stance. I don't know. Nothing has been indicated to me that they've been put off by this in the slightest. I think what's more relevant is if we cast our mind back to previous sagas involving other players and people will be able to list it. But it never seems to change the view of the club in pursuit of the player.

10:45They see this as a player who's committed to joining them and is showing his desire to fight his way out. This is a question that's probably specific to Newcastle in this situation, but you could widen it out to other clubs and multi-club models. Newcastle are owned by Piff, right? piff also own clubs in the saudi arabian premier league they then pay money to sign darwin nunez for 50 million or it was al hilal was it 50 million for darwin nunez that gives liverpool the money there which then could weaken newcastle's position with isaac from your contact do you sense a frustration of like what the hell are you doing i don't think it's that straightforward um Well, football isn't, I suppose.

11:33Exactly, it's a complex landscape. It's not an earth-shattering number that Liverpool have earned for Darwin Nunes. They will believe they could have got that from elsewhere if necessary. We don't know how tightly aligned the running of the Saudi Pro League clubs, who are majority owned by PIF, are. Yes, PIF are very heavily involved, but there is some level of independence I think in decision making and targets they want to pursue and the final thing in all of this is that whether people like it or not PIF like all ownerships need to run the clubs like a business because of football's financial regulations and so maybe there were visions that they were just going to come and splash the cash sell nobody it doesn't work like that despite them being on paper the richest owners in world football what we have seen in the last couple of years is a fascinating example of how it's not able to run like many people thought it would let me throw some other players at you then crystal palace obviously beat liverpool in the community shield at the weekend mark gay and eberichi ezza both have clubs circling them we are told by the end of the transfer window what would you expect of those two i think crystal palace would have been open to selling both of them earlier in the transfer window they turned down significant money was it 65 plus 5 from Newcastle for Mark Gahie a year ago fast forward to now Palace would have hoped he might have signed a new contract he's not showing any inclination to do that so I think now the penny has dropped and they would like to trade him as Steve Parrish mentioned after the community shield at Wembley they'd be open to the possibility as we understand it at The Athletic it's joining Liverpool or staying at Crystal Palace and leaving as a free agent in the summer of 2026.

13:27So that puts the onus on Liverpool to come up with an offer. And how will Palace view that? If it's too low, do they keep hold of him? If it's acceptable, do they agree to it? And what will Mark Gehi decide in that? Does he want to go and fight with Van Dijk and Konate? Again in a World Cup. In a World Cup year, which is crucial for him. He's very happy at Crystal Palace. And he's the main man there. He's the captain and arguably their best player. so there's obviously a chance he moves to Liverpool there is still a chance he stays so I wouldn't rule that out Is there a chance that Newcastle go back for him?

14:01No, I don't think they're planning to they're in the process of signing Malik Tiao to address their defensive concern and I don't think Newcastle are on his agenda and Newcastle were aware of that early on and people saying they've missed out on him this summer that's not the case that's true of a lot of targets that Newcastle have unfairly been claimed to have missed out on and they were not really there. Someone like Matès Cunha, for example. A lot of people saying, using it as a stick to beat Newcastle if they didn't go in for him. On to Eze. So again, Palace would understand his desire to move on and play at the top level at his age.

14:37I think he's 27 now. Earlier in the window, completely understandable. There's a release clause there, but teams didn't calm Arsenal looking into it, speaking to his representatives. Now Tottenham are there as well, exploring a deal alongside a deal for Savinho of Manchester City. They're exploring both separately. They would like to do both if they can, which is quite interesting at Tottenham, but not, to my knowledge, advanced on either case yet. So there's all sorts of suggestions that Eze's release clause has expired or is about to expire. But I don't think that matters too much because Palace would look for in and around the same sort of figure, whether it be 60 million.

15:13The clubs looking at him would like to bring that down. As the window moves towards a close, Palace's resistance might become a bit stronger because he's such an important player to them and they might struggle to get a replacement Because they haven't been that active in bringing people in in this transfer market they've only brought two players in one of which is a goalkeeper and we were discussing this on the radio the other night stability is actually to be admired it's not very sexy in transfer windows but it is to be admired but they haven't really been active in bringing people in if they were to lose either of these two players No, but I think there's a fair amount of work that's gone on behind the scenes at Palace in a very difficult summer with the European competition situation to line up potential targets.

15:55But they really needed to know the outcome of the Gehi and Eze situations. I would now expect at least one of them to leave, maybe two. I don't think both of them will be at Palace at the end of the window. And that will allow Palace, hopefully for them, to crack on with replacements. The big question is, are those replacements still available? Have they missed the boat? I wouldn't be shocked if they replace well and go from strength to strength again but those are two sharply concerning situations for them and they're live now you mentioned Tottenham and and Savino as well did that move take people by surprise and Manchester City seem to be having a little for them they were active very early in this window and for them now it's about moving players on is it Guardiola's always wanted to work with a smaller squad that's true and Jack Grealish was the main one I think that they were looking to get out so he could play and he's moved to Everton on loan there's a 50 million pound option to buy and James McAtee's on his way to Nottingham Forest so yeah you're right they're in a different phase of the transfer window now and what may follow this phase is that they try and bring one or two extra players in for example they've been linked with Rodrigo at Real Madrid if Savinho departs yeah there's there's concrete interest from Tottenham to bring in Savinho it's thought he would be open to the possibility and we've seen by and large Pep Guardiola doesn't stand in the way of players who want to depart but when the stories broke the the word that came from City pretty emphatically was there was an inquiry from Tottenham we told them he's not for sale and that's the matter done and dusted but with these situations there's a lot of stances that are taken as we've discussed with Izak and I don't necessarily think we've heard the last of it.

17:40That's not to say this Savino move is going to happen to Tottenham by any means. It's one that they have been working on and that underlines the nature of so many moving parts in these transfers. You know, City will be, even though they've transformed their squad January and this summer so far, it could yet take a very different look by the 1st of September. Very similar with Tottenham with moving parts. a lot of anxiety among the fan base to improve further and strengthen after that Europa League win and applying that pressure on the club they are working hard they have invested heavily at Tottenham but naturally as fans everybody wants more and and I do expect more to happen before that market shuts so on a couple on a couple of other clubs when we come to moving parts and how quickly things can change I suppose Manchester United's business has surprised people in the sense of maybe less so cuña and embuemo but then to still have the money to go for sesgo and there's still the feeling that there may be more to come in but would that depend on the moving part being able to obviously it has to depend on getting some players out but has some of their business surprised you bearing in mind what you may have been told i don't know in january or at the turn of the year yeah we expected belts to be tight and the lack of european football to create a pinch and the finances have not been in the best shape as sir jim rackliff alluded to um talking about bankruptcy of going bust but there was always some room to maneuver and i was very clear in my reporting on the athletic that they had the scope to do two transfers without needing to sell They were meant to be Cunha and Dilap.

19:28Dilap decided to go to Chelsea. It became Cunha and Umbermo. They went higher on Umbermo than they would have done on Dilap. But Dilap was a release clause that would have needed to be paid in its entirety. And Umbermo is a staggered payment. So it actually may cost less to Manchester United this year than Dilap would have. And then the expectation was sales. And that didn't materialise. although you could say there was a hybrid version because Marcus Rashford moved to Barcelona with them covering all of the salary that he will be paid even if that's slightly reduced nothing on Manchester United there are salon clauses for Anthony Alanga and various other players that they've traded in the past Carreras who's moved to Real Madrid and that gave them some room to maneuver there are clearly other things at play here that financial experts will tell you better than me whether it be extending their revolving credit facility whether it be using the available time not only this summer but in the January window until June the 30th also in 2026 to get players out maybe some confidence that we don't know the reason for just yet and we may see it in time that there are takers for a Jadon Sancho for an Anthony who did well on loan at Betis last season, for a Malassia, for a Rasmus Hoyland, for example, too.

20:50And so that allowed them to stretch further on a striker. The indication was clear when they made a move for Eketike at the last minute to try and get in there when Newcastle and Liverpool were squabbling over him. And it showed Manchester United had the resources because they were ready to do that transfer. He ultimately decided for Liverpool. And so they pivoted to the Sesco situation. and got to make clear Cesco has been very high on their recruitment list if not at the top in the summer of 2024 in previous years we've all heard about the Vivelle connection at Salzburg and Leipzig and he's very high on their recruitment list again this summer they've managed to get the deal done we'll wait and see on the payment terms for that but we're being assured that it all fits within Manchester United's capabilities financially and then will come the challenge to shift some of those players no doubt some will go maybe they will have a challenge with others but either this works and Manchester United's confidence is correctly placed or it's misplaced and they're going to have a financial fair play PSR headache further down the line.

21:55I'm not sensing major worry from Old Trafford in my conversations but with many of these things it's not until we get to the end that we can really judge. They've got no chance of getting Belieber in this transfer window though have they? That was your other question what else they might want to do. So a number six and a goalkeeper on the agenda. If I start in reverse order a goalkeeper would depend on Andrea Inanna leaving and there's no sign of that at the moment. So if that doesn't happen, I can't see a reputable goalkeeper arriving, but it is on the recruitment agenda, whether it be now or in the future.

22:27And then the number six is absolutely essential in their mind. And at the top of that list is Carlos Baleba, and Ruben Amorim is said to be a big fan. Manchester United are exploring that situation and conversations have been held with Brighton via intermediaries working on their behalf to try and ascertain a number, a price. That hasn't happened so far at the time of recording. Brighton have made clear that they don't intend to sell him, that they would prefer to keep him for at least another year. My colleague on The Athletic, Laurie Whitwell, is reporting alongside me that Belieber is thought to be in favour of the possibility and that personal terms wouldn't be a problem if it ever came to that.

23:09multiple Manchester United players. You can imagine who, given links to him from Lille, Jor-O for example, Cameroon Internationals, who he plays with at Manchester United, I don't know precisely the names, have been in contact with him explaining the project and talking about the potential move. And many people on both sides don't see this happening. But you could say, you've got to be in it to win it. There's no harm in knocking at the door and asking the question. That's what United are doing. If a price comes back and it's too high, I presume it doesn't go further. If it's potentially achievable, maybe they continue to explore it.

23:44And one thing that you could say is deserving of credit on Manchester United's part is that there is expected to be a fierce battle for Belieber, whether it be next summer or in the future, with some really big guns coming in for him in the number six position. So perhaps Manchester United thought, why not try and get ahead of that? Be proactive for once and, not for once, but be proactive and give it a whirl. And if it works out, great. If it doesn't, so be it. And we'll have more from David after this short break. The Sports Agents. Paying for college doesn't have to be complicated. With Earnest private student loans, there are no surprises, just low rates and zero fees.

24:23Check your eligibility at earnest.com slash go. Loans made by Finwise Bank, member FDIC, and are subject to credit approval. Terms apply. The Sports Agents. With Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman. easier or harder to do your job now than say i'm just talking about around transfers not all the other stuff that you do but in transfer windows easier and harder to do your job now given the number of people that are involved in all of these and you've you've mentioned those given social media given in the no accounts fan accounts all that kind of stuff easier or harder than five years ago different right because it's harder in the sense that there is an absolute ocean of information and speculation fact and everything else in between and it's incredibly hazardous to navigate those waters and separate right from wrong and then on top of that the agendas and the egos and the various factors that we've discussed so your head is frazzled with a lot of this stuff not only the fact that we're often dealing with multiple situations jumping between clubs and stories and players and everybody involved in those situations thinks they're the most important person in the world i totally get that because it's it's such a crucial thing for them so harder in the sense that there are so many more producers people can be really well connected even if it's in a random sense they don't necessarily have to have come through journalism courses or have editorial guidelines on them but but also it can lead to a rise of a lot more fake news and inaccuracies and people pushing things for the wrong reasons and that's where it's also become easier because the people involved in these situations seem keen to work with people with integrity more than ever because it allows them to explain and to get the right news reported and with authority and so I find that more people as I go through and hopefully build a decent reputation of me and the athletic and it was the same at the BBC previously for actually picking the phone up or responding to messages or agreeing to meet so that they stand a greater chance in this wild west of being able to sift through it in a way that is to their desire so how much you've always been very good at crediting other people when when doing your stories or when breaking stuff and or when reviewing stuff so tim on x sent us a message saying when when you credited the in the know social media account indicalia is that right for a transfer story that made me sound old for a transfer story recently the internet went mad what do you make of the channels have they become more legit recently did it feel strange to credit one no i mean there's um basic principle with me that anytime i see a story that i know to be legitimate maybe i've been working on it and i'm holding back and which is another awkwardness about when your relationships are so good you have a lot of information that maybe you don't release straight away and in this day and age it comes out whether i like it or not there are there There are times where if somebody has done something, it's legitimate news.

27:49Maybe I was going to report it or I then find out is accurate, which was in the case of Belieber. Then just nod to these people. It's absolutely fair. Frankly, I do find the crediting thing a bit difficult. It's got a bit out of control. And it's very nice and I'm grateful when people do it to me. But it would probably be better if people just get on with their work. Has it become very competitive? Is it a very competitive space during a transfer window? Do you have a picture of Fabrizio Romano on the dartboard? I mean, he's absolutely fantastic. No one's close to him in terms of his numbers and the reputation he's built and his work speaks for itself.

28:30And there are a number of other really good operators out there who I could not respect more. I don't think the competition is unhealthy. I think everybody's trying to be quick. we always need to put accuracy before the speed if you can marry the two up then that's perfect you win some which is great and you lose some which is disappointing but all is fair in love and war it's child's play really it doesn't matter and I couldn't have greater admiration for Fabrizio and everybody else trying their best just back to your point I didn't dodge it purposefully the credit for that story was like I would have I think there was a similar one earlier this summer when Arsenal made a move for Mosquera and it came out via an account called Hand of Arsenal, I think that's built a bit of a reputation, and you credit then, it would be the same.

29:19Unless there's a reason not to, like there's an actual thing I'm not comfortable with or you've got reason to doubt the legitimacy of an account or an outlet. But I would do it for mainstream journalists and peers who I respect greatly and rightly so. but there are some people working out there who are working incredibly hard and the right way i'm not i'm not saying everyone and are maybe getting more accurate stories than many of us and so you you should nod to them a lot of people responded to me sort of saying why did you credit i didn't realize it was going to go so big by the way um i don't know the history that people have been um raising to me about sort of where that account came from and what stories and speculation and they issued a few people have mentioned to me that they've met the guy and and it's credible um and there are some people working on it so i just thought why not i had no reason not to and then and then i reported it myself it's it's a it's a funny environment and i also don't think we should take it so seriously either i know you don't well well i'm completely oblivious to it the majority of the majority of the time i know i don't think we should take football too seriously at all it's meant to be fun and entertaining uh final thing because you mentioned mascara there we've done this whole podcast and not mentioned arsenal at all so i don't know whether their fan base will be happy about that or frothing at that i can't work it out but that's because everything just is very calm they've just gone and done their business and they they've had such a good window maybe one more yeah i think well we did touch on it um and so let's see if that happens they've got a an interest in him it may activate later in the window as a i think it's well documented as an arsenal fan um or grew up as an arsenal fan would be in favor of of a move there i think it was being looked at when there was a possibility of ethan wenieri um the young talent leaving because he was into the last year of his contract because arsenal now see him in the eight to ten role as opposed to the right side where he played last season and as a occupies the same space.

31:28They've got Martin Odegaard around there and they've got Max Daumann coming through and hopes could not be higher for him. So I think Eze would have been seen as a natural. And this is Madweke as well. And Madweke as well, more for the wide areas. So if Wanyeri had departed, I think the idea was not Madweke, that was independent, it was Eze. Wanyeri signs his new contracts and so Eze is a less pressing concern. I think the left side is an area that Arsenal were thinking of as a priority. But But that would take departures, whether it be a Trossard or a Martinelli, and I'm not aware of any of that brewing at this point.

32:03They've also got Madweki, who impressed when he played there against Athletic Bobao off the bench. So there could be some more movement in that department, but I think it would depend on outgoings. To your original point, Arsenal obviously came into this window with a new sporting director in Andrea Berta, vastly experienced and widely respected. And it's not a competition. you know people talk about Edu previously and Jason Ato who had the role on interim basis and going back your Raul Sanlehi's and your Sven Mislintats and even your Arsene Wenger David-Din Dick Law triumvirate they had a clear plan centre-forward position they wanted to strengthen a pretty diligent process that spent a lot of time on Sesko historically he was still in the mix but Berta clearly had an affinity with Jocares and others at the club gradually I think came on board and that really does look like potentially a very good value for money deal if he scores the goals, which is crucially what they needed.

33:04And then, yeah, they wanted to always bring in some strength in the wide areas. There's been a long-held search for backup to Bukayo Saka and so they looked at Brian Mbomo before he elected for Manchester United. There were all sorts of rumours of like Rodrigo, who some inside the Emirates are very fond of. I've mentioned many players in that position in the past Arsenal fans seem to always pick me up on mentioning Anthony Gordon they like him I never said there was going to be a transfer but there are loads of options in defence they needed greater depth and so Mosquera came in and let's see if something happens with Kivio there's some interest in him the one that they had already lined up that Berta helped push over the line that Edu and Eto had worked on was Zubimendi who I think could be one of the best signings I think that's the signing of the transfer window so far.

33:54This summer, absolutely magnificent. The money and how they've done it. Yeah, this is a top player for club and country. We know Liverpool tried to sign him last summer and that speaks volumes because of the quality of Liverpool's recruitment department. And so, yeah, they have done a lot of business at expense. They probably need to get some more out, whether we see some movement with, say, Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira, Rhys Nelson. They've got a really highly rated individual there who's working on transfers and contracts called James King. He was a legal counsel at Arsenal, went off to the PFA and has come back to Arsenal and is said to be absolutely integral to their operation.

34:32But, you know, before Arsenal beat Athletic Bilbao last weekend in their friendly, there seemed to be some crisis in the fan base after they were beaten by Villarreal. So they go to Old Trafford in a huge game that I'll be at and maybe you will too. and they've got to deliver this season because externally, definitely, there will be pressure on Arteta to get over the line after three second place finishes. No trophy since the 2020 FA Cup. He will have high expectations on himself. I don't sense the same internally because they're right behind him. They back him wholeheartedly. They always have, even when there was pressure at the start and people were calling for him to go and they want to succeed with him.

35:11But it will be a major season for Arsenal. Good to see you. you've given me just well you've given me 40 minutes or so so you probably need to turn your phone on i think yeah i've probably missed the big scoop yeah always my fault the sports agents

35:31the sports agents with gabby logan and mark chapman that's it for today remember to please get in touch with your questions for our premier league Q &A, the email, the sportsagents at global.com, send us a message on our socials or use the Google form in the episode description. You can catch up with all of our shows on YouTube, Global Player or wherever you get your pod so just hit subscribe or follow and Gabby will be back and refreshed from holiday on Thursday when we do a proper Premier League season preview. The Sports Agents with Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman. Good to meet you.