Arseblog Arsecast, The Arsenal Podcast

On today's show I chat with James from Gunnerblog about the arrival of new goalkeeper Bernd Leno, the departure of Jack Wilshere, our transfer business in general, and the changes at coaching level – including the retention of Steve Bould as one of Unai Emery's assistants. Then it's World Cup and specifically Iceland's involvement with ‪@Antonstotle‬. He talks about what it means to see them there, how such a small nation has made such great leaps, and we touch on the campaign so far, especially after their amazing draw with Argentina in the opening game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The World Cup is underway and that's the main focus of today's podcast, but with a close look at the Arsenal players taking part and how things are going for them. We discuss the use of VAR, and the new deal signed by Granit Xhaka which shows he's likely to be a key part of Unai Emery's midfield next season. Then we answer questions about Mesut Ozil and why there seems to be such debate and discussion about him as a player and his performances, the participation of the U21s in the Checkatrade Trophy next season, and lots more besides including a smattering of Jeff Goldblum. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the signing of Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira said to be near completion, I'm joined by James Horncastle who gives us some insight into the Sampdoria man. We look at his career progression, what kind of a player he is, how he might fit into the Arsenal set up, his strengths and weaknesses and more, before we chat for a bit about the World Cup which kicked off in Russia last night. Then it's Arsenal history with Andy Kelly, Mark Andrews and Tim Stillman. Their new book 'Royal Arsenal: Champions of the South' uncovers some fascinating new stuff about the formation of the club, dispels some myths and misinformation, going as far as discovering the exact plot of land on which our first game was played on. There's also a chance to win a signed copy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast begins with a discussion about sawing off your own arm, which tells you how quiet things are at the moment. Nevertheless, we discuss Tomas Rosicky's testimonial, transfer links to players young and old, changes at academy level, and Sven's scouting, before we answer questions about how much is going on behind the scenes, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, what Unai Emery is doing with his summer, fruit chucking, making a delicious thing extinct and loads more besides. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today's show I chat to Paolo Bandini about the signing of 34 year old Stephan Lichtsteiner who joins after seven successful years with Juventus. What kind of a player is he? What kind of an impact will he have on the squad on and off the pitch? Is his age a worry in the fast-paced Premier League? Paolo gives us the lowdown on that, and we also discuss the appointment of Unai Emery, transfers, and the television rights deal which has seen Amazon get some of the games. There's a smattering of the usual waffle, some digital assistant mayhem, a bit of doggus interruptus and an old friend right at the end. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a quiet week but we still have some aural pleasure for you as we – with the help of your questions – chat about the Arsenal legends and their game against Real Madrid, strange shirt names, a truncated transfer window, Alex Iwobi's future under Unai Emery, Joel Campbell, Michael Bolton's hair and its relevance to James, an odd name on the back of a shirt, we try and figure out what Ivan Gazidis's pudding tastes like, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's show is a call-in show, recorded last night. I answered calls at random and spoke to Arsenal fans about all kinds of things, including hopes and expectations under Unai Emery, our transfer plans for this summer, the future of Aaron Ramsey, what kind of leeway the new manager will get, social media, the World Cup, the issue of the captaincy, and lots more. Thanks to everyone who called in, and apologies if you tried and I couldn't get to your call.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's show we reflect on the week since the announcement of Unai Emery taking over as head coach, with some thoughts about hopes about what the Spaniard is going to do and how he's going to do it. We discuss the strong links to experienced defenders Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Stephan Lichtsteiner, and what those arrivals might say about our approach and the rest of the transfer business we need to do this summer. We answer questions about the Sven Mislintat impact, the other signings we might make as well as our traditional predictions about how we'll spend between now and the end of the transfer window, which players might improve under Emery and lots more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Arsenal appointed a new head coach, Unai Emery, on Wednesday. The Spaniard's name was barely mentioned, but he's going to be the man tasked with bringing Premier League competitiveness back to the club, building on what Arsene Wenger left behind and hopefully adding to the trophy cabinet along the way. With me to discuss the last few weeks, the processes, the decision making and impressions of Emery's first press conference is David Ornstein, followed editor of Football Espana, Colin Millar, who talks about his management/coaching style, his successes and failures and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So this episode was recorded live at Union Chapel last night, and during the first half of the show we discussed lots of things but also the future on the assumption that Mikel Arteta was about to be made manager of the club. At the break we were informed of David Ornstein's Tweet about the change in the situation as we now look set to appoint Unai Emery. You can hear the reaction of the room, the change in direction in the second half as we go down that particular road, there are listener questions, some Arsene Wenger departure chat and lots more besides.Thanks to Amy and Philippe for joining us and to all the guests who came along on what was a lovely London evening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.