Where do I even start?
I remember raising concerns when Arsenal reportedly let the Jeremy Monga deal slip over around £3.5m. The response? "Relax, he isn't worth it." "Stop overreacting." So I kept quiet.
Then I questioned the lack of urgency in our transfer business. Again, I was insulted, called negative, and told to "trust Berta." Apparently, if you question anything, you suddenly want his job.
Now look.
Morgan Rogers is heading to Chelsea, and I can already predict the script. The same people who spent weeks defending every delay will suddenly tell us he was too expensive, overrated, or "never the right profile." It's always the same excuse after the opportunity is gone.
I also said I was worried about this negotiation style of chasing 10 different players at once, dragging discussions on for weeks, and eventually settling for just one while other clubs get their business done. I was completely shut down for saying it. I was told this was how elite sporting directors operate and that players would patiently wait for Arsenal forever.
Football doesn't work like that.
Top players have options. They have careers to think about. They won't sit around indefinitely while one club takes forever to make a decision or negotiate every last pound. If another ambitious club comes in with conviction, many of them will take it.
Supporting Arsenal doesn't mean blindly defending every decision made by those in charge. We should be able to praise good work and criticise poor work with the same energy. That's what accountability looks like.
This is a club that generated over £800m in revenue, yet it still feels like we're penny-pinching in situations where decisiveness is needed. That is frustrating as a supporter.
Maybe everything will work out in the end. I genuinely hope it does because I want Arsenal to succeed more than anything. But fans shouldn't be attacked simply for asking questions or expressing concerns when warning signs appear.
Well... we wait.
At the highest level of football, Tchouaméni is a centre-back.
He’s a good defensive midfielder against teams like Girona, Betis, and the rest, but against elite sides with elite midfielders such as Rodri or Declan Rice, he’s a centre-back at best.