“My relationship with my club began the same way it does for most football fans: before I was old enough to understand what I was getting myself into. When I was nine, my uncle introduced me to a team with a cannon on its shirt, a grizzled captain named Tony Adams, and players like Nwankwo Kanu who had been born in Africa but now lived somewhere else, just like me. Arsenal felt familiar before I even understood why.
“And then there was the manager, a man who I initially thought had been named after the club and then believed that somehow the club must have been named after him. Arsene Wenger may have struggled with his raincoat, but rarely with his orchestra. The football his teams played sang.
“But what was once the nostalgia of the past has become the beauty of the present.
“We won. We are champions of England. And we are just one game away from being crowned champions of Europe too.”
@ZohranKMamdani, mayor of New York City, writes for The Athletic on what Arsenal means to him.
FREE READ 🔗 https://t.co/ge64qWmVuz
Barcelona have made an offer of an initial €80million plus add-ons for Anthony Gordon. Talks between the clubs continue, while Bayern also retain interest in the 25-year-old.
The feeling from around Newcastle is Bayern were leading the race to sign Gordon, but the German club appeared unwilling to pay €80m and have been considering other options in that position.
[@David_Ornstein]
Uli Hoeneß himself is facing criticism within the supervisory board on the topic of Max Eberl. Ultimately, it was Hoeneß who almost single-handedly appointed Eberl. Should the latter be dismissed, this would be Hoeneß' second consecutive 'mistake' after he also singlehandedly appointed Oliver Kahn as CEO – at least that's how some behind the scenes see it
Hoeneß said after the Pokal final regarding Eberl's future: "I know what people at the club are thinking. So I don’t want to say something I can’t stand by later"
The message is clear: Even if Hoeneß wanted to keep Eberl, he couldn't do it alone. He isn't the only one who decides on the supervisory board – even though it often appears that way from the outside.
[@StefanKumberger, @SPORT1]
#1 Manuel Neuer
#2 Oliver Baumann
#3 Alexander Nübel
Training goalkeeper: Jonas Urbig (will travel to the World Cup to help out in training but not part of the 26-man squad)
[@BILD]
Niko Kovač on expectations to compete with Bayern for the title: "I know everyone expects more, higher, further, faster. I don’t see us challenging Bayern next year. I’m not a naive person, but a realist, and I’m trying to put everything into perspective. Bayern have far more money, far more superstars than we do." [WAZ]
Changing first choice goalkeeper less than a month before the World Cup 😂 This group stage exit on JN’s head will yield some incredible hate watching moments
Julian Nagelsmann is considering calling up Manuel Neuer for the World Cup in concrete terms. Neuer is in the preliminary 55-man squad that was sent to FIFA on Monday. Talks between the goalkeeper and the coach have taken place. No final decision yet, but it is expected soon [@Plettigoal]
Max Eberl is fighting for his Bayern future ahead of today's supervisory board meeting. While the extensions of Jan-Christian Dreesen and Christoph Freund are considered a mere formality, Eberl is under close scrutiny by the supervisory board and is trying to get their support
Eberl has repeatedly faced criticism internally and in public, and was accused of, among other things, of excessively expensive contracts and repeated unilateral actions. He was also criticized for lacking a healthy approach to internal conflicts with board members. And even now, Eberl is viewed critically by some members of the supervisory board. Internal discussions suggest he is too easily swayed by player agents. Instead of asserting himself in negotiations, Eberl is said to be too conciliatory. This has led to 'unnecessarily expensive contracts and damaged the club's reputation'
Nevertheless, the supervisory board wants to give Eberl the opportunity to prove himself in the upcoming transfer window, where he has to deliver. Moreover, he's credited with the signings of Vincent Kompany and Michael Olise. However, this is just a temporary reprieve for him. Eberl is being given time to fight for support – but he must also use it effectively. His current contract runs until 2027
[@StefanKumberger, @SPORT1]
I said this before and I’ll say it again, it’s pretty privilege. They love Freund because he looks like a Hollywood star but they can’t stand Eberl because he’s a little chubby.
They’re killing my club because they’re too obsessed with the redpilled looksmaxxing rhetoric