the short fuse 
22-03-2024 14:04
22-03-2024 14:04
Friday Cannon Fodder: this, that, and the other
Good Friday morning, TSFers. I’m feeling refreshed after a bit of a break. Unfortunately we, as Arsenal supporters, still have nine more days without the club in action. But we’ll survive. It’s going to be a fast and furious end to the season. The Gunners have 12 matches on the schedule from March 31st through season end on May 19th. That’s a match every 4 days. Arsenal could add two or three more matches to the schedule if they advance in the Champions League.
Here’s a quick rundown of the bigger Arsenal news items from this week:
Ben White signed an Arsenal extension. The contract is reportedly a 4-year deal with an option for an additional one, which puts his contract expiry at the end of that window from 2026-28 when the club have a bunch of contracts expiring. More on that window in the coming days.
The Ben White - England “controversy” reared it’s stupid, ugly head again. It could have been a “let sleeping dogs lay” situation, but Gareth Southgate felt the need to let the media know that Edu had informed them that White did not want to be considered for selection right now. He could have just kept his mouth shut or given some anodyne answer like, “we’ve got a number of talented players competing for limited roster spots, and this is who we’ve selected right now.” Instead, he invited scrutiny, which has reportedly uncovered the reason White left the England World Cup camp — he had a row with assistant coach Steve Holland. The incident seems to be entirely of Holland’s making and paints both Holland and Southgate in a horrible light. We’ve suspected / known for a while that Southgate is an inadequate manager.
Takehiro Tomiyasu extended his Arsenal contract. The deal is reportedly two years with an option for a third. As with Ben White and all the contracts Arsenal have signed of late, the deal expires in that 2026-2028 window. The shorter term on this contract is likely due to his fitness struggles, and it protects both sides. Arsenal aren’t tied to a guy who might continue to get hurt. Tomiyasu has the opportunity to sign a better deal sooner should he sort out his recurring muscle injuries and stay mostly healthy for the next two or three seasons.
Gabriel Magalhaes withdrew from the Brazilian national team. The centerback has reportedly been managing Achilles inflammation for a while. He’s shown no ill-effects beyond the occasional grimace on the pitch for the Gunners. He and Arsenal decided the best course of action would be for him to rest instead of playing additional matches. Neither Gabriel Jesus nor Gabriel Martinelli were called in because of the injuries they’ve been carrying / recovering from.
Bukayo Saka withdrew from the England squad. The FA said Saka arrived carrying a slight muscle problem and had not trained with the team. Instead, he had been training indoors on an individual program alongside Harry Kane, Cole Palmer, and Jordan Henderson.
Neither the Gabriel nor the Saka news is concerning. It’s that time of year when players with important club matches on the horizon find reasons not to risk their fitness playing in meaningless matches. Kevin de Bruyne withdrew from the Belgium squad. Manuel Neuer went home from Germany camp. Players carrying anything right now, even the slightest little injury niggle, are going to opt-out.
Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu, both of whom stayed home from international duty, played in a 4-0 friendly loss to QPR. Tomiyasu played 45 minutes. Partey played 64 minutes. The rest of the side were U21s.
Saka and Gabriel aside (and fingers crossed all the other internationals stay healthy), Jurrien Timber is the only injury concern for the Gunners. There were reports that he’d be available for selection against Manchester City, but let’s be real, his first action back from an ACL tear isn’t going to be in the biggest game of the season.
It’s the height of the cherry blossom season here in D.C. We’ve had a cold snap this week, but fortunately, cold isn’t really much of an issue for them. The biggest danger is wind, and while we’ve had a decent bit of it, the trees have done alright. We live nearby one of the biggest concentrations of cherry trees that isn’t the tidal basin — the tidal basin is the area down by the monuments, the majority of the pictures of the cherry blossoms you see come from down there. It’s quite nice to be able to walk the dog amidst the blossoms and see them every day.
Have any of y’all ever visited the cherry blossoms in D.C.? Do you have them in your city?
Here’s a quick rundown of the bigger Arsenal news items from this week:
Ben White signed an Arsenal extension. The contract is reportedly a 4-year deal with an option for an additional one, which puts his contract expiry at the end of that window from 2026-28 when the club have a bunch of contracts expiring. More on that window in the coming days.
The Ben White - England “controversy” reared it’s stupid, ugly head again. It could have been a “let sleeping dogs lay” situation, but Gareth Southgate felt the need to let the media know that Edu had informed them that White did not want to be considered for selection right now. He could have just kept his mouth shut or given some anodyne answer like, “we’ve got a number of talented players competing for limited roster spots, and this is who we’ve selected right now.” Instead, he invited scrutiny, which has reportedly uncovered the reason White left the England World Cup camp — he had a row with assistant coach Steve Holland. The incident seems to be entirely of Holland’s making and paints both Holland and Southgate in a horrible light. We’ve suspected / known for a while that Southgate is an inadequate manager.
Takehiro Tomiyasu extended his Arsenal contract. The deal is reportedly two years with an option for a third. As with Ben White and all the contracts Arsenal have signed of late, the deal expires in that 2026-2028 window. The shorter term on this contract is likely due to his fitness struggles, and it protects both sides. Arsenal aren’t tied to a guy who might continue to get hurt. Tomiyasu has the opportunity to sign a better deal sooner should he sort out his recurring muscle injuries and stay mostly healthy for the next two or three seasons.
Gabriel Magalhaes withdrew from the Brazilian national team. The centerback has reportedly been managing Achilles inflammation for a while. He’s shown no ill-effects beyond the occasional grimace on the pitch for the Gunners. He and Arsenal decided the best course of action would be for him to rest instead of playing additional matches. Neither Gabriel Jesus nor Gabriel Martinelli were called in because of the injuries they’ve been carrying / recovering from.
Bukayo Saka withdrew from the England squad. The FA said Saka arrived carrying a slight muscle problem and had not trained with the team. Instead, he had been training indoors on an individual program alongside Harry Kane, Cole Palmer, and Jordan Henderson.
Neither the Gabriel nor the Saka news is concerning. It’s that time of year when players with important club matches on the horizon find reasons not to risk their fitness playing in meaningless matches. Kevin de Bruyne withdrew from the Belgium squad. Manuel Neuer went home from Germany camp. Players carrying anything right now, even the slightest little injury niggle, are going to opt-out.
Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu, both of whom stayed home from international duty, played in a 4-0 friendly loss to QPR. Tomiyasu played 45 minutes. Partey played 64 minutes. The rest of the side were U21s.
Saka and Gabriel aside (and fingers crossed all the other internationals stay healthy), Jurrien Timber is the only injury concern for the Gunners. There were reports that he’d be available for selection against Manchester City, but let’s be real, his first action back from an ACL tear isn’t going to be in the biggest game of the season.
It’s the height of the cherry blossom season here in D.C. We’ve had a cold snap this week, but fortunately, cold isn’t really much of an issue for them. The biggest danger is wind, and while we’ve had a decent bit of it, the trees have done alright. We live nearby one of the biggest concentrations of cherry trees that isn’t the tidal basin — the tidal basin is the area down by the monuments, the majority of the pictures of the cherry blossoms you see come from down there. It’s quite nice to be able to walk the dog amidst the blossoms and see them every day.
Have any of y’all ever visited the cherry blossoms in D.C.? Do you have them in your city?