This is a pretty focused show... we're gassed about Vini, and we talk ourselves into why it'll happen!

We hope you enjoy this early bird segment! x

Subscribe at patreon.com/theArsenalOpinion for ad-free episodes and support the show. And for the best Arsenal writing on the internet, sign up to the newsletter at le-grove.co.uk.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Johnny and Suburban Gooner Chris — Howard to his friends — sweating through a heatwave with a lot to get through. A crossover that covers everything from FIFA politics to the players who could define Arsenal's season.

Here's what's inside:

🔥 Hottest of Takes — Chris opens with a Bruno vs Vinicius argument that will divide the room. Johnny has a counter. The reasoning on both sides is genuinely compelling

🌍 Infantino and FIFA — the lads go after the most powerful man in football, the decisions that have defined this World Cup, and why the governance of the game feels increasingly disconnected from the fans who love it

🌟 Vinicius — Hopes Fading? — the noise has gone quiet. Chris and Johnny go through what they know, what they think is happening, and how to manage expectations from here

💸 Bruno Guimaraes — Nearing Completion — the update that has everyone excited. What it means for how Arsenal set up, who it affects, and why Chris thinks this might be the signing of the summer regardless of what else happens

👶 Ethan Nwaneri — The Season Ahead — genuine hope or wishful thinking? Chris and Johnny make the case for why this could finally be his year and what unlocks it

⚖️ Overrated vs Underrated — Arsenal players and transfer targets put under the microscope. Some popular opinions get challenged. Some unpopular ones get defended. Nobody fully agrees

🏆 The Key Factors For Success Next Season — six months of work, a title to defend, a Champions League to chase. Chris and Johnny identify the two or three things that have to go right for Arsenal to dominate again

Subscribe at patreon.com/theArsenalOpinion for ad-free episodes and support the show. And for the best Arsenal writing on the internet, sign up to the newsletter at le-grove.co.uk.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jacob is joined by Simon Collings of The Sun — one of the most well-connected journalists covering Arsenal day to day. Pre-season is underway, Tzolis is in training, and the transfer room is absolutely nuts.

Here's what's inside:

🔥 Hottest of Takes — Simon makes the case that Arsenal's quiet pre-season media blackout is actually a sign of confidence, not chaos. Jacob goes after the club's inability to sell players and asks whether Berta needs to get ruthless before he can get creative

📰 The Journalist's View — what it's actually like covering the transfer window in the social media age, why every deal now has seventeen stages, and why Simon is already dreaming of September 1st when he can just talk about football again

🐕 Arteta and the Dog — the behind-the-scenes Tzolis announcement video. Simon was there. Jacob needs to know everything

🌟 The Vinicius Question — Simon won't go as far as Jacob wants him to. But he won't fully shut it down either. A very careful and very interesting conversation about what he does and doesn't know

😤 Ben White — Reality Check — Jacob asks the hard question about what the market actually looks like for a right back whose knees are held together by sellotape and who's barely played two seasons in a row. Simon's answer is sobering

⚡ Fresneda — The Smart Alternative? — a right back Jacob's been a fan of for years. Simon goes through the price, the profile, and why signing someone dynamic on the right could unlock the best of both Saka and Ben White

Subscribe at patreon.com/theArsenalOpinion for ad-free episodes and support the show. And for the best Arsenal writing on the internet, sign up to the newsletter at le-grove.co.uk.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Johnny and Jacob. Sunday evening. Suitably infused. An Ornstein bomb has just dropped and neither of them can stop talking about it. Arsenal are exploring a deal for Vinicius Junior. They needed to get on the mic immediately.

Here's what's inside:

🔥 Hottest of Takes — Jacob side-steps the Vinicius hysteria to make the case that Rodri's back surgery and Real Madrid links might quietly be the biggest story of the summer for Arsenal. Johnny's take is about what walking away from Morgan Rogers actually said about this club — and why it should make everyone more confident, not less

🌟 Are We Getting Vinicius Jr? — the evidence, the logic, the fan theories, and the completely spurious internet speculation. Johnny and Jacob treat all of it with equal enthusiasm and make no apologies for doing so

📊 Why This Would Be The Biggest Transfer In Arsenal's History — bigger than Özil. Johnny makes the case. Jacob agrees. A player who was second in the Ballon d'Or, in his peak, choosing Arsenal. The lads try to keep their feet on the ground. They don't fully succeed

🐊 We Move Like A Crocodile Now — Jacob's theory about what walking away from Morgan Rogers actually means is one of the best takes of the summer. Arsenal aren't rushing. They're waiting. And Vinicius is a giant wildebeest

⏰ 26 Days Until The Season Starts — the lads clock it live on air and both go slightly pale. It's coming. Fast

Subscribe at patreon.com/theArsenalOpinion for ad-free episodes and support the show. And for the best Arsenal writing on the internet, sign up to the newsletter at le-grove.co.uk.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pete and Jacob, recording with one eye on Twitter waiting for the Bruno announcement. Tzolis is moving to Arsenal. The window is open. It's time to talk.

Here's what's inside:

🔥 Hottest of Takes — Jacob doesn't want a centre-back and makes the case with enough conviction to talk Pete round. Consa at £50 million when Mosquera, Timber and Marley Salmon exist? Jacob says no. Pete says maybe just do Stones for free. Both agree Declan Rice will absolutely start the Community Shield and both are slightly terrified about that

🐭 Tzolis — The Full Verdict — Pete pulls up the highlights live and the lads go through it frame by frame. Fox in the box. Trossard replacement. Head up, give and go, whack on him despite not looking physically imposing. Jacob calls it the antidote to the forward line of death

💸 One In, One Out — The Financial Reality — Pete lays out what happened after last summer's spending spree. Four new finance people on the board. A deal that went badly overpriced. Arsenal need to sell this summer and Pete has a theory about who goes where — including a Martinelli to Atletico swap idea that is genuinely interesting

😤 Jacob Would Love It If Gyökeres Went — he says it. He means it. He's not taking it back. Pete doesn't fully disagree

🔜 Bruno — It's Coming — the lads keep checking Twitter throughout. By the time you're listening to this, the big one may already be done

Subscribe at patreon.com/theArsenalOpinion for ad-free episodes and support the show. And for the best Arsenal writing on the internet, sign up to the newsletter at le-grove.co.uk.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pete and Matt, Wednesday morning UK time. Morgan Rogers is a Chelsea player. The announcement video has already been roasted. And actually? The lads are fine.

Here's what's inside:

🔥 Hottest of Takes — Matt is suddenly very excited about Ethan Nwaneri. He's been in the gym, he's been in the England camp, and Matt makes the Myles Lewis-Skelly comparison that's going to make a lot of people feel a lot better about the summer. Pete's take is about Arsenal's valuation discipline and why walking away from overpriced targets is actually the Man City playbook

😂 Chelsea's Announcement Video — "Joined the biggest club in London." Pete and Matt go through it frame by frame. It is not good. The Eze announcement comparison is not kind to anybody involved

💸 Why Can't Arsenal Sell? — the Somerville to Al-Hilal story reopens a wound. Berta was brought in to move players as well as buy them. Pete asks where the Saudi numbers are for Arsenal's fringe players. Matt tells the story of a mate who went to Saudi for electrical work and never looked back. It's relevant

⚙️ Zubimendi — World Cup Winner, Dark Horse For Next Season — rested, recharged, point to prove. Pete makes the case that recency bias has done Zubi dirty and the version coming back this August is going to surprise people

🔜 Members Bonus — Yan Diamonde — a name linked to Arsenal gets the full treatment on Patreon. Members only

Subscribe at patreon.com/theArsenalOpinion for ad-free episodes and support the show. And for the best Arsenal writing on the internet, sign up to the newsletter at le-grove.co.uk.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pete and Matt, straight off the back of the World Cup final in New Jersey. Morgan Rogers is not coming to Arsenal. People are losing their minds on the internet. Pete and Matt are not.

Here's what's inside:

🔥 Hottest of Takes — Matt goes after Arsenal's inability to sell players and makes the case that it's costing us in the transfer market more than any individual miss. Pete counters with hopium, Man City's valuation history, and a list of Plan B signings that ended up being better than the Plan A

😤 Morgan Rogers — What Happened And Why — the £117 million valuation, Berta walking away, and why Pete thinks this one was actually the right call. A history of Man City walking away from overpriced targets makes the case

💸 Sell To Buy — Matt's Big Argument — Madüeke, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Kai, Gyökeres. Matt thinks all of them should have a price. The attack is mid-table without stardust signings and the wages bill is suffocating the window

🏆 Chelsea — The New Title Rivals? — Alonso, no European football, Morgan Rogers signed. Pete and Matt go through why Chelsea might be the most dangerous team in the league next season, not because they're better but because they'll be fresher

👔 Arteta's New Deal — The Power Play — Pete makes the case that Arteta's comments after the Champions League final were a warning shot, not a promise. And why the power he has at Arsenal is something no other club in the world can offer him. Cesc Fabregas gets a mention as heir apparent

Subscribe at patreon.com/theArsenalOpinion for ad-free episodes and support the show. And for the best Arsenal writing on the internet, sign up to the newsletter at le-grove.co.uk.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pedro, Johnny and Matt man the phones. No hottest of takes today — the members deliver the spice themselves. Questions in from South Africa, the Discord, and beyond.

Here's what's inside:

📞 The Tzolis Data Drop — Pete pulls up eight slides of Christos Tzolis data live on the pod. Champions League touch quality, ball carrying, pressured shooting. The lads are excited. Nobody replied to the WhatsApp with an emoji

🌍 World Cup Memories — Pedro, Matt & The Vuvuzelas — a South African member asks Pedro and Matt about their World Cup experiences. Pete reflects on watch parties in St Louis, the USMNT fever, and why he's more convinced than ever he made the right call coming to MLS. Matt just says vibes were immaculate. He's right

💸 Is Man City Deliberately Distorting The Transfer Market? — Elliot Anderson, Semenyo, Gayi. Are these desperation signings or financial warfare? Pete, Johnny and Matt go through the theory and land in very different places. Nicolas Pepe gets brought up. It's relevant

🏟️ The Opening Day XI — No Saliba, No Rice, No Saka — a member asks the three amigos to pick a realistic starting lineup for the first few weeks of the season and identify where investment is most urgent. Mosquera gets a big vote of confidence. So does Myles Lewis-Skelly

🛡️ Gabriel — Indispensable — a caller raises the distribution concern. Pete shuts it down immediately. The heartbeat of shithousery stays. Johnny and Matt both agree

BECOME A MEMBER AT LE-GROVE.CO.UK OR PATREON.COM/THEARSENALOPINION

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pete's under the weather. Jacob drove to the wrong town this week and is not fully recovered. The World Cup is done. The transfer window is about to explode. Perfect conditions for a Friday therapy session.

Here's what's inside:

🔥 Hottest of Takes — Jacob has had a slap and got himself on the Morgan Rogers train. He explains the comparison that finally convinced him and it's a good one. Pete has lingering concerns about a bad touch statistic that's been haunting him all summer

💸 The Rogers Debate — Settled? — a deep dive into what Rogers actually does, why Emery's system may have flattered him, and whether Arteta can get even more out of him. Jacob's Premier League Dembélé framing is the line of the pod

😤 Bruno G — Is It Slipping Away? — the Newcastle situation, the price movement, the agent history. Pete and Jacob go through why this one feels harder than it did a month ago and what the alternatives look like

🌍 World Cup Debrief — the highlights, the lowlights, and a proper honest conversation about England vs Argentina. Jacob goes after Kane and Jed Spence. Pete defends Tuchel and makes the case that Declan Rice and Saka being half-fit cost England a final

🗑️ Get Rid Of The Carabao Cup — Pete's closing argument, and it's Arsenal-adjacent. Nobody is disagreeing

Subscribe at patreon.com/theArsenalOpinion for ad-free episodes and support the show. And for the best Arsenal writing on the internet, sign up to the newsletter at le-grove.co.uk.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Johnny and Jacob. England are through. France vs Spain is kicking off as they record. The final is taking shape and these two can barely contain themselves.

Here's what's inside:

🔥 Hottest of Takes — Jacob is already planning where to stand on Sunday night and has a point to make about who invented street celebrations. Johnny makes the case that Morgan Rogers is the closest thing England have to Bellingham right now — and what that means for Arsenal

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England's Route To The Final — the semi-final draw, the France problem, the Spain alternative, and why Johnny thinks styles make fights in a way that could actually suit England

😤 Tuchel vs Bellingham — A Storm In A Teacup — Jacob gives the measured take the English press couldn't. Why both men were doing exactly their jobs, and why the media deserves at least some of the side-eye

⚽ Merino — The Arsenal One To Watch — he's been a force majeure at this tournament. Johnny and Jacob on what it does for his confidence, and what it means for pre-season

🔜 Part Two Is For Members — the transfer target deep dive follows immediately. Get it over at patreon.com/theArsenalOpinion, Apple Podcasts Members, or le-grove.co.uk

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices