LINO SOUSA LEAVING ARSENAL TO JOIN ASTON VILLA!

As you can see in front of me, Lino Salsa looks set to leave Arsenal Football Club, courtesy of Fabrizio Romano, and join Aston Villa. Now, it does make me sad, of course. I chased the impossible dream of seeing a 20, 25-man squad of Heylenders. I started 11 from goalkeeper to striker of Heylenders. But this is a necessary evil in the game, really. The better Arsenal Football Club get, the less opportunities there's going to be for young players. That being said, I do think fans want it all their way. They want experienced players. They want to be competitive. They want young players to play. You need to give young players opportunities to make mistakes. Is Lino Salsa ready for Premier League football today? Probably not. But when are you ready for things in life? I do think Mikel Ortega could have provided debuts at several occasions since he's taken over and since the academy boys have been on the bench and thrown them opportunities and things like that. But I rate this from Salsa, personally. I rate this, really, because at this moment in time, if we attempt to look at his statistics, I'm sure this could actually be wrong from transfer Mark, because he's been on the bench a couple of times for Arsenal, and was he not on the bench in the Champions League? But anyways, you've been on the bench and stuff like that. He ain't made your debut. Cedric Suarez could be departing the club off his own back, but Cedric Suarez has been used ahead of you and is ahead of you in the pecking order. Young Waters, who can't get a look in, is probably ahead of you in the full-back pecking order because he's been on the bench. Kyrgios can play left-back. He's ahead of you. Afit Timber is ahead of you. Zinchenko is ahead of you. Tommy Yasuo is ahead of you. And whether the club are going to do it is another thing. But we did hear Arsenal were looking at a left-back on loan. So there's too many bodies. Arsenal are only in the Premier League champs. There's a lot of pressure on Mikel Arteta's head. I wouldn't say he's against Halem, but he's not on the vengating of throwing them all out. So it makes sense for Salsa to depart. As you saw there, Amman's been linked with Galatasaray, Juventus and Rangers. I think Rangers would have been a good step. Scottish football is difficult. Rangers are not blessed with finances. The pathway is probably clearer. At Aston Villa, you've currently got Luka Dean and Moreno ahead of you. So he probably won't get... I hope he does, but he probably won't get first-team football straight away. But if they've shown you a pathway and a project and said, listen, you're not ready right now, but you sign for us. Next season, you're going to go on loan to Ligue 1 or the championship. You do well there. We'll see where you're at and maybe integrate you. Send you on one more loan. Maybe at the point of him signing for Aston Villa, he goes out on loan and does his thing there. I hear it. No clue of where he grew up and stuff, but we bought him from West Brom. West Brom and Aston Villa, it's all Midlands. So maybe there's a family aspect to it as well. Maybe Unai Emery's got plans for him. And seize your future really, because what is the alternative? You sign a new deal, you stay at Arsenal, you don't get a look-in. It gets to a point where you probably need to move on and you still ain't really got a look-in. Then you struggle to really assert yourself in the professional game. These young players need to do what they can year-on-year to be dramatically better than they was. And for me as a young player, I think if I was them, I think you need to go somewhere where you can get 50 to 100 appearances within the next two years, three years really and truly. So we wish him all the best. Now, where you look at young Waters and Koza Djoubri, I think it's easier to play young attacking players because their mistakes typically, if you make mistakes in the opponent's half of the pitch, you might not necessarily pay for it. Defensive players, obviously, you can lose the ball in the opponent's half and they counter-attack, but you get the point. I would have loved to have seen Koza Djoubri get more of a look-in. Where Waters and Koza Djoubri are concerned, for me, they need to be pushing either to leave the club and go somewhere where there's less resources and they're going to get a look in the first team or go on loan. Now, this is probably where the politics of football start to play a part, purely because you look at Waters and Koza Djoubri, their deals are running down. It's well known they've had the contracts on the table for whatever reason, however long a time, hasn't been signed. So, Arsenal Football Club are probably sitting there and saying, you man are not going out on loan until you sign this new deal, if you sign this new deal. So, yeah, I think a bunch of the under-21 players need to go and play. You know, it's unfortunate Tyrese John-Jules has picked up another long-term injury, you know, and it must be a real big kick in the teeth for him to suffer these injuries, but I back him. I think he's mentally strong. I think when God does bless him, or the footballing God bless him with a clear run, he's going to have a great career in the game. Koza Djoubri, again, I don't like to label guys the next Saka, this, that and the other. It's not helpful, you know, but I think he needs to be outside his comfort zone. And I know for a fact Anderlecht are very keen. Dortmund are very keen. Ajax is enough to whet the appetite of any young player or any player, really and truly. Newcastle have been linked. I don't know if making the move to Newcastle makes sense, but for me, I will go somewhere where teams have less resources and they're more likely to play. You look at Sago Junior, of today it's gone a bit quiet, but there's rumours of going to Sunderland. A lot of these academy players, you need to get out of it, really and truly, you know, and even if I was Waters, I don't know how I'd feel because, you know, they could have made their debuts at several occasions this season. They could have probably started or played some minutes against PSV in the cup, but Mikel Arteta wants to, you know, wanted to end the Champions League group, stay strong, told us about the home form and things like that of PSV. I don't rate Cedric like that, but the facts are he's a 32-year-old, experienced international for Portugal versus a tried and untested academy player. The manager was going for that, really. So I don't know how I'd feel about if I was Waters and, you know, there's several players ahead of you in the pecking order, several players that have been preferred. You have been on the bench and not played minutes. As I said, I think they, you know, some of these young players, they need to find the right loan and go and be, you know, outside their comfort zone and develop as a man, let alone a footballer and play minutes. And if I was Waters, I'd be angling for a loan because you're not playing at first team level, you've kind of left the under-21 stuff. It's now time to kick on. Obviously, politically, Arsenal are probably not going to let him move on, you know, because of the contract and maybe because Cedric could be going Galatasaray. And that's why I'll be sitting here if I'm Waters and saying, do you know what? Do I stay, you know, I want to go on loan, but do I stay at the club? Unfortunately, injuries are part and parcel of the game. There might be opportunities there. The manager might give me a chance in that regard. Cedric is leaving, there could be opportunities. Or do I sit patient, wait on my hands, do what I'm doing and leave the club in the summer? These young players need to go and do this thing. Not everybody can make it. I definitely think we could do a lot more with not only bringing players through the academy for our first team, but also selling them, training them to a certain standard and selling them in the same way you've seen it with a Wolby, Joe Woolock and Balligan. I wish Chelsea all the best. I wish any Arsenal player that departs on loan or permanently all the best. It's a shame he didn't get to make his debut in any capacity, but I'm sure he's made a lot of friends, been around some great coaches and learnt a lot, really and truly. So, yeah, big up Aston Villa for bagging him. Hope he makes his debut. Hope, you know, he gets to progress to their first team. And most importantly, I hope there's a clear development plan for him, really. You know, so, yeah, big up to him. Big up to Bradley Ibrahim, who's going to Hertha Berlin, another one that's been on the bench in the Premier League, but hasn't had a look-in in that regard. Koza Djoubri and Waters, they've probably, you know, you can never rule out anything, but you'd imagine those are two players that probably could leave in the summer if they don't sign those new deals, or maybe had they have signed new deals when out on loan, people. But these young players need to be selfish now, not just Arsenal, but every club is going to tell these players everything under the sun, especially if they want you to sign a new deal. You need to be selfish. And for some of them, not all, but some of them have been here as little boys, young boys, now young men. I understand the reluctance to move. A lot of them are probably naive and impressionable in a sense of, I'm an Arsenal fan. I kind of take everybody's words at face value. Now you need to be ruthless and selfish. You need to remember you're not at this football club because they necessarily like you're a nice person. It's a job. You're a good footballer. That's why you're here. You're an investment. What can you do to make yourself a better footballer? They're still young, and they're at the elementary stages of their careers. And we hope God blesses them to be able to play until 35. But before you know it, your career is going to blink like that. Make these moves. And don't let any, if you're going to make mistakes or good or bad moves, let it be because that's what you felt you did at the right time. Don't listen to the voice that you had around you. Listen to the voice in your head. You need to be cerebral, in my opinion. What can I do? What project can I do? Where can I go to make me a better footballer and a more crafted professional? Because you know what? The reality is, a lot of these young players that are in the, again, not the Waters and the Salsas and the Coles and Dewberries, they're more like the creme de la creme. But a lot of these boys, not just at Arsenal in general, that are in and around the 21s or in and around the 18s or have got pro deals or got scholars, a lot of them, unfortunately, drop out the game, you know? You've seen a lot of, it's not a diss. I'm not dissing it because a legit living is a legit living. But a lot of people sign pro deals and then they become scholars and scholars and all these things and pro deals, they become personal trainers or they work in retail or they work in normal office jobs. I'm just saying it's very difficult to be a professional footballer. So do everything you can to have the career you want. And I think for these players now, it's about getting first team experience, being outside your comfort zone, you know, where it really matters if you win or lose. You're fighting, a manager's fighting to keep his job. You're proving yourself to a new team, a new team and new teammates. You're playing in front of thousands of fans. You know, if you win, you're getting promoted. If you lose, you're getting relegated. If you lose, if you play bad, you're being dropped. I don't think under 21's football necessarily provides these players for it, you know, more than anything. Yes, speed and physicality are all thoughts, but it's more how quick things happen in the professional game and how crucial mistakes can be. Under 21, it don't really, don't really help. So, yeah, man, I mean, the silver lining is Arsenal, who are close to FFP, have fetched a few fees for these young players. And I think a whole bunch of them should be, you know, leaving if I'm honest. If you're Arsenal, you need to have a competitive squad for the 21's in what's left of their campaign. But a lot of these players need to force the boat out, whether they're going permanently or leaving on loan and make things happen in that regard. But that's all I've got to say, you know, as a fellow fullback, I wish Lee-No the best and I wish any young player the best at Arsenal Football Club. So, yeah, with that being said, you know, let me know your thoughts. Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe and take in the rest of the other content.