Flipping heck it’s muggy today. So muggy I want to sack off work, get into my swim shorts and convince the wife to fan me as I watch re-runs of the Invincibles season.

British people aren’t used to this kind of weather. Three piece suits aren’t designed for this.

As for Arsenal fans, we’re also not designed for something, which is the concept of doing business early. In fact, just thinking back and trying to remember the last deal we did that was so early in the season, I seem to recall that it was Poldi who was the last high profile first team signing we made, but even that was because he had a release clause and so it was easy to negotiate with Köln.

I do wonder what lines of communication are now open at Arsenal you know. Under Arsène we had become renowned for being a club difficult to deal with in both buying and selling players and it has been a long-held view of agents and clubs that Arsenal are a bit of a joke.

Yet now, under this new regime and with the new contacts that we have made at the club, it feels like we’re probably going to get people picking up the phone again to us.

Of course we’re yet to see any real evidence of this and there’s also the worrying fact that Sven’s little notebook of contacts all appear to be coming from one corner of the world, but we have to hope that the club are going to shake off this unwanted reputation that had developed in recent years.

It could all be just the excitement of something new and unknown that is fuelling my positivity right now. Of course that could disappear on the first game of the season if we find ourselves a goal or two down at home to a West Ham or Newcastle. But right now, as of this moment, it feels like a brand new dawn in more ways than just a new manager with new ideas.

I’m still yet to be entirely convinced by the Sokratis signing – as and when it happens – but much like the new regime I’m willing to get excited about it.

Hopefully the pre-season friendlies will enable us to feel even more so. Although we’ll have to take them with a pinch of salt given that Gervinho looked like a world beater in his first couple of pre-season games for Arsenal. And we all know how “well” that turned out…

But Sokratis could be a decent move, if he was stagnating at Dortmund and needed a change, plus we have to hope that all of our defenders are going to get at least 15-25% better with some actual defensive work that is going to be drilled in to them. The question that will exist on all of our lips will be how much can Emery actually teach them and how much of it was just Arsenal players hitting their ceiling?

Is Mustafi just always that erratic and can that propensity to dive in ever really be eradicated?

Is Calum Chambers a better player than we’ve seen and can he deliver on more consistency? He’s not a quick defender and you can’t teach pace, but if he can be taught positioning and have a decent centre half with pace alongside him, then can we see him blossom?

What about Holding? Can he kick on next season?

I haven’t really even mentioned Mavropanos and it’s difficult to judge on a few performances, but is he somebody who will come in and start playing regularly?

This defence has lots of questions to answer and so perhaps bringing in a player who will most likely ultimately be a rotation player as the others (hopefully) start to step up, might be a decent deal, although at the moment it still feels like a bit of a head scratcher.

Still, perhaps the remaining cash is just being used on that Ramsey contract and a new ‘keeper and ball-winning central midfielder, so there’s no point wondering what the club are doing if things start to fall into place over the summer.

Whatever happens it’ll be exciting. We have a freshness about us that I’m loving riding the crest of. The Management has even been bumped up to silver membership for next season.

Of course she’s thrilled. 🙂

Catch you all tomorrow.