Morning folks! How y’all doing?

It’s good times for me, on account of this unusually warm weather we’ve got in the UK, which is what us Brits have always said we’d find absolutely acceptable in the summer given we have to go through drizzle, grey and grim sh*t for most of the year.

The sun is shining, the atmosphere in Britain is excitable thanks to a quarter final win against Sweden, although naturally there are some idiots who use it as an excuse to vandalise.

Honestly, this is why so many people choose not to be as vocal in their national pride when it comes to being English, because this is what happens. Morons smashing ambulances, police vehicles in Russia (then taking a battering), buses and bus stations in London. This is why I can’t stand the yobbo culture in England and why we can’t have nice things.

My car even got egged over the weekend. I suppose I should be thankful but why does a situation like England progressing to their first international semi final in 28 years have to result in our country being embarrassed by these tossers.

Anyway, I should focus more on the football and the football England have been playing has been getting better throughout the tournament, which is weird because that’s just not what England does. That’s the sort of thing Germany do and then we watch from afar feeling a little jealous at their tournament management.

I’m delighted of course. It shows a maturity from Southgate and his players and is demonstrating that perhaps there is a country who can start to believe. I personally doubt England can get beyond Croatia. I’m basing this on the fact they’re better than any other team we’ve played and also that England has looked like a side that has a brain fart or two in it. And having watched Arsenal for the last couple of years I think we as Arsenal fans are well-placed to spot that in a team.

Croatia will be the best team England have faced in this competition and although they haven’t looked amazing they are still a side who will cause England problems. Let’s just see if the nerve of those England players holds out on Wednesday.

As for The Arsenal, well, it’s all about The Ornacle putting some of our minds at rest with his update on the Torreira situation. The Uruguayan has been very impressive for his country at this World Cup and normally that spells bad news for Arsenal going after a player. Mainly because said player would return to his current club to be greeted by a very happy chairman because he knows he’s getting an extra nought on the end of the few he’ll ask for the player.

It looks as though Arsenal have taken the opportunity to sort everything out – or at least most of it – pre-competition with Torreira though and that means that we might get a very good player at a reasonable price. It’s refreshing from the club to see they put in the hard graft on negotiations with another club and have not soured relations by: a) massively underbidding, b) talking a game but not bidding, or c) thinking that waiting until the last second of the transfer window will be the best time to try to go after a player.

I’ve been listening to radio shows and podcasts for years and it has been a common theme that people say Arsenal are notoriously difficult to negotiate with and some even describe us a a ‘laughing stock’. It looks like the club are trying to change that image and I for one am delighted with that.

It’ll probably take a week or so now before we start to do anything formal but just to know it’s drawing to a positive conclusion is good enough for me.

Ornstein also said that it would conclude our business for the summer on senior appointments. Imagine that: concluding your business before you go on your first pre season tour. It means there will be no – or at least very little – talk of future signings, it will all just be a focus on being ready for the new season. Happy effin’ days.

And I’ll leave you on that happy note. Have a good’un and enjoy your day.