I was pretty confused when I first heard about the Raya links. I couldn’t understand why we were dropping close to £30million on a guy who will not start the season and may not be able to break through if Ramsdale has a stormer this season. And why were KSE/the Arsenal board willing to drop £27million on a reserve ‘keeper?

I didn’t get it.

But then the Ornbomb was dropped yesterday and it became clear of the machinations that had been underway behind closed doors at Highbury House and at the Brentford Community stadium; a deal was being struck that suited all parties given the situation. Arsenal would take Raya on loan for the season for £3million. Brentford would have him sign a year extension to protect his value. Arsenal would get a ‘keeper much closer to challenging Ramsdale than Turner. And Matty Turner’s £7million plus add on’s deal was ratified and confirmed by the club yesterday.

And I gotta tell ya, this is some smart moves from the Arsenal hierarchy, for sure. They have given Ramsdale what they need because he knows he has to fight for his place and we all know that this is when he is at his best. They have given Brentford the opportunity to avoid some unpleasentness by losing Raya for a cut down price later down the line this transfer window, or for free next summer. That will potentially help in relations between the club, especially if future business has been done. And Arsenal have secured a buy option at the end of next season if Raya proves he is the best. At the beginning of this window Brentford wanted £40million for Raya. There were no takers. So Arsenal came in and said we’ll do a deal that works for you guys and we want to protect a reasonable price in case he ‘bangs’ in an Arsenal shirt.

This is a fantastic deal for Arsenal and ensures the competitive nature of Arteta’s squad that we all know he is so desperate to maintain.

Whether that is the last of the incomings remains to be seen, but the outgoings now have to take priority. We need to sort out futures for Tierney, Balogun, Cedric, Holding, Pepe and maybe even Elneny, although I’m sure he’s happy as a cheerleading role. But there is more work to do.

Including, it seems, with Charlie Patino, who is set to join Swansea on loan for the season. Apparently Patino wanted out for a permanent move, but Arteta and Edu have spoken to him, mapped out what his future looks like and he is apparently happy to do one more loan before a more permanent decision is made on his future. And I think that’s the right move. He’s a very talented kid, we all have high hopes for him, but he’s only 19 and one more full season impressing in the Championship could be really good for him. His contract runs until 2025 and if he explodes next season with Swansea then he’ll either come back with an increased value and we can get more money for him, or he’ll be slotted in to the first team.

I do wonder if that is what Arteta has said to him, you know? We have Thomas Partey sticking around for this season and whilst Patino and Partey should not be compared at this stage, Patino is a good ball distributor, he is a deeper-lying playmaker and with Partey reaching one year left on his deal next summer, perhaps Arteta has told Patino that he sees him taking over the mantel of Partey if he’s got enough men’s football under his belt. There might be some that would question the jump from Swansea in the Championship to Arsenal towards the top of the Premier League, but let’s not forget how a certain Jack Wilshere went to Bolton in the Championship and played for Bolton at age 18, so at just one year older there’s no reason why Patino can’t ready himself for a first team place next season if he excels.

And it is another smart move from the Arsenal hierarchy. Patino loses nothing by going out on loan as opposed to a permanent deal, Arsenal don’t have to sell a promising player before he could skyrocket in his value, plus if his trajectory is as good as we hope then we get a player ready to step in to the first team at age 20 and compete for a place in an already competitive squad.

This is all good news.

And I think I will leave it at that for today. With good news and good vibes towards the club and the work they are doing. The weekend fast approaches and the kick off to the new season, with all of the hopes that it will be a good one.

Catch you wonderful people tomorrow or, if you fancy, join us on the Same Old Arsenal pod this evening from 7.30pm here.