FOR THOSE THAT SLEPT ..read more

Shut the back door… We interviewed Gilberto Silva yesterday, so you must go and take a listen. He’s out with Arsenal in LA before the first proper game of preseason in front of an actual crowd of people (tickets available if you want to go). Before that, we have to take down Bournemouth at the LA Galaxy stadium. The game is on late for me in Central Time (9:30 PM), so I’d imagine it’ll be too late for anyone in England, so I doubt we’ll be dropping an "On The Whistle." The Arsenal game on Saturday actually clashes with my work team’s game, so probably no "On The Whistle" for that one either ..read more

The Arsenal team is in LA right now in preparation for the Arsenal vs United game at SoFi Stadium this coming Saturday. Gilberto is at the training camp and took time out to speak with us about the players, the excitement of the season, mental toughness, and the BIG game this weekend. If you want tickets, sign up on this link ..read more

Joe Biden stepped down as the nominee for President. I don’t normally talk about politics, but I have often said that one of the most aspirational characteristics of people I admire is knowing when to leave. When to leave a conversation. LE GROVE is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. When to leave the party. When to step down from a big job. When to relinquish power before you tarnish what came before. The latter is something not many men or women in history have managed to do. Joe Biden did that yesterday ..read more

Johnny, Matt, and Pedro dive in head first for a BIG members special. They cover: That new African-inspired Arsenal kit Kanu and Wenger deepblock tactics Emile Smith-Will-He-Go Jesus BREAKOUT season 2 Califiori - braids, injuries, position, pace Let us know if you liked the podcast! x Read more ..read more

It’s a Saturday morning post and we’re in great shape because David Ornstein has finally given us the news we wanted on an incoming player: Riccardo Calafiori. The Italian only wants Arsenal. Arteta only wants the Italian. The fee being mentioned around the internet is £33m, which is crazy because this is one of the best defenders at the Euros, playing for the Italian champions, looking a million dollars doing modern JdP things. He’ll cost half of what Leny Yoro cost and likely won’t even hit £100k a week. The absurd addiction some clubs have to potential over signing players who are able t ..read more

It’s FriYAY and we’re all feeling pretty good… I can taste the new season in the air. Morning beers and bagels (lol, I have children. I’m not that cool), spicy hot takes, and chatting on the internet with thousands of people I’ve never met before but know they’re the good stuff because they support the mighty Arsenal. The hottest transfers story right now is that United are chasing down our mega-scoring striker from the reserves - and we might lose out on a deal here. All I would say to you is this: If Arsenal aren’t going all in on a contract for a kid, maybe there’s more to the story than ..read more

Arsenal launched their brand new Arsenal kit. This is how they’ve framed it. Introducing our new 2024/25 away kit, in collaboration with adidas and British African heritage brand Labrum London. We’re celebrating our connection to our African supporters via inspiration from the continent's design traditions.  Featuring the traditional pan-African colours of black, red and green, this shirt is punctuated with a striking white zig-zag graphic designed by Labrum London founder Foday Dumbuya. This shirt has a great story behind it that gives our massive African fanbase a new uniform for n ..read more

Gareth Southgate is gone. Benny Blanco vindicated. The English right-back problem has been solved. We now have THREE top-tier English talents ready to take us to the World Cup final in 2026. There are stories that Thomas Tuchel wants a piece of the job - I like that. Get more from Pedro in the Substack app Available for iOS and Android Get the app It’s quite amusing reading about all the people who were burning effigies of Sir Gareth a few days ago slipping into top-class-English-gentleman-mode with the embarrassing online eulogies. I really hope a Premier League club takes a chance on h ..read more

Johnny and Pedro get into a debrief on this sad, sad Monday: The science of Arsenal kits England debrief Emile Smith NO-GO Nico Williams - would you? Read more ..read more