Arsenal make a £48m move for Reus. Benzema, you're so passé. Draxler? Hmm...

We've long lusted after Marco Reus, whether it be the Rosický-worship he's shared, the notion that Borussia Dortmund are kindred spirits battling better-funded behemoths only to see their best and brightest snatched away anyway, or a Champions League death-grip that has seen us face off in the group-stage in three of the last four seasons. With BVB struggling to a seventh-place finish, Reus looks likely to follow the example set by Lewandowski and Götze. If none of those pieces fit, keep in mind that he's a technically-gifted, pacey winger who can play almost anywhere...except at centre-forward.

Le Coq is cocked and ready—Coquelin is primed to improve on last season...

The situation was dire. Arteta was sidelined by injury and Flamini was fading fast, neither of them up to the task of shielding the back four even at their long-toothed best. Who else in the squad could be entrusted to add some defensive grit into a side long on crafty ballerinas but short on tenacious brawlers? Yes, Wilshere, Ramsey and even the Ox had taken turns in the defensive midfield, but each of them is an attacker at heart, ill-suited to the task of staying home and breaking up attacks before they can metastasize into goal-scoring opportunities. Enter le Coq, as unlikely a hero as we may seen in recent seasons. For as good as he was from Boxing Day forward, I'm here to suggest that he'll only get better.

Mourinho wets his pants just a bit ahead of the Community Shield...

José Mourinho is always a wily one, a Manichean Machiavelli who has mastered many of the world's darker arts. Success has come to him time and time and time again, proving if nothing else that ends justify means. However, ahead of the Community Shield, which will pit Chelsea against Arsenal, his attempt at mind games offers a peek into the psyche of man perhaps more worried than ever about losing to his rival, both in that upcoming match as well as in the Prem season that follows. That his comments reveal a hypocritical lack of self-awareness is another issue for another day (or, failing that, another paragraph).

A post that is 99% free of Jeff Reine-Adelaide...

Arsenal won the Emirates Cup for the first time since 2010, becoming the first club to win the esteemed competition for an unprecedented fourth time and—ah, who are we kidding? We all know that this preseason tournament is little more than a glorified friendly, and all involved should be careful not to draw too many conclusions from the proceedings. Is Lacazette utter shite after he (and OL) failed to score a single goal? Probably not. Is Jeff the second coming of Vieira? A quick internet search suggests he is, but, again, the answer is probably not. After thrashing Lyon 6-0 on Saturday, Sunday's 1-0 squeaker over Wolfsburg might feel anticlimactic, even if it did secure a second trophy in as many tournaments.