So on the back of what has been a very disappointing transfer window for Arsenal so far, we have now reached the Emirates Cup tournament, are we all excited? Probably not. The Emirates Cup used to be a chance to see the new additions at the Emirates for the first time, and although it’s true that the tradition will continue with Yaya Sanogo likely to play some part, although not today, it’s not really what we Arsenal fans were expecting.

From Arsene Wenger’s comments about this tournament yesterday, he sounded like he had such a passion for it, almost so much that it wouldn’t surprise me to say, this was his most ambitious trophy and the silverware he prioritised every season. The bad thing is we can’t even win this trophy sometimes, with the last time the tournament was held; Thierry Henry’s New York Red Bulls lifted the trophy. I am of course joking on the prioritising of the Emirates Cup, but what I am serious about is the lack of new additions on show.

We open the show with a game against Napoli, who I would actually say are the strongest team here if I’m honest. Normally we would have our new signings all eager to get on the pitch for the first time, however this year we won’t see any new faces, Yaya Sanogo aside, but the worse thing is we will see several players we were interested in this summer, all playing for the opposition.

Napoli have a revolutionised team and a perfect example to Wenger how a club should do its spending. Pepe Reina and then the three ex Real Madrid boys will light up their team and worst of all, Gonzalo Higuain is likely to make his debut today for Napoli. If I’m honest, I’m expecting him to score against us and it won’t be long before the boos and the chants of “He should have been ours, he should have been ours, Gonzalo Higuain, he should have been ours” ringing around the Emirates.

That is of course if the Emirates is filled with excited, passionate fans, which I highly doubt, although I wouldn’t go as far to say I think there will be protests. The constant advertisements on the radio for this tournament shows Arsenal are scrapping through the ticket sales and perhaps this is the beginning of something bigger but it still wouldn’t surprise me to see a practically full stadium later today. If anyone is going today, enjoy your day, I hope Arsenal thrash Napoli (however unlikely that is with their new revolutionised team) and that you also enjoy Porto vs. Galatasaray if you choose to watch it.

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