ArsenalFan TV was founded in September 2012. The idea by fan Robbie Lyle was to give ordinary Arsenal fans a chance to give their unbiased opinions on the team. It has grown from strength to strength and is now the most watched football fan channel on You Tube with nearly 70 million views to date and over 160,000 subscribers.
We spoke to Robbie about all things Arsenal, the man at the forefront of the pioneering website.
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We’ll start with a classic question, if you were in Arsene Wenger’s shoes, who would be your ideal two signings this summer now that Petr Cech has been confirmed?
My ideal signings would be Karim Benzema as he is a world class striker who would work perfectly with Mesut Ozil and Alexis. I would also still sign a DM to challenge Coquelin. William Carvalho would be perfect.
After the emergence of Francis Coquelin and Hector Bellerin last season, do you see them both making the positions in the team their own next season? Can they handle a number of competitions?
I do see both of them making the position their own. Coquelin is now one of our most important players and his consistency last year was amazing. He knows the players around him and he allows them to play with the insurance that if they lose the ball he will clean up. Bellerin will face fierce competition from Debuchy who will have a point to prove and will be desperate to cement his place in the French team for the Euros with some big performances for Arsenal. I think both Bellerin and Coquelin will be able to handle a number of competitions.
Speaking of young talent, who are your Arsenal players to look out for next season?
I really want to see Krystian Bielik in action to see if he can replace Arteta long term. I also would like to see more of Chuba Akpom although I feel he will benefit more from a loan at a top Championship club or a team like Watford in the Premier League. I think he has real talent but just needs games.
How close do you think Arsenal are to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City in terms of putting in a substantial Premier League title bid?
We are very close. We have a balanced team that has now won trophies in the past two seasons. The fact that every Arsenal fan is talking about only needing a couple of players to challenge for the league when in previous seasons it’s been five or six proves that we have a top team. I think if we add these ingredients and stay relatively injury free we have a great chance.
With Arsenal fans now desperate to have further glory after successive FA Cup triumphs, will any less than the league title be branded a failure? (Of course assuming that we’re not there yet with the UEFA Champions League…)
I think it will be in the eyes of fans because we have not won the league for so long. In my personal eyes if we don’t put in a very strong challenge it will be a failure. To win the league now is so hard.
To end, what is the best memory you have as an Arsenal fan?
Has to be the invincible season. I saw the best ever Arsenal team create a piece of history that may never be surpassed.
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Thanks very much to Robbie, check out ArsenalFan TV and follow them on Twitter at @arsenalfantv.
