Back in the 80s, there were no live updates regarding the latest transfer news. To find the most recent updates, you have page 302 of Ceefax, and a couple of stories in the newspaper the next day that summarised the top deals. If you want to get a feel of the yesteryears and celebrate the great players that have played for Arsenal, you can sign up at Bingo Extra. This retro themed mobile bingo site has everything that can remind you of the good old days with pastel colours, vintage fonts and graphics, and much more. The bingo rooms at Bingo Extra have unique retro names such as Candy Store, The Playground, The Diner, The Extra Room, Penny Arcade, Drive In and more. This is where you can play your favourite variation of 75 Ball, 90 Ball, and 5-lines bingo. And here is a few of the near-misses and signings of Arsenal in the 80s.
At the beginning of the 1980-1981 season, Liam Brady was sold to Juventus from Arsenal, and this left many Gunners fan heartbroken. He was just a football genius who could do pinpoint passes and put the defence into trouble and left foot was simply magical. When he left the club, it left a void that could not realistically be filled during that season. Peter Nicholson was bought in 1981 for £500,000. This Welsh international player was the perfect midfield players during that period as he was energetic, robust, hard-tackling, and hardworking. However, Peter Nicholson could not fill the gaping hole left by Liam Brady and had quite a hard time at Highbury.
Within a year, Arsenal wanted to part exchange Nicholson for Garry Thompson from Coventry. The young centre forward was a great prospect after the departure of their striker, Frank Stapleton. However, the deal was not closed, as Coventry wanted Peter Nicholson, plus £500,000. And within a year, Arsenal lost both their star striker and best player to Manchester United.
Things were about to change when George Graham brought in Alan Smith, the centre forward that he had been admiring for some time. This was the first season of George Graham, and prior to getting Smith, he was very quiet in the transfer market and many were beginning to wonder if he would get any good signing that season. But Smith was loaned back to Leicester and didn’t join Arsenal for the rest of the season. Smith had a difficult start at Arsenal despite having scored a hat-trick whilst playing against Portsmouth. However, in the long-term Smith proved what he was worth by winning Two Golden Boots, two Arsenal’s title wins, and being part of the winning team of the Cup-Winner’s Cup final.
Near the end of the 87-88 season, Brian Marwood made his debut while playing against Coventry where he scored a brilliant goal. His accurate passes to Smith would later become the catalyst to their title winning campaign the following season. Marwood was brought for £600,000 by Graham who knew that this player would be ideal for this squad.