Search Results for ‘ribery’
October 8th, 2006
…I was lying. I can’t explain it, because there is no explanation. I’ve scoured French newspapers, Marseille forums, everything: there is no evidence for SkySports’ claim. They’re not even sure enough about it to put it on SkySportsNews. Weird. So for now, I wouldn’t expect us to sign Ribery. Nor, indeed, Goran Pandev.
Yesterday was International day, and you’ll all nod disapprovingly and knowingly when I tell you that one of our players, Freddie Ljungberg, was taken off injured. Still, at least France decided to leave out William Gallas against little old Scotland… Robin van Persie, elsewhere, scored for Holland with his head. Someone’s teaching our strikers something, it seems.
Regarding the Chelsea affair, Gallas has said:
“I want people to know the truth and the only way to do that is to go on TV.”
A source indicates that due to Gallas’ desire, he may be unavailable for most of January. Arsene, meanwhile, still has plenty to say on the issue, reminding the people of France that:
“What was really annoying was they contacted Ashley Cole two or three days before a match with Manchester United which was a crucial game for us. I’ll talk about what happened later for there were things said in that meeting that were impossible for Arsenal to accept.”
Honestly. It’s probably best to put this behind us now. Unless, of course, Arsene and Billy are preparing for the release of their joint autobiography. In which case it’s fine.
October 6th, 2006
Arsenal news is a lot like London buses. No, not because it’s overpriced, overcrowded, and unreliable. It’s because you wait ages for one (a bus/some news), and then two (buses/pieces of news) come along at once.
After that somewhat clumsy analogy, business. There was no update yesterday, and with good reason: there was nothing to say. However, seemingly from nowhere, SkySports have come out with the story that Arsenal have agreed a preliminary deal to sign Marseille winger Franck Ribery. I have no idea what their source is, and right at this moment I don’t really have time to check. Tomorrow I’ll write up this sotry in full, but it’s good news if true.
Secondly, we’ve had confirmation that one signing is well and truly sealed: 16 year-old Portugese forward, Rui Fonte, who is already appearing for our reserves.
Like I said, tomorrow I’ll bring you more on the Franck Ribery deal. If it is true: it’s good news – Ribery’s pace and skill make him a perfect long-term replacement for Freddie Ljungberg.
July 12th, 2006
News that Arsenal are being linked with bids for Franck Ribery and Javier Saviola has, I have to admit, confused me a little. After a season where we struggled with the physical side of the game, and having lost perhaps our most imposing squad member in Sol Campbell, being linked with two feather-weight attacking players didn’t make a huge amount of sense.
What’s more, there doesn’t appear to be much room for either player in the squad. Until, that is, you consider the possibility of Jose Reyes leaving. We all know plenty about his desire to play for Madrid, and with Chelsea unlikely to sell Arjen Robben, another left-winger may be required at Real. Whilst Arsenal are unwilling to discuss the possibility of Cesc Fabregas leaving, the under-achieving Reyes might be another story.
And if Reyes were to depart, his versatility would leave us with two positional holes to fill: winger and striker. Or, potentially, Ribery and Saviola. Ribery has Reyes’ pace and drive, and according to this fascinating article, some of his mental traits too. This quote has to be seen to be believed:
“Last week there was a comical, though quite touching moment, involving Ribery and his desire to avoid being interviewed. As he walked through the dreaded “mixed zone” â?? where the players, following matches, have to walk a corridor in which journalists can interview them â?? Ribery pretended to be on his mobile phone in order to avoid being intercepted by a reporter. Except, he was holding his phone upside down, and clearly wasn’t talking to anyone.”
Whilst he lacks the willingness to track back that Reyes has displayed, he possesses a greater threat with the ball at his feet, and a superior goal record.
Upfront, Saviola shares Reyes’ zip and ability to drop off the front man. It’s no secret that Reyes was bought as a deep-lying partner to Thierry Henry: with that combination never truly clicking, Saviola could be seen as the solution. As it happens, his agent is in London as we speak to discuss a potential move.
I do like Jose. He tries his heart out. But it’s never really happened for him in England, in either of the positions we’ve mentioned. Being left out of the Champions League Final side is indicative of how little he is trusted at Arsenal. It’s well known he wants a return to Spain, and perhaps now is the time.
There’s more movement on the squad number front as Kolo and Senderos take 5 and 6 respectively. And so they ought: two superb centre-backs who will be a fine defensive pairing next season. Rumours suggest they might be joined by Curtis Davies. Whatever happens, hopefully we’ll see some movement sooner rather than later: all this speculating is rather exhausting.
July 11th, 2006
Well, it’s an exciting day to support Arsenal: loads of players want to join us. However, it’s not great news for me, as I yet again have to encounter the horrors of a french keyboard to bring you the news from my holiday on the continent. You’d better appreciate it: I just tried to type appreciate and it came out as “qppreciqtge“. Bloody French.
Ghana’s inspirational midfielder Stephen Appiah says that, “No deal has been done yet but 50% of me is coming to Arsenal“. We fans are left tantalisingly wondering which 50% of himself the Ghana International is referring to. It’s possible that Sol Campbell could move the other way, but when was the last time a genuine swap deal actually happened?
World Cup finalist Franck Ribery has hinted that he too is keen to join Arsenal. Or at least, that he is keen to join “a big club in England” with “a French manager“. Franck Ribery: Man of Mystery. Actually, that’s not a bad idea: a mask would suit him.
We’ve spoken lots about Javier Saviola on this site. The latest from Spain is that Barca want around £4.5m for the player’s services, with Arsenal, Newcastle, and Bolton all trying to get away with paying around £2m. Interesting to see where this one is going: strikers are all well and good, but with Sol Campbell leaving and Philippe Senderos possibly crocked (with whispers he could be out for 4 months) what we really need are defenders. Speaking of which, Carlos Salcido has joined PSV. Oh well.
Finally, several articles in the Spanish press and this one in the English press have hinted at Arsenal going back for Julio Baptista. Oh god, not that again…
Apologies for the somewhat bullet-pointy nature of this article. I’m in a hurry to get to the pool. Hope you’re enjoying your summers too.
July 6th, 2006
Thierry Henry and France eased into the final last night, overcoming an uninspiring Portugal thanks to a Zinedine Zidane penalty. It was Henry who earned the spot-kick, side-stepping Ricardo Carvalho before the Chelsea defender lunged in and brought him down. Though the picture shows Henry’s dive as being ever-so-slightly dramatic, there was definite contact: this was no repeat of his second round encounter with Carlos Puyol.
What struck me last night is how little strength and depth France have, and yet conversely how little David Trezeguet is being considered for selection. As a front three Malouda, Henry, and Ribery is fairly good. However, their three replacements last night were Wiltord, Govou, and Saha, who were all dreadful. Saha’s suspension means Trezeguet might get a look in for the final, but until that occurrence he was well out of the picture.
Marseille winger Franck Ribery had an average game, but is still being linked with a move to Arsenal in some circles. Just two days ago he claimed he had “decided” on his destination next season. The smart money is still on Lyon, and with Cristiano Ronaldo possibly moving on Man U are bound to be interested, but you never know…
Lyon have also been linked with beaten Quarter-finalist Gilberto Silva. However, they have also declared their interest in his Brazil team-mate Kaka, and suggested they might bid â?¬45m for Drogba. It’s fair to say their transfer policy is not particularly grounded in reality.
I’m sure there’s something I’ve forgotten, but I can’t remember it. That’s what happens when there’s no big news about: you start compiling lots of tiny, insignificant stuff and it starts slipping through your fingers. So Arsene, please stop messing around on the internet and go and make some signings.
Next Posts
Previous Posts
