June 30th, 2012
Hello all. Â As Euro 2012 hurries to a close, a new reason rapidly approaches. Â In little over a week, Arsenal’s players will be back in training. Â A fortnight today we have our first pre-season fixture: two 45-minute games against Southampton and Anderlecht at St. Mary’s Stadium. Â It’s all tantalisingly close now.
Germany’s elimination on Thursday night means Arsenal’s interest in the competition is officially over. Â Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker will go on holiday now, and return in time to join Arsenal on their trip to the Far East at the end of the month.
Whilst Mertesacker did not play a minute of competitive action during the tournament, ousted by Hummels and Badstuber, Podolski was recalled for the semi-final, only to hauled off at half-time, prompting criticism in both Germany and England. Â I don’t think Arsenal fans need worry: the Podolski we saw at this tournament was shackled by a very disciplined system. Â He played more as a left-midfielder than winger. Â At Arsenal, the wide forwards are given more freedom to come inside and roam, and I think that will suit him down to the ground. Â International football is known to be a more compressed game, with less space for attackers, and I think that is reflected in the relatively disappointing showings from some of the continent’s leading strikers – including our own Robin van Persie.
I’m still looking forward to seeing him in action next season. Â Arsenal are in the unfamiliar position of having completed their major incoming transfer business ahead of pre-season. Â I’m sure I’ll get flak for saying this, but I don’t foresee many big names arriving – despite what you may read elsewhere about Yann M’vila. Â When you look at the squad, I just can’t see many gaps that require filling. Â There are two obvious exceptions: we probably need a goalkeeper, and would hypothetically need to further strengthen the attack if Robin van Persie departs.
If the Dutchman were to go, it’d be too great a burden  to rely solely on our other new boy, Olivier Giroud.  On the subject of the Frenchman, my understanding is that the release clause we met to snare him is €13m rather than €15m – quite the bargain.  The player himself has admitted he rejected the advances of Chelsea, and can’t wait to get going in red and white:
“It is incredible for me. To already be a champion in France [with Montpellier], then play for Les Bleus, and now Arsenal.
I repeat myself, but this is a beautiful story. When I was little boy, I wanted to play in the Premier League. My heart has always looked for Arsenal.â€
Not long to wait now, Olivier. Â And not long for us fans, either.
June 21st, 2012
My cry last night shook Islington. Â Euro 2012 has been a veritable feast of football, then last night the waiter inexplicably stopped bringing delicacies to my table. Â I had to watch Channel 4’s Secret Eaters. Â Pity me.
At least my abstinence has had the effect of making me disproportionately excited for the Czech Republic vs Portugal later this evening – so much so I’ve even had a flutter with FREEbets.org.uk. Â Tomas Rosicky is unlikely to be fit to play, and that’s a significant blow for a Czech side I count as a little fortunate to get out of Group A. Â The Quarter-Finals are shaping up nicely: England face Italy, whilst the tie of the round is surely France versus Spain, with Laurent Koscielny expected to start in place of the suspended Philippe Mexes.
Koscielny’s France team-mate, Olivier Giroud, curtly told reports yesterday that he has “not signed for Arsenal”, although I still expect him to shortly after France’s probably elimination on Saturday. Â His arrival will edge Nicklas Bendtner and Marouane Chamakh closer towards the exit door, although finding clubs who can afford to a) take the gamble of signing players with intermittent form and b) pay their wages won’t be easy.
Speaking of wages, I see Mathieu Flamini has been ‘released’ by AC Milan. Â Some Arsenal fans have taken the opportunity to have a bit of a chuckle at Mathieu’s expense, but I think they’re missing the point: Flamini is a serial bosman mover. Â He ran down his contract at Marseille, did the same at Arsenal, and has now completed a hatrick with Milan. Â When he eventually retires, he’ll be a very rich man indeed.
Hmm. Â That’s about it for today. Â There’s not much happening, I suppose. Â At least the Euros are on tonight.
June 18th, 2012
I don’t know about you, but my emotional interest in international tournament is always two-fold. I cheer on my national side, England, doing my best to put aside my differences with various members of the squad. Beyond that, I look out for Arsenal players in action for their respective countries, and generally wish them well. Last night, for example, I was rather caught up in the varying fortunes of strike pair Lukas Podolski and Robin van Persie. The former scored on his 100th appearance for Germany as he sailed through to the Quarter-Finals. Robin, meanwhile, misfired again and is now heading on a plane home to ruminate further on his club future.
The night before, however, both my interests were intertwined, as Arsenal winger Theo Walcott came off the bench to drag England to victory against Sweden. After the pedestrian efforts of James Milner, his pace and direct running provided a welcome change in tempo. Just three minutes after entering the field, his deflected strike drew the score level at 2-2. And it was his searing run and pinpoint cross that allowed Danny Welbeck to pirouette and snatch England’s winner.
Unfortunately, Theo has now suffered a set-back in training, with a possible reoccurrence of the hamstring injury that troubled him at the back end of last season. If that is found to be the case, it will almost certainly end his tournament. It’s a shame for Walcott, who has waited six years to get on the field in a major international competition, but whatever happens it surely won’t be forgotten that without him England would be staring down the barrel of a group stage exit.
Of course, his game-changing contribution served to remind Arsenal fans that it is not just Robin van Persie’s future that is in doubt. Theo Walcott’s existing contract also expires in just twelve months, and there has been a far less tangible effort on Arsenal’s part to secure an extension.
There still seem to be serious doubts over Walcott’s ability. The emergence of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as a genuine contender for his first-team spot with Arsenal and England has not helped him. In my opinion, we’d be mad to let him go. In purely cynical terms, he’s a major name and a commercial asset to the club. However, on the pitch, his understanding with Robin van Persie is almost telepathic, and his stats (for goals and assists) suggest that despite his capacity to frustrate he remains productive.
The problem for Theo will always be that he was hyped as the new Thierry. He’ll never be that. However, considering that when we bought him we were essentially taking a £10m gamble, the fact he’s turned in to a Champions League and international level performer is actually a pretty decent return. If he were to ever leave, we ought to expect a significant profit – and to do so, it is essential he is under contract. Letting it run down yet further makes no sense whatsoever.
The fixtures are out first thing this morning. All the chatter says we’ve got Sunderland at home in the first game. That’d be a nice start.
June 11th, 2012
When Arsenal signed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, they knew they were getting a technical player. A graduate of Southampton’s esteemed academy system, he was plainly versatile, two-footed, and blessed with the one of those coveted ‘football brains’. What they couldn’t have known was the sheer power they’d be unleashing.
Aged 14, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s slight build saw his future in Southampton in doubt. At 15, he was told he had three months to win a contact. With hindsight, the idea seems ludicrous. Now 18, he has the upper-body build of a middle-weight boxer. His raw physicality and squat frame is reminiscent of one Julio ‘The Beast’ Baptista. Except this isn’t any generic beast. This is The Ox.
In the long-term, many see Oxlade-Chamberlain converting in to a central midfielder. In the meantime, there is no sight more enthralling than him barrelling down either wing, going to shoulder-to-shoulder with defenders almost twice his age. The Ox, you see, pays no heed to seniority, or reputation. He hurdles those challenges like the tackles that snap at his ankles, vaulting onward towards the goal.
Today he may face his greatest challenge yet: the International stage and Euro 2012. If he is called upon to face France, there won’t be any nerves. For him, an opportunity like that is something to be savoured. A red rag to a bull-dozer of a player. He’ll do what he always does: bewilder them with skill, then frighten them with raw pace and strength. If the French defence haven’t heard of him before he game, they chances are they’ll know him after: The Ox – Arsenal’s Power Forward.
Graphic by North Internet
To have your desktop, iPhone or iPad adorned by Arsenal’s very own Power Forward than simply click on the image and follow the instructions to download your own free goodypack. Â The wallpaper features by a graphic by North Internet, and a quick glance at the Gunnerblog Store will tell you it’ll soon be finding its way on to a rather fetching t-shirt and strictly limited run sweater – but more of that later this week…
Elsewhere, it’s been an inauspicious start to the Euros for the Arsenal contingent. Â Wojciech Szczesny managed to endure a calamitous tournament debut, failing to capture a cross that led to a Greek equaliser, before conceding a penalty for a clumsy trip and getting sent off in the process. Â He’ll sit out the next game with a suspension, and will have to hope his Polish comrades do enough to ensure he plays more of a part later in the tournament.
Things didn’t go much better for Tomas Rosicky, whose Czech side were hammered 4-1 by a fluent and exciting Russia. Â Meanwhile, Robin van Persie endured something of a personal nightmare against Denmark, missing a couple of presentable opportunities that we would expect him to bury in red and white.
So far the major winners have been players who, whilst technically belonging to Arsenal, have spent recent months plying their trade elsewhere. Â Nicklas Bendtner was ploddingly effective for the Danes, whilst a revitalised Andrey Arshavin was quite outstanding for Russia. Â It was a glimpse of the Arshavin we saw in his first six months at the club: direct, incisive, and about half a stone lighter. Â It seems the damage is done and neither of these players will be returning to the club, but these performances may well have put a few quid on their price tag.
Today, England face France, where Theo Walcott, Laurent Koscielny and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all likely to begin on the bench. Â If you were to bet on one man to make an impact, it might just be the teenage tyro with the body of a boxer and a predisposition for fearlessness. Â History is there to be made. Â Go On The Ox.
May 16th, 2012
As you probably all know by now, Robin van Persie will meet with Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis this morning to discuss his future. Â The get together will take place in Arsene Wenger’s house, of all places, at 10.30am. Â It’s been splashed all over the web and papers for the last two days as if its big news. Â In reality, it’s not news at all. Â For six months now Arsenal and Robin have made it clear talks would take place between the end of the season and Robin joining up with the Dutch squad for the Euros. Â That time has now arrived.
It’s hard to see what can be accomplished in just one day. Â Robin leaves for Holland tomorrow, and it’s unlikely anything concrete could be sorted and signed so swiftly. Â Perhaps Van Persie already knows what we’re offering, has been mulling it over, and this is his opportunity to give us his answer. Â Perhaps this is genuinely the first time they’ve talked any kind of terms. Â Either way, I can’t see us having a definitive resolution until much later in the summer.
RVP was pretty cagey after the West Brom game, but that’s understandable. Â It wouldn’t be much of a negotiation tactic for him to say “I’ll definitely be signing a new deal”. Â Even if he does decide his future is with Arsenal, he’ll want to squeeze us for as much money as possible – this is, after all, his last major contract. Â And after his performances this season, who could begrudge him a big payday?
If I had to make a prediction – and it remains a hard one to call – I’d say he’ll stay and sign a new deal making him Arsenal’s highest paid player. Â The reason being is that I can only see him really being tempted by a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid, and he doesn’t seem to be on either club’s radar this summer. Â If he was, they’d have made their move by now, and we’d be reading a lot more quotes about his “DNA”. Â I think he’ll be impressed by the arrival of Podolski, by Arsene and Ivan’s plans, and by the money we offer him. Â And you know what? Â If things don’t work out, he can always hand in a transfer request at a later date and leave for a decent fee. Â He’ll still have plenty of suitors in twelve months time.
The stories this morning say that even if he doesn’t want to sign a new deal we’ll hold him to his existing contract. Â That’s all well and good, but it does present some conflicts: do you want a player who you know is leaving to be the captain of your club? Â Seems to happen to us all the time, but it’s hardly ideal.
Anyway, for a bit of fun, I’m live-tweeting this morning’s meeting over at @Gunnerblog, covering the conversation, the croissants, and the contract.  Follow me, it might be a laugh.
In other news, Euro 2012 is just around the corner, and at 1pm today we’ll find out if Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain joins Theo Walcott in the England squad. Â Personally, I hope he does: if he’s not at the Euros, he’ll be at the Olympics, which is far more disruptive. Â A host of other players are already ‘on the plane’ with their respective nations, and if you do me a little favour I could be too. I’ve written this piece on 5 Rising Stars at Euro 2012 (which includes a profile of reported Arsenal target Yann M’Vila). Â If you could give it a read and click the ‘Like‘ or ‘Tweet‘ button I might just win a competition which takes me all the way to Poland. Â Would enjoy blogging to you from there.
Whilst we’re on the subject of doing me favours: if anyone out there has a company that would like to sponsor Gunnerblog for next season, do let me know. Traffic is particularly high during the transfer window so it’s a good time to get on board. Apologies for being so public about it but I’ve got to find a way to pay for my season ticket somehow! Â I can be contacted here.
Right. By tomorrow, we might know a good deal more about the future of RVP, and quite how painful this summer might be. Â Don’t forget you can follow all that and more @gunnerblog.
