After the reports in the Spanish press yesterday, the English media have inevitably picked up on the stories about Valencia’s attacking midfielder, Juan Mata. The Mirror even claim that Mata’s representatives flew in to London to discuss the move yesterday. I suspect there’s a bit of guess-work involved: The Mirror seem to be constantly reporting that people are “flying in” from Barcelona or Valencia without any actual evidence. Nevertheless, it seems that there is some truth in reports of our interest.
It’s easy to see why. The 23-year old Mata has been described as a “superstar in waiting”, and is clearly a very talented player available at an unusually reasonable price. But above and beyond all that, he would be a signing of sufficient calibre to pacify the fans after the departure of an even bigger star.
I can’t foresee a scenario in which Arsenal line up with Mata, Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas next season. My excitement about potentially signing the Spaniard is tempered by the knowledge that it’s most likely to be as a replacement for his compatriot and our captain.
Last week any Arsenal commentator worth his salt was saying that this was the week in which the Cesc Fabregas situation had to be sorted. Well, here we are, rapidly approaching the end of said week, and both Arsenal and Barcelona have been eerily quiet about the whole thing. The player probably feels increasingly awkward about the current state of play – training apart from his team-mates, he’s in a no-man’s land until the situation is resolved. Whilst he won’t play at this weekend’s Emirates Cup, he will for the first time be asked to be present and part of our preparations. It’s a situation he would have rather avoided.
Unfortunately, however, he’s dependent on movement from Barcelona, who are acting remarkably sluggishly over the whole thing. Perhaps it’s because they have young Thiago Alcantara as an alternative option. The Spanish U-21 International wore the Barca number 4 shirt earmarked for Fabregas last night, and demonstrated his talent with a couple of great goals.
Arsenal were reported to have given Barca a notional deadline of the end of July to sign Fabregas. I sincerely doubt we’re in a position to do that – they have us over a barrel somewhat, due to the player’s desire to leave – but that date is now just four days away. We’re approaching crunch time. Perhaps our interest in Mata is the surest sign yet that this saga is approaching its conclusion.
In other transfer news, from behind the paywall The Times report we’re set to increase our bid for Phil Jagielka to £13m.
That sort of bid would begin to approach a more realistic valuation, and one at which Everton might feel under pressure to cash in.
Just a couple of days until the Emirates Cup, and then just a couple of weeks until the season begins. So many balls up in the air, and as fans we can do nothing but wait for them to fall.
You know the season is well on the way when Arsenal start picking up injuries. A squad which is already braced for several departures in the next month has been hit by a couple of injury blows.
The first bad news is that of a cruciate ligament problem for 19-year old Conor Henderson. The Irish midfielder was filling in at left-back against Cologne when he twisted his knee in the final seconds. Arsenal.com say he’ll miss “a minimum of six months” – the player himself has already written the season off on his official Twitter account. It’s a shame as the very fact he was in Germany was indicative of how highly Arsene rates him. Hopefully he can follow the lead of Emmanuel Frimpong, who suffered a similar injury only to fight back in to first-team contention a year later.
Theo Walcott also returned home early from the German training camp with an ankle problem. Arsene said:
“It is an ankle injury that comes and goes. We need some more investigation because sometimes he’s completely free of it and sometimes it affects him. But we had to send him back because he couldn’t practise any more.”
Whilst it doesn’t sound like a serious problem, any recurring injury is a bit of a worry, and without wanting to panic anyone it sounds like the sort of thing that might require surgery to resolve. However, I’m sure Arsene will want Theo fit at the start of the season, so any major treatment will doubtless be put off now.
If Theo does miss the opening games, Arsene could be reliant on Russian forward Andrey Arshavin, who has targeted 15 goals for next season. Although the player has been heavily linked with Galatasaray, I can’t see him being allowed to depart at a time when the futures of fellow playmakers Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri are in so much doubt. Arshavin has looked sharped in pre-season and could be an important senior member of the squad in 2011/12.
Another player heavily linked with Galatasaray was Ivorian full-back Emmanuel Eboue. However, the latest news from the Turkish media suggest his move may be off after Arsenal raised their valuation of the player to £7m. That seems an improbably high price, so at this stage it could just be media tittle-tattle.
One man who is definitely loping towards the door is Nicklas Bendtner, whose Dad suggests he is inundated with offers. Personally, I don’t care he goes so long as we get a decent fee – one that is reinvested in the squad.
Reinvested, perhaps, in one Juan Mata. Valencia and Spain’s attacking midfielder has been consistently linked with Arsenal throughout the summer, and with the Cesc Fabregas saga coming to a head, Madrid-based daily Marca have suggested we’ve gone as far as to meet the buyout clause in his contract.
Mata would certainly meet a lot of the criteria for replacing either Cesc or Nasri, but for now let’s take these stories with a pinch of salt. So many times in the past we’ve questioned the authenticity or motives of Marca when printing stories about our players – this very morning they also ran a story suggesting Cesc is on “strike”, which simply isn’t true.
Finally, raise your mug of tea because Gunnerblog is seven years old today. Thanks to all who have read, through its many incarnations. Lets hope we can make this year the best of all. Any maybe have a trophy too.
In pre-season, we looked at a selection of some of our finest young talent to determine whether they were Ready Or Not for the step up to the big time. Today, we’re casting our eye over a player who doesn’t even play for Arsenal. Not yet, anyway.
In the light of Arsene Wenger’s recent comments, it seems that Alex Chamberlain (as I’m assured he prefers to be known) could soon be following Theo Walcott on the path from St. Mary’s to the Emirates.
After Arseblog thrust this informative piece under my eye, I sought out football writer and Southampton fan Simon Peach for a quick chat about the latest bright young thing of English football. Enjoy.
—
Firstly Simon, are Southampton fans resigned to losing Chamberlain?
I guess so but that’s part and parcel of being a League One club and, more pertinently, a Saints fan as a whole. Even when we were in the Premier League our squad was being snaffled by supposedly bigger clubs. Saying that, we got £8million for Dean Richards so it’s not all bad.
What sort of impact has he made at Southampton this season?
Chamberlain has given us an added spark down the flanks, with an innate mixture of skill and speed that is unparalleled in our league. The lad is confident on the ball and has the ability to both score goals and assists others, which is clear to see through his stats. Yes, it may only be League One football but his rise to prominence forced established Football League winger Jason Puncheon out of the side. Puncheon subsequently went onto have an incredibly successful loan spell with Millwall in the Championship, which should show how good Chamberlain is already.
At what moment did his potential become obvious?
For me, it was the match against Oldham in October where he scored a superb winner. It was already clear by then that he was a precocious talent but that was the watershed moment.
You saw Theo Walcott emerge at a similar age: how does Chamberlain compare?
I was at Theo’s first-team debut and I don’t think I had ever been more excited by a player at the time. Despite the fact he was facing an experienced side in Wolves, he ran at their players, turned them inside out & produced chances. Theo had a certain swagger about him and that was clear in his fleeting appearances for Saints. Chamberlain also has that same kind of ability to run at players and innate fleet-footedness. It’s hard to say how important the pair were to the team as they were in vastly different circumstances, but both have burst onto the scene in an equally impressive manner. Only Gareth Bale’s impact has been similar in recent times.
What are his strengths?
Skill, control, vision, off the ball movement, teamwork and composure in front of goal. His athleticism and pace are also thoroughly impressive. However, I understand it is off the field where he really shines. I spoke to Rickie Lambert last week and he was incredibly positive about the lad, saying he is one of the most down to earth lads he has met. Rickie also said he was the best young talent he has seen in his 10 year career. Some recommendation.
Which current Premier League player would you compare him to?
Walcott would be the easiest comparison because they are similar in terms of background, progress & skillset. However, while I hate to draw on footballing cliches, Chamberlain’s brain seems a bit more switched on than Theo’s at the same age, although I guess that should come as no surprise given the stock he comes from. In addition, Alex shares a similar ability to stretch full backs to Bale.
Is he good enough to be considered for Arsenal’s first-team this season, orwould he be better served by staying with Southampton until the summer?
He is good enough but should definitely remain at Saints. I know I am biased but surely Arsenal fans wouldn’t want another Walcott situation where an obviously talented youngster doesn’t progress as quickly as they should? With us he has the perfect place to both hone his skills and develop a taste for success, something I know Arsenal fans will be longing for. As good as he is, Alex has played professional football for six months. That’s it. Yes, his progress has been rapid but he will gain far more from playing League One football than sitting in Arsenal’s reserves.
Arsene obviously knows the benefits of loaning players from the hoards of youngsters he currently has farmed out up and down the English football pyramid and across Europe. Chamberlain could have an immediate impact as a super-sub at Arsenal but I believe his long-term impact will be greater if he can help Saints get promotion. We would be happy to have him next season as well, if it helps Arsenal…
It must be painful losing so many talented players so young. When you see Walcott playing in the Champions League or for England, do you feel pride in their Southampton roots?
I can’t speak on behalf of all Saints fans but for me it is frustration more than anything else. Few academy structures have produced such a conveyor belt of talent over the past decade. Even before that we had the likes of Alan Shearer, Matthew Le Tissier and so on. It is painful that our decline has been matched by an upsurge in fortunes for so many Saints alumni. If it wasn’t for mismanagement of the highest order then Saints could have pushed on from our FA Cup final appearance eight years ago and be regularly challenging for European places. Then again, there is some pride as Theo & Bale rightly get the headlines on behalf of Saints.
What would Saints fans consider a fair price for the lad?
If there is any truth in the £10million price being bandied about then I would be happy with that, especially if there are some add-ons involved. I would also like him to be loaned back to Saints and some kind of relationship built with Arsenal to take players on loan to help our rise back to the Premier League. For a player with just more than half a year’s experience in the third tier I don’t think we could ask for much more.
—
Thanks a lot to Simon for taking the time to answer those questions. Some glowing praise there. And if you’re not convinced, just take a look at the evidence yourself:
Ready or not? Between now and the end of the transfer window, we could get an answer.
