Emmanuel Adebayor’s parents are both Nigerian. As Arsenal fans, we’re fortunate he chose to represent Togo instead – whilst Nigeria have qualified with ease for next year’s African Nations Cup, a 2-0 defeat to Mali means Togo will not be appearing at the tournament.
That means, in turn, that Adebayor will not go missing for six weeks in January – a huge bonus for everyone except Nicklas Bendtner. The two players I feared losing were Toure and Adebayor – Eboue’s absence could easily be covered by Sagna and Hoyte. To have that loss essentially halved is a massive relief.
Elsewhere, in more harrowing news, Arsene has followed in the footsteps of Paul Merson and Tony Adams to come clean and announce an addiction. To statistics. I hope he knows he has our full support in his ongoing battle.
Jens Lehmann, meanwhile, continues his struggle with mental illness, after hitting out at Manuel Almunia yet again. I would say it feels like the beginning of the end of Jens’ time at Arsenal, but that’d be a lie. It feels like the end of the end. If he’s still here come Febraury I’d be amazed.
If you’re Nicklas Bendtner, every goal scored by Robin van Persie or Emmanuel Adebayor must turn your stomach a little. Each strike makes it even less likely he’ll be in the starting line-up the following week. And seeing as they’ve banged in thirteen goals between them, you can see why he’s feeling the heat.
“The understanding between us is magnificent. That is what is giving us strength at the moment.
He likes to have the ball at his feet more than I do. He likes to get off the front line and he has the technical skills to do that. I am tall, I can climb high and I can go deep. I am more of a pivot for the team.
At the training ground in the 10 v 10 games and the 8 v 8 we are always on the same team. Automatically he tells me where he wants the ball to go and I’ll tell him where I want it to go.
We do enjoy each other’s company and we talk a lot. There is a lot of discussion.
But there is no jealousy. If it is not me who scores then it is going to be him and that is good for the team”
I think Ade hits the proverbial nail on the head. It’s less about some remarkable chemistry between the two – their link-up play is infrequent and often inaccurate. It’s more about the pair being able to appreciate their respective talents, and each play a very specific role in the team. I’m sure Van Persie appreciated Adebayor’s hard-work and movement, just as Ade respects the awesome technique of the Dutchman.
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You can be sure the work of both is appreciated by Cesc Fabregas, whose raking passes now have players with a genuine desire to reach the ball chasing after them. Whilst Thierry Henry’s talent was never in question, for me his desire clearly was.
With Eduardo settling in too, it seems Bendtner will have to be patient a while yet.
It’s very odd. Usually during International week, there’s such a dirth of news that I’m reporting on youth team players’ favourite colours, or what Arsene had for breakfast. Actually, I wish I did know what Arsene has for breakfast. Probably nothing, considering he is the second thinnest man I’ve ever seen behind this one. Today, however, there’s plenty to say.
I’ll start with the news that a Spanish court has ordered Fran Merida to compensate Barcelona to the tune of £2.2m after breaking a pre-contract to sign for Arsenal. What I find remarkable is that the charge is against Merida himself, whilst our club has not been found guilty of any wrongdoing. How exactly a boy, who was 14 or 15 at the time of the “crime”, can be expected to meet that kind of payment is beyond me. Fortunately, the club will step in, and the £2.2m will in time just be seen as a neccessary transfer fee, much like the £700k we paid out for Cesc. Something tells me it’ll prove to be a bargain in the long run.
Mathieu Flamini, who has been called up to the France squad this week, has been likened to Gennaro Gattuso by Kolo Toure. Whilst I don’t think Flamini is quite on the Italian’s level yet, there is a certain fire about his play that is reminiscent of the bearded pitbull.
Lassana Diarra is less of a pitbull, and more of a pixie, and at 15 was told by Nantes that he was “too small” to be play professional football. Well, they’re kicking themselves now. Patrick Vieira used to flick the ball over the heads of the opposition players – the diminuitive Diarra could probably dribble right between their legs.
Nicklas Bendtner says he could leave Arsenal permanently if he doesn’t get more opportunities. I would suggest that he could leave Arsenal permanently if he keeps moaning. With Eduardo ready to return from injury, it’ll probably be January before he gets a look-in in the Premiership. At 19 years of age, that should really be something to inspire, not deter him.
I don’t mind being corrected, especially when I’m wrong. So when Norwegian Gunner emailed me to expand upon my post about our potential new goalkeeper, I was delighted. Read on:
Norwegian Gunner here. Thought I’d give you some more info about Jarstein.
He recently made his debut, sure, but he’s nowhere near ‘undisputed’ as the best in Norway. Brann’s HÃ¥kon Opdal has been the number one for the last six months (ever since former Charlton/Everton goal keeper Thomas Myhre made some horrible mistakes againt Bosnia and Turkey). Jarstein is the second or third choice for the national side, having been third for the most part.
I personally think he’s the best by far, but the national coach doesn’t agree. Undisputably the best? Not by a long shot.
As for the kind of keeper he is, he’s big, athletic, and decent both at shot stopping and field work. He’s big, and perhaps most important for Arsene, crazy. Buying him would be like buying Jens jr. This last season he’s gotten sent home at half time for yelling at his teammates, and he won’t back down to anyone if he thinks he’s right. A lot of Norwegian pundits think he’s got serious issues.
As for Arsene buying him? I see us getting him for maybe £1.5m, which would be a great buy. He could definitely become the next Cech (probably the top goal keeper he resembles the most).
The next Cech? Wow. No pressure there then.
As for him being a mentalist, after a few years of Jens I could maybe do with a spot of calm. If Jarstein does arrive, I imagine he’ll be playing second or third fiddle to one of Almunia or Fabianski, and his price-tag reflects that.
Odd Grenland’s 23-year old goalkeeper Rune Almennig Jarstein could be set for a move to Arsenal after plans for a trial were revealed in an interview with Varden.no:
“They have seen me before and of course I want to go. Without doubt. Anyway, I have to concentrate on Odd Grenland first, then other offers. Arsenal is a great club and they play fantastic football. Of course I would say yes if they offer me a trial when the season here is over.”
Jarstein has recently made his debut for the Norwegian national team, starting the match with Argentina, and has established himself as the undisputed top goalkeeper in his homeland. With Jens Lehmann looking unlikely to return to the Arsenal line-up anytime soon and desperate to get regular first-team football before Euro 2008, a January move for Jarstein as back-up for Almunia and Fabianski is not unlikely.
To see the Scandinavian stopper in action, watch the video below:
I would be more wary of signing players off the back of Youtube if it wasn’t for the success of Sven.
Emmanuel Adebayor’s parents are both Nigerian. As Arsenal fans, we’re fortunate he chose to represent Togo instead – whilst Nigeria have qualified with ease for next year’s African Nations Cup, a 2-0 defeat to Mali means Togo will not be appearing at the tournament.
If you’re Nicklas Bendtner, every goal scored by Robin van Persie or Emmanuel Adebayor must turn your stomach a little. Each strike makes it even less likely he’ll be in the starting line-up the following week. And seeing as they’ve banged in thirteen goals between them, you can see why he’s feeling the heat.
