Chelsea and Anelka are a perfect match
1 comment January 11th, 2008
Nicolas Anelka is a footballing mercenary. How fitting then, that he should be about to join Chelsea.
This is a club where within the space of a week, Michael Ballack and Ashley Cole wore the captain’s armband. Two hired sharks became the symbol of Chelsea’s money-driven, faceless squad. The fact alone that Anelka has ended up in the same place as Cole, via Bolton of all places, speaks volumes.
I am sure Anelka will score goals for Chelsea. Indeed, I was not adverse to him doing so for us. But there is a difference between moving to Arsenal and moving to Chelsea. A move to Arsenal would have been almost apologetic, and forced Anelka into a prodigal humbling. A move to Chelsea is just another big pay-day.
And now, another sulking Frenchman: Lassana Diarra. The Guardian claims he told Arsene he wasn’t in a fit state of mind to play against Spurs, which Arsene as good as confirmed in his ArsenalTV interview (although he did insist Diarra missed the Burnley game with illness).
I have to say, I cannot believe how stupid Diarra would have to be to leave now. Apparently he is worried about his Euro 2008 place, but how incredibly short-sighted is that? He is just 22 – even if he were to miss this Summer’s tournament (which I doubt he would) he’d still have plenty more opportunities to play at that level in the future.
If he stays at Arsenal, I firmly believe he will be first-choice alongside Cesc by the start of next season. At the moment, he’s a far better option than Denilson or Gilberto, Diaby doesn’t look like a defensive midfielder, and Mathieu Flamini’s long-term future is very much up in the air. Diarra is quality and Arsene fought hard to bring him in. He says it takes players six months to settle, so now is the time when the Frenchman should be coming to the fore. Instead, he’s making an idiot of himself with demands to leave and extortionate wage demands.
The irony of course being that a good performance against Spurs on Tuesday could have put him right back into first-team contention…
