Past & Present Catered For As Spanish Pair Sign New Deals
Add comment April 4th, 2008
Whilst everyone (including Cesc) waits for the latest on Mathieu Flamini’s contract, news arrived yesterday that two Spaniards had signed long-term deals with the club: Manuel Almunia, and Fran Merida.
Almunia has had an excellent season, during which he has not only displaced Jens Lehmann as the club’s Number 1 goalkeeper, but cemented his reputation as a reliable shot-stopper. The new contract is probably the clearest indication yet that Arsene sees him as more than a stop-gap, and you’d expect him to start next season between the sticks with Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone providing both support and a challenge.
Almunia, who had the opportunity to return to Spain last Summer, is delighted to be staying:
“I talked to my wife and I said I did not want to go back to Spain to play. Hopefully I can finish my career here. Football can change your life in one second. At the start of the season, I was not playing. But football changed my life again and now I am one of the happiest men around.”
His countryman, Fran Merida, is still some way from breaking into the first-team, but with Arsene eulogising over his “amazing” potential, it can’t be too long before he’s performing alongside his friend and mentor Cesc Fabregas.
Ahead of Saturday’s crunch Premier League match with Liverpool, Emmanuel Adebayor (who still believes Champions League quality is more than possible) and Robin van Persie are both major doubts. Â Some people have talked about resting the likes of Adebayor on Saturday, but I can’t say I agree: if fit, these players have to play. Â It’s possible that in just a few days we’ll be out of the running of both major competitions – then they can have all the rest they need. Â But whilst we’re still in with a fighting chance, we have to go for it.
If either striker fails to make it, at least we have an inform Theo Walcott to unleash on Liverpool.  The teenager continued his excellent form with a good 45-minute cameo in midweek, and will be itching to take on his boyhood club again.
Winning tomorrow would be a massive boost both in the title race and ahead of Tuesday. Â Let’s make it happen.
