The Silly Season Begins In Earnest
Add comment May 11th, 2008
So no news on any prospective Ben Arfa deal, but plenty of other transfer tidbits to get your teeth into. Almost all of which, I suspect, are untrue. Have a gander at these:
- Steve Stammers, who used to transcribe Arsene’s programme notes, tells the Sunday Mirror that we’re after Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez, Valencia defender Raul Albiol, and Cardiff midfielder Aaron Ramsey.
- The People, meanwhile, suggests we’ll go for Kolo’s Barca-based brother Yaya and Atletico Madrid’s teenage sensation Ignacio Camacho.
- The News of the World think we’ll plump for Manchester City’s plump centre-half Richard Dunne in a cut-price £1m deal.
I can debunk most of these rumours now. The chances of us signing a striker are slim-to-none, which rules out Gomez. Arsene has had the opportunity to sign Yaya Toure on a couple of occasions and turned it down, and I can’t see the Ivorian moving on after just one impressive season at Barca.
Whilst a centre-back is urgently required, I’m not sure Richard Dunne is of the required quality to make an immediate improvement to the side. Raul Albiol is perhaps a better prospect, and has learnt from one of the best around in Roberto Ayala. I’m entirely unqualified to speak about Camacho, having barely seen him play.
One player who Arsene is interested in is Aaron Ramsey. Wenger is enamoured with the teenager’s precise passing and skill on the ball, which have led to comparison’s with our own Cesc Fabregas. Le Boss and Ramsey share an agent, and I’ve heard that a £5m bid could see the midfielder arrive this Summer.
Today is the final day of our Premier League season – a season which I’m sure we’ll have time to reflect on at length over the Summer. Kieran Gibbs and Mark Randall could be handed league debuts in what will certainly be an unfamiliar looking line-up. Certainly the likes of Bendtner, Denilson, and Fabianski will be handed another chance to impress.
The Premier League title will also be decided today. I have to say, it would be rather funny to see the look on Ronaldo’s face if they chucked it away…
