Archive for July, 2008

Hleb & Gilberto set to leave whilst Ronaldinho leaves Ade in the lurch

40 comments July 16th, 2008

Aleksandr Hleb’s departure from Arsenal has been so ludicrously drawn-out that I would not be surprised if he now fails the medical that Barcelona have scheduled for him this evening.  Assuming, however, that he manages to get through a spot of jogging and spell his name correctly on the contract, we will receive a fee rising to €18m for a player who could’ve bought his contract out for significantly less.  Barca have confirmed on their official website that all being well Hleb will be presented as a Barca player tomorrow.

The Catalans have moved fast for Hleb after agreeing a deal to sell Ronaldinho to AC Milan – I don’t know if Laporta has realised that Hleb’s “White Ronaldinho” nickname was primarily ironical.  That move means Milan are now out of the running for Emmanuel Adebayor – the Togolese striker’s options are diminishing rapidly.  It now seems his only chance to leave the club would be a bid from Barcelona – if not, he’ll be forced to return to Arsenal with his tail between his legs, and the contract rise he probably would have got were it not for his poor conduct will be far from forthcoming.

Another man who could depart in the next day or so is Gilberto Silva – my namesake and, for a time, my hero.  Although his form has fluctuated, his attitude never has, and the example he set last season was outstanding.  After being surprisingly overlooked for the captaincy then dropped for a player who had threatened to leave just weeks earlier, he buckled down and fought for his place, culminating in some excellent performances towards the end of the season.

His departure would certainly require someone else to come in, and Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso is the latest name to be thrown into that big proverbial hat.

By the time I next speak to you, Hleb should be gone.  Thank God for that.

Monday Morning Weekend Catch-up

1 comment July 14th, 2008

If, like me, you were being sick all weekend, you may find this round-up useful.

If, like most other people, you were able to get to a computer and/or newspaper without vomiting, none of this will be news to you.  In fact, you can probably afford to stop reading now.

Adebayor:

The on/off saga of Emmanuel Adebayor’s transfer from Arsenal continues with the crucial news that Arsenal have removed the Adebayor mobile animation from the Arsenal.com homepage and replaced it with one of Theo Walcott.  Oh yeah, it’s a hell of a scoop.

Rumours in Cataluna suggest Barca may be prepared to offer €10m + Eto’o for Ade, whilst superagentvillain Vincenzo Morabito claims we’re prepared to deal for Ade at a lower price than the £35m originally demanded – I expect the figure we’re asking is now closer to £25m.

Aleksandr Hleb:

Is still expected to join Barcelona for about €15m in the next few days.  Frankly, I can’t wait.  This story pretty much sums it up.

Gareth Barry:

The Sun have been running a seemingly unsubstantiated story that we wish to snatch Barry away from the grubby grasp of Rafa Benitez.  Whilst the acrimony between Villa and Liverpool is such that I can see the midlanders favouring such a deal, it seems Barry is infatuated with El Penguino, and I’d be amazed to see him playing anywhere other than Anfield next season.

Arshavin:

The Russian playmaker “would love” to play for Arsenal, according to his agent Dennis Lachter.  But with Zenit reportedly demanding £24m for a player who might struggle to adapt to the hurly-burly of the Premier League, I think Arshavin may be forced into a rethink.

Gilberto:

The Brazilian, who is available at a cut-price £2m, is reportedly being chased by Everton as a potential replacement for Lee Carsley.  I wonder if Gilberto ought to be offended by that.  A move to sunny Greece still seems more likely.

Sergio Aguero:

Is wanted by an English club.  It’s not gonna be us, is it?  Still, a hell of a player and a nice thought.

That’s it from me.  Funny feeling Hleb will be off today.  Let’s see.

NASRI SIGNS: New look squad starting to take shape

1 comment July 11th, 2008

Nasri in the new home shirtArsenal have needed a player like Samir Nasri for a good while now.  Since the decline of Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires, our wide midfielders have never quite made the grade.  Tomas Rosicky has been too injury prone, Aleksandr Hleb too indirect, and Emmanuel Eboue has been Emmanuel Eboue.  Judging by Arsene’s comments at the announcement of Nasri’s arrival, he believes this boy could be different:

“We are delighted to be signing Samir Nasri. He is young, quick and technically an outstanding player. He has shown great potential with his performances for Marseille and the French national team over the past two seasons and he will add great quality to our squad.”

In the past few years, Arsenal have bought two midfielders from Marseille: Robert Pires and Mathieu Flamini.  Hopefully Nasri can emulate their achievements and have the successful Arsenal career that such a drawn-out transfer seems to warrant.

One slight worry is Nasri’s Hlebtastic scoring record – just 11 goals in 145 appearances for Marseille.  However, there’s plenty of evidence that Nasri possesses the shooting prowess that Hleb never did.  In a better side and playing alongside the likes of Fabregas and Van Persie, I believe he’s capable of plenty more.

Nasri’s arrival is believed to have cost around £12m – the same kind of fee we will receive when Aleksandr Hleb completes his move to Barcelona.  Another player who could follow Hleb out the door is defensive midfield stalwart Gilberto, who could be set for a move to Greek side Panathanaikos.

Hleb and Gilberto would join the likes of Mathieu Flamini, Jens Lehmann, and Kerrea Gilbert in leaving the squad.  Thus far, Nasri and Aaron Ramsey have been signed to bolster the midfield ranks, with Carlos Vela returning from loan, but I have the feeling the Summer won’t finish without at least two more arrivals.  The starting line-up againt West Brom (which will, incidentally, be the first of the entire Premier League 08/09 campaign) could be almost unrecogniseable.  Exciting, really.

Adebayor saga reaching conclusion as Arsenal sit down at negotiating table

Add comment July 9th, 2008

Goodbye Ade?Assuming we can trust the words of AC Milan’s vice-president Adriano Galliani, Arsenal appear to have given up hope of retaining Emmanuel Adebayor.  Galliani told the Italian press last night:

“I will reveal to you a scoop: I have received a letter from Arsenal that says, ‘Following our communication of June 13, in which we informed you we were not willing to deal over Adebayor, now we are writing to tell you that we will consider a deal if it still interests you’.”

In the space of a month, Arsenal’s resolve has diminished dramatically, and one can only imagine it’s because Adebayor has made his position at the club untenable.

When Milan were first interested, our resistance was genuine.  I heartily believe there was never any desire on the part of Arsene or the board to see Adebayor depart.  But whatever has happened in the past month has changed that, and our letter to Milan is essentially an admission that Adebayor is likely to leave.

The principle factor is clearly Ade’s significant wage demands.  Reportedly his agent told the board shortly after the end of last season that his client expected to double his wage.  I sincerely doubt the club would have agreed to that in itself, but factor in that both Barca and Milan have since offered him even more money, and from a financial perspective Adebayor’s move seems inevitable.

It had looked like Barca were the front-runners, and perhaps they still are – it’s quite likely that in inviting Milan to bid, Arsenal are trying to create an auction between the European giants for the forward’s services, and hopefully push his price closer to the £30m mark.

The timing of our letter to Milan is interesting – does it indicate that we already have a replacement lined up?  The name you read all over the press is Roque Santa Cruz, but then the press were equally convinced we’d replace Thierry Henry with Nicolas Anelka.  As ever with Arsene, I wouldn’t be surprised to be surprised.

I’ll speak more about Adebayor himself at a later date, but the challenge facing Arsene this Summer is enormous.  We’ve sold plenty of players in his time at the club, but never three first-team players who were all at or just about to hit their peak – that’s why Flamini, Hleb, and Adebayor leaving is potentially more damaging than the departure of a distracted Patrick Vieira or ailing Thierry Henry.

Still, has Le Boss ever got it too far wrong?

The sensationalist media has outdone itself

Add comment July 8th, 2008

The English press are master manipulators of speech, turning the most innocuous of quotes into a sensational backpage headline.  However, their twist of Aleksandr Hleb’s comments this morning, particularly those relating to Cesc Fabregas, remains shocking in its crudeness:

“My view of how I should be playing didn’t coincide with the manager’s. I told him last season I wanted to leave and think he was quite upset about it. I don’t know where I’ll be next season but I’d prefer Barcelona. It is being negotiated and, hopefully, will be decided soon.

When we get scoring opportunities, Fabregas is much more selfish than me. Given a chance to shoot, he always goes for it — unlike me.”

Those quotes led The Sun to the following conclusion:

“The Gunners star says he has never agreed with boss Wenger over his role and brands Fabregas ‘selfish’.”

It’s a ridiculous misrepresentation of what has been said, and makes you realise just why footballers prefer to stick to well-worn clichés in most interviews.

Whatever Hleb’s feelings about leaving, he has always spoken highly of Arsene.  And if anything, he seems to be paying Cesc a compliment.  To translate those quotes from Russian, as The Sun have done, and frame them without context in such a way as to pain the club in a negative light must be close to slander.

I’m not exactly Hleb’s biggest fan, but fair play to him for immediately setting the story straight.  Regardless, I still can’t see him being at the club come September 1st.

Congratulations are in order for Cesc, meanwhile, as he has been named the official Arsenal Player of the Season.  The awards that really matter – Gunnerblog’s own – should follow shortly.

The players who have had the better part of the Summer off returned to training today.  New boy Aaron Ramsey joined the likes of Theo Walcott, Bacary Sagna, and Gael Clichy in Arsene Wenger’s first training session of the 2008/09 season.  Pics are available here.

Finally, Ray Parlour has announced that he is considering retiring.  Why?  With Flamini gone, he seems ready-made to step back into the Arsenal midfield.  Now that I’d love to see…

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