Could Arsene really be about to sign Mikael Silvestre?
32 comments August 20th, 2008
Sometimes an idea is so crazy that it might just work. Like rebranding UKTVGold2 as ‘Dave’.  Or when it was first rumoured that Arsenal might try and involve William Gallas in the deal that took Ashley Cole to Chelsea. It seemed like fantasy stuff – partly because transfers between the top four clubs are remarkably rare…
In the many years that Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson have duelled, never has a player changed hands between the two managers. Fergie reportedly tried and failed to prize Patrick Vieira and later Emmanuel Adebayor away from London, but no player has moved from United to Arsenal since Brian Kidd 34 years ago.
Which is perhaps why it feels so strange to read the various reports suggesting that Mikael Silvestre is about to sign for the Gunners.
Silvestre is not typical of Arsene’s recent transfer policy. He is 31, seemingly past his best, and plays in the Premier League. However, if we know anything about Arsene it’s that he likes a gamble, and Silvestre is certainly one of those. Injuries and poor form have seen him fall from United’s first-choice centre-half to third-choice left-back. And yet this is a player has four Premier League medals, three FA Cup winners’ medals, and a host of other domestic and European titles to his name. He has 40 caps for France, and on his day is a fast, powerful player with strong technique.
Most importantly, we could do with a player in his mould. After the departure of Justin Hoyte, we lack experienced cover at left-back – the idea of Armand Traore having to slot into the back four for a prolonged period terrifies me. And if you were to ask me which of Philippe Senderos, Johan Djourou, or Silvestre I’d want to see come in at centre-back, I know I’d pick the experienced option every time.
As things stand, William Gallas is our only outfield player over the age of 27. Acquiring a player of Silvestre’s experience and relative quality for less than a million pounds is not something to be sniffed at. I’ve always insisted we needed to sign two players rather than the mooted one, and Silvestre + a central midfielder would go a long way towards satisfying my concerns about the squad’s depth.  Hopefully the truth (or otherwise) of this story will become clearer over the next 24 hours.
Perhaps the decision to sign a defender, as well as the return from the Olympics of Alex Song, is what has prompted Havard Nordveit joining Salamanca on loan. The Norwegian centre-back is extremely well thought of, but I think the coaching hierarchy recognise that the only way for a defender to improve is with regular competetive football. Mistakes have to be made for lessons to be learnt, but it’s better they’re made elsewhere.
Another eighteen-year old, Dutch forward Nacer Barazite, has joined Derby on loan. Arsenal claim the deal is until January, but Derby have suggested they have a break clause one month into the contract. Barazite is a player whose combination of power and technique has always impressed me – in style, he’s reminscent of Kaka. But when he wasn’t taken out to Austria with the first-team squad the Summer, it became clear his opportunities would be limited. I think he could be a major player for Derby though, and remains one worth keeping an eye on. He could soon be joined in the Championship by Kieran Gibbs, who has been linked with a short-term switch to Reading.
Finally, the club have confirmed that Emmanuel Adebayor has signed a new long-term deal on improved terms. The cynic in me remembers that both Ashley Cole and Thierry Henry considered leaving the club, signed new deals, and departed just twelve months later. And yet Arsene is right when he says:
“We have to get behind him and support him because he is a tremendous force and has tremendous importance for the team.”
The fans had their say in the game against Fulham. Now we need to back Adebayor. The manager has chosen to stick by him because he recognises his value, and now it’s time for our fans to do the same.
Internationals tonight. Samir Nasri was called up to the France squad but then pulled out with a thigh injury. Maybe he’d already booked to go to the cinema, or something. I’m going to Wembley tonight and will hopefully see Theo Walcott in action for England.
