Happy Transfer Window from Gunnerblog!
1 comment January 1st, 2009
Happy New Year to you all. 2009 is upon us and I hope it brings you everything you want. (I, for one, am sure we were promised hoverboards by now. Alas, they’re nowhere to be seen.)
1st January 2009 is actually rather significant for Arsenal, as it’s the day that Jack Wilshere turns seventeen and signs his first professional contract with Arsenal. I think in the next twelve months he’ll make a significant impact on this team – but more of that tomorrow, when I’ll be looking at our New Year’s Resolutions.
The transfer window also swung open at midnight, and will close on February 2nd at 5pm, unusually. We’re all hoping for some fresh faces, but today has brought the news that the club have rejected a transfer request from Kolo Toure. Chairman Peter Hill-Wood said:
“I know about it (the transfer request), but we are not going to accept it. We are not looking to let any of our players go and he is under contract – and we expect him to honour it.”
Although he has fallen out of form and favour this season, Kolo is one of those players I always envisaged seeing his career out with us. He has always given his all on the pitch, and seems to have a lot of affection for the club. Furthermore, he’s the last remaining relic of the Invincible side, and one of the few players who seems to have any sense of the traditions and standards of this great club. Whilst his poor form and the emergence of Johan Djourou have seen Kolo tumble down the pecking order, I firmly believe that time and an appropriate partner could rehabilitate the Ivorian.
Perhaps, however, Arsene does not agree: if you don’t want to sell a player, you don’t let the chairman talk openly about his unhappiness to the press.
Wait and see on this one.
