Look out, folks: Dennis ‘The Menace’ Lachter is back!
Add comment March 26th, 2009
If anything was likely to bring Dennis Lachter crawling out of the woodwork, it was Andrey Arshavin’s remarks about potentially staying at Arsenal for the rest of his career. You can imagine Lachter’s panic as his prize asset espoused on a strategy that might leave his agent without another hefty payday. Panicked, Lachter telephoned all of the journalists who were hooked on his every word for that one month at the start of the year. The only ones to pick up were Sport.co.uk, to whom Lachter insisted:
“It’s definitely possible he’ll spend the rest of his career at Arsenal…but I can tell you now already several of the biggest clubs in the world already want him in the summer!”
To be honest, I’m not really worried by Lachter’s stirring anymore. From what we’ve seen of Andrey so far, he seems genuinely happy to have finally joined the club. I think he appreciates the chance he’s been given, and I think moving on again after all the trauma of January is probably the last thing on his mind.
Lachter, for all his sins, did bring some good news:
“Andrey will be a real diamond next season. Physically he is only at 60% at the moment. Next season everybody will see and understand the true Arshavin. You’ve seen nothing yet.
Arsene [Wenger] understands this; it’s why he was so desperate to make the signing. He struggled hard against Zenit to get his man. People are now starting to realise why Arsene was so keen to get him for Arsenal, Andrey has class.”
If this is Arshavin at 60%, I’m pretty excited to see him at full fitness.
Another player linked with a move away from the club yesterday was full-back Gael Clichy, first to Milan and then Man City. With City having signed Wayne Bridge, that duck looks fairly dead, but Milan certainly require youth in the their back-line, and I’m sure Gael would fair better with the Rossonieri than messrs Flamini and Senderos. That said, I’m fairly sure that a) he wouldn’t want to leave, and b) he wouldn’t be for sale anyway.
Manuel Almunia confirms he is considering taking up British nationality. I have to say that were he available for selection, I think he would comfortably be England’s Number 1 goalkeeper, but I don’t think it’ll ever happen. National identity is much less fluid and much more integral than in sports such as rugby, and I don’t think the British public would ever accept a Spaniard wearing the three lions. Shame, because it’d give me another reason to take interest in the National team…
Finally, yesterday I was able to confirm that I will be travelling to Villarreal, via Barcelona. Could be a hell of a trip. I’m more excited than John Hartson in a pie-shop.
