Archive for June, 2009
June 15th, 2009
Twitter has seen the advent of the mini-blog. Well, pressures in my current job had led to the advent of a new form of blog: the speed-blog. I’m spending two weeks working almost 24/7, but have grabbed a ten-minute window in which I’ll do my best to update you on all things Arsenal.
If Arsene Wenger has learnt anything in his time as Arsenal manager, it is probably that giving the captain’s armband to a player can prove a useful deterrent to their inevitable departure. It worked with Patrick Vieira (for a bit), it worked with Thierry Henry (for a bit), and it now appears to be working with Cesc Fabregas. How long the “bit” proves to be remains to be seen.
Gael Clichy is also very much on-message, moving quickly to dismiss speculation that he might be the next player on Florentino Perez’s increasingly luxurious shopping-list:
“I heard there is an interest from Real Madrid, but I have a contract with Arsenal which I intend to respect unless the club say otherwise. It is great to be linked with Real, but I want to win things with Arsenal.”
Mind you, much as I love Gael, should Madrid find another absurd fee in the Ronaldo/Kaka bracket (which I concede is hugely unlikely) I wouldn’t turn my nose up.
Perhaps that’s in part due to the form of Kieran Gibbs, who will join Theo Walcott in representing the England U-21s at 5.15pm. Also, should you be bored at work, you can watch Brazil on BBCFootball right now.
That’s my revenge on the workplaces of the world.
Phew. I’m out of time. Till tomorrow!
June 14th, 2009
Something something something quiet something something something Sunday!
Something something something something something Fabregas wants to stay. Something something something something something something something something something something something Madrid or Barcelona something something investment in the squad.
Something something something something Robin van Persie: something something new contract. Something something something something something something £80k, something something something something Adebayor…
Something something something, something apologies. Something tomorrow!
June 13th, 2009
It must be good to be Lukasz Fabianski. After a season in which he gave a few performances that were shakier than some jelly atop a washing machine, Arsene’s faith remains as strong as ever, and he has been handed a brand new long-term contract. Le Boss says:
“I rate Lukasz highly and I am very pleased that he has committed his future to the Club. I believe he is a top competitor, he’s intelligent and reads the game very well and has all the ingredients to be successful in his position.”
I’m still not convinced Fabianski is #1 material, but then many said the same of Almunia, who now looks very assured.
Dennis Bergkamp, whose say-so is the closest thing we get to a Commandment these days, has urged Arsene Wenger to spend – and on one individual in particular:
“It’s wise to put some new players in for the team’s sake. I remember when I was a player, it was always a good feeling when you got four of five new players in July in the dressing room.
Yaya will fit in there straight away of course because of his family there. He knows the players there, has trained with us for a few weeks and so it would be fantastic.”
I’d love to see Yaya arrive. It was quite sickening watching him perform so well (out of position, mind) in a Champions League Final, and thinking that it wasn’t so long ago that I saw him come on for us as a substitute in a friendly against Barnet. However, why he would leave Barcelona for Arsenal is beyond me.
The agent of titanic teenage centre-back Mamadou Sakho says we’re vying with Bayern Munich for his services:
“He will be moving clubs this summer. Arsenal are interested, but the club are too cheap at the moment.
I think a transfer will happen soon. He wants to play football in England and Arsenal are a good club but Manchester United is a better club. But the most interested club is Arsenal, they want him the most. Bayern Munich is a top European club, so I think it will be Bayern or Arsenal.”
Why the senseless mention of Manchester United? That’s hardly likely to endear him to Arsenal, is it? Perhaps he got wind that they had £80m in the bank and fancied some of that.
Finally, Theo Walcott has threatened that at some point in the future, he will be striking. Not like those ever-so-lovely tube drivers, but more like, say, Thierry Henry.
I’m not convinced Theo has the composure to be a striker. Whilst his pace would undoubtedly make him a threat, his chance / goal conversion rate is not yet sufficiently good enough. However, once he scores a few he might find a depth of confidence that allows him to push on. I suspect it’s too early to tell.
We may get an indication at this year’s European U-21 Championship, where Theo is as likely to start upfront as he is on the flank.
After yesterday’s hiatus, it’s nice to be back. Have a good weekend, one and all.
June 11th, 2009
Hello hello. It seems like ages since I updated. I’ve just had a very busy couple of days, and yet if you asked me I couldn’t really tell you where the time has gone. There’s a tubestrike on it London which is making things particularly tricky: in recent days, many Londoners have had to walk some of the way into work. Using our actual feet. At this stage, no-one knows if we’ll ever recover.
In terms of Arsenal, there isn’t masses to report on. It’s all quiet on the Vermaelen front, for one thing. The Sun has linked us with a £4m swoop for a 16-year old, which is probably the most credible rumour around right now.
The same story mentions that Amaury Bischoff is set join AC Milan for free. Should that be the case, I suppose we’ll just put him down as a gamble that didn’t work. For every Henry, there is a Diawara.
Seeing as even the PM has been required to comment, there’s no way I can get through this blog without mentioning the extraordinary events up North, where Manchester United have accepted Real Madrid’s record-busting £80m offer for Cristiano Ronaldo.
It is an extraordinary sum for any footballer, especially when you consider that the player himself wants to go. Unlike Kaka, who would happily have remained at Milan, Ronaldo’s efforts to depart kicked up plenty of dust and fuss last Summer and would undoubtedly have done so this. United have done well to a) get that amount of money, and b) avoid a painful summer of wranglings.
That said, they are still losing one of the world’s best players. I’m sure they will spend big to replace him (my money would be on Franck Ribery), but it’s unlikely that anyone they secure will reach the performance levels that Ronaldo has achieved in the last few years.
Will it affect United’s dominance of English football? Impossible to say. After all, they recovered well enough from the loss of David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy. Ronaldo’s impact has arguably been greater even than those, but a motivated later of lesser ability could still see their team thrive. Much will depend on Alex Ferguson’s transfer market activity from this point on.
Fair play to Florentino Perez, though. That man doesn’t mess about. Let’s just hope he doesn’t set his sights on Cesc…
June 9th, 2009
Good morning all.
I thought I’d open by regaling you with a tale of my stupidity. Upon arriving home from my friend’s house late last night, I realised I had somehow conspired to take his keys home with me. This led to me getting up this morning two hours early in order to deliver the keys before work. This wasn’t just any delivery, though: imagine me dangling from a Dalston balcony in an attempt to throw the keys through his window. It must have been a remarkable sight for any passers-by.
In more relevant news, Kieran Gibbs made his debut for the U-21s last night, and in ninety minutes demonstrated both his versatility (playing at left-back, left-midfield, and in the middle of the park) as well as a newly found finesse in front of goal, scoring first with his right foot and then with his left. Watching him and Theo in the European Championships will help quicken the summer along.
Rumours in recent weeks have seen us linked with Edin Dzeko as a potential replacement for Emmanuel Adebayor. However, newly-flushed with Castillian cash, Adebayor’s principal suitors (AC Milan) seem to have caught wind of our ingenious scheme, and are now more likely to turn to Dzeko themselves.
That would certainly suit the player, who has spent the past few days talking about Milan with such drooling awe that the idea that he is interchangeable with Adebayor is gaining more credence by the minute. We should know more about this on Wednesday, when Dzeko is set to hold a press conference to discuss where he sees his future.
No more news on Vermaelen, but it does look as if that deal will be done. Whether it’s today, tomorrow, or (as was the case in the drawn-out tale of Samir Nasri) in a month’s time. Depending onw hat you read, the Belgian defender’s height ranges from about 5’10” to 6’1″. Ultimately, does it matter? We are literally quabbling over inches. If he has a strong mentality, a strong tackle, and good ability on the ball then those characteristics will ultimately matter far more.
Till tomorrow.
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