Adebayor is a City player – Visual confirmation
Add comment July 18th, 2009
He doesn’t look ecstatic, does he.
I hope Arsene spends the £25m we’ve pocketed. It’s a club record sale.
More on this and Barnet tomorrow.
Archive for July 18th, 2009
Rosicky to face Barnet; Do we really want Chamakh?
Add comment July 18th, 2009
The full squad to face Barnet today has been announced as follows:
Manuel Almunia
Vito Mannone
William Gallas
Johan Djourou
Mikael Silvestre
Thomas Vermaelen
Tomas Rosicky
Andrey Arshavin
Jack Wilshere
Thomas Cruise
Craig Eastmond
Luke Ayling
Conor Henderson
Francis Coquelin
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas
Mark Randall
Emmanuel Frimpong
Gilles Sunu
Sanchez Watt
Jay Simpson
Nacer Barazite
The big news is obviously the availability of Tomas Rosicky, who hasn’t played for Arsenal for a torturous eighteen months. The fans aren’t the only people delighted to see his return, as captain Cesc Fabregas makes clear:
“I have spent a lot of time with him and I know how he feels. I know what he wants and I have never seen a guy being so committed, so professional and never giving up. If this happened to me I probably wouldn’t want to talk to anyone, I would be always down and angry. But he’s unbelievable and when we see that he will be back next season, he will be strong and hopefully he can help us improve a lot.
He’s the type of player you enjoy playing alongside and as a guy he’s amazing. He didn’t deserve his injury but I am sure he will come back stronger. I wish him all the best because everyone here at Arsenal loves him a lot.
I feel sorry for him but I don’t need to say that to him, he’s my best friend in the team and one of my best friends in football and my life.”
Obviously it’s early days yet and there will undoubtedly be fears of a setback (Eduardo, almost as a warning to Rosicky, is unavailable for selection day despite starting back at training with everyone else). That said, the positive spur of actually getting some game-time might be just the fillip he needs to complete his recovery.
Also on show will be new boy Thomas Vermaelen. Philippe Senderos is left out of the squad, presumably to prevent him picking up an injury that’d rule him out a move.
Speaking of moving, Emmanuel Adebayor is still an Arsenal player, with the latest rumours suggesting he’s in a dispute with the club over a £2m loyalty bonus. Having not requested a transfer, Adebayor is technically due the money, but we all know it’s the player himself who has made his position untenable.
The sooner it’s resolved the better. Rumours to continue to link us with Marouane Chamakh as a replacement, but I’m increasingly unsure our interest is genuine. Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc has confirmed that there’s been no offer for the player, whilst Chamakh himself seems to be preparing himself for a move to Blackburn or Sunderland:
“Today Sunderland and Blackburn want me, where I could have signed because I have an agreement on all things with them, even if [Bordeaux president] Mr Triaud asks what I am going there for. I am thinking at the moment and I will take my time and decide.
With Arsenal, it is not advanced enough the talks. If the deal happens with them my dream will be realised, but it does not bother me to play with Sunderland or Blackburn.”
Perhaps our lack of interest is because the Adebayor deal is not yet complete, or perhaps we’re just not as keen as the press would have you believe. Whilst I’m swatting down rumours all over the place, I might aswell mention that we’ve not bid for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar either.
It’s weird and exciting that we’re playing today, even if it is only against Barnet. I’ll be heading down there in couple of hours myself.
Come on you Gunners, I suppose…
