Archive for July 31st, 2010

Arsene’s press conference: A summary

1 comment July 31st, 2010

Arsene on Cesc…
Any last vestiges of doubt about where Cesc will spend this season were dispelled by Arsene, who was absolutely clear about the state of play:

“We do not negotiate.  If I want to buy your house and you don’t want to sell, you don’t negotiate with me, that’s completely normal.”

Unsurprisingly, he’s also failed to confirm that Cesc will move on in twelve months time, pointing to the length of the captain’s contract.

He also makes the very valid point that winning the league at Arsenal presents a greater challenge than anything Barca can offer.  I don’t think Cesc would disagree – he’d love nothing more than to win trophies in London – but clearly he doubts the club’s capacity to match that ambition.

Arsene on the home-grown rule…
He’s not a fan, despite us being one of the clubs least affected by the new system.  Players such as Cesc, Alex Song, Denilson and Bendtner will all qualify as ‘homegrown’ despite being about as English as a disorderly queue.  Meanwhile, we’re not obliged to name youngsters like Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere in our 25, as they’re classed as U-21 entrants.

That said, the new rules do make it harder to move players on – if, in January, we decide to bring in a foreign player over the age of 21, it will mean having to sell another player from that quota.  Potential buyers will know that, putting the selling club in a weak position.

Arsene on defenders…
To my mind, having realised a while back that Cesc wasn’t going anywhere, these are the most positive quotes to come out of yesterday’s press conference:

“There are plenty of names that we consider and we analyse. We look at the financial possibilities and the technical potential. But it is impossible for me to come out with a name.

We are still on the search because at the moment we only have three centre backs and we have seen last season you needed five. I believe we need at least four because we have some other players who can fill in this position but overall we are still on the search.”

The “other players” he’s referring to are Alex Song and Havard Nordtveit, who could both do a job at centre-back if required.  That said, we still need at least one other.  Arsene says Sol Campbell’s decision to move to Newcastle came as no surprise, so one would imagine he’s been looking at potential candidates for some time now.

Arsene on the title race…
Arsene thinks it will be more open than ever, and with the level of investment at Man City and an improving Spurs one can see why.  United and Chelsea are both yet to make any particularly inspiring signings, though I’d be amazed if that didn’t change in the next few weeks, especially in the case of the loaded Londoners.  With Ballack, Cole, Belletti and Deco all departing this summer, they’re currently extremely light in midfield.

The Emirates Cup kicks off today, with a match against Milan at 16.20 UK-time.  Unsurprisingly, there are a few injury problems: Song, Diaby, and Denilson are out, whilst Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie are not yet ready.  Those midfield absentees will create opportunities for youngsters Jack Wilshere and Emmanuel Frimpong.  I anticipate that pair might generate a fair bit of hype over the next couple of days.

Come On You Gunners!


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