Archive for July, 2010
July 16th, 2010
The tug of war over Cesc Fabregas looks close to ending – for this summer, at least. Barca President Sandro Rossell told Catalan TV3:
“Arsenal feels very hurt by Barca. They don’t want to listen to offers or sell and they are not putting the player on the market. There was a strong dispute a few months ago and they have not forgotten it.
He will arrive, even if it is not now, it will be next year. We will see. One thing that is certain is that we will not go mad trying to sign him.
No shareholder would pay €60 or €70 million for him. We will not go all out for him. We would only pay his value in the transfer market.”
Do you hear that Cesc? They “will not go all out” for you. They want you, but not as much as they wanted Ibrahimovic. That, surely, is the final insult. I can think of a million things I want more than Ibrahimovic, and some of them are venereal diseases.
If Barca aren’t prepared to go beyond the €50m they claim they have to spend, then Fabregas will spend the season in London. And despite his repeated desire to leave, Cesc will knuckle down and get on with it like the pro he is. He is under contract until June 2015. His value isn’t going to decrease any time soon.
Perhaps it would have different had Barca not had so much ‘previous’ when it comes to tapping up our players. This summer, we clearly feel they have reneged on a promise.
Cesc will be coming back to training in the next week or two, and by then he’ll have had time to take stock and gear himself up for one final crack at the Premier League title.
Whether you feel it’s right he stays or not, we’ve got a better chance with him than without him.
July 14th, 2010
I’m sure by now you’ve all seen this.
Unfortunately for me, it was (airport terminal aside) pretty much the last thing I saw before leaving South Africa. The four hour flight to my stop-off in Nairobi was filled with nightmare visions of Puyol and Pique daubing Cesc’s naked, unwilling body in Catalan colours. It made me feel almost as sick as the original footage.
I understand Spain are in good spirits. I understand they’re merely making what they would undoubtedly call “a joke”. But the best sportsmen win with grace, and respect. There was very little respect for Arsenal on show in Puyol and Pique’s antics.
But crucially, they also failed to show any respect for Cesc’s own wishes. Throughout this “saga” (I think it’s about time we started using that term) he’s refused to publicly declare a desire to leave Arsenal, instead dedicating his World Cup victory to the club and repeatedly stating his admiration for the institution, manager and fans.
It’ll be a while before I can put this up so it may feel a little out of date, but I wanted to have my say. The ironic thing about the whole episode is that Cesc is such an honourable guy that this incident is more likely to turn him off a move than on to it. He was embarrassed by players he would be calling team-mates. I simply hope Arsenal have the resolve to make the Catalan clowns regret their actions.
July 12th, 2010
When Cesc Fabregas entered the field of play shortly before the end of normal time, you had the sense that his role would be pivotal. He is a player made for the biggest stage – a man who seems to write his own destiny. When he went through on goal you expected him to slot past the Dutch keeper, but he was denied by an outstretched boot.
No matter. His moment would come. In the 116th minute, a perfectly weighted pass around the corner of the Dutch defence freed Andres Iniesta to fire home the crucial goal. Cesc Fabregas is a World Champion.
In the immediate aftermath of the game, Cesc dedicated the victory to Arsenal:
“All I can say is that this (World Cup victory) is for all the Arsenal players and fans, they are a world-class club. I am an Arsenal player and proud to be.”
It remains to be seen whether or not this was a parting gift. Reports of varying credibility suggest Arsene publically rebuffed Barcelona on French television last night. Last night Cesc will have tasted the joy of winning trophies alongside his Catalan pals. If he is firm in his conviction that he wants more of the same, I suspect he’ll need to change stance and go public to secure a move.
Cesc’s delight will have been matched by Robin van Persie’s despair. As the Dutch formed a Guard of Honour for the Spanish champions, Van Persie hung back, arms folded, eyes down. He’s a player of extraordinary ability whose career, due to injuries and a lack of baubles, has not yet hit the heights it should have done. Van Persie suffered from a lack of service and couldn’t make the impact on the World Cup he would have liked. I am certain his time will come – perhaps in two years, perhaps in four. Or maybe, just maybe, in the red and white of Arsenal.
So the World Cup is over and I’m already buzzing with excitement about the forthcoming Premier League season. There could be a fair amount of transfer activity over the next few weeks – many still expect Mark Schwarzer to arrive, though a deal for Joe Cole appears increasingly unlikely. There was definite interest in Cole, but I think it was sparked by fears of Cesc’s departure. As that deal drags on and on and indeed may not even take place, interest in Cole has waned. He now looks more likely to sign for our North London rivals, Spurs – or perhaps Roy Hodgson’s Liverpool.
Eduardo seems to have the option of leaving the club if he feels he needs regular first-team football, whilst the futures of Gallas, Silvestre and Campbell remain technically unresolved – although I don’t expect to see any of them on the squad sheet for next season.
Tomorrow I fly home, via Kenya once more. Can’t wait to get back to the rough, the tumble, the bread and the butter of English football.
July 11th, 2010
I’m going with Holland, simply because I’ve been underwhelmed with Spain and I do think a World Cup win could be the catalyst to take RVP’s career on to the next level.
Who side are you on?
Enjoy the game everyone. Once it’s done we can concentrate on the proper football once again.
July 10th, 2010
Owen Coyle, it seems, doesn’t know how to play hard to get. His open attempts to seduce Jack Wilshere in to returning to the North-West leave him liable to get hurt:
“We had dialogue over the summer and since we’ve come back and we’ll continue to do that.
And I’ve said, and I’m on record as saying, I want to thank Arsenal and Arsene (Wenger) and obviously Jack for coming last year because he certainly helped us and what we’re trying to do.
And again I feel, and I’m a bit biased in wanting him back, but I certainly feel another loan period with us would take him on another level again.”
That said, it’s easy to see Coyle’s point. Better Jack play at Bolton than sit on the bench at Arsenal. In his time in London last season, Wilshere made just one Premier League sub appearance, and four starts in all competitions. At Bolton he got a run of games together that saw him develop in to one of their more influential players. Coyle’s desperation to get him back is both understandable and obvious – it’s all he ever seems to talk about.
The truth is that he’ll be forced to wait. Arsene won’t make a decision on Wilshere until the end of the transfer window – and, crucially, until he is certain of where Cesc Fabregas’ future lies.
Buying a direct replacement for Cesc is probably an impossible task. But in Wilshere (and Welsh tyro Aaron Ramsey), Arsenal have two players with a combined skill-set to at least have a go. In his time at Bolton, Wilshere rapidly evolved from tricky wide player to a creative central midfielder. I’d be cautious about his deploying him there in a 4-4-2, but in our 4-3-3 system he could prove very effective.
I’m not for one minute suggesting that if Cesc goes Wilshere will be dropped directly in to the team and asked to play every game. The likes of Samir Nasri and any potential new signings would probably be ahead of him in the queue. But in the event of losing our skipper, allowing the player with the most natural capacity to replace him to disappear on loan would make little sense.
Sorry, Mr. Coyle. You, like us, are now waiting for Sandro Rossell & Co to put up or shut up.
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