Apologies for the lack of blog yesterday. A sleepless night and a five hour train journey meant sharing my thoughts with you would’ve been an unpleasant situation for us both. Fortunately, I am now slightly recovered, and feeling rather better. About everything, in fact.
This morning I’ll cycle up to the Emirates for my first live game of the season. In fact, work commitments have prevented me actually getting to games since around March. I watched our end of season collapse on the television, or through my computer/fingers.
The summer hasn’t been any easier on the eye. But tomorrow lunchtime, when I’m confronted with the full horror of Liverpool FC and their fans, all I will care about is that the eleven men in red and white triumph over the eleven men in whatever hideous away kit Liverpool’s marketing men have concocted for this season. And that, really, is what football ought to be about.
For ninety minutes, I’m calling a truce with my angst. All I want to do is beat Liverpool. I’m even calling a truce with Samir Nasri, who has been surprisingly recalled to the squad. It shows how stretched we are when the manager is prepared to risk a £23m asset just hours before he’s due to leave the club. The fact that Tomas Rosicky has joined Jack Wilshere, Abou Diaby, Gervinho, Alex Song, Kieran Gibbs, Armand Traore and Johan Djourou on the sidelines has forced Arsene to reconsider Nasri’s position, and I now expect him to start in a midfield trio with Emmanuel Frimpong and Aaron Ramsey.
It’s certainly a change of position from when Arsene said he was only prepared to use players who were 100% committed to the club. And it’s a change brought about, quite clearly, by desperation. Arsene said:
“You do your job until the last day of your life at the Club – the rest is speculation. That doesn’t interfere with your dedication and the way you do your job.
Nasri is in the squad. If I decide to play him he will play. When you are professional you play until the last day.
Everywhere I have worked in my life I have made sure that until the last second of where I was I did the job properly. He is paid this month by Arsenal Football Club so why should he not play?”
Nasri’s impending move to City has seen his relationship with the Arsenal fans very quickly and very publicly disintegrate. There will doubtless be those in the Emirates crowd who want to vent their frustrations at a player who has reneged on a new deal at Arsenal to double his money elsewhere. My advice to you is this: save it for when he comes back with City. There’s no need for a negative atmosphere around the ground on a day when teenagers like Carl Jenkinson and Emmanuel Frimpong could be making their first league starts for the club.
Japanese winger Ryo Miyaichi, having completed his paperwork, is also in contention and is likely to be on the bench. Interestingly, there’s been no talk of whether or not Nicklas Bendtner could be involved, perhaps in one of the wide attacking roles. I wouldn’t be adverse to giving the Dane a game, although his lack of match practise might be a worry.
Regardless, it’s a line-up that tells you a lot about the state of the squad and where we require strengthening – especially when you take Nasri out of the equation too. I was encouraged by the news that Arsenal made an enquiry for Lucho Gonzalez – an experienced, quality player – albeit one whose form has dipped in the last twelve months; but seriously, why would Marseille allow one of their best players, who cost them €18m two years ago, to leave on loan? Much like when we bid only £10m for Phil Jagielka, I think we were being optimistic at best, and naieve at worst.
One player who has signed is Joel Campbell. The teenage striker will now wait to hear if he is awarded a work permit before the club decide the next stage of his development.
It’s a huge game today. Our first two matches have come with creditable results, if uninspiring performances. This is a different kind of test, against the team a whole host of pundits have predicted will supercede us in the race for Champions League qualification. It’s an opportunity to make a real statement, and give both the players and fans a much-need boost ahead of a very difficult week in which we travel to Udinese and Manchester United.
Arsene looked as fiery as he ever has done in his press conference yesterday, swatting away journalists with defiant rhetoric. He’s clearly been riled by those hacks and fans who have openly questioned his decision-making this summer, and feels he has a point to prove. As supporters, we should consider that a good thing. Three good results in the next eight days would certainly silence many of his critics.
It is, by the standards of the last two weeks, a relatively quiet day at Arsenal. For now. Samir Nasri’s £20m+ move to Manchester City hangs damoclean above us, waiting to drop. Yesterday sources close to the deal confirmed he’s set to earn £200k p/week, as well as a £5m (net) signing on fee. Economically, we simply can’t compete.
Still, a reported fee of £23m is absurdly high for a player who could leave for free in 12 months time, and will swell our transfer kitty even more. The budget is staggering about now, swollen and fat. For everybody’s good, it needs to vomit new signings all over the table.
Confirmation of the three game bans for Gervinho and Song means the squad is stretched to breaking point. Both Carl Jenkinson and Emmanuel Frimpong are in line go start against Liverpool. They’re both promising players, but surely Arsene never envisaged calling upon them from kickoff in such a high profile fixture.
Another youngster who may find himself on the pitch ahead of schedule is Ryo Miyaichi, whose paperwork should be completed in time for him to be on the bench. It has also been announced that Ryo will wear his first name on the back of his shirt for the coming season. There’s a lot of excitement within the club about the fleet-footed Japanese winger – in the official programme, Thomas Vermaelen named him as one of the most exciting young talents he’s ever encountered. However, it’s important to temper any anticipation with the reality that a year ago he was playing school football.
Erm. That’s about it. There’s a big rumour floating around that we’ve lost yet another player, with reports linking Armand Traore with a loan move to QPR. I can tell you that at the moment those reports are premature: Traore is still waiting to find out if he’s needed at Arsenal.
1-0 to the Arsenal. A familiar scoreline, but a far from familiar Arsenal performance. For much of the tie – indeed, the entirety of the second half – Udinese bossed possession, and Arsenal were to forced to look for counter-attacks as they tried to grasp a foothold in the match.
Fortunately, we were protecting a lead, thanks to a goal in the fourth minute from Theo Walcott. The English winger met Aaron Ramsey’s cross with a lovely cushioned volley which, at close range, gave Handanovic no chance. Arsenal had started fast and it looked at one stage as if we might blow a shell-shocked Udinese away.
However, led by the slippery front-man Di Natale, the Italians recovered well to secure a foothold in the game, and only the fabulous save from Wojciech Szczesny, a brave block from Alex Song, and the width of the crossbar prevented them from grabbing a first-half equaliser and crucial away goal.
If Arsenal were relieved to see half-time, they couldn’t have known what travails would follow. In the first nine minutes of the half, they lost Kieran Gibbs and his replacement, Johan Djourou, to hamstring injuries. With Armand Traore also out, it meant having to hand a first-team debut to Carl Jenkinson in an unfamiliar left-back role.
The lad did OK, but had he made a major error I would’ve felt incredibly sorry for him: he shouldn’t never have been in that position. Six months ago he was playing in the conference; now we’re expecting him to be ready for the Champions League. It is, frankly, ridiculous.
You could say the same of the introduction of Emmanuel Frimpong, though the tenacious Ghanaian midfielder seems to be taking to first-team football like a duck to the proverbial water. Even so, the fact he gave away several dangerous free-kicks is indicative of his inexperience.
Our squad is thinner than Steve Bould’s hair. Joey Barton has more depth. On the bench yesterday Andrey Arshavin represented the only plausible attacking option. Wantaway Nicklas Bendtner was included to make up the numbers; if he wasn’t brought on for the struggling Chamakh he was never going to be used.
Nevertheless, we held on for what, in this sort of tie, is a good result. We could even have nicked another: only a stunning save from Handanovic prevented Walcott from adding second late on after Gervinho finally rounded off his promising approach play with an effective final pass. A draw or even a 2-1 defeat in Italy will be enough to take us through. It’s great to record another clean sheet, and I thought the triangle of Szczesny, Vermaelen and Koscielny were impressive again, whilst in midfield Aaron Ramsey showed tremendous work ethic and desire.
The problem of our ever-depleting squad, however, remains. Yesterday, Emmanuel Eboue and Carlos Vela became the latest players to leave Arsenal, joining Fabregas, Clichy, Denilson, and Emmanuel-Thomas. More are set to follow. The steady drain of talent is becoming an exodus.
After the game Arsene Wenger declined to speak to the press, ostensibly as part of a stand-off with UEFA, who were unhappy that messages were being passed to pitchside via Boro Primorac and Colin Lewin. He will have been relieved to have found an excuse to avoid the outstretched cameras and microphones. Doubtless he would have faced more questions about strengthening his squad – questions to which, as yet, he has provided few answers.
There remains much work to do: both in the second leg in Udine, and in the transfer market. Get busy, Arsene.
After Saturday’s game at Newcastle, I said I was concerned about the depth of our squad. Allow me to elucidate:
On Saturday our bench was:
Lukasz Fabianski – Johan Djourou – Carl Jenkinson – Emmanuel Frimpong – Alex Chamberlain – Theo Walcott – Marouane Chamakh
Three of those players hadn’t played a single minute of Premier League football before the game, their only experiences coming in League 1 or Reserve team football. Another one of those players is Marouane Chamakh. It isn’t the strongest hand, and it showed: Walcott was the only potential game-changer available.
Now consider this. Given the choice would you rather have had this bench:
Manuel Almunia – Emmanuel Eboue – Henri Lansbury – Cesc Fabregas – Samir Nasri – Carlos Vela – Nicklas Bendtner
A world cup winner, the player ranked second in last year’s PFA Player of the Year awards, and a variety of other talent. I know I’d certainly have more confidence plucking my reserves from that selection.
That bench is made up of the seven players left at home by Arsene – all fit – who are likely to depart before the end of the transfer window. It is an exodus of talent that has left the squad looking very light indeed.
The balance has to be redressed. The vacuum created by selling Nasri and Cesc in particular only became clear to me when I watched us in competitive action at St. James’ Part. As things stand, Tomas Rosicky is our first-choice playmaker. Bless Rosicky, but that simply isn’t good enough.
And now, having agreed the sale of Fabregas to Barcelona, and with others due to follow, Arsene has no excuses. In buying Gervinho, Jenkinson and Chamberlain, he has stayed within his prescribed summer budget. The sales that are yet to go through will raise a minimum of £50m – most likely more.
That, for the most part, is money we didn’t bank on having. It has to be used exclusively to strengthen the squad. There are now only a handful of players in the world that Arsene can’t afford. Whoever he wants, we must go and get. It’s time, as the fans at Newcastle made so clear, to “spend some fucking moneyâ€.
The received wisdom is that the position which requires attention most urgently is centre-back. That’s changed. Losing Cesc and possibly Nasri means the priority is a creative midfielder – ideally two. It’s unlikely that any individual will be able to replace Cesc’s enormous contribution to the team, so sharing that burden and providing some strength in depth would be sensible.
We all know that Arsene was looking closely at Valencia’s Juan Mata, but that deal appeals to be off the table, for now at least. The Brazilian Jadson (right) is a genuine target, but whilst he’s technically very good I do worry about how his 5’6†frame would cope with the rigours of the Premier League.
We’ve been linked with Marseille’s Ghanaian winger Andre Ayew – great player, but I can’t see it. We’ve got enough pace on the flanks – now we need craft through the middle. Furthermore, I’m not sure we could cope with losing yet another first-teamer to the African Cup of Nations in January.
There’s also the possibility of shifting Jack Wilshere in to a more advanced position and bringing in a competetive midfielder to play behind him alongside Alex Song. He has a detractors, but I think the character of someone like Scott Parker would make a massive difference to this Arsenal side.
We do, of course, still require a centre-half – but they need to be top quality. Arsene has decided he wants someone with Premier League experience, but he shouldn’t allow that to preclude him for investing too much. There’s no point signing a player to be fourth choice – we need someone who can come in and compete for the regular starting spot alongside Vermaelen. We now have the money to mean we can go and get a Cahill or a Jagielka, so let’s not scrape the barrel.
They’re the signings I consider imperative. A playmaker or two, and a centre-half. Three bodies would certainly help flesh out the squad. Three quality players would make an enormous difference to the team.
There are other areas that I’d like to see tended to: Armand Traore and Carl Jenkinson are hardly experienced cover at full-back, whilst Emmanuel Frimpong will have to accelerate his progression rather rapidly if he’s going to provide competition for Alex Song. Arsene admitted on Saturday that Joel Campbell is viewed for as a signing for the future than any immediate impact, so a striker who provides greater goal threat than Marouane Chamakh would also be ideal.
Whatever happens, he may find himself needing to buy in the January window, when Traore, Frimpong, Song, Gervinho and Chamakh head off to compete for their countries. For now, it’s essential he signs a makes a minimum of three quality additions.
Make it happen, Arsene. the clock is ticking. Our season – and quite possibly your job – depends on it.
I have known for some time that I’d have to write this post. Probably ever since Cesc Fabregas arrived as a 15 year-old back in 2003. I ought to have prepared it and kept it on file, ready to go, like major media organisations do with obituaries. And yet, for some reason, even as the past week has made it clear his departure was imminent, I haven’t dared to start it. Patently, it’s because I didn’t really want to.
Tonight, however, reality hit home, as Arsenal confirmed through their official website that an agreement with Barcelona had finally been struck. Arsene said:
“We have been clear that we didn’t want Cesc to leave and that remains the case. However, we understand Cesc’s desire to move to his home town club and have now accepted an offer from Barcelona. We thank Cesc for his contribution at Arsenal and wish him future success.”
The deal was done on Friday morning, though we’ve waiting till now to make any kind of official announcement – hopefully we’ve used the intervening period to make advances in spending the money we’ll receive for Cesc. On that note, there’ll be more from me on what Arsenal need to do to replace him later today, so stay tuned.
The fee has been confirmed by Sandro Rossell as being €29m upfront with a possible further €10m in add-ons. That’s an absolute maximum of £34.2m.
It is, of course, a steal. At the start of the summer we would have laughed off such a ridiculous fee. Now, it’s Barcelona who are laughing. Their disruptive tactics have won the day, and ultimately the player’s desire to move has seen us do a deal at a fee lower than that for which for Andy Carroll moved to Liverpool.
Aside from Barca’s antics, our negotiating position was weakened primarily by the fact that the race to sign Cesc contained just one Catalan horse. On the open market, he’d fetch £50m+, no doubt.
To be honest I don’t think the fee really matters. It’s almost entirely profit, meaning it even surpasses the ludicrous amount we made on Nicolas Anelka when we flogged him to Real Madrid. Whether he went for £30m, £40m, or £50m really makes no difference to me: he’s going.
Cesc is already in Barcelona and will undergo a medical tomorrow morning before being presented around 1230 UK-time. I will, at that precise point, be undergoing an operation in a dentist’s chair. Which promises to be less painful than having to watch him paraded.
There are so many reasons that losing Fabregas is a blow. He’s the club captain, and the heartbeat of the side. He is one of the world’s finest midfielders. And, for so long, he felt like one of our own.
Collectively, we watched him grow and develop from spindly prodigy to midfield maestro. I was there at Highbury when he became our youngest ever player against Rotherham in the League Cup. I was there when he became our youngest goalscorer, tapping in against Wolves. And I was there when he came of age in 2006, winning a duel with the grand master himself, Patrick Vieira, who by that time was playing for Juventus.
In his early years, Cesc lived with a club landlady, whose son is a friend of mine. To them – indeed, to all Arsenal supporters – he always felt like family. Inevitably, therefore, his departure feels like a rejection. Forgive the crowbarred analogy, but it’s a little like an adopted child deciding they’d like to go and be with their real parents. As much as we understand, it still hurts.
Whilst the pull of home is clearly a factor, one can’t help but feel a tinge of regret that Cesc is leaving earlier than any of us expected. Xavi is a long way from calling it a day, whilst the likes of Aaron Ramsey are not yet ready to fill the vacuum created by his absence.
He’s left, ultimately, because he no longer believes in the project. He wouldn’t relinquish the armband lightly. If he felt he could win trophies as captain of Arsenal, he would be staying for a year or two at least. Whatever anyone else tells you, whatever you read elsewhere, do not doubt that Cesc Fabregas loves Arsenal Football Club. Barcelona is in his blood, but Arsenal is in his heart. Sadly – and this will hurt Arsene enormously – he no longer believes that the team built around him with bear the fruit of trophies.
I can understand his frustration. His star has too often shone alone in Arsenal’s galaxy. The failure to sign the established players his talent deserved around him has cost him and Arsenal dear.
Now, at Barcelona, his potential seems destined to finally be fulfilled. When I hear pundits claim Cesc will warm the bench at Barca, I chuckle. Alongside the likes of Xavi, Villa and Messi, he will step up another gear. It pains me to say it, but I think Barca will see the best of Cesc. Whatever they ended up paying, it would have been a bargain: Fabregas is a Ballon D’Or winner waiting to happen.
He does, however, leave us with an awful lot of memories, including 303 appearances, 57 goals, and 98 assists. It’s sad that it ended the way it did, but when he was on the pitch for us I never doubted his commitment. I won’t be talking too much about Fabregas from now on – it’s important that the whole club moves on. Nor will the departing Samir Nasri be afforded a similar eulogy. But for now, for the sake of nostalgia, let’s end with some of Cesc’s finest moments.
The following video ends with an optimistic “to be continued?â€. Sadly, it seems this love affair is, for now, over. It’s less “Cesc We Canâ€, and more “Cesc we could’veâ€.
