Fellow blog third-gen are releasing a brand new free online magazine named Portal, and its all about Arsenal. There is nothing like it around so take a look because what I have seen of it so far, it looks brilliant.
It features articles, podcasts and much much more. Take a look.
Ok, ok, ok, ok, I tell a lie.
The award for the most fictional Saturday press report this week goes to…. and I have just realised its Friday.
Fuck, double shit and bollocks.
Anyway, the Independent think that we are going to buy Danielle De Rossi for 30 million quid, there is no doubt that De Rossi is a very good player but there is doubs as to whether he would move from the club that brought him up from the little kiddie ranks and move from the place he was always lived.
Its a no goer. And thats before you even see the price.
The same paper also link us again to Marouaine Chamakh, and really push the boat out by including quotes from the Bordeaux president claiming Wenger has called him:
“Wenger actually phoned me. He said to me that he had a list of strikers and that Marouane was on it.”
That ‘list’ could be anything. It could be a list of strikers he would like to bludgeon round the head with a crowbar, it could be a list of strikers that he has compiled from fake press reports of his interest (ala Oba Martins). Then again, there is always a possibility it is a list of strikers he wants to monitor and maybe purchase in the future. I have made no secret of my desire to see the money we have spend on a defensive midfielder first and foremost, and maybe some experienced defensive cover for good measure. We are well stocked in the striking department I feel.
Now, in the past few days there have been murmurs about a possible reunion with big Paddy Vieira. At first, you take it not just with a pinch of salt but a whole handful. Wenger does not go back on sales, he does not go crawling back to players.
However, this would actually make sense. Bring back Vieira on a pay as you play deal, sign Matuidi for 5 million alongside him to add that other defensive midfielder and then you have one of the most experienced players you could wish for, a good young talent from what I have heard and guidance for Denilson and Song. The thought of Vieira coming back has me salivating to say the least.
I believe there is something in this story, Vieira and Wenger are good friends and he is seen at the Grove a fair bit. It would suit everyones best interests and would capture the imagination of all Gooners, the leadership in the dressing room could not be underestimated either.
The stories have gradually spread from a side comment by Ian Wright, to The Sun, to a couple more tabloids and now broadsheets are picking up on it, a sign that something could happen.
I’m going to keep a open mind, but what an event it would be.
Do you think Vieira will return?
Loading ...More tomorrow.
Well, that it then. We have sold our best players and we are doomed because our manager won’t spend the 40 million we have from those transfers. On top of that, we have sold to our closest rivals who will beat us to the top four next season.
Everyone with that mindset needs to grow up. Now.
How many times do we hear the exact opposite to what we want to hear from Wenger? Does he do it because he enjoys it? No. He does it in the best interests of the club because if he revealed his targets they would be a lot more expensive the next time he was on the phone to them. So don’t expect Wenger to hold a press conference proclaiming that we will buy X to replace Toure, Y to replace Adebayor and Z because he is a wonderkid.
Before last season Wenger had done some pretty sizable deals on deadline day and that could well be what happens this time round. Remember we could have pulled off a big last day scoop last summer if the Alonso move didn’t fall through. This transfer window is going to be fully utilised by Wenger, who knows how to get deals done by the skin of his teeth. Arshavin, anyone?
Wenger is not stupid, he knows where he will need to add players and the club is bound to ensure he has a sizable transfer kitty for pure public relations reasons. At the end of the day, its not us that watch the players in training every day is it? AW knows the ins and outs of this team and he will know exactly what to do I am sure. If we use this new 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 system, the boss will know we need more depth in the defensive midfield position.
Just give him time, there is no need to worry. I have a feeling we will make a pretty big signing before the start of the Premier League season, Wenger watches players for at least a season before he buys them in many cases so he will probably have his eye on some players.
There is a rumour going around about Patrick Vieira returning to the club, either on a pay-as-you-play deal or a one year contract. In a way I would love to see him back, just because what he would be able to pass on to Song and Denilson would be invaluable. In respect to playing you have to question if he still has it in him to play at such a high level at 33-34 and a pretty shady injury record in the past two or three years. It will probably be something that carries on until there is some comment from Wenger or Paddy himself.
There have also been a few media outlets claiming that Thomas Rosicky has had a setback after the Barnet game, this is not true. Its not a re-occurrence or indeed anything serious. I have heard quite reliably its only muscle cramps, he has been going through rigorous training exercises and admitted himself that he was fit:
“I have a feeling that I am finally getting back to my usual standard of football,” he said.
“During the injury struggle I began preparing many times but it took a long time to get this far.
“I am fit, which is the most important thing now.”
Don’t listen to the sensationalism in the press, he will be fine. Its just proof he is working damn hard.
There have been a few fans that have been pretty strong in their criticism of Arsene Wenger for selling Kolo but he has admitted that he wanted out of the club six months ago, stick that in your pipes and smoke it. Is Wenger a mug now then?
Right, thats about it. More tomorrow.
First of all I want to thank Kolo for years of stellar service for the club, he lived and died by the Arsenal crest for many years and will never be forgotten. However, his time has come and gone and we need to get up and move on towards next season where it seems we are going to have to take Citeh seriously, whether we like it or not. They have signaled their intent by snaring three players from two top four teams, albeit in differing circumstances. They ain’t splashing that cash for nothing.
I can still remember a feature on Kolo Toure on Football Focus one morning many, many years ago and its one of the only real programmes I have ever seen that painted an Arsenal footballer in such a fine light. He was a true pro for us and as much as I want to say good luck to him, I hope his new team rot in the doldrums of Satan’s colon.
It seems the outpouring of Africans has left Emmanuel Eboue seeking an exit, he is very good friends with both Adebayor and Toure, after yesterdays 1-0 win over Hannover he went over to the Arsenal fans and gave his boots to a little kid and gave his shirt to the fans, I get the feeling he was waving goodbye. Florence awaits?
Again we seemed to go out in the 4-3-3 formation people were crying out for after the Champions League final in May, we set up in a formation similar to this:
======Mannone======
Eboue==TV==WG==Traore
==Song==Cesc==Denilson
NB=====RVP====Arshavin
I like it. We are re-enforced defensively by Song and Denilson who are really a good contrast, Song is good at tackling and generally getting in the way, whereas Denilson is more of a harrier who runs his arse off. This gives Cesc the freedom to pull the strings in the middle of the park and lay on passes for the likes of Arshavin, van Persie and Bendtner.
Our only goal last night can only be described as a beautiful bit of link up play by van Persie, setting Cesc Fabregas through one on one with the keeper, whom he rounded and rolled the ball home. It was a brilliant goal and the only one of the game.
Back onto the topic people will probably be thinking about the most, money. We have around 40 million smackeroonies to play with, but we can probably take around 15 million off that at least to cover the purchase of Arshavin in January. In any case, we actually have the money at the club to invest in a world class holding midfielder which we will need, especially given that Song will be of to ACN duty in January, fitness and form permitting of course.
If Eboue is on his way we will need a new utility player, or right full back cover. Sadly, there is nobody we can really promote from the youth ranks in that position, Gavin Hoyte doesn’t seem to be that highly rated by Wenger.
Something that wouldn’t surprise is a final day flurry by Arsene, however we need a midfielder before that. We have a big bank of midfielders but not in the role that is being screamed out for at the moment, in the defensive mold we only really have two, and if Arsene plans to field two at a time we are going to need depth.
Hold onto your hats ladies and gentlemen.
More tomorrow.
Afternoon everyone,
so it seems Kolo Toure will be joining Man City for any fee between 14 and 19 million quid, quite a fee for a 28 year old who has look well short of his previous quality in the last 18 months.
With Toure and Gallas not being the best of mates and also being of a similar style, something has had to give. One of them had to leave and it looks like Toure has drawn the short straw. The bloke is an Arsenal legend and is the last real contributor to our unbeaten season and astonishing 49 game unbeaten run that will never be forgotten.
Last season our defence was nothing short of shocking, every single long ball, long throw, freekick or cross was heart in mouth time, personally I never felt secure unless we were at least three goals to the good and on occasion even that was not enough. Pound for pound Gallas is the better defender and the obvious replacement for Toure in the starting eleven is Thomas Vermaelen and his contrasting style might just shore things up a bit.
Another thing that was lacking at the back last season was leadership, I am not saying that as a criticism because I think some players are natural born leaders. Gallas isn’t and neither is Toure, both are quiet on the pitch and the signing of Vermaelen, (being captain of Ajax at 20/21 stands for something), looks like Wenger has looked for a center half with aerial dominance and organisational skills. They were lacking a hell of a lot last season.
Now, I wouldn’t mind Senderos staying at all. He is quite experienced, despite still being young for a defender, Djourou is still learning and in those two we have good stand in defenders. Senderos also offers the power in the air and Djourou the pace. Silvestre is fine as fifth choice center back, nothing more than that. He is a liability.
It seems Kolo’s head was first turned my the Man Citeh millions in January and its a disappointment, at least he took his transfer request rejection on the chin and gave his everything in the last months of the season, something that he has done throughout his years at Arsenal and has made him one of our greatest defenders.
And after soon to be the second departure in ten days, Wenger has a job on his hands for the next month as he will be at least 30 million in credit, and it needs to be spend. A large portion of it does anyway. One long injury in defence and we could be getting jittery, especially as Vermaelen is only about to start his first season in English football. A defensive midfielder is a must now, and considering Song will be off to the African Nations in january/Feburary. should have been a must anyway. We have all the tools going forward but we now need to go back to the very basics, the saying ‘great teams are built from a great defence’ rings true.
With the money that Wenger now has at his disposal he can really break the shackles and signal his intent by going for a top, top class defensive midfielder. He will, as always, remain coy on his transfer activities but with two of our experienced players leaving, or set to leave, he will need to amend that.
Ray Parlour is confident the Boss will spend the money wisely, saying:
“He’s been there nine years, he knows how the team is run, he knows how the manager works and he is a very good player.
“But that’s football these days. A big bid has come in and it’s good money for Arsenal. You’re looking at £15million which is a lot of money.
“There’s a lot of centre-halves out there who you could get in for cheaper than that, who are maybe on the right side of 25 or 26.
“Arsene Wenger will be looking at centre-halves if he does go because you need four quality centre-halves, just as you need four quality centre-forwards.”
I guess we can only judge Wenger’s additions on September 2nd and his overall performance at the end of next season.
Its simple, Wenger has to buy now and there is no excuse of not having the money to spend. The 9.5 million spent on Thomas Vermaelen has been obliterated by the 25 million we received for Adebayor, and possibly the fee of around 16 million for Toure, which is way above his market value.
Another thing to note is the money that will be saved in the wages stakes, especially with Adebayor leaving. Toure would be on a fair whack too after his services over the years so there will be freedom for Wenger there too.
Armand Traore is also being pursued by Birmingham City, if VitalFootball are to be believed, a season long loan is most likely.
August is simply massive. Let the fun begin.
More tomorrow.
[UPDATE: Guardian say Kolo will fly to Manchester tonight and undergo a medical tomorrow]
Just had a peek at a few stats, mainly taken from the official site. They should know the stats if anyone does.
Niklas Bendtner has made 44 starts in an Arsenal jersey. He has made 49 appearances off the bench, bear in mind when you join a game ten minutes from time the chances of scoring are pretty low even for the top, top players.
He has scored 24 goals in total for Arsenal.
24 goals in 44 starts is a better than 1/2 ratio.
In the season he turned 21 (played the majority at 20) years of age, he scored 15 goals.
When he was predominantly 19 (season before last) he scored 9 goals. He only made 17 starts.
On top of all this he also contributes a lot of assists, along with his 9 goals in the 2007/08 campaign he contributed 7 assists.
Last season he contributed 4 assists.
At 21 years old van Persie scored 10 goals in all competitions, this was in probably the best Arsenal side of all time.
At 18 years of age Niklas scored 13 goals in the Championship. For someone of that age, that is a pretty remarkable achievement.
The guy has it all, nice technique, a brilliant header of the ball and when in-front of goal he is pretty clinical. He want through a bad spell last season but emerged from it a better player, he is more than capable of filling in the mostly offside gap that was Adebayor.
Just a little snippet for you there.
Back tomorrow.
Evening all,
bit late in blogging today as I’ve had a pretty long day and I am the proud owner of a massive headache. Its not a hangover or anything, it genuinely feels like ive been battered over the head with a crowbar.
We played a Hungarian team earlier on today named fdgjhfdoighgfhdsfug (or Szombathelyi for the purists out there). We saw Eduardo and Bendtner partner each other for the first time in pre-season and they both bagged a brace in what was a productive partnership, The only real surprise was the absence of Thomas Rosicky but he will probably play against Hannover when we step up the preparation level, Kolo Toure started despite missing the morning training session after a fitness scare. This got people worrying because with all the recent speculation surrounding him about Man Citeh, they put 2 and 2 together and came out with 50.
Anyway the final score was 5-0, contrary to the official site claiming we bagged six. Bendtner scored twice, Eduardo netted two lovely goals and van the man netted his second penalty of pre-season.
During the Carling Cup campaign of the season before last we saw the Bendtner and Eduardo partnership fairly often and you could see from the outset it had some serious potential, the two seem to complement each others games very well and it will be interesting to see it being used next season, Bendtner has been firing them in during pre-season, likewise he did last time round but he had a slow start to the campaign. Hopefully this time round he will fare better. Traore also caught the eye with another nice performance.
Keeping with the striker theme, van Persie has joined the contingent who really wouldn’t mind a new striker at the club. He said:
“It depends how the boss wants to play – with one or two strikers up front, but myself, Eduardo, Nicklas and Carlos Vela can all play the main role up front. So there are at least four options.
“However if you ask me I am not against a new player as well because it would strengthen our squad.â€
Honestly, I believe investing in a new striker should be down towards the bottom of our list because a new defensive midfielder with experience is where I think we really need to improve. One thing we have to be wary of is having too much dead wood in the squad, but also having a squad of a healthy size to support a title challenge right down to the bitter end.
Saying that, a large squad full of average players does not guarantee success. Just take a look at Hull last season, they had the biggest squad in the league.
Lee Cattermole is the latest player to be linked with us, he is known for his crunching challenges and being young n’ all that, in the media’s eye he fits the bill for a Wenger purchase. To be frank I don’t think he will be arriving at the club and especially not for the 10 million smackers he is being priced at.
Dennis Bergkamp has been speaking about how Andrey Arshavin can add his name to the Arsenal history books if he continues the breathtaking performances of last season as he embarks on his first full season with the club.
“Arshavin has every chance of becoming a favourite of the London fans,
“Arsenal found the kind of player they have been lacking.
“I hope Andrey will not rest on his laurels and will to continue to work to a higher level. Then he will become part of Arsenal’s history.
“The advice is simple but important for any player who moves to the Premier League: give everything, fight all through the game – those are the qualities that the fans fall in love with.
“In England it’s not enough to be a talented player.â€
Expectations of him are going to be very, very high going into the new season so you could almost forgive him a slow start, at the end of the day the guy is still adapting to the English game. He is probably our most influential player along with Cesc and if we are to have success next season we will be needing both at their very best because no defence could cope with them on their day.
After a few noises about AC Milan sniffing around Niklas Bendtner he made sure everyone knew he was committed to the club:
“I haven’t heard anything. As far as I know I am totally with Arsenal. This is where I want to be. This is something special and I want to be a part of it. This is the club I want to play with and it has always been that way.â€
Its sometimes hard to believe the lads still 21, there are very, very few world class strikers at the age of 21 and I really, really do think this guy can be something special in a few years. He has all the raw ingredients.
There is also good news for John Hartson who is described as ‘getting stronger’. There is one guarantee and that will be the guy will keep on fighting. Again I’d like to say I wish him all the best in his recovery fight.
Thats about all, ’till tomorrow.
Official Arsenal Guardian – Arsenal Sky Sports – Arsenal Mirror – Arsenal
