It is very rare these days that we see an Arsenal player with a genuine connection to the club. A local lad, someone who has known Arsenal all their life, and not just from the start of their footballing education. When Lansbury scored against Spurs last season everybody could see what it meant to him – he is Arsenal born and bred – and suggestions of letting him go without giving him a decent chance in the first team would be typical of the youth project in recent years.
Players like Denilson and Diaby get chance after chance. Arsene would argue that they have talent. Guess what, so does Lansbury, and his connection to the club could be just the thing to get that extra 10% from him – the 10% more than the probably more naturally gifted Diaby would give, or the lackluster Denilson.
When a squad is being assembled you need a mixture of technical excellence, physical presence and grit. Lansbury, whilst not ticking the first two boxes, would almost certainly fill the latter. Football is about passion and there is nothing more passionate than a local lad doing well at his local football team.
The departure of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas may be used as a way of sending a message to the current youngsters at Arsenal. Whilst incredibly gifted, his head is not quite as sharp as his feet and he has paid the price. His £1.1m move to Ipswich town could well be a brilliant bit of business for them, but he certainly needs to show more application than he has done at Arsenal. Wenger offered him a flavour of the first team with sub appearances early on in the season, it obviously didn’t seem to whet JET’s appetite adequately enough from the viewpoint of the boss. A shame, yes, but not a departure that I really care about.
When talking about Henri a while ago Wenger said this:
“I like his attitude, his spirit, his mental strength”
These are three qualities that you could question the team missed at vital times last season, selling Lansbury would be going against his own words – Wenger is not only looking for quality in this transfer window, he is looking to galvanize his squad with qualities. To use a Wengerism, why spend money on these things when you have them at the club already?
Many a comparison has been made with Ray Parlour and you can see why, both a hard working players to make up for their lack of natural ability compared to more technically advanced team-mates – Lansbury would know what Arsenal means, he could also identify with the club as a fan. That in modern football is priceless.
It would be worth giving Lansbury his chance. At least if he lacks the real cutting edge quality to make it at a Champions League club he would give 100%. Can you say that of players who got a much better shot in his place?
I doubt that very much.
if wenger lets lansbury go, he will prove that he really doesnt understand what is lacking in today’s team – mental strength and a willingness to fight 110% in every situation, for 90 minutes, in every single game.
Sorry mate, but this blog has just sank into the depths of sensationalist bullshite.
You are chatting gash yet again.
I really hope lansbury, but if he is good enough he will get a chance. This season could well see him come into the 1st team reckoning.
The fact is that unoriginal and populist blogs resort to these cringe worthy and lazy irrational pieces, lashing out with no real focus or research.
You are chatting shite basically
Bit harsh with the Parlour comparison. Henri is definitely more naturally and technically gifted than the Romford Pele and indeed most other English youngsters in his age group.
Sid: How am I hitting out at anyone? I’m not criticising Wenger just asking why Lansbury shouldn’t get his chance.
I’m not being at all sensationalist.
Too bloody right. Spot on , correct. If he goes it will be the last straw for Monsieur Wenger.
after Henri’s tweet last night, i felt disheartened…i believe this stuff should also come out in meetings with Gazidis…i mean this boy plays with heart for god’s sake…only player last season that played with heart was Jack…it’s time to exploit these qualities…although, i believe he could have made it already if he didn’t get injured last season during pre-season and this season giving a holiday in the pre-season didn’t help his case either…he’s go the same engine and probably better tech abilities than Frimpong tho…should be looked at…Arsenal fans need to be more vocal on this issue-giving lackluster foreigners chance after chance and not giving these local boys a real chance at all….
I couldn’t agree more. It was interesting so see Henri at the Euro U21s, where he was more exciting, dynamic, worked harder and probably technically better than Henderson, and we all know how much he cost.
With Denilson leaving, I hope there is space in the squad ahead of the likes of Rosicky and Diaby in the pecking order. At least for a few chances at the first team.
hi
share your fears
let’s hope we’re wrong, we need the grit of players like Henri
“The fact is that unoriginal and populist blogs resort to these cringe worthy and lazy irrational pieces, lashing out with no real focus or research.”
Sid , it’s easy to see, it’s the first time u’ve read the goon blog…
too right, some are saying it is because he is in the last year of his contract but so is nasri and we are keeping him!
his contract expires in 12 months and will not sign an extension. This is why he will be sold
it it true though, that if wenger lets lansbury go without giving him so much as a sniff of the first team, he has lost it.
i agree with every single word ive just read. i cant begin to believe that wenger would consider letting him leave, even more so with the news that JET has left for ITFC but at the same time it wouldnt surprise me either! for me, lansbury should be ahead of rosicky at the very least, denilson has gone so if he cant force his way into the 1st team now, this season…i dont think he ever will which will lead to the inevitable….him being sold
GIVE HIM HIS CHANCE WENGER!!!!
I would be very disappointed if Lansbury was sold this close season, I’d love to see him have a proper season of chances, not every game for the whole game but cameo appearances. He feels like the new Ray Parlour, not necessarily great at everything, but all round useful.
And on a side note, Sid, wtf??
he has been told he has no future at the club
probably a nationality thing
i totally agree..a team of talent alone can not succeed in England you need the grit and steel and I believe henry has that in him. I see him playing the DM or CM role…I hope wenger does not let him go. I was hoping he could be in the emirates cup but u21 tournament and an apparently injury has limited his chance again.
As much as you think he is Arsenal born and bred I am afraid you are wrong — he was brought up in a chav house. I went to school with his Dad.
All winning teams have squad players like Lansbury. Wenger is letting his ideals on technical excellence blind his thinking.
I agree wholeheartedly with what you have said – he deserves a chance of integrating with the first team squad. He has all the ingredients that you stated and to be fair to him I think you have thoroughly undersold the guy in terms of his technical ability – he definitely has a good passing range and isn’t afraid of a shot. Unlike the dperated Denilson I wouldn’t envisage that you would ever see Lansbury overtaken by the referee whilst supposedly, tracking back !!
I don’t understand this whole Lansbury isn’t that “technically gifted” bollocks. The fella is almost the SAME as Steven Gerrard. When has anyone questioned his technique? A couple of the lads passes last year were inch perfect, not to mention the control and skill he has along with, what I consider, a very robust frame. He isn’t small, or delicate. Great squad player. Probably the only player who if let go, I will rue, when comparing to the current squad.
Well written, agree to everything. Not bad to use as a backup to Walcott or to defend a lead to start with.
Arse&Nose has left two comments on here that perfectly expose Wenger for the phony that he is!!! He claims he doesn’t go by passports when acquiring and giving chances to players but there is no chance in hell he could deny that he has his clear favourites. I will add no more as what needs to be said has already been said on many Arsenal blogs today! The only consolation i have is that you can actually see the tide turning against Wenger. Used to idolise that man. Now i just can’t wait til he’s inevitably forced out!!!!
I agree, Henri is technically very able, to say he doesn’t have these things is an insult to a bright talent, he may lack that vision of say Cesc of Jack, or the twinkle-toes of Nasri. Lets not forget, Parlour also had his own ability, the European hat-trick, and the “it’s only Ray Parlour” goal v Chelsea. And is is THAT why i think Henri is being compared to Romford Ronaldo. Therefore, it would b fitting folllowing denilsons departure to give Lansbury the number 15!
Lansbury has played well at almost every opportunity for a good while, at Norwich, and when called on by the u-21′s, sadly managed by a clueless muppet who shouldn’t be anywhere near young players.
Tim Payton on twitter is completley wrong, the test isn’t would we buy him if he played for someone else, we wouldn’t have bought Song or a myriad of players who have come through to slot into the first team. Barca wouldn’t have bought Busquets, they moulded him and saw the asset he could be.
Yes we need more quality for the squad, that means Denilson, Diaby, Vela, Eboue and maybe Rosicky out, buy quality in and reduce the squad size, and give Lansbury and Frimpong the chance to challenge.
Look at United for God sake, Park, O’Shea, Browne, all supplement the team and stuck around because they had the desire and the attitude.
We should be promoting our home grown talents and bring them along. What we have already has failed. Get rid of the failures, replace with smaller numbers and promote the Academy and other players who are hungry and love the club and have it in their veins.
The United players fringe players do. Ours should to.
Arsenal have already turned down a bid of £1.5m from Norwich. I dont think Henri is going anywhere, Henri is in the same batch of 20 year olds, that will have to be included in the 25 man squad, as JET was. The others are Szcezney, Hoyte, Murphy, Eastmond and Ramsey. Chezzer and Rambo are nailed on to be in the 25, Murphy is already on his way and if they were not injured i think Hoyte and Eastmond would be too. Wenger is now concentrating on the next batch, Watt, Sunu, Coquelin, Bartley, Shea and Henderson. Shea has already gone on loan for the season and i think Watt & Bartley will soon. Sunu & Coquelin will probably take a loan as soon as they are back from the World Cup & Henderson will too if his injury is not serious.
glad you started with the fact that he is not technically gifted. that did not seem to be consensus when he played last year. i was at a loss as to the fan fare around him. if he is going to play with grit and passion, i agree we need people like that.
how diaby is still at the club is beyond me. the fact that he was an amazing youth player and got crocked is a shame but for 2 or 3 years he has been perpetually injured and terrible when he plays. he needs to go.
whether lansbury can step up and claim a spot is not my patch. i agree with your premise, we need passion and grit. whether he is up to the task is wenger’s decision.
Totally agree with Tommusso. I think it’s crazy to say he isn’t technically gifted. Ok he lacks the technique and vision of Jack, but he brings something else to the team. To call Diaby more gifted than him depends on your definition of the word “gifted”. Diaby has a decent dribble(which works sometimes), and is powerful, but I can’t see what else he offers. He’s lazy, is selfish and always looks for the ball. Doesn’t offer much movement off the ball. Ok Henri can’t really dribble past 5 players at once, and in that sense you could say he isn’t very gifted, but he seems like an intelligent lad who knows how to time his runs really well. He has decent vision and offers great movement which is essential for the likes of jack and ramsey etc instead of standing around waiting for the ball. To top it off, he’s hard working as well. In my book, he’s extremely gifted and I’m sure he’ll make it.
I’m sorry, this post does smack a bit of sensationalism. It’s so like the media to bash wenger before anything even happens. Why are you getting on the same bandwagon? He did give a chance in the CC didn’t he? I don’t think Henri wanted to wait for more chances last year, and opted to go on loan to Norwich. Let’s wait and see if AW thinks he’s ready this year to feature more regularly. I would’ve expected to see him at the start of the season with all the injuries/departures in midfield if he hadn’t played in the u21 euros. Let’s just wait and see now. Until then enjoy this video of this “gifted” arsenal ledge, the romford pele!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_poHA8KZt0
Allowing Lansbury to leave is criminal, this lad is Arsenal. Why does the club spend millions on an academy if the boys are never given a chance. Brady needs to have serious words with Arsene, this is demoralising to all at the academy.
I agree with Tommusso, he has plenty of ability and technique. When he came on as sub in the Under 21 tournament the quality of play in the team went up significantly. His passing was on a different level to any of the other players in the England team.
I have to agree this is a sensationalist dissapointing article maybe more suited to The Sun or Star, Who has said Lansbury will be allowed to leave?
He is late into pre season because he was with the under 21′s, It is most unlikely he will be allowed to leave without being given a chance,he could do no more than he did last year with Norwich they would have him back in a heartbeat so if he were going they would have him signed up already,
Expect to see Lansbury playing for Arsenal this year.
lansbury has a long way to go and im not even sure if he has what it takes to deserve a spot ahead of a number of other up-and-coming arsenal players. agree hes got the passion but so what.
Oh my God, some of the replies on here are absolutely hilarious.
“Lansbury is Arsenal”
“If Lansbury is sold then I’m afraid it’s the last straw for Monsieur Wenger”
Hahaha. What a disgraceful bunch of idiots some of you are.
stupid to compare daiby an denlison if d kid was good enuf he wuda played… just look at wilshere
Martin great post. Sid please read properly before you slag off those, who are not only passionate but intelligent. I write every week for http://www.gunnersphere.com and to write a good and worthwhile blog takes time, thought and talent. Martin and I hope I have this and Sid you do not. Lansbury should not be sold and should be given a squad place or should be given the opportunity like JW19, at Bolton as part of loan deal sweetener which sees Cahill come to N London.
daveseager66
I hate that you took the “local” angle in the article, I don’t care where he comes from, but I agree we need fighters in the squad (the last one we had was flamini and I’d rather have him in the side than any other player in that position), and from what I’ve seen of him (lansbury) I would be devastated if he weren’t given a chance at arsenal.
Same goes for coquelin, though. Both deserve a chance, and I think both can bring that much needed attitude to the squad.
Disappointed with all the bashing of diaby. The guy has improved massively over the past couple of seasons. He works very hard defensively and puts his foot in now. He’s actually becoming a bit of a beast of a CM/DM, but he still has that problem of dallying on the ball, which he needs to get over. Apart from that I think he’s finally becoming a really solid player.
Dont you guys get it, Lansbury has refused to sign a new contract offered to him!!! How can we keep a player who departs next year on a free? We wont do that even with Samir Nasri then why for Lansbury?
The board are giving wenger enough rope to hang himself
Stop with this useless stuff and tell us what your so called sources say about Mata link…
lansbury at least deserves a chance and with all the money we are going to get from the sale of cesc we can stump up 20 mill for mata quite easily thats what hes worth, it would be cuntish of wenger not to pay for a player of his quality who would certainly fill us with hope but im afraid it is gary cahill all over again, he just wont pay
agreed with everything martin. an aspect of wenger I quite never liked.
BTW can u give us some info on whether mata is really being discussed again? Last time u said that there wasn’t any movement regarding him.
Are we truely on the verge of signing juan mata?.
Sitting here with 4 of todays newspapers all of whom claim we have signed mata or are in the process of putting the final touches to the deal.Was in town today cleaning the windows of a dozen or so shops and when i was close to the paper shop i rushed in to get them.Near got run over a few times on way back to car as i started reading the back pages.Hope to the good lord above its true.Us gooners need a big lift and the club owe us and themselves a few big signings.Got a feeling this gervinho boy is a bit special.