The first day of the transfer window came and past without learning anything substantial. Nasri could be on the move, or could stay. Clichy is likely to go but no announcement on that yet. Gervinho is already talking about the Arsenal despite no official confirmation. Different sources say different things about Cesc. Just one tangled mess so far.
Let’s start with Samir. We learned that Chelsea may join the bidding war for the Frenchman. Abrahmovich will likely go hard after Nasri if his club fails to sign Luka Modric. Chelsea, United, City, Milan, Inter… now all we need is Real Madrid to get into the mix.
According to The Telegraph, Nasri will meet with Wenger on Monday when training is set to begin. The two are likely to discuss salary. The club wants Nasri to settle for £90,000 a week. Samir wants £110,000 a week and Wenger to promise to strengthen the squad in the transfer market.
Where is the logic in these negotiations? Paying Samir £110,000 a week would only limit Wenger’s spending power. The modern footballer expects to be paid handsomely and assured that the manager will spend millions on transfers. This is what makes Manchester City and Chelsea so appealing to these money-grabbers.
Southampton manager Nigel Adkins stated yesterday that Arsenal have not submitted a big for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: “I think it will be interesting when it does materialise, whether it’s Arsenal or whoever starts talking to the football club.
“I think probably there’s conversations going on in the boardroom at Arsenal about players who are going to leave and maybe they would like to target.
“If Arsenal wanted to put a bid in, they’d put a bid in the right manner. This football club will then go and decide what to do with that bid – if it’s offered.”
First off, why doesn’t Adkins mind his own business? He has obviously heard the reports about the possible exits of Cesc, Nasri, and Clichy. Adkins took a snide swipe at Wenger with those comments just because Wenger is interested in his young star.
Adkins made this comments after widespread reports that Arsenal were close (or had signed) Chamberlain. How many times have we “signed” Oxlade-Chamberlain so far? Just shows you that the tabloids should be taken lightly.
Gervinho had much to say about Arsenal yesterday (telling The Sun): “I chose Arsenal because it’s a young group within which I will be able to integrate easily. I could develop more over there. There’s only a few details left to sort out.
“I’m going to Arsenal to play. The best risk to take is to look to score goals and to play a lot.
“In football you have to take risks if you want to win. I’m going to Arsenal to win.”
Hopefully, the official word comes out soon regarding Gervinho’s future. He is a talented player who could become a real compliment to RVP. This deal must already be done though, or Gervinho would not have spoken so openly about his future at the Emirates.
Nicklas Bednter’s father believes his son is attracting a lot of interest from “all the big leagues.” Thomas Bendtner (representative of Nicklas) told Sporten.dk: “There is an interest from several German clubs. I can confirm that Borussia Dortmund wish to buy.
“Unfortunately, I can’t comment if there has been any negotiations between Dortmund and Nicklas, or Dortmund and Arsenal.”
Like father like son. Thomas Bendtner thinks his son is still a superstar even though Bolton snubbed him. The faster Bendtner leaves the better.
That is the transfer wrap-up from yesterday. No huge news but some little tidbits here and there. Come Monday, we may know much more about how our club is shaping up for this season.
1 July 2011: The Arsenal world has been rocked by rumours that surfaced yesterday about the possibility of Cesc, Nasri, and Clichy leaving the Emirates. Manchester City are interested in signing both Nasri and Clichy, though Clichy is the more likely candidate to move to City. Barcelona are willing to negotiate the price of Cesc.
Let us start with Nasri. Samir is on the radar of United, City, and AC Milan. The Frenchman has drawn interest from both Manchester clubs, and now offers are ready to be submitted. Manchester City may be trying to keep Nasri away from United by offering a higher wage. Later in the day yesterday,City confirmed interest in Clichy but denied making an offer forNasri.
According to Daily Express, United and city are preparing bids for Nasri. United are believed to be offering £20 million, while City are expected to raise the takes by offering £25 million. Nothing is imminent but the interest is there.
Barcelona are again trying to pry Cesc away. They are now offering between £34 million and £37 million for our captain. Many believe that Wenger will cash in on Cesc in order to keep Nasri. This could be faulty logic because Nasri may want to leave even more if Cesc is out of the picture. Tough decisions for Wenger to make.
Clichy is set to move to Eastlands for £7 million. According to The Guardian, Arsenal and City have agreed on this fee, and now all we are waiting for is confirmation. Liverpool made an offer for £5 million but City have won the Gael Clichy bidding war. Not too sad to see him go, even though he is the last Invincible (not counting Lehmann of course).
Much of the stir was created on Twitter by Piers Morgan. He has been highly critical of Wenger this past season on his Twitter account. This sent off shock waves and hysteria among “Gooner Twitterers.” Many were even afraid of a mid-table finish and/or the exits of RVP and Wilshere.
There is no need to be driven to insanity by yesterday’s development. The only thing we really learned was that Clichy is on the verge of signing with City. The rest is all rumour for now. Wenger is not dumb. He has a plan, and, if all three go, new blood will need to be injected into the team. Wenger is excellent at evaluating talent and, if all three go (which is not imminent at this time), I am confident that Wenger can find suitable replacements.
30 June 2011: I have been meaning to address this topic. I am sure many of you have already seen the new 125th Anniversary away kit, but if you have not:
What to say about this kit… it is sort of terrible. I just do not understand why it was necessaryto use both the dark blue and light blue and separate them in this way. Arsenal.com explained the reasoning:
“The front of the new away shirt is divided into two halves, one navy blue and one turquoise blue, inspired by the away kits worn by Arsenal teams from the past. The diagonal line represents the gnomon (the pointer) which casts the shadow on a sundial – to commemorate the original Dial Square sundial on the site of the Arsenal munitions factory in Woolwich, where the Club was founded in 1886.”
The most important thing about a kit is the looks. This shirt may have a lot of history put into the design but that will not lead to higher sales. Why couldn’t they just make the entire shirt one shade of blue? Or maybe make the front light blue and back dark blue or vice-versa?
I certainly will not be purchasing this shirt but I am not all that into kits. They cost a small fortune, and a new one is released every season. In the business world, this may be considered a “rip-off.” The Arsenal hierarchy is not to blame. If people will buy new shirts every season, then a new kit will be released.
Now, I cannot wait for the reveal of the third kit. Nothing like spending the hard-earned money on a shirt that is rarely used.
Andrey Arshavin is not a fan of the new kit: “Our guest [away] uniform next season will look like jockey’s clothes.”
The promotional video and photos caused a stirwith the media. They point to the fact that Samir Nasri was involved in the shoot and Cesc was not. Apparently, clubs use these photo shoots to foreshadow what players will be sold and which we stay. I am not buying this explanation from the media. Many unknown variables are still to be determined in these transfer dealings, and it is still very early.
Maybe I will warm up to this kit if Arsenal continue their stellar away from next season. No one can argue with success, and if Arsenal win the league with this shirt on, it will be my favourite away kit in some time.
Tuesday Night:Former director Lady Bracewell-Smith believes that the current Arsenal board needs to go. Here is what she had to say today on Twitter: “I agree that current board should all go. They are passe. Have nothing more to give to the club at all. In time we will need a more dynamic pro-active, younger board, and a good directional leadership.”
Trouble in paradise, eh? It looks like Bracewell-Smith was not the best of friends with her fellow shareholders. Is this just more bitterness or does Bracewell-Smith have a point? She went on accuse the board members of sexism: “[They] couldn’t handle a woman with power on the board. Felt insecure. Male chauvinism.”
Sexism is a problem in many places in the business of football. So I do not think this “male chauvinism” is an Arsenal problem but a football problem. The comments from Keys and Gray show that sexism is an issue in football.
Lady Bracewell-Smith also blamed David Dein for the current problems at the club. She called him “the root of cause of all troubles at AFC.” It looks like someone is looking for a scapegoat. Dein could not still reek this kind of havoc because he hasn’t worked with Arsenal since 2007. Both Wenger and Henry were sad to see him leave the club.
Luckily, she changed her mind quickly on Dein saying: “I stand corrected. Dein loves the club and although sometimes personalities fall out his contribution at Arsenal has been immense.”
Dein appointed Arsene Wenger. No matter how you feel about Wenger now, it was the right decision that carried a lot of risk. No one had heard of Wenger. If there was no Dein, Wenger would never managed at Arsenal.
Bracewell-Smith wasn’t done quite yet. She had to mention Cesc Fabregas: “It is obvious he wants to go. You cannot keep a player when his heart is not in it.” With respect to Lady Bracewell-Smith, Arsene Wenger will make that decision.
Monday Morning: According to Daily Mail, Arsenal have submitted a club record offer for Valencia midfielder Juan Mata. The offer is worth £18m for the 23-year old. Some believe that Arsene is searching for a replacement for either Cesc or Nasri. If this report is true, then we know that Wenger is serious about spending this summer.
Mata usually plays on the left wing for Valencia, but he can also move into the middle. A perfect fit for either Fabregas or Nasri. Mata could be brilliant in our current system. He is similar to Nasri in that he is a clever play-maker. The Spaniard was a teammate of Cesc Fabregas on the 2010 World Cup winners.
Mata is in the very prime of his career. Wenger will have to pay, but he could get his money back if he sells Nasri and/or Fabregas and/or Bendtner. Mata has been a target of many clubs including Liverpool and Manchester City.
According to The Telegraph, Barcelona will submit an offer £31?million very soon. Earlier in the week, Barca offered £27?million for Cesc and were turned down instantly. £31?million is more in the ball park, but I would like Arsene to push for at least £40 million. Let Barcelona drown in debt because they will not get him cheap.
Fabregas is spending his summer holiday in the Barcelona region. He may not be leaving any time soon.
Lille president Michel Seydoux had this to say yesterday: “I have spoken with Gervinho and he wants to play for Arsenal next season. This is clear but now we must get an agreement between the two clubs. We have maintained contact but still the Londoners have not presented us with a formal offer.
Negotiations are ongoing but Gervinho has demanded a solution to the situation soon.”
It looks like Gervinho has demanded a transfer to Arsenal. Of course, do not believe anything until the official announcement. Remember a few weeks ago when it was reported that Gervinho would be signed within a 48-hour period. Do not expect that but do expect Gerinho to be an Arsenal player by the start of the season.
Saturday Morning: There is a perception out there that Wenger will hold on to Cesc until Nasri makes a decision on his contract. Arsene will wants to keep at least on of these two stars. It appears Wenger would prefer to sign Nasri and then deal with Barcelona. So the question is: Who would you rather have?
Cesc Fabregas is the better player. He plays in the middle of the park and is more vital to the attack than Nasri. Arsene can sign some youngster from the France to replace Nasri in a minute. Eden Hazard could be available. Gervinho looks very close to making a move to the Emirates.
A central player is more important than an outside player in football. Always has. Doesn’t mean there are not fantastic wingers around, but they are more common. A centre half is more important than a left back, and a foward is more important than a winger. This is why Cesc will be the bigger loss if he goes to Barcelona.
On the other hand, Cesc really wants to play for Barca. Nasri, according to general consensus, is just looking for a higher wage. Samir may not be serious about leaving the club. Sure, he has courted Manchester United, but now they have a bevy of wingers. Fabregas has stated his love for Barca in the past.
Worst case scenerio: Nasri is sold this summer and Cesc forces his way out in Januaray or next summer. Best case scenerio: Nasri is signed to an extension on his contract and Cesc loses interest in Barca, or Barca loses interest in Cesc.
This summer should be about trimming the fat off the squad. I am talking about Denilson, Bendtner, Almunia, etc. Selling relatively young stars like Nasri and Cesc would signal a decline in the squad.
When the Invincibles were dissembled, many were no longer as effective. Vieira and Henry had a couple more competent seasons but Wenger cashed in a the right time. Cesc and Nasri, if sold, could go on to leave a bigger legacy at another club. This is not what we want, and it will certainly not attract top talent to the Emirates.
I am interested in your opinion because I am truly conflicted. Should we sell Cesc, Nasri, both, or neither? Please give thoughtful reasons to back up your claim.
In other news, rumours continue to swell regarding a number of players. Phil Jagielka has joined Samba and Cahill in Wenger’s search for defensive stability. Any of these three men would signal improvement. We will likely hear more about all three of them as we head into July and Arsene considers his options.
According to Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini, attacking midfielder Ricardo Alvarez has singed with Arsenal (told to Radio Kiss Kiss): “At this moment he (Alvarez) has already signed for the Gunners.
“We did have a concrete bid for Alvarez and had him in our grasp back in January. Unfortunately, we didn’t complete the move in time, so we lost him to Arsenal.”
We will have to wait for official confirmation but I don’t think a club president would lie about this. I don’t know much on Alvarez because he plays in Argentina. Some have billed the the 23-year old as the new Cesc Fabregas. Alvarez may get a chance to prove himself if Cesc moves on.
Friday Morning: Arsenal have rejected an offer from Barcelona of £27 million for Cesc Fabregas. This offer is lower than Barca’s £35m last summer. Wenger wants to hold on to Cesc and why would a lower offer change his mind. This isfurther proof that Barcelona are losing interest in Cesc due to their financial ‘problems.’
Reports all across the board confirm this story. No rumours here. If you ask Barcelona, Cesc Fabregas is not worth Andy Carroll money. Possibly this is just a negotiation ploy with the first offer being the lowest. It could just be a desperation offer from Barcelona. Really isn’t too surprising though.
Barcelona do not need Cesc and Wenger isn’t going to hand him over for relatively ‘cheap.’ Remember the words of Barcelona president Sandro Rossell from my previous post. He has stated that Cesc is not as valuable as Arsenal management seem to believe. Rossell also said that Barca will not improve their offer of £35m.
More and more is seems that Cesc will continue on as a Gunner. Everyone expected, some prepared, for him to leave. Sure, he wants to go, but you can’t always get what you want. Barcelona are not willing to pay his worth, and Wenger will not sell him for anything less.
Despite constant pleas from Barcelona players and management, Cesc has so far decided not to force his way out. It is the noble thing to do but will he continue to speak well of our club. If he was criticizing Wenger and openly asking for a move, he would probably be on his way to the Nou Camp. Let’s hope it doesn’t get ugly.
In other news, Carlos Vela’s agent had this to say yesterday (told to ESPN Radioformula): “I have had eight conversations with Arsenal, the most recent was last Friday, and Carlos is an Arsenal player, he will stay at Arsenal and is not for sale.
“The process with Carlos is a little bit slow.”
A “little but slow” indeed. Vela is a player who hasn’t really developed the way Wenger had wanted him to. I would not lose any sleep if Vela was sold, but what is the difference. Many are calling for Vela to be sold but what would we get for him. He didn’t really succeed at West Brom. Maybe a middling La Liga side would welcome his presence but I don’t see major interest.
Christopher Samba has asked Blackburn to let him progress his career (told to skysports.com): “For four-and-a-half years I have been at Blackburn and fought against relegation.
“If a good opportunity presents itself, I want to take it. I hope the club will understand if I want to make the step up and not prevent a deal.”
Samba really needs to join our club. He is the perfect fit with his leadership abilities and his toughness. Of course, Samba is also a skilled defender but all our defenders have ‘skills.’ He provides so much more.
Tuesday Morning: Alisher Usmanov has increased his stock in Arsenal Football Club. Barcelona have set a limit on how much they are willing to spend on Cesc Fabregas. Adel Taraabt and Joey Barton are both reportedly on Arsene’s radar.
Usmanov is not ready to concede to Stan Kroenke. News broke yesterday that Usmanov has increased his stake in Arsenal from 27% to 29%. This means that it is very unlikely that Stan Kroenke will be able to complete the full takeover. Seems like Usmanov is holding out hope on someday running Arsenal.
If Usmanov is anything, he is determined. Determined to beat Kroenke and show that money gets what money wants. Other shareholders decided to sell their shares to Kroenke instead of Usmanov even though Usmanov offered more cash than the American.
That should tell you all you need to know about Usmanov. No one really wanted to leave the club in his hands. Now maybe it was just the lesser of two evils. Kroenke is involved in a ton of other ventures so how much time and cash is he willing to spend with Arsenal.
According to Goal.com, Barcelona will not increase their previous offers for Cesc Fabregas. Here is what Barcelona president Sandro Rosell had to say: “I do not know if we will sign Cesc or not. I have no doubt he is keen to come to Barca. We have offered less than €40 million [£35m] and if Arsenal do not yield, well then Cesc will not come.”
Wenger will not sell him for that price. Unless Cesc demands a move, I really do not see him leaving this summer. He is still under contract and seems in no hurry to leave. Wenger wants to hang on to his captain. Unless Barca are willing to dazzle Wenger with an offer (and I don’t think they are), then Cesc will stay with us for at least another year.
“I had contact with Arsenal and Chelsea, but it is a little muddled [difficult]. Arsenal have not yet sold [Cesc] Fabregas, and as for Chelsea, they do not yet have a coach, so we will see.”
Taraabt did hint at the fact that he would fit in Cesc’s role. Fabregas did not have a great season but that doesn’t mean that Adel Taraabt, a former Spurs player, is a suitable replacement. Taraabt moved to Rangers after an unsuccessful three-year stint with Tottenham. He was able to score 19 goals with Rangers to help earn them promotion but a player has to prove himself in the top division before he can replace one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
According to various sources, Arsene Wenger has contacted Newcastle over Joey Barton. Barton is disgusted at Newcastle for selling Kevin Nolan to West Ham, and Barton will likely move on as well. This story is very surprising. Maybe Barton would improve the team but I really do not want to root for him. Mainly because I really, really hate Barton and his antics. He really knows how to keep it classy.
Monday Morning: Barcelona have already contacted Arsenal regarding Cesc Fabregas but have yet to submit an offer. As you can see, I redesigned the site. In other news, Blackburn are trying to hold on to Samba despite interest from Wenger. Gervinho still hasn’t signed despite widespread reports saying he would very soon.
Let’s tackle the Cesc story first. According Peter Hill-Wood, Barcelona have been in contact over Fabregas (told to the Sunday Mirror): “Yes, they have spoken to us about Cesc. They have been in touch, but so far they have not made a bid and we do not want to let him go.
“But he comes from Barcelona so it is understandable if he wanted to go back. However, they have not made an offer so far.” The question is whether Barca will be able to meet the astronomical asking price. Wenger should not sell Cesc for anything less because the Spaniard will not force his way home.
Barcelona are in a race to comply with the new financial fair play rules. The best team in the world is not the richest team in the world. Barca pay the highest wages in the world and that is why all their homegrown players stick around instead of moving to Madrid, Chelsea, or any other super wealthy club.
Cesc is not a dire need for Pep Guardiola. While Xavi is still in his prime, Cesc will not start, which is exactly the way it is on the national team. The upper management of Barca have already stated that they will not overpay for Cesc. With reported bid of €28 million for Alexis Sanchez, will Barca even have the funds to be in the discussion?
The Clock End has a new design, and I am anxious to see how it is received. I felt like the site needed a simpler design that displayed the entire post on the front page. Please leave your thoughts on the design in the comment section.
Blackburn want to keep their captain Christopher Samba. After selling fellow centre back Phil Jones to Manchester United, it is understandable that Blackburn want to keep him. Here is what chairman Anuradha Desai told the Mail on Sunday:
“We don’t want to let Chris go. I’m confident that we can keep him and I hope he’ll stay. I know he has an ambition to play for Arsenal but I hope we can keep him for another year at least and prove our own ambition.”
Samba is 27-years old and he has a decision to make: Does he want to advance his career and play in the Champions League for a top club? Or does he want to stay loyal to Blackburn as their experienced captain? Blackburn will probably accept the cash and it may be up to Samba.
I believe Samba would better serve us at this time than Gary Cahill. Cahill is younger but we need someone with natural leadership and Samba fits the bill. He really commands the penalty on set pieces and shot-blocking monster. Cahill would be an improvement, but Samba could really turn this back four into a solid unit.
Many reports last week claimed that Wenger was 48-hours away from signing Gervinho. Where have we heard that one before? In my post on Thursday, I got a bit carried away with the optimism. Remember that nothing is ever certain until it is posted up on the official Arsenal website. Because if you believe the tabloids, we would have already signed about ten players by now.
Arsenal’s 2011-2012 Premier League fixtures have been announced. We will open the season at St James Park. I don’t think the FA make this stuff up. Everyone remembers the fall from grace last time we played at Newcastle. Oh, how I would love to see the boys shred Newcastle to pieces just to show how the team has changed since last season.
What a tough start to the season it is for us! Newcastle away, followed by a weekday Champions League qualifier, then Liverpool at the weekend, followed by another weekday European match, then a trip to Old Trafford. August will be the very difficult, especially if Wenger signs players that are new to the Premier League (Gervinho) and/or Champions League (Samba, Cahill, Gervinho).
We need to get off to a good start because August could be our toughest month of the season, depending, of course, on how far we advance in competitions. Until then, Wenger must improve this team that ended on such a sour note. A lot of work will need to be done in less than two months.
Nasri (and his agent) must like to keep themselves in the news. Here is what the Frenchman had to say yesterday: “There is not much to say, apart from don’t listen to all the rumours.
“Earlier in the season I spoke with the boss and we said we would talk during the summer, which is what we are going to do.”
No one needs to panic. We are still early in the summer. Arsene Wenger may be taking a tiny, little break before getting down to buisness. Many news outlets (ESPN) have read too far into this quote. They are publishing these quotes under the headline: “Wenger Has Not Talked With Nasri.” What people will do to sell papers and get hits on their website.
Everyone has to remember that Nasri is not a native English speaker. Even if these quotes were translated from French, something may have been lost in translation. Why do people need to read so much into quotes? More from Nasri: “I feel we had the best squad and played the best football. If the boss adds some good players, I really believe a trophy will be won.”
Now that doesn’t sound like a player trying to leave. However, he isn’t right. We did not have the best squad. On paper, the best squad would be either of the cash cows (Chelsea, Man City). Our back four really lacked in quality and that is what held us back from being the top squad.
Of course we play the best football. We have a French manager and not an Italian. When we get a lead, we do not fold up like a deck of cards like Mancini’s men. Our approach is not always the best, but at least we can take pride in it. Fair play to Manchester City. They won the FA Cup their way. We want to win our way.
”
