Happy the day after the no blog day. Sorry about that, all. Myself and grabs both found ourselves inconvenienced around the UK yesterday. We hope you didn’t find it too traumatic an experience.
Also Happy New Year to you all, on the off chance that there is anybody reading this and not swimming in afterbeer, I salute you, and apologise for the random and gossipy nature of all things Arsenal.
However, since this blog was established to bring you the finest in eloquent Arsenal twaddle on a daily basis, it would be rude not to say something.
The feeling for Arsenal fans today, as all chaotic hell begins to unleash, is something like being on a small Caribbean island with no boat as a hurricane slowly approaches. For the time being it’s quite calm and pleasant, and there’s a miniature umbrella in your drink, but the winds and rain are starting.
Only in this case the winds and the rain are transfer stories and wild speculation about the future of Arsenal players.
The big news is that Kolo Toure has apparently had a transfer request turned down by the board. A very strange story given what we know of Kolo, but perhaps not surprising. He must feel a bit like he’s lost his mojo at Arsenal, and centre backs are such funny players – rock solid one minute and then not the next.
You can see why we wouldn’t want him to leave, but at the same time how many players that you know want out can you afford to have on your side at any moment? Mind you we super-really can’t afford to have Toure and Gallas go at the same time, so perhaps the refusal is holding out to see if Gallas goes. If he doesn’t then maybe the board will feel better about letting Kolo follow his heart.
Other than that it’s the usual codswallop about people coming and going, none of which I’m prepared to take too seriously. The newspapers have begun doing their thing where they put little boxes for every club talking about who needs to be bought and sold.
None of them say anything interesting, although I wonder if the fact that every newspaper is now linking us with Arteta is anything to do with Arseblogger’s championing of him the other day. Journalists are not a hard-working bunch, as a rule, and around Christmas time they are particularly lazy (does it frustrate anyone else how crap newspapers are around this time?), so it wouldn’t surprise me at all.
I for one am still hoping we buy a wide player as well as a central player (and possibly now a defender too). But not Arshavin. Too expensive, and too bad.
The other funny thing is how they all claim Manchester City have unlimited money to spend, which just isn’t true. No matter how much oil they might have, these guys are not going to simply chuck unlimited cash at the team, particularly not at Mark Hughes. They’ll buy some players, certainly, but I’m not sure it’ll be as wild as everyone seems to think. The price of oil has fallen dramatically of late, too, and everyone’s feeling a bit more careful about that sort of thing.
The other story is that Wenger will go to Madrid. Not a chance in France, if you ask me, which is somewhat ironic because one of the few other jobs Arsene might take is the France national team. He’d hate the lack of control at Real – he can do whatever he wants at Arsenal, even if sometimes it seems like it’s not what the fans want. But it’s a good scare story.
Have a good day off.
Tags: Andrei Arshavin, Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Cesc Fabregas, mikel arteta
January 1st, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Happy new year all the best to you and this wonderful blog!
I never miss reading your blog but hardly comments (1%)
Arsenal’s board did the right thing to reject Kolo’s transfer request, we need to add more players not to lose the existing ones + Kolo is a great defender that lost his form, was brilliant againts Villa but dropped again because as we know Wenger won’t drop Gallas. French Connection I guess
Happy new year again and cheers!!
January 1st, 2009 at 2:25 pm
i can see why why toure would want to leave, despite his well-known love for the club. gallas has a strop, loses his capatiancy but retains his place; and poor kolo who has never rocked the boat once at arsenal is on the bench.
you can see why, kolo and william are too similar…
but if i was kolo, i’d be pissed!!!
the last of the invinceables is gone! goody.
January 1st, 2009 at 2:34 pm
OUT:
Kolo: half the player he once was, shoddy defender now, and wants to leave anyway
Gallas: burnt his bridges already, and Wenger hasn’t forgiven him, freshening up needed at the back
Bendtner: Unreal talent, shitty attitude and super poor output.
Adebayor: Arrogant, can’t finish in a month of sundays.
Eboue: Still plays shockingly bad passes even when the crowd are fully behind him.
In:
Upson
Diakhate
N’zogbia
Kalou
Arteta
January 1st, 2009 at 2:49 pm
To be completely honest i dont think selling Gallas and Toure would be so bad after all, aslong as we replace Gallas with a topclass centre half, and replace toure with a squad player. Cause when everyone is fit, Toure is 4th choice anyway??
Tetley, No need to sell Adebayor. When Eduardo comes back there will be more competition for the spots and that should get him going, or he would have to start enjoying the bench.
However i have a feeling that wenger will buy a player with great character, possibly a player who is a captain at his club at the moment. If Gallas leaves, we have no leadership at all!! Dont get me wrong Fabregas will be a great captain in the future, but having played football myself you always look up to the older players for advice etc. I can’t really see Adebayor going to Cesc for advice?
I think Wenger will go after Kalou again. And he better get a def mid. regardless if gallas goes, he needs to get a centre half. I would really like if he went for Lescott, he can play in the centre or on the left. He always gives it all on the pitch along with a handfull of goals a season.
Another thing i wondered. Why aren’t we going for the players that openly say that they want to play for us?
im thinking about Richards, Young etc? i understand that we might not have the funds, but maybe we could get Richards for Toure + cash?
January 1st, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Kalou, eh?
Interesting. Perhaps a bit expensive?
Richards for Toure + cash is another intriguing one. Not clear if Citeh are going to be a selling club at the moment, but could happen. Could see Richards fitting in ok, but he’s gone off the boil a bit.
January 1st, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Get rid of Gallas and use that money to find a new defender. Its that simple. His ego is destroying the team.
January 1st, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Love Kolo, but if you have to go, you have to go. We cannot force a player to stay and if we do it will just turn into sour grapes. I think you are absolutely wrong Tetley saying Kolo is a shoddy defender and half the player he was. The same could have been said of Sol when right before he left and he turned out to be one of last season’s best defenders with Pompey. After being at a club so long it some times only takes a new environment to rediscover your love of the game. Perhaps it is Kolo’s time at Arsenal. He’s been a very able servant of the club and maybe needs new direction now. For 10M we could find as well of a defender and have left over to put to our “Save our CL spot” fund.
January 1st, 2009 at 9:43 pm
am being blunt,Yes.
sell toure,bendter,gallas,use silvestre as gift.buy. three defenders of good class with one attacking midfielder also at the flanks,a defensive mindful midfielder,a good striker.i am not going to name names.scouts get out there and do your job¤