Saturday 9 July 2011

Arsenal's transfer heartbreak sources

Morning gooners.

With the transfer windows just 8-days old, alot has happened with manchester united the most active big side in England, our dear Arsenal still have youngstar carl jenkinson as our only official signing and if we've got so much news about gervinho's medicals and signing for days, i wouldn't doubt we'll have to wait till the end of august, with our ears stuck on the phone and radios to know who will end up at the emirates. Its no surprise that the big four in England haven't been very active except for the red devils and recently, their arch rivals, as it is more difficult to buy a player if you are a premiership team.

First, the confirmation of new signing anthony pilkington by newly-promoted norwich city proves benik afobe can be good for a premiership side, though a low one, where he can go on-loan and gain more experience. Pilkington was one of afobe's several young team-mates at huddersfield.

The transfer window has been sending a lot of mixed feelings around europe but i must say its quite a sad one at arsenal as its been a tale of not adding and not holding-on to what you have. I've bordered my reasons for summer heartbreaks into 3 sources.

At arsenal, the board and the manager are the primary source as its evident from the gervinho deal how slow we can be to sign a player who simply wants to play for arsenal(not tott or milan). We lost out securing alvarez to inter and we are having a crisis due to the lack of ambition and depth in the team. It seem the board are alone on the "in arsene we trust" front and maybe in return the manager have his trust in them. I have absolutely no trust in the board and the one i have for wenger is drying fast, as his reactions this summer has been too timid. The team crumbled towards the end of last season, showing the need to reinforce, i.e a call for quick response to what the team lacks and maybe we won't be looking at too many players wanting to leave at the same time. Now i really doubt it that the board and manager do have as much faith in us the fans.
Nasri and Fabregas has been a secondary source of heartbreak this summer as they are two of our very few best at arsenal and as sad as it is to see clichy go, its not has unpleasant as if we lose there pair. Fabregas at the back of several years at arsenal has always wanted to go back to barca because its his childhood team but also because he wants to win, he's home-sick and tired of the home fans booing his team. What a heartbreaking situation, it still leaves us devastated to know le captain won't be with us next term(terrible things happen to good people). Nasri on the otherhand has had a good one-season in his third season, and he's all gaga about not winning a trophy and not having a team with depth and ambition to win and contest. This lad has no doubt done great things and left great things on the lips of the football world but he's fast burning a bridge that has taken him this far. He's no doubt such a heartbreaking prick and now i ain't surprised gallas had a go at him and doesn't talk to the bunch of kids we have in the team. I remember negotiating his contracts took as much time back then, so whether he stays or move on, he's such a prick.
I'll classify the tertiary source of heartbreak into the newspapers and the reactions of other clubs to our transfer bids. I have little to say about the newspaper as they are just doing their job but its difficult not to point out that they've been working too hard on arsenal making them a real threat of heartbreak. I was going through a list of confirmed transfers and a couple of names we went for last summer caught my attention. Our bids for former montpellier defender emir spahic was turned down just for him to move to sevilla for a little more than 2 million euros while italian goalkeeper emiliano viviano moved to inter for 4million euros. In my opinion, the premiership being the best and richest league in the world calls for extra funds if a player is heading that way, especially when dealing with the big four.

Knowing Fabregas would end us in barca this summer, our best deal in my own opinion is that we let our captain on the next bus to barca, and return with afellay+maxwell+cash and if possibly mata(though thats valencia, saving extra cash on transportation as minimal spending is an arsenal legacy). The rest should be left for England to case for as i think cahill not samba(because of the AFCON) would help the team. Other additions might include oxlade, barton(though unlikely, but why not have a tormentor)and the almost signed gervinho.

The pre-season is about to start and i can't wait to see the red and white colour. I know whatever we parade, i'll still be cheering, humming "arsenal, we on your side".

Till then.

Sunday 3 July 2011

Its no more news that cesc won't be at the emirates next season, but whether nasri will be or not is yet to be known. Though i regard clichy moving away as just another transfer, though, i'd really like to see him stay.

Apart from these group, the other likely departees includes almunia, eboue, squillaci, denilson and bendtner which leaves us with a squad that looks like this
Gk szcsesny fabianski
Rb sagna JENKINSON
Lb GIBBS TRAORE
Cb koscielny djourou
Cb vermaelen IGNASIO
Dm song COQUELIN
Cm wilshere diaby
Am arshavin RAMSEY
Rwf walcott LANSBURY
Lwf VELA JET
Cf rvp chamakh

In my opinion, the names in capital letters won't help the title push except we have 5 or 6 big names replace them with a few like coquelin, gibbs, ramsey and lansbury just ok and likely to spring some surprises. These squad(above) would not compete for titles next season but will retain its premier league status and possibly win the carling cup if by luck.

Rather than mull over the likely departures, why not call for the need to bring in worthy replacements. They don't have to come ridiculously expensive prompting the need to be diplomatic and cautious.
If nasri wants to win titles, he's telling us because he still wants it with us(as cesc have not said something like that) which sounds like a challenge to me. It is expected that the board meet his need by parading a team with real title ambitions, then players like nasri won't feel too important as he won't be the head of the pack and won't be missed if out.

Unfortunately, we are left to considering life without nasri, cesc and clichy, which leaves us with a couple of choices:
1) we settle for whatever we get at the end of the season(which am sure will include no UCL football).
2) or stan kroenke, ivan gazidis, the board and wenger gets their thoughts together and think about the arsenal brand and ultimately we the fans.
3) the fans riots and refuse to come to games due to poor displays.
These above, sums up my feelings for next season, except this year a different approach is applied to the familiar problems at the emirates for six years now.

Lets all hope that next season won't end in a fiasco, would you blame the fans for 30k empty seats in the stadium? would you be surprised if fans started rioting? NO, neither should the board because we've been through hell for the past 6years and its about to get worse.

Today, the team start its tour to asia, with the same team we saw last season travelling. My hopes are, we hold unto our best, replace suitably the ones we can't, remain injury-free and the manager upgrades technically(especially with subs) as the modern game requires.

Till the vacant holes are filled properly, the arsenal community would continue to curse and criticise. The transfer market is just 4-days old, we hope we don't have to clutch our phones and radios till 12midnight come august ending.

Till then.