Afternoon Gooners,21 Days since the season has ended and the feeling of frustration we felt throughout May just hasn't stopped. With stories of transfers flying about as freely as you like and new signings being announced all over the place the lack of immediate changes to the Arsenal squad have left many fans clinging on to the previously mentioned frustration and in some cases it is transforming it into pure anger.
Lets all just take a step back shall we. The players do not return to training for another few weeks and our first friendly game is not until July 13th so Wenger has plenty of time to act. We have brought in Carl Jenkinson from Charlton and although at only £1m and with only 9 first team appearances under his belt he's not the big name superstar people are expecting, it is a start. Combine this with reports that we had a £16m bid accepted for Blackburn's Phil Jones and the current stories of us being close to finalising the transfers of Gervinho, Samba and Chamberlain (Although again, don't believe everything you read) it would seem that Gazidis and Wenger are in fact very busy trying to make the additions to our squad that 1) we need and 2) we can afford.
I am not normally a fan of players speaking out to the press, it normally seems to serve absolutely no purpose at all and has more potential to cause harm than anything else, however I couldn't help but enjoy recent quotes from Robin Van Persie. Talking to 'The Sun' he said:
"Every year it goes wrong in an identical way and that is frustrating,"
"When you look at results in the last years, Arsenal shouldn't be talking about winning the league because too many times that has gone wrong.
"Of course the hunger and desire is great but sometimes you have to eat and be realistic.
"But I believe with the signing of a number of players, we should be in there competing for the prizes.
"Even now, it's still unbelievable we didn't win the Carling Cup as that was the breakthrough moment, showing everyone we could win a cup and create a belief within the team.
"When I talk about that it still hurts. It was so stupid and I ask myself 'how did that come about?"
He also mentioned the lifestyle of modern footballers:
“The really top players aren’t fooled by riches or fame because they are fully focused with their football,”
“For me, it’s very important to be having breakfast every morning with my two children and that wouldn’t be possible if you were hanging about in a disco all night."In my opinion these quotes are from a player who lives and breathes Arsenal's values. If some of our players concentrated more on their football instead of the fame, money and lifestyle it brings then maybe fans wouldn't be calling for them to be moved on. Arsene's project youth depended a lot on players dedication and commitment and some of the ranks such as Denilson and Bendtner just haven't given it.
I wouldn't be a pre season blog if I didn't run over the transfer latest so her it is:
Gervinho: Depending on what you read this transfer is at different stages. We have either had a £8m, £10m or £12m offer accepted or Lille haven't received any offers except one from Spurs. It seems that both Spurs and Man City have entered the race for his signature which could disrupt any deal because we simply can not compete financially with City. However on several occasions the player himself has described Arsenal as his preferred destination so only time will tell.
Samba: It would seem that Wenger is taking samba into serious consideration and has tested Blackburn's resolve to keep the big man by suggesting bids of around £9m but if Blackburn are holding out for much more a deal would be unlikely.
Cahill: Bolton are looking for a fee in the region of £17m if reports are to be believed. This is a ridiculous amount for a player who is in the last year of their contract and has no European experience. If a deal for Cahill happens it will be for much less than Bolton's valuation. Also Man City have reported an interest so financially he's not even worth Arsene considering.
Obviously Players looking to move on include Denilson, Bendtner and Clichy. With the first two it's simply a case of finding someone that will take them. Clichy however is a slightly different story. Liverpool and Inter seem to be main contenders for his signiture but the £5m price tag being thrown about is ridiculous. I know he is in the last year of his contract but if you compare him to the £17m Bolton are asking for Cahill I would be expecting £8m to £10m for Clichy's services. Also I really hope he moves abroad, I couldn't take seeing him playing for a different team in the Premier League.
I'll finish today with Usmanov's desperate plea to get into the fans favour. You can find his quotes here courtesy of Tim Payton of AST.
Having read them it my opinion that this is simply excellent work from a very good PR firm. He is saying everything the fans want to hear but as for the bit that says he doesn't want to join the board, if he was offered a place today he would snatch at the chance. Usmanov wants to make a quick buck from our club and would not hesitate to ruin the financial structure the club has fought so hard to build. He would look for quick success while disregarding the future of the club. Mr Usmanov, you are not needed and more importantly not wanted please kindly sod off. (However if you want to leave Dein then I'd be grateful)
A final quote from Arsene Wenger to finish off
"Its great clubs who make players, not other way"Never a truer word spoken Mr Wenger, listen up Samir and listen hard. Sign your contract and let us make you great.
Till next time,
Goonerfish.
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