So, it begins. The clear out many Arsenal fans have expected and in a lot of cases wished long and hard for seems that it will start - but will by no means end - with our little 'Deni' Denilson. The Brazilian youngster has had his interview published in The Sun today in which he has talked about his desire to to play his football away from Ashburton Grove. He said:
“This has been the worst season of my life and I am so upset, so frustrated. I am a winner and I came here to win trophies but I’ve been here for five years and won nothing."
“A footballer’s career is over very quickly so it is time for me to move on. This is not a sudden decision. I made up my mind eight months ago. I was fed up of coming home and feeling down but I haven’t said anything until now because I did not want to disrupt the team during the season and I haven’t caused a big scene. I’ve simply been to see Arsene Wenger and told him how I felt and he’s agreed to let me go"He went on to say some nice things about the club:
“I know some people will think I am crazy. They are right. It is a great club with a great organisation, a great manager and so many talented players"Than on his future in the game:
“Yes, I make a good living at Arsenal but other things in life are important. I need a fresh challenge and although I know I’m taking a big gamble I am ready to take that risk.”
“I can't see myself returning in a Chelsea shirt, or Liverpool or Manchester City – and definitely not Tottenham. I think my future will be in Spain or Italy.”I had to giggle at the last bit, you're right Deni, you won't end up playing for Chelsea, Liverpool or City, because as much as it hurts, I don't think you'd get in their teams. In all honesty I think the Italian league would suit Denilson down to the ground and I think he has the attributes to do really well. Some quotes flying about have provoked many fans to be quite hostile to Denilson but please remember, he has been a good servant to our club during his time here but more importantly, it's been printed in the Sun so before you make assumptions or judgements, find and read the whole interview, not just what the journalists have selected to print. Good luck to you Denilson, wherever you may end up.
Transfers filled a big bit of Arsene's press conference on Friday (considering it was a pre match conference I was surprised not to hear Fulham's name mentioned once. In fact apart from injury news, no one even made reference to the game). The two players that got mentioned were Arshavin and of course Cesc Fabregas. When asked if Cesc would be moving, Arsene replied by saying he would fight to keep him which one journalist tries to twist instantly by asking "Why? Do you think you will have to fight to keep him?". Wenger seemed both adamant and confident that Cesc Fabregas will still be Arsenal captain next year however, when he was answering questions about Arshavin, the strongest response was that he expects AA to be at Arsenal come August. Personally I would like to see him stay as despite his lazy appearance I think he still has a lot to offer the team but I have a feeling that if a decent offer comes in (by decent I mean the same as we paid for him) we will accept it and he will leave.
Of course, we can't have all the talk about people leaving. As is now becoming the norm, we seem to have a multitude of new players being linked with a move to our wonderful club. Recent players that possibly have some weight behind the rumours include Lille attacker Gervinho. The Ivory Coast front man only has a year left on his contract this summer and is reportedly available for around £9m which is the kind of money Arsene will not mind spending. I remember watching Gervinho at the World Cup in the summer and being impressed. He would be a good addition to our squad with his flair, skill and attacking attitude and I for one would be very happy to see him week in, week out next year.
Gervinho's team mate Eden Hazard has also been greatly linked with us and Arsenal have first refusal on the player. If there is no offer accepted from another club, I do not expect us to sign him this year, however if the other teams such as Liverpool have a formal offer accepted Arsene Wenger will have a decision to make. I can see one or the other moving to London but I would say that Lille would be reluctant to let both men go and after their qualification for the Champions league I don't think Hazard will be in a rush to leave just yet.
A player possibly returning to Arsenal next year is our highly rated, scarily hyped up Japanese wonder kid Ryo Miyaychi. He has experienced a very successful spell in Holland and Wenger has confirmed that he will be with the team during pre-season where he will be accessed and a decision made whether to push for a work permit or not. It will be good to see how he shapes up with the rest of the squad and personally I look forward to seeing him in person during our pre season games.
After reading all that we still need to remember that the season isn't even over yet, let alone the transfer window being open and as we know Arsene and Arsenal are never the quickest in the market so don't expect movement too early.
Till next time,
Goonerfish.
