So the rumours are true – Henry’s a Barcelona player

So Thierry Henry has left the building – it’s now official, having passed his medical, Henry is now a Barcelona player for a fee said to be 24 million euros, or £16.1M. After losing Henry there’s a lot to ponder, too much for me to possibly cover in the detail I’d like with but one post. And so all I’ll do here is pay tribute to a club legend and wish him all the very best in this new chapter of his career. Other matters such as whether £16M was enough, who will take the captaincy and perhaps most importantly, who will replace Henry, will be covered in due course, but not today.

Now I don’t know about you, but personally, I don’t feel an ounce of bitterness toward Henry. I couldn’t possibly. He’s given us eight years of fantastic service and has more than repaid any debt that he owed us and Arsene Wenger. Irrelevant of whether Dein left or not, I think Henry wanted a new challenge and Barcelona is a club where he has more chance of silverware in the short term. We’re a club in transition, boasting a mostly new (Gilberto, Kolo and Ljungberg the remaining exceptions) generation of playing talent and while this is one of the most promising squads in football and we are on the up, for the past two seasons we’ve finished fourth, albeit with a champion’s league final appearance thrown in between. While the future looks promising, I‘m pretty sure he wants to win things now as well as adding a Champion’s League winner’s medal to the trophy cabinet. I don’t blame him for this and I don’t blame him for leaving despite saying last summer that he’d finish his career here. He obviously thought that he made the wrong decision in the end.

Henry was a fantastic player, a brilliant player, one in a million. He’ll go down in history as one of Arsenal’s greatest players, a real legend, and note, I’m not one to use the term ‘legend’ lightly. He’ll also go down in Premiership history as one of the greatest and would make a real claim at being the Premiership’s best so far. Watching him has been nothing short of a pleasure. A true masterstroke of a signing by Le Boss and one whom I hope will continue to do well in his new surroundings though it would be nice if he saved any off days for us.

• This article made me laugh. It suggests Wenger is certainly not a great manager. I feel like writing a full length response to tackle the points made but I won’t, it doesn’t deserve that much, no, I’ll just laugh.
• We’re linked with Alberto Aquilani, who’s said to have impressed for Italy in the Under 21 Championship. I saw him against England and he didn’t look bad. I do believe he’s a central midfielder though and we’re in no dire need of extra central midfielders.
• Saying that, we’ve been linked with Sakari Bagna pretty heavily of late, a right back, and it’s not exactly an area of the squad that requires dire strengthening. Both Justin Hoyte and Eboue were signed to long term contracts quite recently.
• There’s talk that the board will block a bid for Nicholas Anelka, which is rather ridiculous. The board have always let Wenger get on so why they would that change now?
• Wenger has also told the board he’ll sign a new contract providing they reinstate David Dein. Again, highly unlikely.

Well it’s Tuesday

Apologies for going haywire for a week. Simply, I was a bit bored – a bit bored of the same old rumours, the same old news when looking back, very little of note’s actually happened since our season ended. We’ve managed to sign Lukas Fabianski and Mart Poom went the other way but aside from that, nothing’s been concrete, there’s been a lot of talk about Thierry Henry leaving (even to Liverpool) and now it would appear there’s a story to run on Wenger leaving to Barcelona, because obviously he wants to follow Henry. I’d actually be a little worried if Barcelona did approach Wenger because he’d be perfect for them and vice versa but worrying about that now’s stupid. We all know he’ll see out his contract and after that, who knows. We’ve got him for at least another year though, and that’s a cert.

During the week in which I’ve enjoyed my time out, we’ve managed to sign a player by the name of Havard Nordtveit for a fee in the region of £2M. He’s sixteen and plies his trade in the second division of Norway. The figure might seem a little high then, but it’s likely to be based on appearances and stuff so won’t end up costing us much if he doesn’t amount to much here. Won’t see much of him for a couple of years, I’d expect and not being a keen watcher of the Norwegian premier league, let alone its second division, I can’t comment on whether he’s any good or not. First teamer at sixteen says something about his credentials though.

Well it’s Tuesday and as many of you I’m sure know, there was talk of a big transfer involving Arsenal going through today. This got a number of Gooners pretty excited, I on the other hand am not surprised by the deal being Aliadiere to Middlesbrough, word being that it’s all been finalized. We already knew that though. As ever, I’d like to know the fee but it’s something Wenger often keeps close to his chest. I’d hope we got 2-3M for him as he’s worth that much for sure.

All the luck to him and providing he doesn’t score too many goals against us when we face Middlesbrough in the future, I hope he does extremely well. He’s had bad luck with injuries and otherwise could’ve made it here. There was a point where he was a talent of huge potential. I appreciate the job he’s done this season too. There was a lot of pressure on him to perform and there were some real highlights, especially where the Carling Cup was concerned. He also impressed in one of the FA Cup games after coming off the bench. So yeah, good luck to him. He deserves to be a first team regular as opposed to being fifth choice with us.

• We’re linked with Valencia’s Miguel. I’m sceptical that this will happen because Wenger’s only recently tied Justin Hoyte and Eboue to long term contracts. There’s also the small matter of Kerrea Gilbert’s return and I’ve heard he’s better than Hoyte. Even with the African Nations Cup, we won’t need another right back. I’m fairly sure Hoyte will be trusted with that. Miguel will also cost a lot. Chelsea are more realistic suitors.
• Bakari Sagna, a player we’ve been linked with of late has apparently rejected offers from Lyon and Newcastle, holding out for an approach from Wenger, which again, won’t be likely to happen, because he’s a right back, and we have no need of another right back.
• After helping them win La Liga, Reyes has said he wants to stay at Real, or else in Spain at least. That doesn’t mean they want him though and we’ll have to wait and see what comes of that. As much as I think his ability as a player would be welcomed back at Arsenal, he doesn’t want to be there and so keeping onto him would be fruitless.
• The search for a new director of football continues, as Nicky Hammond of Reading snubbed Wenger. Oh well. I’m sure we’ll find someone competent enough to fit the bill.

And that I’m afraid is your lot.

It looks like he might actually want to go

I didn’t initially think that there was much to the ‘Henry to Barcelona’ stories that have erupted over the summer. Last summer was the nearest he went to leaving, and in the end he decided to stay, penning a new contract to boot. It was no surprise though when constant reports linking Mr. Va-Va-Voom away again started up. I just didn’t think there was much truth to it all. Anything he said was misinterpreted best it could be to somehow translate as a ‘come and get me plea’ to Europe’s elite. But the latest word from Henry has actually got me thinking that he’s not so sure anymore.

Speaking on the French story that seemed to suggest Henry to Barca was a done deal and that meetings had taken place already with Thierry’s agent, Henry and his agent denied this. It would appear legal action might even be taken. That was reassuring, even if I hadn’t believed the story anyway. However, what he said after was less reassuring and I quote:

At this moment I am an Arsenal player and in the same situation as I was last year. Last season people were announcing all over the place that I was leaving. Some people wrote that it would happen for sure but at the end of the day I stayed at Arsenal. It could be the same this year. I’ve not taken any decision and my name is not up on any departures board. If something happens, I will tell everybody.

Make of that what you will but I’m finding it increasingly difficult to excuse the stuff he comes out with. The way I see it is that the same situation he was in last year means he is again contemplating his future, probably because again we failed to challenge for the title. He also says ‘at this moment,’ not hinting as ever that his future is yet tied to Arsenal. He also goes on to say last year there was similar talk, he stayed at Arsenal in the end and the same could happen this season. Could. I think we can safely say his future is again in doubt.

He also reiterated his feelings on David Dein’s departure and while I thought many media sources were clutching at straws when they linked Dein leaving to Arsenal players and Wenger casting their future’s in doubt, Dein’s leaving does seem to have had an impact on Thierry.

David Dein’s departure was a mistake.

I have said it before and I will say it for the next 20 years. If there was one person who had to stay at Arsenal, it was David Dein.

I’d have said Arsene Wenger but then again, Dein was the one who appointed our manager.

Thing is though, if was 100% convinced he wanted to stay then a simple ‘I’m staying’ would suit me quite fine. The media wouldn’t stop of course but it would satisfy myself and a number of other Gooners, I’m sure. Right now though, my mind is that he’s not sure and would seriously think about an offer from Barcelona or whomever.

If he does up and leave, and I’m not one for keeping a player who wants to pack his backs and not fully commit himself, then we’d need a good enough sum to dig out a replacement. Eto’o thrown into the deal would always be nice but that isn’t going to happen.

I’ll give you more as it unfolds.

• As per usual, Arsene Wenger’s in the market for some new potential he can mould into some serious quality. The kid in question is sixteen year old Havard Nordtveit, who’s already a first teamer, albeit in Norway’s second division. We’ve had a bid rejected with Nordtveit saying the club’s estimation of his value is too high. It remains to be seen whether Wenger will pursue with it.
• Fabianski’s came out with a nice piece showing his determination to beat off competition from Lehamnn and Almunia to be Arsenal’s number one next season, which is only healthy.
• Real Zaragoza are said to be pondering a move for Philippe Senderos, which I’d wager would be a more appealing prospect for him than Charlton. If he did go, we’d surely have to get a replacement in, especially with Toure off for a spell in January what with the African Nations Cup taking place.

Will he stay or will he go?

Not Henry, no, Thierry I’m afraid pales in significance to another whose future is in some doubt, that someone being Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. With his contract due to run out next summer, the man who’s the reason behind the amazing style of football we play, has confirmed he’ll see out next season, at the least. Of course, this is no great relief, I already knew that much. Wenger’s not one to up and leave when he has a contract and he said as much himself:

I have never broken a contract in my entire career and I will not break a contract now. So I can tell you categorically that I will be at the club next season.

And next summer I will sit down with the board and see.

Now this has caused a bit of a crisis among Arsenal fans as though he likes to leave it late, last time his deal was running out, he put pen to paper on a new one the season before. It’s the season before again and the way in which what Wenger’s said has been interpreted is that he won’t discuss terms on a new contract until next summer, which further puts his future at the club in doubt. I’m confident he’ll stay though and at the reason he’s leaving it so late is because he doesn’t know what situation the club will be in at the end of the season. I think he wants to see some progress from his young players and is still waiting to see of what will happen with the whole Kroenke thing. I don’t think he’s planning to leave though.

He’s begun grooming a new generation of Arsenal talent and I’m confident he’ll want to see that through. We might be a little off form of late in terms of competing for the title but the array of potential in the squad surely means once it all comes to fruition we’ll be one of the most feared teams in Europe. I think Wenger will want to see the current generation through before considering departing and even then when he does leave the club it’s likely to be because of retirement, old age having got the better of him.

I’m not worried yet, at least. Arsene always leaves it late, so there’s no great surprise there and I understand his reasons for doing do. I’m confident he’ll stay but if he doesn’t, I’m unsure of the consequences. I guess it would all depend on his replacement. It would certainly cast a great deal of uncertainly over a number of players in the team and could mean an end to Kolo Toure’s and Gael Clichy’s for under quarter of a million. It’s not a nice thought and so it’s one I won’t entertain any further, not until it happens at least and I’ll reiterate, I think that will be a while yet. The hope is that he’ll stay, and stay for as long as he can but the inevitable truth is that he won’t be around forever. I just hope he’s here as long as possible and his departure date is as far away as possible.

• Johan Djourou has hinted he could go out on loan following the interest of Birmingham so as to gain some experience but won’t make it a permanent stay if he does. I can’t see it happening unless we bring in another centre back as you need four. Of course, Gilberto can always play centre back if injuries were to arise. If someone comes in I reckon Djourou will go out on loan though.
• Padrew’s after Philippe Senderos. It’s true, he lacks concentration and is suspect defensively in some areas of his game but he’s a decent third/fourth choice and has potential. He also gives us height at the back and is a good header of the ball, something we lack at the back sometimes. Could go if Wenger wanted to bring someone else in (aka Micah Richards though that’s wishful thinking more than anything else) but I’m not sure he’d be too happy in the Championship, especially seeing as he could make the starting line up of a Premiership side fairly easily.
• For those who dislike Ashley Cole, you might find it funny that publishers ditched his plans to re-published an updated edition of his biography, ‘My Defense.’ Though it’s apparently shit it’s one I’ve wanted to read just to see how shit it is and out of interest. I wouldn’t dream of buying a copy though. Maybe I’d steal one, to cheat Cole out of the sale.
• Aliadiere is definitely a man off to Middlesbrough and the move will be completed when he returns from holiday. Not sure on the price, I was hoping for £3M, as he’s easily worth that but it would seem we let him go for a price more in the region of £1-£1.5M which would be a good bit of business for Boro.

Ribery to Bayern and not Arse’

So, we didn’t sign Franck Ribery. Bayern Munich did. This comes as a shock to most as he’s long been tagged as an Arsenal target and we’ve long been the favourites to win the race for his signature. Ribery went to Bayern because their offer put off any other interest, including our own. We wasn’t beaten to his signature, he didn’t choose Bayern over us and contrary to popular opinion, we weren’t too slow, Wenger just wasn’t prepared to pay what he saw as over the odds for a player. There might well have been interest on his part but Wenger, along with most managers, is surely interested in a number of players. He obviously wasn’t interested enough to pay £17M, or else didn‘t have that kind of cash to splash. I’m not sure which but just because we didn’t match the offer, it doesn’t necessarily confirm the latter. Even if you can afford a player, he still might be overpriced and Wenger strikes me as the type who wouldn’t spend more than he thought a player was worth, no matter how much he had to spend.

This is no great cause to worry. The summer transfer window’s far from over and I’m sure Ribery wasn’t the only target Arsene had in mind. I trust his judgement and ability to spot talent. All in all, I’m confident he’ll sign someone good, and at a reasonable price too. So, any outbreak of panic is uncalled for. Have a little faith. I know I do.

And in other news…

• We’re widely reported to have hijacked Liverpool’s bid for Florent Malouda. I didn’t watch much French football last season so I can’t possibly comment but word is that he’s not Arsenal quality, or so I’ve heard. Of course, if Wenger did go in for him he must see something in the player and I do trust Wenger’s judgement. He was awarded French player of the year though so he must be doing something right. It is said Wenger has chosen Malouda over Ryan Babel, who we’ve also been linked with in the past.
• There’s been a lot of bets made on Henry going to Liverpool, something which made me laugh. And something that won’t happen. He’s unlikely to go as it is and if he did, it wouldn’t be to Liverpool, it would be to a European club outside of England.
• Robert Pires has said Henry should join him in Spain. He claims Arsenal are at the end of a cycle and he’s right, but we’ve begun a new cycle and if Henry wanted to leave at the end of the last cycle, along with the likes of Pires, Vieira and co, he would have done.
• There’s a little talk that Freddie Ljungberg could be off to Celtic. It’s said that Wenger could let him go on a free transfer.
• We’re also linked to Yaya Toure, brother of Kolo, but that’s unlikely to happen and is agent talk more than anything. Wenger could’ve bought him before if he wanted and for cheaper. He didn’t. We’ve also no need to further strengthen the central midfield. Just because he’s Kolo’s brother, doesn’t mean we’re in for him, nor does it mean he’s as good.

Arserant’s Player of The Season 2006/07

It’s tough but I’d have to go with Fabregas. Gilberto, my runner up, has been consistent and gives everything you expect from a captain. He’s chipped in on the goal scoring side of things too and without him this season, I think we’d have had serious trouble in securing a top four finish. However, Fabregas has been amazing. His passing’s fantastic and I don’t think the number of assists he’s made does him justice. I recall a number of chances he’s created where a player has failed to put the ball in the net. He’s great to watch, his age irrelevant, though he’s certainly one of the footballing world’s brightest talents at this moment in time.

At third, it’s got to be Gael Clichy. I wondered whether he’d be able to fill the boots of Ashley Cole and he has done. He’s done well to recover from injury and has shown serious potential. I wouldn’t bet against him turning into a better Ashley Cole, given a couple more seasons. He lacks that final ball, it’s true, but that’s something he has the time to improve on. I like his maturity too. Wouldn’t expect him to lose his cool in a game.

Honourable mentions are to Kolo Toure and Van Persie. Toure’s been pretty much ever present and reliably consistent. Easily one of the world’s best centre backs now. Van Persie on the other hand might’ve staked a better claim had he not gotten himself injured. He showed that Henry’s not the only one who can score on a regular basis and despite his injury which has seen him out of action for the latter part of the season, remains our top scorer.

• Atletico Madrid want to take Fran Merida on loan. I’m not sure he’d be a first teamer there myself but I suppose he’d get more first team opportunies than he would at the Arse’. I was looking forward to seeing him in the Carling Cup myself.
• We’re said to be planning a bid for Saint-Etienne striker Bafe Gomis. There’s apparently interest from Tottenham also. I don’t know myself, I’m not familiar with Gomis and I’m unsure whether Wenger sees the need for another striker to add to the squad at this moment in time.
• Another striker who’s attracted our attention is Javier Saviola, available on a free from Barcelona. I doubt we’d be the only ones in for his signature though and again, the question is raised, do we really need another striker?
• We’re also reported to be close to signing Bakari Sagna of Auxerre. He’s a right back, I’m told, and having wrapped both Eboue and Hoyte up on long term deals, I can’t see why Wenger would go for a right back, meaning the rumour’s rubbish or Wenger would intend to play him elsewhere, which is always a possibility with Wenger.
• Cesc Fabregas has said he could rethink his future at the club if Wenger was to leave, which hopefully won’t be anytime soon. It’s a sentiment echoed by several other players also. He also hinted at a return to his home country sometime in the future but that’s to be expected. For now, we’ve got him on an eight year contract and should be ever move, we’ll make a good few bob out of selling him.
• The white away kit’s been revealed and confirmed and though the consensus would appear to be that it‘s horrid, I don’t think it’s too bad.
• Gilberto is set to miss the start of the new season because he’s been selected for the Copa America. With Denilson and Diaby available, I think we’ll be able to cope.
• Xavi of Barcelona, a player who I rate highly on the pitch, seems confident Henry will sign for Barcelona. I’m less confident.

Transfer deadline’s not for another three months

I’m sorry I’ve not written a lot about the Arsenal of late. My apologies. You haven’t missed much mind, I can assure you. Much talk concerning Arsenal has been bollocks, to put it bluntly and there’s been little of note to report. First off, I suppose I better get the whole Man Utd situation out the way. They’ve already signed Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson if you didn’t know already and that’s been cause to worry for many a gooner. Chelsea have also snatched three players. We’ve only managed to grab one, in Lukas Fabianski. My response to that and in particular to the Nani/Anderson signings and reaction from Arsenal fans to that is to follow.

Ferguson’s done very well with his signings, it’s true. Nani and Anderson, though I’ve not seen much of the latter and less of the former, sound very much like excellent acquisitions. What I’ve heard of both would suggest they’ve all the potential to be something quite special. Still, though I think it a good move getting the transfer business done rather early, as I doubt Ferguson will look to further improve his squad drastically over the summer, it’s worth remembering that there are still some three months before we reach deadline day. Added to that, Wenger probably wants to see some players on their way so as to judge just how much he has to spend in total before making all of his purchases. So I’d wait until the window ends before we jump on Wenger’s back telling him to splash the cash to compete with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Also, we don’t know the size of our transfer budget and can only speculate on how big or small it will be. Though it’s unlikely we’ve as much to spend as the rest of the top four and indeed, possibly several other clubs, we still don’t know exactly how much we do have to spend and if we don’t have much, it’s hardly the fault of Wenger and he can only make do with what he has, something, fortunately for us, he does very well. While our transfer budget might not be as large as other clubs, we’ve a consolation to all that and his name’s Arsene Wenger, easily the best manager around to get by on a smaller than most budget.

That’s what consoles me about all this, that while Man Utd are spending £17M odd on their Nani’s and Anderson’s, Fabregas cost us nothing at all, Clichy was got for a measly £250K, Toure £150K, Eboue £1.5M, Nicholas Anelka 500K (if you want a past example) and Denilson, one of the latest talents to emerge, £3M. Not all the figures maybe correct, I’ll agree, but thereabouts. Indeed, the reported £10M and £6M that respectively saw Thierry Henry and Robert Pires arrive, would be considered a lot, for Wenger, but look at how they turned out. There’s many more I could name too.

I don’t think Fabregas or Denilson to be lesser prospects than Nani or Anderson. That’s not to put the latter two down, it’s just that Wenger can sign equally impressive talents who don’t yet have the reputation that would justify such high price tags. Now obviously it would be nice to be able to spend as much as any other big club, but in the financial situation we’re in, and that’s not a disastrously bad one, I’m thankful Arsene’s in charge.

In regard to bolstering the squad with some much needed experience, let us not forget the deals Wenger made last season. Tomas Rosicky, William Gallas and Julio Baptista (albeit, that was on a loan) are all rather experienced footballers. Okay, so there’s Denilson too but I’d never suggest that Wenger deny a promising youngster should the opportunity to snap one up arise. Rosicky, I thought, had himself an impressive first season. It’s a new league for him and I think he’s shown real promise of adapting and we’ll see an better Rosicky next season. Gallas, although used to the league, still needed time to settle in with a new team and injuries didn’t help. Both should endure better second campaigns with the club. I’d expect the boss to go for someone else with a bit of experience to his name as well, whether that be Ribery or another. I do think Wenger’s got the right idea and knows he has to balance out the squad with experience now and replace the old guard and that’s what he looked to do last season and could well do again this season.

• Couldn’t go without mentioning the latest in the Henry to Barcelona saga, latest word being that Barca are preparing a £17M bid in addition to Samuel Eto’o for his services. It’s rubbish of course, but it sparked much debate as the question was asked, were we offered that deal, should we accept? Though die hard Henry fans said no, the general consensus was a ‘yes, we should bite their hands off’ response, myself included in that sentiment. Henry’s by no means indispensable, especially at thirty and we’d be foolish to turn down a ready made and younger replacement with a nifty cash bonus on top, as would Barcelona be foolish to make such a bid.
• Young Bolton centre back Kyle Bartley is said to have turned down offers from other clubs to sign for the Arse. He’s supposedly a promising player though I don’t admit to having seen him play.
• Rosicky’s been linked to Atletico. Not sure why he’d want to join them when he’s at Arsenal so it must mean Wenger wants him to leave. Not sure why he would want that either though as Rosicky had a very promising first season for us and looks set to only get better. We might be on the market for another winger but in all likelihood we’ll be losing Freddie also so it doesn’t mean we should look to sell another. A deal involving Fernando Torres coming our way is talked about. Not sure we need him myself.
• David Dein will apparently be offered a chief executive role at Newcastle, but you have to move on, as good as he was for us.
• Jeremie Aliadiere’s set to be signed by Middlesbrough. The fee we’re getting in return is a supposed £1.5M. Quite a bargain for Boro. I was hoping we would have gotten double that. Sorry to see him leave but at his age, he’ll be looking for first team opportunies as he’s not good enough to get that with us.
• Charlton want Song on another season long loan, which could happen, providing Wenger doesn’t think we need him. Were he to stay he’d surely only be fifth choice and would be behind Gilberto, Fabregas, Denilson and Diaby in the pecking order. Saying that, we’ve lost Flamini so Wenger might want the extra cover. But should we get desperate, Hleb and Rosicky are both capable of playing in the middle.
• Sevilla might be in for Jose Antonio Reyes which would be a good deal for both parties involved. Whatever happens, I don’t think he’ll remain an Arsenal player.
• Wenger is lining up a double move for Newcastle’s Michael Owen and Martins. That he’s attempting to sign one would be at least plausible but there’d be no need to sign both. We’ve enough strikers as it is and we wouldn’t need two more even if Henry did leave, which is unlikely.
• Italy reports seem to suggest we’ve signed Fabio Quagliarella of Sampdoria for some £10M. No idea whether there’s any truth in that or even who this Fabio fella is.