Shock Move- Silvestre to Arsenal

The headlines says it all.

Mikael Silvestre moves to Arsenal from one of their hottest rivals, Manchester United, for an undisclosed fee.

Shocking. Waste of money. Rubbish move. Seriously?

All those may just be some of the reactions Gooners will get when they first hear the news. I'm not sure if you feel the same way, but I actually have a funny feeling he will be a good signing.

Let's just think about it, it's obvious that Silvestre was signed as a backup, or more specifically, a replacement for Justin Hoyte (he's fucked off to Middlesbrough). He has been plagued by injuries most of the time at United, and didn't make a big impact. But I trust Arsene Wenger's eye for talent. If he signs someone, that someone seldom becomes a flop. It's already natural. I feel Silvestre will be the solution for the lack of good cover for defenders last season; when Kolo Toure went away for the African Cup of Nations, Djourou and Senderos tried to take over but they were extremely shaky. When Sagna got injured it was Hoyte that took his place most of the time, and he's rubbish. Eboue would be a better replacement but he's standing a few inches towards the goal and was played in midfield instead. Silvestre can play on the right or center, and I'm sure deep down all of you know Silvestre is better than Hoyte in right back and perhaps, surprisingly, Senderos in the center. The fee I believe would be at a cheap price, so if he becomes a good backup it's probably already proven that Arsene Wenger has a better mind and eye for talent than Fergie.

Still remember the days when you were complaining last season about Gallas lack of maturity and the squad's lack of experience that actually led to us slipping the title away last season? Well if you're one of those people, then you better not bitch around anymore because Arsene Wenger just answered your prayers. Silvestre has 9 fucking years of experience in the Premier League, so you would say he's going to become one of the most experience players in the Arsenal squad, even more than Gallas.



LMAO at the picture above. It's been a long time since a player in a Manchester United shirt come to Arsenal. Fergie will regret it, that's something I feel will happen.

That's all. I'm still looking for the comments, please just feel free to air your views and tell me how you feel about this article and the content. Should Silvestre really come to Arsenal? Will he be a good signing? Any problems with my articles? Come on, tell me in the comment box. Thanks for reading.

Latest News- RVP and Gallas on the way out?

Rumour nowadays.



One of the latest transfer rumour surrounding Arsenal is that Robin van Persie, more affectionately known as RVP to Gooners, is being linked to Juventus. This is highly unreal, but it is said that 15 million pounds can seal the deal. This leads me to think: are we actually being bullies in the transfer window? Firstly Adebayor, then Hleb, and now van Persie. I hope Arsene Wenger steps up and prove to everybody that we shouldn't be victims of bully, and give a big NO to Juve. We should also make new signings soon, because at this rate our squad will only be fighting for a UEFA Cup spot.



One more very funny rumour is that William Gallas may be the latest player on his way out of the Emirates Stadium. He is said to be targeted by both Barcelona and PSG, and 5 million pounds seems to be enough for the current Arsenal captain to move to the Spanish and French club. Anyone out there thinks that this is possible? This is probably false, but I trust you all won't believe that I made a post just to tell you a false rumour, don't you? I just wanted to take some time out and think. So rather than cracking our brains thinking whether this is a true rumour or not, I feel we should sit down and think: Can we really cope without William Gallas? Is he such a good player? He's already 31 this year, he is still a vital part of the team but think about it: just like how Robert Pires left Arsenal, when do you think it would be Gallas's turn? Next season? This season? Believe it or not, I sense something bad may happen to Gallas this season. Be it injuries or another player outshining him, one day it will be time for the current Arsenal skipper to call it a day at the Emirates. The big question is, when? Then who should replace him?

Share with me your thoughts, and let's just hope Arsene Wenger wakes up.

Arsenal Sign Coquelin... If you know who I'm talking about

Arsenal have signed their third player this season, another teen from French Third Division Laval. He's a guy called Francis Coquelin, and he impressed during a trial with Arsenal last season. He then move to North London for free as he did not sign a professional contract with them. So if you're confused, he came to Arsenal the same way Fabregas and Merida did.

“Arsenal have signed French midfield player Francis Coquelin on professional terms,”
“The 17-year-old has joined from SASP Stade Lavallois Mayeene MFC.”

I'm not totally unhappy with this new signing, but Arsene Wenger seems to be taking our club's future lightly. If you read this post you would know how I feel, and if you ask me, Arsenal should get a new defensive midfielder and some backup defenders right away. Signing a 17 year-old kid is not going to change the club's position; tbh if that lad didn't come to Arsenal I wouldn't know him. He may however make an impact few years later, but nobody will know what will happen few years later. I'm not convinced by this signing and I hope Arsene Wenger gets his facts right up in his head. 1 more month to the start of the season and all we got is one great signing in Samir Nasri; Ramsey and Coquelin are players for the future.

Do you agree with me? Is Coquelin a good signing? Is Arsene Wenger really wrong in not signing any other players at current? Tell me more, cheers from Dariano.

Hleb and Gilberto Part Company with Arsenal

Just yesterday, I said that Hleb was in Barcelona for a medical. Now he's medical is complete, and his move to Barcelona is official. Finally, after months of speculation the smoke is clear. whether it will be a good or bad move only time will tell. Arsene Wenger even paid tribute to him, thanking him for his contributions for Arsenal while he was still at the club.

“We must firstly thank Alex for his contribution towards Arsenal Football Club during his time with us. Alex played a significant role in the three seasons he was with the club.
“We are comfortable with our decision to let him go and we are all looking forward to continuing our preparations for the new season ahead.
“Everyone at Arsenal Football Club wishes Alex the best of luck for the future”

No doubt, I wished that he stayed but it was not to be. Hopefully Nasri would make an even bigger impact than Hleb did, just like how Clichy took over Ashley Cole's role when he left.


Another man on the move is old veteran Gilberto Silva. He left for a cheap fee of only 1 million pounds, but for a 31 year-old it should be good money. His career at Arsenal began at 2002, who came from Atletico Madrid. He have had a great spell at North London, winning 2 FA cups and 1 league title. He had a disastrous last season, but I really feel Gilberto deserved a chance. He's a good backup, he may have had a miserable 1 season but he had fantastic 6 seasons at the club, and I truly believe like jsut how a superstar cannot be born in just one night, a legend cannot die out so quickly too. Anyway, let's just put the past behind us and wish Gilberto all the best. A cheerful guy and good captain, this man puts Adebayor and Hleb to shame. We miss you Gilberto, thanks for he memories...

Hleb in Spain for Medical? + Arsenal to Make Surprising Barry Bid?

It's been a really long time since I updated my blog, this time it's REALLY LONG. Sorry for the delay guys, I'm rather busy at the moment so pardon me. Anyway, here's one from me before I get to bed.


Got this news from Goal.com, they say that Hleb is currently flying (or flown)to Barcelona in Spain to complete his medical before joining Barca in a 12.5 million move, although it may increase by 2.5 million depending on his performances. Sometimes I get really sick listening to the same story time and again (I wonder how many times I've inserted Hleb's picture in my posts); rumours of Ade going to Milan, Hleb to Barca and Fabregas to wherever. It's like eating the same thing everyday, so preferably I want this Hleb transfer saga to settle and come to a conclusion soon. I'm not sure, but I feel it's really heartbreaking to see a "rather-good" player from Arsenal go for only 12.5 million. Please don't tell me it will rise; it will only rise when he plays well, and only by a mere 2.5 million, which means Arsene can't use that 2.5 straight away in this transfer window. I hope he leaves for more than that, compared to Adebayor's 30 million move to AC Milan, it's really peanuts and Hleb's not any of that.

Another interesting news I've heard is that Arsenal may be doing a surprising last-minute swoop for Aston Villa's skipper Gareth Barry, just when everybody thought Liverpool had his move tied-up. Good move, I would say. Great vision from Arsene to think of this move, even I myself did not think of Barry coming to Arsenal. He's a great player, and also one with great influence and experience. The perfect player for Arsenal: Experienced, at his peak, holding midfielder and for those who is a keen supporter of Sepp Blatter's 6+5 idea, he's English. Definitely the right man for the DM role in Arsenal's current first-team squad, the only thing is that he may be costly, and if I were Barry, I would rather go to Liverpool. Barry's good pal Gerrard is at The Kop, plus I'm sure Liverpool would give him more of a "home" feeling for him, having his English teammates to play with. At Arsenal the only person he mix well with is perhaps Walcott, and he's not established as a first-team player yet. So rather than venture into "the wilds" and go to a place full of foreigners, I'm sure he would want to go to a place where he have friends there. I'm not totally ruling out this move though, there's still a chance judging on Arsene's "magical charisma", which was most recently put use on Aaron Ramsey.

Is Barry a good player for Arsenal? Do you think Hleb's 12.5 million fee is too little? Tell me more. That's all for now, and thanks for reading.

Nasri Completes Move, FINALLY

No more bullshits. No more "in 10 days time". No more delays. Samir Nasri moves to Arsenal FC, plain and simple, for an undisclosed fee, although it is thought to be around 11.5 million pounds. A deal which I believe should have been completed weeks ago, he finally signs the contract and moves to Arsenal. Here's what I feel about the transfer of Nasri:

1) This boy should have done it long ago, even before the Euro's. Arsenal's reputation is enough to shut his mouth. Young and French, those 2 things alone should be enough to convince him to sign the contract.

2) Hleb's fate is sealed. When Nasri comes, we all know that Hleb will be going. There's no space in the first-team to fit both talented players, so like I said before rather than let him rot in the stands we must as well cash in the money.

3) What number will he get? My money's on number 8. Nobody got number 8 yet at Arsenal and that is rather strange, considering the popularity of that number. Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard are all good practitioners of the "number 8 wizardry", and if Nasri is as good as those 2, 11.5 will probably be a bargain.

Do you agree with me? Should this deal have been completed weeks ago? Is he really THAT good? Tell me more in the comments section. Cheers from Dariano.

The Prof. is Fed Up + Roma Wants Gilberto

It seems that Barcelona has tested Arsene Wenger's patience. It's over the limit, and Arsene has had enough. He's probably lost patience in Adebayor, and will let him go to either Barcelona or Milan, if Arsenal can get a replacement. It's for an astounding 30 million pounds, although Arsenal have set an asking price of 35 million. As expected, Wenger won't "play" with Adebayor anymore, and will give in to Barcelona's heavy bid. But who as replacement? That, I believe, only Arsene knows. I'm not really sure myself to be honest, but it would be good if it's Villa (I don't know how many times I've said this), but the thing is Valencia has offered a contract to Villa, so if we don't striker fast then we may be the ones left crying.


Another news I got is that AS Roma seems to be interested in Gilberto Silva. They may be willing to pay a fee of 2.5 million pounds for the Brazilian defensive-midfielder. Well, I'd say, cash in, Arsene. 2.5 million is good money for a 31 year-old, and furthermore his contract expires at the end of the 2008/09 season. No one can really predict the future, so whether he will sign a new contract is still a mystery but the most logical answer would be he leaves on a free-transfer, just like how many past Arsenal players at the age of 30 and above did (Campbell, Pires etc.). So rather then let him go for free, why not let him go for 2.5 million? I admit that Gilberto would be a good backup if not first-team player, but I don't think Gilberto can cut it out in Arsenal anymore. The 2.5 million can be used to sign other players, so Arsene has got to cash in fast lest Roma lose interest and Gilberto's stuck at Arsenal.

So what do you think? Should we, for real, sell Ade this time? And if Villa's taken, who should we seek as a replacement for Adebayor? Then should Gilberto go? Is it really time? And is 2.5 million pounds good money to you? Tell me more, cheers from Dariano :)

Marcos Senna Linked with Arsenal

Another transfer target added to the list.

One of the latest additions being the man above, Marcos Senna. A player whom I feel my opinions has some similarity with Torsten Frings, he has the same age as Frings, being 31 years-old which I feel is just too old. He impressed during this Euro 2008 campaign, and even though many people would think that the lack of experience was the thing that knocked us off the top of the table, I seriously feel 31 year-old is too old, it is more like "close-to-retirement" and old than experience. And to make things worse, Arsene Wenger may be willing to pay a whopping 10 million pounds for him, which is definitely not worth it. Look for other targets Wenger, he's not worth 10 million and I feel he isn't the ideal person to replace Flamini.

What do you think? Is he worth 10 million? Does he even deserve to play first-team football for Arsenal? Tell me more, cheers from Dariano :)

Adebayor to Milan 80% Done

Reports from Goal.com has said that Adebayor's deal that will bring him to Italian giants AC Milan is 80% done.

According to Adebayor's agent, the deal is almost complete and it will probably be delayed until Arsene Wenger finds a replacement for Adebayor. Here's what Ade's agent said,

“What are the chances of Adebayor coming to Milan? I’d say today we are between 70 and 80 per cent.”

And I'm sure all of you know Mr.Wenger, he's not one to sell a player without thinking twice. He would certainly be looking for replacements.

Dani Guiza and David Villa are hot candidates, while players like Roque Santa-Cruz, Roman Pavlyuchenko Mario Gomez are not ruled out.

But I just found a shocking news.

One new addition has been made to the "hot candidates" list, Peter Crouch. I mean, FFS? He isn't a good player to me, to Liverpool, and most probably other Gooners out there. I know it would be a "decent" signing but surely Crouch won't be good enough to fill Adebayor's boots? Here's what Adebayor's agent said again,

"The names being talked about are Peter Crouch, Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz and Germany forward Mario Gomez,"

Up till now I still prefer David Villa, and if you have read my blog occasionally you would know that I'm someone who disagrees with Adebayor moving away from our club. To me, he is a good player, something that I've mentioned time and again in my previous posts.

What do you think? Is Crouch or any of the players in Arsenal's shortlist mentioned good enough? Tell me more :)

The Stan Kroenke Revolution + Santa Cruz to be Arsene's Next Target?

I don't know if you guys actually know this, but the man on the left is actually a new member of the Arsenal Board of Directors after he recently bought 12.19% stakes in Arsenal. And from what I heard from Goal.com he may just be the man that will spark a summer transfer shake-up, which may cause Adebayor to go to Barcelona. I'm not sure if it's true, but I seriously hope he doesn't interfere with Arsene Wenger's plans like how Abramovich did with Chelsea. I just couldn't imagine Arsenal ruled by a "dictator", which would probably see Arsene go, although Peter Hill-Wood has said that he will not "give in" so easily.



Another news that I heard is that Arsene Wenger may be setting his eyes on Roque Santa-Cruz as a replacement for Adebayor if he do go. Santa-Cruz is a good player, but for Arsenal's standard I feel that he's only "average". I can't see him scoring as many goals as Ade did last season, even if he's a regular first-team player. Man Utd is also going for him, so if Arsenal and Man Utd are actually going to fight for him by outbidding each other's offer then I'm sure Blackburn would easily allow him to move and look for other options. So if Arsene does wants to sign him, which I feel he shouldn't, he would have to convince Blackburn with a good price and Santa-Cruz with some golden words, like how he did with Aaron Ramsey.

Do you feel that man called Kroenke would change things at Arsenal? Should Santa-Cruz come? Tell me below in the comments section. That's all for now fellow Gooners. Take cares and goodbye from Dariano ;)

The Transfer Trio- Adebayor + Hleb + Ronaldo

Haven't updated this site for days. Expect much longer delays in update as my holidays are coming to a close soon and I won't have as much time to write. Anyway...

Opened my Firefox browser, and on my homepage is goal.com. The first thing I see is "Adebayor to Barcelona and Milan?"

To be honest I'm really sick and tired of all these transfer speculation. Arsene Wenger has recently sent a frank "no!" to Barcelona for their enquiry on Adebayor. Nice move, but it won't stop the stubborn clubs from getting Ade. Another player from Arsenal that may be on the move is Alex Hleb. I can only say this guy is hopeless at Arsenal already; he's confessed that he wants to move, and it seems he is hell-bent on doing just that. And finally, although not from the Goon squad, he is of a particular mention. Cristiano Ronaldo.


Ronaldo, arguably one of the best players at Man Utd at the moment, is sulking all month long and indirectly saying that he wants to go to Real Madrid. I really want to voice out this: F**k off Ronaldo. Why? For 2 reasons, number 1 is that he's a key player of Man Utd, so him leaving would do all the other clubs in the premiership, including Arsenal, good. And number 2, he has lost his heart for Man Utd; and regardless of Gunner or no Gunner, a player whose heart and mind is not at his current club should not play on and should be allowed to move. Someone in a very similar situation is Aliaksandr Hleb.



He has been dropping hints that he wants to move, and at times he said it out loud that he insist on moving. If I could tell Wenger what to do, I would say, "If he wants to move so badly, then let him." No doubt about it, he's a good player at Arsenal, but if he's not keen to remain and be a Gooner then just let him move to Barcelona or whatever club. Like I said earlier, if he don't give his best for the club, then why keep him?

It's a point of no return now, Hleb WILL go, I'm quite sure of that. Imagine you're a player at Arsenal, you look at Hleb and you know he's not the same friend you know anymore. You know his true self and he has probably lost your respect. That's for one player at Arsenal. Imagine the whole 11-man squad feels the same thing. So if Hleb don't go, he'll rot in the stands and show some shitty performances. If he goes, we'll earn some cash :D

This shouldn't have happened from the start. Players nowadays are always narrow-minded; they always think that they should move to other so-called "bigger clubs" when they don't realise that they are currently at one themselves. I mean, Arsenal is a major club isn't it? The players at Arsenal don't really match up in reputation to Barcelona or Milan, but then think about it, Arsenal's squad value is much lower than Barca (tbh), but is Hleb's importance at Arsenal the same at Barca? Probably not. He shown some great performances at Arsenal last season, and he's already considered a "key-player" to our campaign. Go to Barcelona and he would be outshone by Leo Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and some other players. At Arsenal, he and Fabregas are proably the only 2 main creative force there. Simple. There will be little competition.



Now let's get to Adebayor. He's not so much of a "loud-mouth" like Hleb, he's pretty quiet about his transfer speculation but he has dropped hints here and there about it. Adebayor's a good player, and for this case I feel he should stay. He's vital, important, and good. He is Arsenal's top-scorer last season, and selling our top-scorer is a little risky. I have to agree we still have other options like David Villa and van Persie, but it will be difficult trying to find that deadly striker that hunt goals for us again. Villa needs time to adopt, van Persie needs to find his form and fitness, Eduardo needs some time to find his lost confidence after a long period off the pitch and Walcott is still young and I prefer him to play on the wings. Try to keep him Wenger, Milan already got Fla-money and we won't want to lose another player to them.

What are your views? Should Hleb go? Should Adebayor stay? Are you as sick as me about Ronaldo's situation? Air your thoughts, as the transfer window is 8 days away (according to time of publish).

WTF Wenger Has Been Doing

Another half-a-month and the transfer window is open again. But even before the transfer window opens some managers have started opening their cheque book. Well, what have Arsene Wenger, the man we Gooners call "The Professor", been doing?

Talk about transfer speculation and the first person that comes to your mind should be Hleb or Adebayor. They have been linked to AC Milan and Barcelona, plus a few other clubs. I don't know when it's going to stop, but I have a feeling that it will stop once Arsene Wenger give in to their offers. I hope it gets sorted soon, if Adebayor goes then Wenger should prepare to use that money to sign some strikers, 2 major candidates being Lukas Podolski and David Villa. If Hleb goes, Samir Nasri seems certain to be coming. I will get back to Nasri later.

Then how about the players that have already gone? So far, only 2 players have left Arsenal, Jens Lehmann and Mathieu Flamini. Then just who the f**k is Wenger going to replace them with? For goalkeeper I have heard no news of Arsene Wenger making a bid, yet even talk about signing one. For Mathieu Flamini there's only speculation and no solid evidence that a formal bid have been made.

Now the players that are speculated to come. If I name all it will be a very long list, so I will only name the common ones. Hatem Ben Arfa, Yaya Toure, Raul Albiol, Arda Turan, Gokhan Inler, David Villa and Lukas Podolski, Yoann Gouffran, and finally Samir Nasri. The guy who is already offered a contract from Arsenal but is trying to delay it, but oh come on. You can't try to impress the other managers anymore. France are out of Euro 2008, so why not just signing that damn contract? It's a once in a lifetime chance to come to Arsenal. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but normally players that Arsene Wenger sign are not total-failures.

And last but not least the players that will come. So far, only 1. Aaron Ramsey for 5 million.

See the difference? So exactly WTF are you doing, Arsene Wenger?

Villa or Podolski?

I'm sure if you're a Gooner who reads the hottest rumours about Arsenal these players will look familiar to you. They have been linked with the Goon Squad recently, both being quality players playing for their national team in Euro 2008 currently. Now here's the big question, "Who would you sign if you're Arsene Wenger?" Of course some people would just give a simple "Sign both!" reply, but judging from the amount of strikers we have in our team and Arsene Wenger's stubborn attitude of not signing too many big stars, it is safe to say only one will come to Arsenal. Maybe he won't even sign any of them, but today's focus is on David Villa of Spain and Valencia and Lukas Podolski of Germany and FC Bayern Munich.

Firstly, let's compare the stats. Villa is older and thus have more experience and goals with him; he scored an amazing hat-trick in Spain's first match against Russia in Euro 2008 and went on to score a total of 4 goals (so far) in the tournament. Podolski, being younger, did not score as many goals as Villa for club, but surprisingly, Podolski easily beat Villa in goals for country; Podolski scored 28 goals for Germany while Villa scored 18. And Podolski even made more appearances for his national team. So it's difficult to tell who is better at this, but I would have to go with Podolski. Younger but more goals, Villa ought to be ashamed of himself!

Secondly let's forget about records and stats all written on paper. Let's move to their ability. There's not much to say about this one. It's based on one's opinion as to who is the better player, but this time Villa gets my vote. Overall he has more technical ability with him, he shoots the ball with power, scores goals with composure, which makes him one of the most lethal strikers in the world.

Thirdly, we'll be talking about adaptability. Podolski lives in Germany while Villa lives in Spain. I don't know about the weather in these countries, but Villa looks more likely to be able to adapt the English football style. It's fast-paced so if you're slow then you can pack your bags and go home. Podolski's not slow, but Villa's faster. I don't know about adapting to life in Engand, but I'm sure Villa would be able to adapt to life in English football.

Fourthly, the price. There have been rumours that Villa can go for 20 million pounds while Podolski can leave for 15 million pounds. Villa is easily more expensive, and there seems to be more competition for Villa than Podolski (major clubs like Chelsea and Liverpool are going for Villa, while so far I've only heard Man City to be the only club going for Podolski). If Arsene wants Villa, he needs to act fast and give a convincing price. But what's good news for us is that Vila have once declared that he would be happy to go to North London, so as long as Valencia gives the consent we probably won't have much problems settling a deal with Villa.

Finally, attitude. I can't resist but bring this up, if any of the players Arsene sign has the attitude of Bendtner then I would rather he forget it. But thankfully, I believe neither Villa or Podolski have a really f***ed-up attitude like Niklas Bendtner. So this one is a tie; but from what I think, Villa would be a better mentor than Podolski if anyone of them is going to tutor Bendtner. Podolski is 23 while Bendtner is 20, and 3 years of age difference is not a lot. Just picture this: Podolski tutoring Bentdner, it seems funny doesn't it? Then now picture this: David Villa tutoring Niklas Bendtner. Seems much better.

So after all the comparisons, no doubt about it, David Villa is the eventual winner. Of course, like always they are based on my opinions, so if you disagree with me then prove your point below. Debate on the different comparison subjects, and explain why that player is the winner. That's all for now, take cares from Dariano.

Latest news: Wenger going for Parejo

One of the latest news I received is that Arsene Wenger is renewing his interest in Real Madrid youth starlet Daniel Parejo.

Arsenal once had a bid for Parejo rejected, but now it seems that Wenger still want more youth starlets for the future, even after getting Aaron Ramsey.

Daniel Parejo is currently playing for Real Madrid's reserve squad, aka Real Madrid Castilla. He is a Spanish midfielder who impressed Wenger during last year's under-19's European Championships, which the senior version of the championship is currently being held in Switzerland and Vienna, more famously known as UEFA Euro.

He hopes to transform Parejo into the next Fabregas, who also originally came from Spain but was playing for Real Madrid's La Liga rival, Barcelona.

Parejo have explained that although he is flattered to be link to Arsenal, he would rather stay with Los Merengues as he knows more familiar faces there, and Real Madrid is also his hometown club. He aims to succeed in Madrid. Here's what he said:

"For me, it is a compliment that such an important European team is showing interest. I have heard rumours but my intention is very clear - my dream is to succeed in Madrid. Nobody dislikes something like that (being compared to Cesc Fabregas) but I prefer to look in the mirror and see Raul, Guti and Iker Casillas, three footballers who have come out of this youth system and have gone on to triumph in Madrid. I am young and I have patience."

But will that change?

I've never heard of Daniel Parejo until I read the article. He is touted as the next Fabregas, which means he plays as a playmaker. But what bothers me is that it will probably take 11 million to buy him from Madrid. A big sum off 11 million pounds for a player whom I have never heard of? And also a player who plays in a position we don't need at the moment? I would rather not.

Keep that money Wenger, maybe we should sign this kid next season, I trust you, but I don't trust that you should actually sign him during the this winter's transfer window. Keep it for next summer or winter, and we're talking about 11 million for goodness sake. We can probably buy Nasri with that amount of money.

So like I said Wenger, next season.

Going for Frings

Recently I have heard news that Arsene Wenger may be interested in signing Werder Bremen midfielder Torsten Frings.



Full Name: Torsten Frings
Position: MC/DM/ML/R
Age: 31
Team: Werder Bremen
Nationality: Germany
International Caps: 74 caps/ 2 goals
Height: 1.82m
Weight: 80kg

I have gotten many sources that say the 31 year-old midfielder could be going to Arsenal for 4 million pounds, as a replacement for Mathieu Flamini, with Gilberto Silva being a shadow of his former self and Denilson being too young and inexperience.

The 31 year-old Torsten Frings has experience, versatile and a good skillful and technical player. The 31 year-old is also a good set-piece taker, and is a first-team player for Werder Bremen and Germany for the current Euro 2008. And added by the fact he's only 31, he can leave for a small fee of only 4 million pounds, something that Arsene Wenger would most probably be willing to pay for. But if Wenger were to ask me about my views on the 31 year-old Torsten Frings, I would say this: Don't sign him.

If you realise I have actually been emphasizing the words "31 year-old", and I have always been repeating and calling Frings just that. Why? Mainly because that is the very reason why I wouldn't want him to come to Arsenal. yes, no doubt, last season we let the title escape from our clutches due to a lack of experience, and we certainly need a defensive midfielder to replace Fla-money, added with a little experience to inspire the Gunners to fight on for the title. But to me, a 31 year-old may be experience, but the thing is, he's old. So old, that he would leave Gilberto Silva puzzled when he comes to the club. To me, players who are 20-23 years-old are young, and 24-26 years-old are inexperience. 27-29, however, is the perfect age for Arsenal, because they are still at their prime and have the experience to lead the team. Players 30 and above are definitely experience, but they are also old. Which means in a few years time they won't be able to cope with Arsenal's fast-pace football, and thus gets sold for even less money. Frings is just that. He is experience, he's versatile and can easily cover for Rosicky when he's injured or any other midfielder, and he's a good technical player who can also take good set-pieces. But one thing that always bugs me about him and just don't seem right is that he's old. And furthermore, he can play as a defensive midfielder but will not be able to do the holding role Flamani have done well, so I can actually picture Fabregas and Frings fighting it out on few occasions. So sorry, Frings, if I were manager of Arsenal I wouldn't sign you. That's my opinion actually, whether Arsene Wenger signs him or not, it's all up to the Professor. Remember, Arsene knows.

But trust me, if Frings was younger, he would be close to perfect for Arsenal.

Ramsey to Arsenal

Full Name: Aaron James Ramsey
Position: AMC, MC, Winger
Age: 17
Team: Cardiff City (Arsenal)
Nationality: Wales
Height: 1.78m
Weight: 76 kg

Guess what? Yeah, Arsene Wenger has managed to snap up 17 year-old Welsh starlet from Cardiff City right under Sir Alex Ferguson's nose.

Cardiff City have accepted a 5 million pounds bid from Arsenal, and even though few months ago he have been heavily linked to Man Utd because of the clause that Man Utd will loan him back to Cardiff, it now seems that Aaron Ramsey have decided to go to Arsenal. Fergie may just be banging his head on the wall after he decided not to take the time to talk to Ramsey personally, as the only time they ever talked was on the phone. It is also believed that Aaron Ramsey was impressed and gave in to Professor Wenger's power of persuasion, added by the fact that Arsene Wenger's famous track record of developing young talents such as Theo Walcott and Cesc Fabregas and a world-class youth academy at Arsenal that is probably the best in the world at the moment, thus signing a 3-year contract with Arsenal. You can listen to an interview on Aaron Ramsey here.

I feel that Wenger should be going for more experience players, because last season we could not last the distance due to a lack of them. But in Wenger we trust, as he seeks to transform another youngster into a world-class player in the future like how he did with Fabregas, Walcott and so many other youngsters including Gael Clichy and the old veteran Kolo Toure. I'm so excited that we signed him, it's good to see star players come but sometimes it is also exciting to see the next big thing come to Arsenal and wonder what will happen to them 3 years later. And you know what's the best thing about it? We snapped up "Ryan Giggs" right under Fergie's nose :)

Kudos to Wenger, for taking the time to persuade him personally. So what if you did a treble season? It's the diligence and sincerity that counts.

Arsenal Joins Chase for Veloso

Today I'm going to introduce to you guys another player that Arsene Wenger is chasing this season, Miguel Veloso.
Just who is this guy? He is actually a Portugese midfielder who plays best as a defensive midfielder, and Wenger is looking to sign him as a replacement for Flamini. He is expected to take over Flamini's role as a holding midfielder, and he does seem competent in achieving what Flamini excelled at this season. Now like always, here's some facts about Miguel Veloso which you may find interesting:
Full Name: Miguel Luis Pinto Veloso
Position: D C, M C
Age: 22
Team: Sporting CP
Nationality: Portugal
Other Nationalities: None
International Caps: 5 caps/ 0 goals
Height: 1,80 m
Weight: 79 kg
A defensive midfielder who can also play as a centre-back, this kid is a perfect combination of speed, technique, and defence. When comparing Veloso and Flamini, I would have to say Flmini is better as a holding midfielder. But what he loses out to Veloso is technique; Veloso can play a little bit of a holding role but his technical abilities is an extra trait that will be useful in his career in the future. He is also relatively faster than Flamini, which all these stats more than make up for his holding "ability" loss to Flamini. But I just have to tell you guys, he is not to be underestimated as a holding midfielder ;)
The only real obstacle in getting him at the Emirates is the price Sporting CP has put up for him. They have put up a price tag of 16 million, and Arsenal have strong competitions from clubs such as Chelsea and Man Utd to get his signature. Man Utd had not been talking about him for a long time already, but Chelsea looks as determined. I just hope he would come, and he and Fabregas can dominate the center of the park as well as how Fab and Fla did.

The In's and Out's

It is the time of the year, the long-awaited 2-month long transfer window. There will be players going in and out of each team, and I'm going to go through Arsenal's possible In's and Out's.

Possible Out's:

Aliaksandr Hleb
This player has been grumbling the past few months about him having a certain clause in his contract that he can leave. And guess what? He says he would love to go to Inter Milan and that he WILL go there.
It will be sad if he really decides to leave, but I feel that he won't be staying at the Emirates stadium next season. He, together with Fabregas and Flamini, formed a midfield triangle feared by other teams. To rebuild that triangle would be really difficult, but as long as Arsene Wenger signs the players I mention below (Possible In's), I'm sure he can rebuild another midfield partnership more lethal than the current one ;)

Phillipe Senderos
This player's transfer story is completely different with Hleb's. The difference is, Senderos himself doesn't want to leave Arsenal, it's Arsene Wenger who wants him out. Arsene Wenger has mentioned that he would most probably be facing the exit door, unless he can make a really good impact for his country hosting the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament.
What Senderos needs is perhaps more time. I admit, I wasn't impress with him this season. Last season he was okay but this season I would have to say, for every match he plays for Arsenal, Arsenal gets a result they don't want. Weird huh?
I think it's not a wise decision to sell him now. Perhaps give him one more season? Arsene Wenger has been training this kid for years as possibly the future captain of Arsenal for his known leadership, and yet because of a horrific season Wenger decides to throw all that training down that drain.
And a funny story I just heard is, that Phillipe Senderos is "mentally shattered" recently. Haha.

Emmanuel Adebayor
For this player, I'm really scared. I'm really afraid that Arsenal may lose him, because he's being specualted for a move to San Siro (and many other clubs). This Togo striker who idolises Kanu is really good, and it would be a major upset if he leaves the Emirates. Please don't! I believe we can still cope without Senderos and Hleb, but not without Adebayor! I don't want him to go, because Arsenal seriously needs him.

Possible In's:

Samir Nasri
I have explained in my previous post about Samir Nasri and how good he is, so I won't go much about him. Anyway, to summarize all, Arsene Wenger should sign this excellent wonderkid for 11.25 million pounds as a replacement for Hleb. Short and sweet :)

Hatem Ben Arfa
Another French wonderkid from Lyon, he is as good as Samir Nasri (although I don't know who is better). Goal.com once daringly mentioned that reports have claimed that Arsene Wenger have signed Ben Arfa for 20 million pounds. In the end it wasn't true. Crap. Anyway, if he were to spend 20 million pounds on Ben Arfa, it would be well spend, seeing as there are so many competitions from other clubs such as Man United and Chelsea.
For some reason I feel that Ben Arfa should be a higher priority than Nasri. Reason being that Ben Arfa is a natural left-winger, so he can easily cover for Hleb's position (Rosicky can then play on the right) without any need for "adjustments". I am afraid Nasri may not be able to adjust to his new position so quickly, and what we Gooners all want is silverware as soon as possible. But anyway, I don't mind who is coming but the best would be Arsene Wenger signing both!

Already Out's:

Mathieu Flamini
The news that most of us already know, Mathieu Fla-money has signed for AC Milan and will moved for a free transfer under the bosman ruling. Mathieu Flamini had actually asked for a contract form Arsene Wenger with a very high pay every week. The boss then feels that Arsenal will not "be like Chelsea" and will not give in to high pay from players in order to repay the debt we owe after building the Emirates Stadium.
For this matter, I actually feel that we could really have prevented this. From what I think, Arsene Wenger should have just offered him a contract that he wanted. I know it's a little costly, but if we can somehow win the league with Flamini, then the money would have been well spent. Even if we did not win the league, we would have earn the loss back if we put up a good title challenge. Remember a few years ago, when French legend Thierry Henry requested a very high-wage contract? And what did Arsene Wenger do? He gave it to him. Few years later, he was sold and Arsenal did better in the league. And furthermore, why did Wenger decided to renew his contract so late in the season? He should have done it when he knew the midfield triangle of Fab-Fla-Hleb was working well. Bad decision from the Professor, I'll be really damned if we don't do well next season because of Flamini's exit. More specifically, Arsene Wenger's mistake.

Samir Nasri

I'm sure many of you have already heard of this news. Yes, there is a high chance the Marseille playmaker, Samir Nasri, will be coming to the Emirates Stadium next season for 11.25 million pounds. Arsene Wenger plans to transform him to a wide playmaker (like how he did to Hleb, Rosicky and Pires), most probably taking over Hleb's position. Here's some info about Nasri in case you don't know him:
Full Name: Samir Nasri
Position: AM C
Age: 20
Team: Olympique de Marseille
Nationality: France
Other Nationalities: Algeria
International Caps: 7 caps / 2 goals
Height: 1,77 m
Weight: 75 kg

Just how good is this guy? Well from my opinion he is possibly one of the brightest prospect in football at the moment, and "The Professor" has done it again, adding another French starlet to his army. I'm having doubts about him playing on the flanks though. I'm not too sure if he can adapt well at that position, but I believe we should just trust Wenger, as he has successfully retrain players in new positions (eg. Eboue, van Persie, Pires).

I believe he would be a great signing, although I wonder what will happen to Hatem Ben Arfa (I will explain about him later). Finally Arsene Wenger dares to spend big, and I'm quite sure Nasri would come. Even Frank Ribery has claimed so, so there is no reason why Nasri doesn't want to come in the first place.