Seeing that I have finally finished the "Countdown to UEFA Euro 2008" magazine series, I now have more time to post on things about Arsenal and less workload. This "shortlist" is compiled by me and it possibly don't really need a world-class scout to know these are actually quality players for the present and future. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you should read Part 1. Anyway, enjoy!
Top 10 Starlets for the Future: 6) Yoann Gourcuff
Another French starlet going by the first name of "Yoann". This 21 year-old kid is dubbed the next Zinedine Zidane back in his native country and it really seems like there's some similarities. An excellent technical player, his great shooting ability, excellent dribbling and exceptional manipulation of the flanks and centre more than makes up for his lack of pace. The guy you would expect to score screamers, unexpected strikes, and make great attacking dribbling and runs.
Sadly, he once rejected a move to Arsenal when he was still in Rennes and in the end moved to AC Milan. Judging from Milan's reputation in the transfer market, they will request much for this player; at an estimated cost of 14 million pounds. That's his only disadvantage. But seeing that Gourcuff struggled to get on the first team in Milan, Arsene Wenger may just be able to bargain.
Recommendation: 8/10 7) Jeremy Menez (The guy in red)
With an itmidating hairstyle, this kid may be young but he looks really matured and plays like a matured player too.
He is a natural attacking-midfielder, although he is very versatile. He can play on th wings, a playmaker role, a forward, or just in the center of the park. He is often handed the playmaker role, but he is, in my opinion, more like a natural winger, and good attacking midfielder known for his dribbling and pace rather than his passing. He became famous for being the youngest ever scorer of a hat trick in Ligue 1, the youngest ever winner of Ligue 1's player of the month award, earning him the status of "the next Zinedine Zidane".
His only weakness, I believe, is that he's a selfish player (I hate to say this, but you can see some similarities between Menez nd Niklas Bendtner). Nevertheless, he's a proven youngster and Milan is hot on the heels for him.
Recommendation: 7.5/10
8) Charles N'Zogbia
Age 22 and currently plays for Newcastle, Charles N'Zogbia is a French footballer with Congolese parentage.
A natural winger, he is a good prospect as a heavy favourite at St. James Park. Quick-paced, excellent shooter, and has a hunger for goals, this player is a good replacement for Aliaksandr Hleb.
Recommendation: 7/10 9) Andre Ayew
From Olympique Marseille, Andre Ayew is a natural forward from Ghana, but he can also play as a winger. The footballing blood runs strong in his family, as his father is the legendary Abedi Pele and he is the nephew of Kwame Ayew. His younger brother, Jordan Ayew, also plays for O.M. So many people from his family is devoted to football that you could make a family tree for him.
Fast and pacey, he aims to equal what his father did as a player, and the future does look bright for him. Another player to check out is his younger brother, Jordan Ayew. He's also a rather good prospect.
Recommendation: 8/10
10) Miguel Veloso
A great technical player that is expected to be a replacement for Mathieu Flamini in the role of defensive-midfielder. What he lacks in the ability to defend well, he more than makes up for it in his great technique. Anyway, you can view his featured profile here.
No doubt about it, he's a great player, but I'd rather Arsene Wenger spend the club's money on other players, unless Wenger really have spare cash. Reason is that Veloso is pretty young, and what we need is an experience player that can do as well as Flamini. If we're going to buy another young defensive-midfielder, then why not play Denilson instead? We should trust Denilson and not find another young player that can play his same position, this will give Denilson the impression that he's even worse than a backup player.
But wait, didn't he already transfered to Stuttgart? Yes he did, but a leopard certainly can't change its spots.
Just about weeks ago, Lehmann was given a standing ovation when he came on as a substitute in his last match. Lehmann, 38, has been at Arsenal for 5 years already and kept goals during the Gunners "Invincible" season during the 2003/04 campaign. He looks set to leave the Emirates Stadium with a "Legend" status at Arsenal, highly respected by the fans and a "Fans' Favourite".
But it just seems that he can't forget what Arsene Wenger did to him at the end of the season. He fell out of favour to Almunia at the start of the season with a few bloopers, and after getting stale on the bench, Arsenal did not renew his contract and he went to Stuttgart and even became the first-choice goalkeeper at Germany in Euro 2008.
Suddenly, he comes out and said,
"I experienced a lot of disappointment and a kind of anger last season, being substitute annoys me, as did watching Arsenal waste all of their chances to win the title."
He certainly showed that he wasn't happy with Arsenal. I can only have one word for this: Stupid.
Come on Lehmann, you have already left Arsenal and it was obviously because you wasn't No.1. And now you say that you was watching Arsenal waste their chances? It's not really of your concern anymore. As a "Legend" and "alumni" member of the Goon squad, you should only offer positive comments. You are already 38 and should be experience, and yet you are acting like a child saying that Arsenal was wasteful sorts of things. It's not like you could do anything about it, right? I can forgive this guy for his comments, just because he contributed much to Arsenal for the past years, and wasn't really a bad goalkeeper others imagined. But this is truly a childish act from what an experience person.
And guess what he said after making that comment,
"Arsene Wenger knows I have not been happy with his decisions. But he knows I have learnt from him. I have always felt drawn towards him. Arsenal will remain a beautiful experience in my life. Both on a sporting and personal level, I reached the top there."
I know this time, I'm REAL late. But trust me, all the content in this magazine have been written way before Euro 2008 start, so expect some fresh content and not news mainly after how the different teams perform, The team's performance haave nothing to do and did not influence the magazine's content. Anyway, you can view all the links to the different issues of the magazine at the end of this magazine itself.
UEFA Euro 2008, the next major football competition after the FIFA World Cup, has pretty much left us all feeling excited(even if England isn't in). This magazine series of "Countdown to UEFA Euro 2008" is about each team's profile in the competition, and I will go through 7 major teams in the tournament in the time span of 4 days, telling you about their UEFA Euro history and their key players. Hope you love it and enjoy:
Finally, I got one more place to travel to. The home country of Luis Figo, Rui Costa and Mr Hotshot Cristiano Ronaldo. And after that, I will talk about the slogan for this years competition and that's not all folks, because Portugal is the last and only country being talked about here, there will be EXTRA CONTENT in this issue, a Prediction Chart. Wanna know more, then let's go check it out!
Portugal:
Team Profile:
Association: Federação Portuguesa de Futebol Manager: Luiz Felipe Scolari Captain: Nuno Gomes Most Caps: Luis Figo (127) Top Scorer: Pauleta (47) FIFA Ranking: 11 Number of Times Champions: 0
The Ones to Watch:
Cristiano Ronaldo
No Points for guessing why. Outstanding season with the Red Devils, if he do well for Portugal as well as he does for Man Utd, Portugal have a huge gem in their team and Luis Felipe Scolari would be happy as a lark. 42 goals for Man Utd in all competitions, I don't expect him to do the same thing for Portugal, but in Euro 08 he may just have more assists than goals. An excellent dribbler, his stepovers can cause sore eyes for his opponents. Definitely the man to watch.
Ricardo Carvalho
This guy started the argument whether John Terry was still the best defender at Chelsea. An excellent defender who forms a formidable partnership with J.T., he is a rock-solid defender that seldom lose concentration, often thinking about the situation at hand. Perhaps the main force in Portugal's defence, Cristiano Ronaldo can show his stuffs all he want, but without the Portugal without their backbone in Carvalho would mean that no matter how many goals Ronaldo scored he will always be overshadowed. Watch out for him to be a key man for Portugal.
Odds:
Portugal in my opinion, is a rather good team and one has to wonder why they haven't been able to win any trophies the past few years.
Boasted with the likes of the exciting Cristiano Ronaldo, up and coming Nani, excellent technical player Quaresma, and rock-solid Carvalho, there's no reason why they can't win it.
And yes, they will win it. Remember you heard it here first, on GUNNERockYa, Portugal will be winners. They can do right what they did wrong in the last UEFA Euro tournament, when they had a major upset losing to underdogs Greece in the finals on their own turf. But this time, they will be no mistakes. With Figo and Pauleta gone, here comes a new generation of Portugese players brilliantly led by Felipe Scolari, that will win the competition. My favourites to win this match, my money's on them.
Chance of Winning: 9.5/10
UEFA Euro 2008 Slogan:
As you can see, the slogan for this eyar's tournamnet would be "Expect Emotions". Here's what Michel Platini said about the slogan:
"It describes in a nutshell what the UEFA Euro 2008 has to offer: all kinds of emotions—joy, disappointment, relief or high tension—right up to the final whistle."
Sounds like a very good slogan to me. There will be emotions, especially for the group of death. Who will go out? We shall see.
My Group Predictions:
Group A
Portugal Switzerland
Group B
Croatia Germany
Group C
France Italy
Group D
Spain Russia
It's only my predictions, there are no gurantees they are right!
Well, finally I've finished the magazine series. I seriously regretted doing it so late, but never mind. I was thinking whether I should continue the magazine series, either in a different name or the same name as the tournament has started. But maybe I won't do at all due to the lack of time. Well I will see first, but keep visiting this blog for the latest news ;) Cheers, hope you enjoyed this magazine series :)
Firstly, I have to say, welcome to the blog and I hope you enjoy your stay. You're welcomed here, but there are some rules you have to adhere to in my blog: 1)No spamming. Do not spam when commenting. Spamming as in talking about other things not related to soccer, leaving a blank space and posting it, basically just posting crap. 2)Avoid using vulgarities. I want to keep this blog suitable for people of all ages, but totally banning it spoils the fun. If you really want to say it, please censor them(Eg. F*@k!!!). 3)No EXCESSIVE usage of vulgarities. Like I said, please post the moderately, so do not post something that is choke full of vulgarities with totally no meaning at all. 4)No linking or posting of adult content. Please make this blog a friendly and clean one for people of all ages. There's no limit to be a Gooner ;)
Failure to adhere to these rules will result in your comments being deleted and you being banned from the site. I'm sure you won't want that so don't waste our time. Take cares and hope you love this blog.
It's midnight here, so I'm going to do this one quick. The quantity may not be there, but I hope the quality is :) Enjoy "Countdown to UEFA Euro 2008: Issue 3", and if you don't know what I'm talking about, read Issue 1 and Issue 2. Let's get started!
UEFA Euro 2008, the next major football competition after the FIFA World Cup, has pretty much left us all feeling excited(even if England isn't in). This magazine series of "Countdown to UEFA Euro 2008" is about each team's profile in the competition, and I will go through 7 major teams in the tournament in the time span of 4 days, telling you about their UEFA Euro history and their key players. Hope you love it and enjoy:
Flying to Holland and Czech Republic, I saw a great video about the 2 mascots of Euro 2008. Many people would rather be interested in the football, but the mascots are worthy mentions. To cut a long story short, today I'm going to introduce to you Czech Republic and Netherlands, and at the same time let you meet with Trix and Flix, the mascots of Euro 2008. Let's go check it out!
Czech Republic: Team Profile:
Association: Českomoravský fotbalový svaz Manager: Karel Bruckner Captain: To be decided(Formerly Tomas Rosicky, but he missed out the campaign on injury) Most Caps: Karel Poborsky (118) Top Scorer: Jan Koller (51) FIFA Ranking: 6 Number of Times Champions: 0
The Ones to Watch:
Petr Cech
His season at Chelsea may have been plagued by injuries, but nevertheless, he's still a great goalkeeper. Some may argue that he's not number one keeper anymore, being beaten by the likes of Gigi Buffon and Iker Casillas. Well those people should just see how Cech play. He's still as good as ever, and injuries may have make him a little more shaky in goal, but he's a great shot-stopper who could still be the main factor of Czech Republic's successful Euro 2008 campaign.
Jan Koller
This 35 year-old Nurnberg striker is touted as some people as a "has-been" and that he can no longer cut the mustard anymore. He is in fact, one of the rare few players in the current Czech Republic squad that has played and scored goals for the once "Czechoslovakia" before thy split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia we know today. But I beg to differ. Tall and strong, he often make his opponents feel his physical presence with dangerous headers and spectacular shots. Some may argue that he's already past his peak, but Jan Koller is still the main driving force behind the Czech Republic team. Talk about Tomas Rosicky and Galasek, no one has much more experience than Jan Koller, and with Rosicky out injured, he is a hot candidate for the captain armband. He is simply pure inspiration for the other players, and he may just give more of a "mental" presence than a physical one for the Czech team. Odds:
Czech Republic have a small chance of winning, and like Croatia they are underdogs in this competition. The depth is not really outstanding, but they have a squad with a good amount of talent with Petr Cech, Jan Koller, Milan Baros and many more. Czech Republic has a good history in this competition, so it shouldn't be a problem. But sadly, they're just unlucky.
Without one of their best player, Tomas Rosicky, it will be difficult to go far. Cech can orchestrate the defence, Koller can organise the front, but who's going to lead the midfield? Heavy blow at such a crucial time. Another example of their bad luck is getting drawn into the same group as the host; it's never good when that happens because host countries normally have a good advantage and go far in the competition. The first fixture of the tournament, Switzerland vs Czech Republic, will tell it all.
For me, I'd say that they will go till the quarter-finals but will eventually lose at that stage. But don't count on me, underdogs are always difficult to tell ;)
Chance of Winning: 7.5/10
Netherlands:
Team Profile:
Nicknames: Oranje, Clockwork Orange, Orange Crush, The Orangemen Association: Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond (Royal Netherlands Football Association) Manager: Marco van Basten Captain: Edwin van der Sar Most Caps: Edwin van der Sar (125) Top Scorer: Patrick Kluivert (40) FIFA Ranking: 10 Number of Times Champions: 1
The Ones to Watch:
Edwin van der Sar
Like many "seniors" of the competition, this year's Euro 2008 is van der Sar's final year with the Oranje. During the qualification stages of Euro 2008 he has said that he will retire after Euro 2008, at the same time hoping to bring some success for Holland. There are other good keepers like Petr Cech and Gigi Buffon, but no one has more experience than van der Sar. Netherlans' squad is rather young, so the talent is there but the experience isn't. But making van der Sar captain was the right choice, because you have seen how inspirational he can be for Manchester United, leading them to the Premiership title with a few great saves and motivational moves. Edwin van der Sar has the experience and the skill, which makes him stand out from other keepers as they have skill but no experience, or vice-versa. This trait of him will make him the perfect keeper for the Oranje.
Klass-Jan Huntelaar
Already very well-soughted from many clubs, Klass-Jan Huntelaar is only 24 but can score goals like van Nistelrooy. He was face-saver for Netherlands on countless occasions, as he score spectacular last-minute goals to give Marco van Basten the results he want. He is a great technical player, as seen with his brillian bicycle kicks and exceptional shooting skills. A calm-finisher full of composure, that is what makes him a goalkeeper's nightmare as he lead the Oranje's attack which will always be a threat for other teams. There have been many speculation on whether Huntelaar or van Nistelrooy will get the lone striker spot, but regardless of whether he starts or is a substitute, expect him to score goals.
Odds:
Netherlands has quite a wealth of talent for attack and midfield. In attack they have the ruthless goal-scoring machine Ruud van Nistelrooy and the up-and-coming Huntelaar who "hunts" for goals. In midfield they have Rafael van der Vaart, one of the few "young but experience" players in the squad, Robin van Persie, who although have been plague by injuries and may not last the full 90 minutes for Netherlands, is still a good striker who can play in attack or at the wing, which was he natural position in the past. They also have Wesley Sneijder, who had an excellent season at Real Madrid which led them to the La Liga title last season, probably he's the signing of the season in the La Liga. And finally, Arjen Robben. His season at Real Madrid may not be as good as Sneijder's, but the quality is still there. Netherlands' talent chest is filled.
Then you must wonder, "That should make that champions right?", I have to agree, they got some chance in the competition, as Netherlands are known to breed excellent attackers, from examples such as Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit and van Basten. Their attack may be good, but how about their defence? Now this is what will make them go down, their defence just won't be able to cope with the other teams in the competition, and seeing that they are so unlucky to go into the same group with France and Italy, they probably won't go far. With a little bit of luck they can qualify for the next round, but still, they won't go far. Their defence needs huge sharpening, because however good your attack, you just need a stable "backbone" or your attacks will fail. Even van der Sar won't be able to save the Oranje's weak backbone this time.
Chance of Winning: 7.5/10
Trix and Flix:
Meet Trix and Flix, the official mascots for UEFA Euro 2008. With their pretty funny heads, they were chosen ahead of their other competitiors, Zagi and Zigi and Flitz and Bitz, because of their names. They feel the name "Trix and Flix" would become a vital part of the understanding of the whole event. Now here's the music video of the official theme song of Euro 2008, "Like a Superstar by Shaggy", starring Trix and Flix themelves!
That's all folks. As the competition date draws closer and closer, get ready for Issue 4, the final issue where I will go to Portugal to meet Ronaldo, and plus many more features, including my predictions and the sloggan of the tournament. Stay tune, now take cares and good bye.
Sorry for the late publication, folks. I have lots of reason why I publish this magazine late, but I won't want to waste your time so I'm going to skip the explanation part. Anyway, here's issue 2, and if you haven't read issue 1, you can read it here. So, without further ado, enjoy Countdown to UEFA Euro 2008 Magazine: Issue 2 :)
UEFA Euro 2008, the next major football competition after the FIFA World Cup, has pretty much left us all feeling excited(even if England isn't in). This magazine series of "Countdown to UEFA Euro 2008" is about each team's profile in the competition, and I will go through 7 major teams in the tournament in the time span of 4 days, telling you about their UEFA Euro history and their key players. Hope you love it and enjoy:
After reading Issue 1, I'm sure you have gotten a glimpse of France and Spain. But for today, I'm going to introduce to you France's fierce rival, Italy, who have a not-so-long but tense rivalry since World Cup 2006. And also the very team who knocked out England, Croatia, will also be shown to you. And finally, enjoy a tour around the stadiums of Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria. Let's go check it out!
Italy:
Team Profile
Nickname: Azzurri Association: Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (Italian Football Federation) Manager: Robert Donadoni Captain: Yet to be decided (Formerly Cannavaro but he got injured) Most Caps: Paolo Maldini (126) Top Scorer: Luigi Riva (35) FIFA Ranking: 3 Number of Times Champions: 1
The Ones to Watch:
Alessandro Del Piero
Some people call his participation for Italy in Euro 2008 is probably his last stint for the Italy National Football Team. Expected to have signed his last contract extension last season, he is already 33 but is playing, scoring, and assisting in football like a 27 year old player. He impressed at Juventus, where he is a loyal player and became the top-goalscorer for the Serie A. An excellent finisher who is also rather good at assisting and creating chances for his other strike partner, if he does play for Italy in the first team, probably partnering Luca Toni, they will form one of the best strike-force in the tournament, with Del Piero helping Luca Toni score while score some goals for himself at the same time.
Daniele De Rossi
With such an impressive season at AS Roma, no doubt can De Rossi impress too at Euro 2008. A great leader and strong defensive midfielder, he can dominate the midfield with his physical strength and influence. He can also score goals at times, especially screamers from yards out which send the goalkeeper staring. Seem tireless, whoever is playing with him in midfield knows he has a great ally playing beside him. Plays so much like Gattuso, so much better than him that Gattuso has to be shifted out of position to make space for him.
Odds:
The current world champions, Italy have a very good chance of winnig another major competition, literally proving they are the best in Europe and probably the world. I would very confidently say that they are my pick to be winners, but sadly, because of somebody, I dare not say that they will be champions. And that somebody is the injured Fabio Cannavaro.
Just before the tournament was going to start, he got injured. Some people say he's alredy past his best, but someone who captained his team to World Cup victory is really somebody. It's no easy feat, and Italy will probably miss his mental presence more that his physical presence.
So, because of that large hole left in the defence by Cannavaro, Italy is still ont my favourite to win Euro 2008. Anybody can cover up for his position, but it's really nothing as good as a "Cannavaro-captained" Italy. But anyway, they still have a rather good chance, so for the Azzurri fans, fear not. they are already proven world champions, so it shouldn't be a problem.
Chance of Winning: 9/10
Croatia:
Team Profile:
Nickname: Vatreni ("The Blazers") Association: Hrvatski nogometni savez Manager: Slaven Bilic Captain: Niko Kovac Most Caps: Dario Simic Top Scorer: Davor Suker FIFA Ranking: 15 Number of Times Champions: 0
The Ones to Watch:
Luka Modric
This Tottenham-bound attacking midfielder is a vital part of the Croatian Team. A natural playmaker, he can set up goals for his teammates and strikers, recently shown in good partnership with Eduardo da Silva. Sadly, Eduardo got a long-term injury, but he continues to do his playmaking duties well. He can use both feet to play, and he is one of the most quick-feeted players without the ball, often bringing himself to favourable offensive positions, thus creating or scoring goals.
Niko Kranjcar:
Another Croatian player from the English Premier League, he can play as a striker, although he has shown talents playing as an attacking midfielder, thus establishing his role in that position for Croatia. An excellent dribbler and passer, he can shoot well and normally score amazing scorchers. He is also a rather good freekick taker, and his ability to spot a good pass is also a good advantage for him and Croatia. He normally gets forward when the opportunity arise.
Odds:
Considered one of the best underdogs in the competition with the most chance of winnig, Croatia's squad does not lack in talent.
Yes, compared to other teams in the tournament Croatia lose out on depth, but their great winnng mentality and teamwork offers them an edge in the tournament. They are being hit hard by the loss of Eduardo, one of their greatest goalscorers and most lethal finishers, but they should be fine because they know Eduardo are watching somewhere. Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar will no doubt shine, and a team who manages to defeat England, even if they were lucky, shouldn't be underestimated. They have a small chance of winning, but yet I can't totally rule them out. Small odds, but it would be more interesting to see how they fare and how far tehy get.
Chance of Winning: 7/10
The Stadiums:
Austria
Innsbruck
Klagenfurt
Salzburg
ViennaThe Final
Switzerland
Basle
Berne
Geneva
Zurich
I won't do the talking. Just watch this video for yourself to see what the stadiums looks like:
That's all for Issue 2, while you stay tuned for Issue 3, here's some preview for where we would be going next: We will go to the home of Johan Cryuff and Tomas Rosicky. I will also introduce to you the mascots for Euro 2008, Trix and Flix. Hope you enjoyed what you read, till then, take cares and good bye.
Recently I have been posting about other things, other news not really related to Arsenal. It seems that I'm making a mockery of my blog's name day by day, but hopefully this post would bring back my focus to what the blog proclaims it is for: Arsenal.
So here you go, an article on the top 10 starlets Arsenal should sign. In fact, they're going to be so big in the future that virtually every club should target them. You may just realise that most of them are French, mainly because that Arsene Wenger's way of scouting have somehow influenced me. There will be 2 parts for this article, mainly because I have too much work at the moment and splitting them would enable me to do what I have not done yet.
So sit back and enjoy this article, and in a few years time, come back to this article and ask yourself whether my eye for talent was right or not.
Top 10 Starlets for the Future:
1) Hatem Ben Arfa
Cool, cocky, complacent. To be honest, he have the attitude of Fabregas, yet is exceptionally good. A natural left winger, he can cover for the soon-to-leave Hleb, yet can also play as a striker when van Persie gets injured again. He has pace, can dribble well, and a rather good finisher.
Recommendation: 8/10
2) Karim Benzema
Maybe not as cool as Ben Arfa, but he may just further justify Zinedine Zidane's theory of "Having little hair doesn't mean you can't play well."
A natural forward, he together with Ben Arfa, is often touted as the best prospect in Lyon and France. A drawback about getting him to Arsenal is his cost; he is probably the most well-sought player in this list, with heavy interest from almost every major club. If Wenger wants him, he got to pay big, and it just don't seem to fit his style.
Recommendation: 8.5/10
3) Samir Nasri
Only younger than Fabregas by a year, he and Fabregas has some similarities.
The first thing to note is that they are both natural playmakers, and their creativity is something other clubs fear, creating chances for their teammates, when you, sitting on the couch watching them play, not knowing that Adebayor is actually unmarked and clearly onside.
Another excellent French prospect, he is good but sadly I do not think he is the type of player Arsenal need at the moment. As long as Fabregas is at Arsenal, he won't be able to play at his best. I would rather Wenger spend on Ben Arfa than Nasri.
Recommendation: 7.5/10
4) Hugo Lloris
A French goalkeeper from OGC Nice. If a keeper is what Wenger needs, then he would be a good choice. I'm not too sure if Almunia can be trusted as a first-team goalkeeper, but I would certainly want Arsene to buy another better keeper.
Already on his move to Lyon, this kid is quite impossible to get, as I can probably predict his future. He rejects AC Milan to go to Lyon, replacing Gregory Coupet, then he makes a name for himself there, attracting attention from other big clubs, then spending a really large fee for him. Enough said.
I highly recommend this player, but because he is still young to be a first-team keeper for Arsenal, and we already have the up and coming Fabianski, I lowered his recommendation level. Still a good player for the future though.
Recommendation: 7/10
5) Yoann Gouffran
Another French starlet. When are they going to stop developing such excellent prospects? Anyway, I'm stopping the bullshit. From SM Caen, he plays best as a forward although he has proven he can also play as an attacking midfielder. Fast and quick with agility, for what he probalby lacks in technique, he more thatn makes it up in his speed. Lightning fast, he can beat defenders quickly and then finish off calmly, scoring goals and not knowing what hit them.
Excellent prospect, but again, a striker is what Arsenal don't need at the moment. But he is so good that Arsene Wenger may just change his mind if van Persie goes injured again and Eduardo takes a long time to recover. I still highly recommend him, even if Arsenal do't need a player in his position.
