If February wasn't early enough for a Silly Season, Arsenal's latest defeats (Blackburn and Bayern München) are excellent events for tabloids and websites to harvest clicks from exasperated Gooners.
We're not supporting a lucky team these days, it has to be said.
It doesn't matter that the team's failings are more about psychology than the quality of the players available. Even if there are four months left until any deals are done and dusted, several English papers are already rebuilding the team in their minds.
The Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, the Daily Telegraph and the Metro have all listed numerous replacements and reinforcements supposedly on Arsène Wenger's radar. For good measure, the Metro have also listed 10 candidates to reinforce Arsenal instead of Wenger, if or when he is out the door.
And the £70m that the Telegraph claims will be spent this summer will be out of the coffers fast enough if and when all the players they've compiled here join up!
The players mentioned and linked are all the usual suspects, linked before and soon to be linked again. In due time, all rumours are listed alphabetically here.
Interestingly, no media outlet had picked up on Nacho Monreal before his deadline day move to Arsenal. Speaking about the signing, Wenger admitted that this was a deal set up for summer, but injury to Kieran Gibbs forced them to close the deal earlier than planned.
Chances are there are more deals like that, already sealed for the summer window. Like Lukas Podolski last year, and Marouane Chamakh the year before that. Only noone has told the reporters yet...
Showing posts with label Podolski. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Podolski. Show all posts
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Arsenal playing hardball over Walcott
With just days left of this Silly Season, Arsenal seriously entertain selling Theo Walcott to a Premier League rival after contract talks have broken down.
That is the gist of two separate reports in the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph, respectively. Both stories are apparently written with a club insider as the main source. Giveaways are a) the mentions of Arsenal offering a wage hike perceived as too small by the England winger's representatives, and b) hardball rhetoric about the club being relaxed about selling him.
The obvious angle to this story is that Arsenal yet again look caught out by a player getting to the final year of his contract without renewal talks taking place. This was what manager Arsène Wenger got the most flak for last summer.
However, the two stories I've linked to put more emphasis on Arsenal's view: the offer of £75k per week is a 'final five-year offer'. 'They do not intend to make an improved offer,' as Jeremy Wilson of the Telegraph writes. Walcott's representatives have 'informed the club', they aren't quoted as sources for Dominic Fifield's Guardian story themselves.
This, to me, looks like Arsenal giving final notice: sign or be sold. Pretty much as reported, then.
For the common Gooner, letting Walcott go for an eight-figure sum wouldn't be perceived as fatally weakening the first team. He looks unable to play well for more than one or two games in a row. After six years at Arsenal, he's still in and out of the first XI and is often the subject of exasperated moans from the stands. His assist stats may well never be better than last season, when Robin van Persie was on the end of just about everyone of Walcott's final balls.
The Telegraph's Wilson adds on Twitter that Arsenal are relaxed because they not only have Gervinho in Walcott's stead, but also have high hopes for teenager Serge Gnabry.
But the club's recent reputation as a selling club will be reinforced. Manchester City's interest in Walcott is a given. But seeing him line up for Liverpool, who reportedly are up for offering him £100k per week, would suggest that Arsenal can't or won't compete even with the next to largest clubs in the league.
Wenger's outspoken target of bringing through a new generation of British players at Arsenal, hoping for stronger club loyalty from them, will also be ridiculed.
Meanwhile, with just a few days left, any mentions of incoming Arsenal targets look weakly sourced and thoroughly unconvincing. Tales of Newcastle midfielders and stars from the French league all smack of agents' desperation as the window is starting to creak.
Van Persie was replaced by Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud even before he was sold, and Alex Song left a squad well stuffed with other midfielders. But it's hard to see that Walcott can leave without anyone coming in.
It might be a gamble. It might be Arsenal using the broadsheets (though not literally) to whip Walcott into line. But gambles don't always pay off.
That is the gist of two separate reports in the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph, respectively. Both stories are apparently written with a club insider as the main source. Giveaways are a) the mentions of Arsenal offering a wage hike perceived as too small by the England winger's representatives, and b) hardball rhetoric about the club being relaxed about selling him.
The obvious angle to this story is that Arsenal yet again look caught out by a player getting to the final year of his contract without renewal talks taking place. This was what manager Arsène Wenger got the most flak for last summer.
However, the two stories I've linked to put more emphasis on Arsenal's view: the offer of £75k per week is a 'final five-year offer'. 'They do not intend to make an improved offer,' as Jeremy Wilson of the Telegraph writes. Walcott's representatives have 'informed the club', they aren't quoted as sources for Dominic Fifield's Guardian story themselves.
This, to me, looks like Arsenal giving final notice: sign or be sold. Pretty much as reported, then.
For the common Gooner, letting Walcott go for an eight-figure sum wouldn't be perceived as fatally weakening the first team. He looks unable to play well for more than one or two games in a row. After six years at Arsenal, he's still in and out of the first XI and is often the subject of exasperated moans from the stands. His assist stats may well never be better than last season, when Robin van Persie was on the end of just about everyone of Walcott's final balls.
The Telegraph's Wilson adds on Twitter that Arsenal are relaxed because they not only have Gervinho in Walcott's stead, but also have high hopes for teenager Serge Gnabry.
But the club's recent reputation as a selling club will be reinforced. Manchester City's interest in Walcott is a given. But seeing him line up for Liverpool, who reportedly are up for offering him £100k per week, would suggest that Arsenal can't or won't compete even with the next to largest clubs in the league.
Wenger's outspoken target of bringing through a new generation of British players at Arsenal, hoping for stronger club loyalty from them, will also be ridiculed.
Meanwhile, with just a few days left, any mentions of incoming Arsenal targets look weakly sourced and thoroughly unconvincing. Tales of Newcastle midfielders and stars from the French league all smack of agents' desperation as the window is starting to creak.
Van Persie was replaced by Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud even before he was sold, and Alex Song left a squad well stuffed with other midfielders. But it's hard to see that Walcott can leave without anyone coming in.
It might be a gamble. It might be Arsenal using the broadsheets (though not literally) to whip Walcott into line. But gambles don't always pay off.
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Mercifully, the saga ends
Robin van Persie is to sign for Manchester United, it's been confirmed by both clubs. According to arsenal.com and manutd.com tonight, only personal terms and a medical remain. Even with the Dutchman's notorious injury record, he's expected to be passed fit. As for his personal contract, it's highly unlikely that his representatives haven't sorted that out quite some time ago.
Most Gooners will lament - and rival fans will cherish - another Silly Season where Arsenal's major star ends up leaving the club. This summer, however, the deal has been concluded mercifully early, even before the start of the season. The replacements have already arrived. Lukas Podolski has been expecting to inherit the number 10 shirt since arriving in late April. Olivier Giroud is set to establish himself as first choice central striker, impressing in the last pre-season game in Germany.
Any of you can make an analysis of Robin van Persie's choice to leave is as good as mine. My opinion is still that a combination of wage demands and the need for a fresh challenge will have persuaded him to leave. He alone will know what caused his change of heart after years of speaking out as one of Arsenal's most loyal players.
But I expect that his agent(s) would have seen this as a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity for arguably the third best player in the world and themselves. The last major deal at an almost pensionable (in this business) 29 years old, to be signed at the very height of his career.
Now that would have been possible to understand, even for some Gooners. But the mistake van Persie will have to live with is the disrespectful statement on his personal website. There was no way back by then, even if I don't believe Manchester United was his preferred destination at the time.
Frankly, my guess was that he would indeed end up at Manchester City sometime close to deadline day. What with wages being his primary concern and Arsenal being notoriously stubborn in dealing with rival clubs. Then again, being proven wrong is par for everyone in Silly Season, myself included. If the reported transfer fee of £24m is even close to reality, it's exceptional business by Arsenal from a financial perspective. However, that's a no comfort for the majority of supporters, seeing another star choose the greener grass on the other side of the Premier League fence.
At least the transfer saga is over, barring an unexpected fallout with van Persie's new prospective employers, or an injury picked up by another club's medical experts. What the new season will hold instead is an incessant point-keeping and cheerleading in the media and on the message boards: who will win a trophy? Robin or Arsène Wenger?
Van Persie's exit and the arrival of Santi Cazorla cancel each other out, squad wise. Arsenal still have a surplus; two first team players more than the 25-man Premier League squad rule allows. (More on Arsenal's status here.)
With Nicklas Bendtner a certainty to leave, Arsenal will lose at least one player with status as home grown. The prospect of losing another in Alex Song won't appeal to Wenger either. I would never interpret any quotes from the manager as gospel, not even those in the Sun yesterday where he states that Song is not for sale. If the player pushes for a move, Wenger's track record suggests he would rather cash in than keep an unhappy employee.
But Wenger would much prefer to get rid of players he openly wants to sell: Chu-Young Park and Sebastién Squillaci. I would not be at all surprised to see both Marouane Chamakh and Andrei Arshavin stay on at Arsenal, until the next transfer window at least. There is no financial sense in letting them leave before replacements are on the way. Besides, none of the two have gotten any better offers in a Silly Season marked by a poorer economical climate.
And we all know that the better offer wins at the end of the day.
Most Gooners will lament - and rival fans will cherish - another Silly Season where Arsenal's major star ends up leaving the club. This summer, however, the deal has been concluded mercifully early, even before the start of the season. The replacements have already arrived. Lukas Podolski has been expecting to inherit the number 10 shirt since arriving in late April. Olivier Giroud is set to establish himself as first choice central striker, impressing in the last pre-season game in Germany.
Any of you can make an analysis of Robin van Persie's choice to leave is as good as mine. My opinion is still that a combination of wage demands and the need for a fresh challenge will have persuaded him to leave. He alone will know what caused his change of heart after years of speaking out as one of Arsenal's most loyal players.
But I expect that his agent(s) would have seen this as a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity for arguably the third best player in the world and themselves. The last major deal at an almost pensionable (in this business) 29 years old, to be signed at the very height of his career.
Now that would have been possible to understand, even for some Gooners. But the mistake van Persie will have to live with is the disrespectful statement on his personal website. There was no way back by then, even if I don't believe Manchester United was his preferred destination at the time.
Frankly, my guess was that he would indeed end up at Manchester City sometime close to deadline day. What with wages being his primary concern and Arsenal being notoriously stubborn in dealing with rival clubs. Then again, being proven wrong is par for everyone in Silly Season, myself included. If the reported transfer fee of £24m is even close to reality, it's exceptional business by Arsenal from a financial perspective. However, that's a no comfort for the majority of supporters, seeing another star choose the greener grass on the other side of the Premier League fence.
At least the transfer saga is over, barring an unexpected fallout with van Persie's new prospective employers, or an injury picked up by another club's medical experts. What the new season will hold instead is an incessant point-keeping and cheerleading in the media and on the message boards: who will win a trophy? Robin or Arsène Wenger?
Van Persie's exit and the arrival of Santi Cazorla cancel each other out, squad wise. Arsenal still have a surplus; two first team players more than the 25-man Premier League squad rule allows. (More on Arsenal's status here.)
With Nicklas Bendtner a certainty to leave, Arsenal will lose at least one player with status as home grown. The prospect of losing another in Alex Song won't appeal to Wenger either. I would never interpret any quotes from the manager as gospel, not even those in the Sun yesterday where he states that Song is not for sale. If the player pushes for a move, Wenger's track record suggests he would rather cash in than keep an unhappy employee.
But Wenger would much prefer to get rid of players he openly wants to sell: Chu-Young Park and Sebastién Squillaci. I would not be at all surprised to see both Marouane Chamakh and Andrei Arshavin stay on at Arsenal, until the next transfer window at least. There is no financial sense in letting them leave before replacements are on the way. Besides, none of the two have gotten any better offers in a Silly Season marked by a poorer economical climate.
And we all know that the better offer wins at the end of the day.
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Why Arsenal must sell before buying
This summer’s repeat exercise of an Arsenal squad summary is a reflection of the manager’s gentle reminder here. The Premier League squad rule must be respected. 25 senior players can be registered and used. A limitless number of U21 players can make up the numbers.
There are three rules:
1. Of the 25 players permitted in a Premier League first team squad, at least 8 - eight - need to be "home grown", i.e. registered with an English or Welsh club for at least three years before turning 21.
Arsenal have Bendtner, Djourou, Gibbs, Mannone, Song and Walcott. That’s six.
The 1990 generation, who are no longer U21s, are Ramsey, Eastmond, Lansbury and Szczesny. That’s four. So even if Eastmond and Lansbury leave, permanently or on loan as has been expected, Arsenal have eight home-grown players.
Since the end of last season, Vela and Botelho have left, while Denilson has been loaned out and will not take part in the coming league campaign.
2. A maximum of 17 players can be foreigners over the age of 21.
With 10 homegrown players, Arsenal still need to restrict the total number of players over 21 to 25. So if Eastmond and Lansbury stay, there are 15 places in the squad for foreigners.
Arsenal currently have Arshavin, Arteta, Chamakh, Diaby, Fabianski, Gervinho, Giroud, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Park, Podolski, Rosicky, Sagna, Santos, Squillaci, van Persie and Vermaelen. That makes for 17 players.
While Nasri, Eboue, Benayoun and Almunia have left since these maths last appeared on this blog, 27 players remain in total. Someone has to go. More about that later.
First Arsenal's great advantage:
3. A limitless number of players under 21 years of age (at the start of the calendar year) can be registered.
The following Arsenal players are born in 1991: Bartley, Coquelin, Henderson, Shea and Watt.
1992: Boateng, Frimpong, Galindo, Jenkinson, Martinez, Meade, Miquel and Wilshere.
1993: Afobe, Aneke, Eisfeld, Hajrovic, Neita and Yennaris.
While some of these players will continue their development in the Reserves or out on loan, they are others who are already established first-teamers and indeed internationals. Arsenal are renowned for the strength of their youth teams.
Now what?
The main transfer saga this season, Robin van Persie's departure to - allegedly - Manchester or Turin, rumbles on. His new teammate Lukas Podolski is even holding out for his number 10 shirt. While Arsène Wenger still officially wants his captain to remain, it's likely to be phrases intended to hike up his asking price.
Meanwhile, Andrei Arshavin is said to be negotiating with teams on the Arab peninsula, a last payday for a 31-year-old.
And Nicklas Bendtner keeps being linked with any and every team in Europe. Whether his own demands or Arsenal's seem to hinder any bid from anyone isn't known. So far this summer the Dane has been linked with 13 clubs in the media. That's still short of last summer's incredible haul of 21 clubs, before he ended up with Sunderland on loan. Perhaps his agents are being a little bit more discreet this year?
Anyway, if - a big if - all of these three leave still only one place is freed up in the Premier League squad. Bendtner's status as "home grown" wouldn't mean much as Henri Lansbury or Craig Eastmond make up the numbers if at least one of them stays.
But were Bendtner, Lansbury and Eastmond all to leave, Arsenal would still need to shed two foreigners to have a squad in keeping with Premier League rules.
Whether there will be any room in the roster at all, and whether it will be filled by Santi Cazorla or anyone else of the more than 150 players linked this summer, remains to be seen.
There are three rules:
1. Of the 25 players permitted in a Premier League first team squad, at least 8 - eight - need to be "home grown", i.e. registered with an English or Welsh club for at least three years before turning 21.
Arsenal have Bendtner, Djourou, Gibbs, Mannone, Song and Walcott. That’s six.
The 1990 generation, who are no longer U21s, are Ramsey, Eastmond, Lansbury and Szczesny. That’s four. So even if Eastmond and Lansbury leave, permanently or on loan as has been expected, Arsenal have eight home-grown players.
Since the end of last season, Vela and Botelho have left, while Denilson has been loaned out and will not take part in the coming league campaign.
2. A maximum of 17 players can be foreigners over the age of 21.
With 10 homegrown players, Arsenal still need to restrict the total number of players over 21 to 25. So if Eastmond and Lansbury stay, there are 15 places in the squad for foreigners.
Arsenal currently have Arshavin, Arteta, Chamakh, Diaby, Fabianski, Gervinho, Giroud, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Park, Podolski, Rosicky, Sagna, Santos, Squillaci, van Persie and Vermaelen. That makes for 17 players.
While Nasri, Eboue, Benayoun and Almunia have left since these maths last appeared on this blog, 27 players remain in total. Someone has to go. More about that later.
First Arsenal's great advantage:
3. A limitless number of players under 21 years of age (at the start of the calendar year) can be registered.
The following Arsenal players are born in 1991: Bartley, Coquelin, Henderson, Shea and Watt.
1992: Boateng, Frimpong, Galindo, Jenkinson, Martinez, Meade, Miquel and Wilshere.
1993: Afobe, Aneke, Eisfeld, Hajrovic, Neita and Yennaris.
While some of these players will continue their development in the Reserves or out on loan, they are others who are already established first-teamers and indeed internationals. Arsenal are renowned for the strength of their youth teams.
Now what?
The main transfer saga this season, Robin van Persie's departure to - allegedly - Manchester or Turin, rumbles on. His new teammate Lukas Podolski is even holding out for his number 10 shirt. While Arsène Wenger still officially wants his captain to remain, it's likely to be phrases intended to hike up his asking price.
Meanwhile, Andrei Arshavin is said to be negotiating with teams on the Arab peninsula, a last payday for a 31-year-old.
And Nicklas Bendtner keeps being linked with any and every team in Europe. Whether his own demands or Arsenal's seem to hinder any bid from anyone isn't known. So far this summer the Dane has been linked with 13 clubs in the media. That's still short of last summer's incredible haul of 21 clubs, before he ended up with Sunderland on loan. Perhaps his agents are being a little bit more discreet this year?
Anyway, if - a big if - all of these three leave still only one place is freed up in the Premier League squad. Bendtner's status as "home grown" wouldn't mean much as Henri Lansbury or Craig Eastmond make up the numbers if at least one of them stays.
But were Bendtner, Lansbury and Eastmond all to leave, Arsenal would still need to shed two foreigners to have a squad in keeping with Premier League rules.
Whether there will be any room in the roster at all, and whether it will be filled by Santi Cazorla or anyone else of the more than 150 players linked this summer, remains to be seen.
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
Winter and spring Top 3 targets
May has arrived, and Silly Season is about to get serious. Lukas Podolski and Tarum Dawkins have already signed.
Err..., I hear you say. Remember Dawkins? The Luton teenager arrived without fanfare, like all other youngsters joining Arsenal's academy, back in March.
As of 30 April, 90 - ninety! - players have been linked with a summer transfer to Arsenal by news sources we normally would deem reliable. They are listed alphabetically here.
Lukas Podolski has been the obvious top target, with 167 mentions. But as his signing is now confirmed, the Top 3 consist of these players:
1) Eden Hazard, Lille, 51 mentions,
2) Yann M'Vila, Rennes, 45,
3=) Mario Götze, Borussia Dortmund, 35,
3=) Jan Vertonghen, Ajax, 35.
The targets with the most mentions from other Premier League clubs are Sunderland's Stéphane Sessegnon (17 mentions), Blackburn's Junior Hoilett (15) and Fulham's Clint Dempsey (13).
The fact that Götze signed a new contract with German league champions Borussia Dortmund hasn't convinced the English media, he is still linked with Arsenal intermittently.
While the German wonderkid is staying put, the two likely rumours - if any! - are M'Vila and Vertonghen, a midfielder and a defender.
But I suspect that Arsenal's main focus this coming summer is to shed some dead weight off the wage bill. Those rumours are also listed here, but I'll get back to them in a later entry.
Err..., I hear you say. Remember Dawkins? The Luton teenager arrived without fanfare, like all other youngsters joining Arsenal's academy, back in March.
As of 30 April, 90 - ninety! - players have been linked with a summer transfer to Arsenal by news sources we normally would deem reliable. They are listed alphabetically here.
Lukas Podolski has been the obvious top target, with 167 mentions. But as his signing is now confirmed, the Top 3 consist of these players:
1) Eden Hazard, Lille, 51 mentions,
2) Yann M'Vila, Rennes, 45,
3=) Mario Götze, Borussia Dortmund, 35,
3=) Jan Vertonghen, Ajax, 35.
The targets with the most mentions from other Premier League clubs are Sunderland's Stéphane Sessegnon (17 mentions), Blackburn's Junior Hoilett (15) and Fulham's Clint Dempsey (13).
The fact that Götze signed a new contract with German league champions Borussia Dortmund hasn't convinced the English media, he is still linked with Arsenal intermittently.
While the German wonderkid is staying put, the two likely rumours - if any! - are M'Vila and Vertonghen, a midfielder and a defender.
But I suspect that Arsenal's main focus this coming summer is to shed some dead weight off the wage bill. Those rumours are also listed here, but I'll get back to them in a later entry.
Monday, 30 April 2012
Podolski finally confirmed
Today's announcement was as expected as snow at Christmas. Lukas Podolski will join Arsenal at the end of the German Bundesliga season.
We shouldn't expect too many ins and outs from Arsenal this silly season. Then again, that's not news to this blog, where the whole point is to lower transfer expectations to a sensible level!
You can read Arsenal's confirmation and summary of his career here.
The 26-year-old forward might well reach 100 caps for Germany in the coming European Championships. Podolski is a quality signing in anyone's book, the kind Arsenal fans have been craving. An established international, and hopefully an addition to Robin van Persie, not a replacement.
This season Podolski has carried FC Köln, perhaps even more than van Persie have carried Arsenal. Podolski's club are flirting with relegation, but their main striker and former captain's goals still keeps them above the bottom three.
An interesting point about transfers this weekend was Arsène Wenger's statement after the draw at Stoke:
"At the end of the season I think you will have big surprises because there will not be a lot of movement in football."
"At the end of the season I think you will have big surprises because there will not be a lot of movement in football."
We shouldn't expect too many ins and outs from Arsenal this silly season. Then again, that's not news to this blog, where the whole point is to lower transfer expectations to a sensible level!
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Everybody's talkin'
"I'm going where the sun keeps shining
Thru' the pouring rain"
- Everybody's talkin' by Fred Neil, 1966; Harry Nilsson, 1969
We've witnessed an Arsenal renaissance the last few weeks. Seven wins in a row can make anyone feel the sunshine, especially after the torrents at the start of the season. Today, however, Silly Season has slipped into a higher gear. Whether the sun shines in August remains to be seen, but for some reason a collected English press have made predictions for Arsenal's transfer dealings of the summer. And they are more or less the same.
Why this sudden interest in ins and outs at the same time? Whose is the primary story, who is the source?
Judging from the publishing data on the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph websites, copies have been filed at the usual time before the printing presses were switched on. So is the case for most other papers' websites. This means that they're not all just reporting what one of the others claims to have found out. The stories have bylines, are written by proper reporters based (it seems) on their own trusted sources.
The Telegraph's Jeremy Wilson is focused on a new deals for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott. At the same time, he reports that chopping dead wood from the squad will bankroll their new salaries. In the Mail, Sami Mokbel reports the possible ins as well: Lukas Podolski, Eden Hazard, Yann M'Vila and Mario Götze are Arsenal's targets.
Podolski is a constant in this merry-go-round of rumours, but there are other names in other stories. The Daily Mirror points to Jan Vertonghen of Ajax as Podolski is already a done deal. Junior Hoilett of Blackburn get another mention. Even the stub from the Sun counts four names: Vertonghen, Podolski, M'Vila and Oliver Giroud.
Meanwhile, the Daily Express reports the quite incredible rumour that Arsenal backup defender Johan Djourou in some way or other has caught the eye of Juventus. Vertonghen would in that case be a handy replacement.
And in the London Evening Standard, their football reporter and commentator James Olley provides analysis. Perhaps that is the piece to recommend the most, as it contains the gist of every other report: Arsenal will make their deals early in the summer window. Last summer's deadline day will not be repeated. The players signed in 2012 will be better than the bargains signed in 2011.
That seems to me to be the primary story: Arsenal have identified their targets as well as their surplus players. But why has every paper in the nation picked up the exact same story, but with separate details on who are leaving and who are joining? It looks like they are all fed the same cake, but with different icings.
The baker has to be someone close to the club, credible enough for all these reporters to trust. But where there's a source, there's an agenda!
Let's hope this particular agenda isn't to create unrest among Arsenal players named and shamed as flops, or just for sale. Or to drive up the prices in the transfer market, exposing Arsenal's plans and alternatives before the bidding starts. Neither of these scenarios are now unlikely, regardless of the source's identity.
Thru' the pouring rain"
- Everybody's talkin' by Fred Neil, 1966; Harry Nilsson, 1969
We've witnessed an Arsenal renaissance the last few weeks. Seven wins in a row can make anyone feel the sunshine, especially after the torrents at the start of the season. Today, however, Silly Season has slipped into a higher gear. Whether the sun shines in August remains to be seen, but for some reason a collected English press have made predictions for Arsenal's transfer dealings of the summer. And they are more or less the same.
Why this sudden interest in ins and outs at the same time? Whose is the primary story, who is the source?
Judging from the publishing data on the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph websites, copies have been filed at the usual time before the printing presses were switched on. So is the case for most other papers' websites. This means that they're not all just reporting what one of the others claims to have found out. The stories have bylines, are written by proper reporters based (it seems) on their own trusted sources.
The Telegraph's Jeremy Wilson is focused on a new deals for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott. At the same time, he reports that chopping dead wood from the squad will bankroll their new salaries. In the Mail, Sami Mokbel reports the possible ins as well: Lukas Podolski, Eden Hazard, Yann M'Vila and Mario Götze are Arsenal's targets.
Podolski is a constant in this merry-go-round of rumours, but there are other names in other stories. The Daily Mirror points to Jan Vertonghen of Ajax as Podolski is already a done deal. Junior Hoilett of Blackburn get another mention. Even the stub from the Sun counts four names: Vertonghen, Podolski, M'Vila and Oliver Giroud.
Meanwhile, the Daily Express reports the quite incredible rumour that Arsenal backup defender Johan Djourou in some way or other has caught the eye of Juventus. Vertonghen would in that case be a handy replacement.
And in the London Evening Standard, their football reporter and commentator James Olley provides analysis. Perhaps that is the piece to recommend the most, as it contains the gist of every other report: Arsenal will make their deals early in the summer window. Last summer's deadline day will not be repeated. The players signed in 2012 will be better than the bargains signed in 2011.
That seems to me to be the primary story: Arsenal have identified their targets as well as their surplus players. But why has every paper in the nation picked up the exact same story, but with separate details on who are leaving and who are joining? It looks like they are all fed the same cake, but with different icings.
The baker has to be someone close to the club, credible enough for all these reporters to trust. But where there's a source, there's an agenda!
Let's hope this particular agenda isn't to create unrest among Arsenal players named and shamed as flops, or just for sale. Or to drive up the prices in the transfer market, exposing Arsenal's plans and alternatives before the bidding starts. Neither of these scenarios are now unlikely, regardless of the source's identity.
Friday, 16 March 2012
The two main rumours combined
It's only March, but a lot of attention is given to Arsenal's rumoured transfer dealings after this season. The two main stories centre around what kind of attack next season's team will have. Will Robin van Persie and Lukas Podolski combine, or will the (rumoured) new German signing be the captain's replacement? Earlier in the week, that was the gist of this Independent article.
First of all, the deal for Podolski looks more and more like a genuine story. Details coming from sources at the clubs suggest a deal is made or is close. Whether Arsenal have been allowed to conduct a medical at FC Köln or not won't be confirmed by either club. But most of all: no other clubs have been linked with Podolski, suggesting his agent is trying to launch a transfer rather than putting the final touches on it.
At the same time, Robin van Persie (or his agent) is said to have agreed a contract with Manchester City, should a transfer come about in the summer. This is so much against international rules and fair play that football probably is the only place it could happen. But still, a move is no certainty. The Dutchman's performances on the pitch suggest that any oil-funded team in the world would throw money at him. His performances OFF the pitch, as a leader and captain, suggest that van Persie might actually want to play on at the Emirates.
Just a final warning to Arsenal fans. The sagas of Cesc Fàbregas and Samir Nasri, especially the latter, should have reminded us that there's no such thing as player-club loyalty. Money talks, and the players walk.
First of all, the deal for Podolski looks more and more like a genuine story. Details coming from sources at the clubs suggest a deal is made or is close. Whether Arsenal have been allowed to conduct a medical at FC Köln or not won't be confirmed by either club. But most of all: no other clubs have been linked with Podolski, suggesting his agent is trying to launch a transfer rather than putting the final touches on it.
At the same time, Robin van Persie (or his agent) is said to have agreed a contract with Manchester City, should a transfer come about in the summer. This is so much against international rules and fair play that football probably is the only place it could happen. But still, a move is no certainty. The Dutchman's performances on the pitch suggest that any oil-funded team in the world would throw money at him. His performances OFF the pitch, as a leader and captain, suggest that van Persie might actually want to play on at the Emirates.
Just a final warning to Arsenal fans. The sagas of Cesc Fàbregas and Samir Nasri, especially the latter, should have reminded us that there's no such thing as player-club loyalty. Money talks, and the players walk.
Saturday, 10 March 2012
The clearest indication
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger is usually loath to speak about transfer targets. Though generally outspoken, Wenger won't comment on transfer targets - other to deny interest.
Yesterday, however, Lukas Podolski was spoken of with enthusiasm and interest. Wenger even admitted trying to sign him. For a manager known to operate under the radar when signing players, that is unheard of.
"He’s available at a reasonable price if we can reach an agreement but, at the moment, we’re nowhere near,” Wenger is quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph. In the Daily Mail, Wenger admits that there could be movement in the next two or three weeks.
Why would Arsenal run the risk of admitting interest, knowing that other clubs could outbid them, knowing that player and agent could increase their demands, knowing that the transfer fee could rise?
For me, Wenger's press conference is the clearest indication yet that the deal is indeed wrapped up and that Podolski will join. Surely, any leftover secrecy is a courtesy to 1. FC Köln, who are struggling in the Bundesliga and have no need for a confirmation of the deal to create more unrest.
Yesterday, however, Lukas Podolski was spoken of with enthusiasm and interest. Wenger even admitted trying to sign him. For a manager known to operate under the radar when signing players, that is unheard of.
"He’s available at a reasonable price if we can reach an agreement but, at the moment, we’re nowhere near,” Wenger is quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph. In the Daily Mail, Wenger admits that there could be movement in the next two or three weeks.
Why would Arsenal run the risk of admitting interest, knowing that other clubs could outbid them, knowing that player and agent could increase their demands, knowing that the transfer fee could rise?
For me, Wenger's press conference is the clearest indication yet that the deal is indeed wrapped up and that Podolski will join. Surely, any leftover secrecy is a courtesy to 1. FC Köln, who are struggling in the Bundesliga and have no need for a confirmation of the deal to create more unrest.
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
No smoke without fire, I hear you say
For Arsenal, read 1. FC Köln. For Cesc Fábregas, read Lukas Podolski. History repeats itself.
We've been reading and listening to the rumours for months. The struggling, but ambitious club is about to sell/under pressure to sell/might want to make a buck on the international striker who is the only leading light in an under-achieving team.
The Bundesliga club in Cologne looks set to sell Podolski at last, if the Daily Mail are to be believed. (A very conscious choice of phrase, I assure you.)
A transfer in the summer is reportedly agreed now, for a transfer fee of £10.9m, or €13m. According to the Daily Mirror, a relegation for 1. FC Köln would mean losing Podolski for €6m - not an ideal scenario. Podolski will join Arsenal on a four-year, £100k p/w contract.
The details in the report can be seen as making it more credible. The fact that German tabloid Bild also report the transfer tonight may excite us as well. (Under the headline "Köln gibt auf! Poldi zu Arsenal")
But let's wait for any official confirmation before buying all the expensive German beer, eh?
And spare a thought for the struggling club where their hometown star look set to leave. Again. Probably prompted by his team's consistent un-winning ways. Is it good karma or bad karma?
And lest we forget, any credibility of any story is weakened by the insistence that Mario Götze is the next German international on his way...
We've been reading and listening to the rumours for months. The struggling, but ambitious club is about to sell/under pressure to sell/might want to make a buck on the international striker who is the only leading light in an under-achieving team.
The Bundesliga club in Cologne looks set to sell Podolski at last, if the Daily Mail are to be believed. (A very conscious choice of phrase, I assure you.)
A transfer in the summer is reportedly agreed now, for a transfer fee of £10.9m, or €13m. According to the Daily Mirror, a relegation for 1. FC Köln would mean losing Podolski for €6m - not an ideal scenario. Podolski will join Arsenal on a four-year, £100k p/w contract.
The details in the report can be seen as making it more credible. The fact that German tabloid Bild also report the transfer tonight may excite us as well. (Under the headline "Köln gibt auf! Poldi zu Arsenal")
But let's wait for any official confirmation before buying all the expensive German beer, eh?
And spare a thought for the struggling club where their hometown star look set to leave. Again. Probably prompted by his team's consistent un-winning ways. Is it good karma or bad karma?
And lest we forget, any credibility of any story is weakened by the insistence that Mario Götze is the next German international on his way...
Friday, 24 February 2012
Rumours of rebuilding
There's nothing like a patch of bad form to bring out the transfer rumours. And as this season sometimes has shown Arsenal in spectacularly bad form, all the more reason to expect spectacular rumours as well. The latest is a rumoured change of direction on board level.
The sustainable model of recent years is ridiculed by some fans, jealous of oil-rich rivals and weekly player salaries exceeding £200k. At the same time, it's applauded by UEFA and their Financial Fair Play project, about to be incorporated in European tournament rules.
After meek performances - bordering on capitulations - in the UEFA Champions Cup and the FA Cup last week, the board and majority owner Stan Kroenke are reported to allow higher salaries and a larger transfer budget than before. These rumours appear after the Arsenal's Supporters' Trust (all 850 of them, if reports are to be believed. Or are they 3,000?) have calculated that the club have £50m to spend, asking why they haven't. Their maths have been reported widely, i.e. in the Sun and the Daily Mirror.
The same numbers are used by the London Evening Standard, where it is claimed that a failure to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League income will leave manager Arsène Wenger with a meagre £10m to "rebuild Arsenal".
The response seems to have been sources close to the board telling the Daily Mail that Wenger will have £55m to spend in the summer. Or perhaps as much as £100m, the so-called "senior sources" tell the Daily Telegraph.
Not a penny too much, it would seem. Rumoured bids for long-time targets Mario Götze and Lukas Podolski will cost Arsenal £55m in all, the Daily Mail translates from German tabloid Bild.
It all smacks of:
1) sports reporters trumpeting someone else's Excel sheets,
2) sports reporters puppeteered by a club's damage limitation exercise, and
3) sports reporters doing what they do best; translating someone else's fabrications.
Summer and Silly Season is early this year.
The sustainable model of recent years is ridiculed by some fans, jealous of oil-rich rivals and weekly player salaries exceeding £200k. At the same time, it's applauded by UEFA and their Financial Fair Play project, about to be incorporated in European tournament rules.
After meek performances - bordering on capitulations - in the UEFA Champions Cup and the FA Cup last week, the board and majority owner Stan Kroenke are reported to allow higher salaries and a larger transfer budget than before. These rumours appear after the Arsenal's Supporters' Trust (all 850 of them, if reports are to be believed. Or are they 3,000?) have calculated that the club have £50m to spend, asking why they haven't. Their maths have been reported widely, i.e. in the Sun and the Daily Mirror.
The same numbers are used by the London Evening Standard, where it is claimed that a failure to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League income will leave manager Arsène Wenger with a meagre £10m to "rebuild Arsenal".
The response seems to have been sources close to the board telling the Daily Mail that Wenger will have £55m to spend in the summer. Or perhaps as much as £100m, the so-called "senior sources" tell the Daily Telegraph.
Not a penny too much, it would seem. Rumoured bids for long-time targets Mario Götze and Lukas Podolski will cost Arsenal £55m in all, the Daily Mail translates from German tabloid Bild.
It all smacks of:
1) sports reporters trumpeting someone else's Excel sheets,
2) sports reporters puppeteered by a club's damage limitation exercise, and
3) sports reporters doing what they do best; translating someone else's fabrications.
Summer and Silly Season is early this year.
Sunday, 25 December 2011
Merry Christmas! Is Santa a Gooner?
Dear reader, let me wish you all the best for the holidays and the new year. This Christmas Day, we can sense the January window is just about to creak open.
But ho! Is that a scraping sound in the chimney? Ho, ho! Are the Arsenal socks safely in place, hanging from the mantel? Ho, ho, ho! Is that Thierry Henry we can hear, putting pen to paper for a short-term loan?
It hasn't taken Arsène Wenger many weeks to go from almost complete denial to acknowledging that he's considering a loan deal for Arsenal's toppest, Frenchest, goaliest striker ever. Even if the club have been linked with German international Lukas Podolski for weeks on end, and now even for Bobby Zamora (!), a deal for Henry will really create a buzz around the Emirates.
In this window, let's be very critical when it comes to rumoured deals for incoming midfielders. Players like Lucas Biglia and Kaká have eager agents working hard to make deals happen. At the same time, Arsenal are considering sending surplus midfielders loke Francis Coquelin and Emmanuel Frimpong out on loan. Recruiting more just isn't the natural thing to do.
Where Wenger and the club admit to a need - bordering on desperation - is cover for the injured left backs. A loan signing looks imminent, as the manager want to keep Kieran Gibbs and André Santos as the long-term options.
"Everyone" reckons the frozen-out Wayne Bridge will be the natural choice: a former England international, a former Arsenal target (even if it's years ago) and a player more than eager to please any new employer. This interview in the Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday makes for depressing reading. The defender's take on the story is very different from the public scorn dished out from his own manager.
(Just a thought: imagine Arsène Wenger picking on one of his own players, ridiculing him in public. You can't really picture it, can you? Thought not.)
A loan deal for Bridge would fit the "new" transfer regime, where Wenger's faith in the youngsters have faded just a little bit, but just in the short term. The acquisitions of Sol Campbell, Jens Lehmann, Yossi Benayoun and perhaps Henry are other examples.
If I'm to venture my own Christmas guesses before the January Silly Season kicks in for real, I think that two veteran loanees are far more likely than anything Wenger can round up from the top of the Bundesliga...
But ho! Is that a scraping sound in the chimney? Ho, ho! Are the Arsenal socks safely in place, hanging from the mantel? Ho, ho, ho! Is that Thierry Henry we can hear, putting pen to paper for a short-term loan?
It hasn't taken Arsène Wenger many weeks to go from almost complete denial to acknowledging that he's considering a loan deal for Arsenal's toppest, Frenchest, goaliest striker ever. Even if the club have been linked with German international Lukas Podolski for weeks on end, and now even for Bobby Zamora (!), a deal for Henry will really create a buzz around the Emirates.
In this window, let's be very critical when it comes to rumoured deals for incoming midfielders. Players like Lucas Biglia and Kaká have eager agents working hard to make deals happen. At the same time, Arsenal are considering sending surplus midfielders loke Francis Coquelin and Emmanuel Frimpong out on loan. Recruiting more just isn't the natural thing to do.
Where Wenger and the club admit to a need - bordering on desperation - is cover for the injured left backs. A loan signing looks imminent, as the manager want to keep Kieran Gibbs and André Santos as the long-term options.
"Everyone" reckons the frozen-out Wayne Bridge will be the natural choice: a former England international, a former Arsenal target (even if it's years ago) and a player more than eager to please any new employer. This interview in the Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday makes for depressing reading. The defender's take on the story is very different from the public scorn dished out from his own manager.
(Just a thought: imagine Arsène Wenger picking on one of his own players, ridiculing him in public. You can't really picture it, can you? Thought not.)
A loan deal for Bridge would fit the "new" transfer regime, where Wenger's faith in the youngsters have faded just a little bit, but just in the short term. The acquisitions of Sol Campbell, Jens Lehmann, Yossi Benayoun and perhaps Henry are other examples.
If I'm to venture my own Christmas guesses before the January Silly Season kicks in for real, I think that two veteran loanees are far more likely than anything Wenger can round up from the top of the Bundesliga...
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