Today, myself and fellow WOA writer @Tottz82 will embark on a mission with  @i_am_jai and @bhavnishpatel to show the world how to ski… the blog, cleverly titled, I’m Off-Ski… getit? Meanwhile, back in the wonderful world of Arsenal… we have drawn Milan in the Champions League… and that’s one of the toughest of the group for sure…

Arsene before the draw:

“You cannot avoid anybody. You would say Basel but they were a very difficult opponent for Manchester United. So you take the draw as it comes, analyse it and plan for the game. The Italian teams have a history but you don’t know how it will go.”

The draw in full was:

• Lyon v APOEL Nicosia
• Napoli v Chelsea
• AC Milan v Arsenal
• Basle v Bayern Munich
• Bayer Leverkusen v Barcelona
• CSKA Moscow v Real Madrid
• Zenit St. Petersburg v Benfica
• Marseille v Inter Milan

Each one of the ties is favoured to one team – I’ve bolded the team I think will win the two legs overall – but for us, it’s a very tough tie. AC Milan have improved a lot in the last couple of years and can now boast the likes of Ibrahimovic, Pato and Robinho up front, with the likes of Mexes in defence, not to forget the likes of Van Bommel in midfield. We’ll have to be on top of our game.

David Miles, club secretary said:

“It’s probably the pick of the round. They’ll be two fantastic games. If I’m being honest, there are some other teams I would have preferred. Last time we played them in season 07-08, we actually went through after winning 2-0 in the San Siro so our recent history against them is good.”

The pick of the round, it is…

With Milan secretary also keen to praise the magnitude of the tie…

“Tie of the round. For the quality and the appeal of the two clubs it is a fantastic tie. Last time we lost 2-0 to Arsenal at the San Siro and we were knocked out by Tottenham last year. We are determined to go through. Last year we had lots of injuries but right now we are in a better status than Arsenal. But lots can change in two months. They have a great player in Robin van Persie and Arsene Wenger is a great coach.”

Lots of things can change in two months, that is for sure… first, we need a good old fashion victory against title rivals Man City, starting this weekend…

But for now, I’m offski…

Putting that aside, the fact that they all did come and listen to the questions and the fact that we had so many representatives down there was quite impressive. Our ever present @j1mm7t was present and reporting live from The Emirates. The start of the AGM was a little more heated that you would have thought – particularly towards Ivan Gazidis and Peter Hill Wood.

The problem of course is down to our start of the season, and multiple losses – coupled with the departure of Nasri & Cesc to two teams who seem to be doing very well… but in the last month, our form has turned around and the mood has changed a bit. Perhaps it’s quite timely that this AGM didn’t happen a month ago.

Arsene summed up the start of the season, and it did seem to add perspective to what has been an awful start.

“Not many people at the moment are behind us, but I believe we can be a positive surprise so let’s stand behind the team this season. We started at the Emirates this season with a very difficult environment because people were very sceptical, but they understood two things – firstly if they do not get behind the team we have no chance, and secondly they have realised that this team has the right attitude and spirit. Even during the difficult periods in the last few home games, the fans have been absolutely fantastic and behind the team. It is time to realise that, yes, times are more difficult, but yes we can still be successful under one condition, that we all stand behind the team, and are united. Then at the end of the season, we will see where we stand. If we give absolutely everything and fight together for every single game in every single competition we can still look back at the end of the season and be proud of our attitude and what we have achieved,” he said.

And the boss is right – but the major question is why we had these issues. Why did it take all summer to sort out a very simple set of transfers. The problem is that this mad management of transfers seems to happen every year. Either we don’t strengthen in the right places or we strengthen too late and find ourselves a month behind the rest of the Premiership.

After the AGM, the interviews with the supporters who attended were clearly abject, with many supporters questioning the direction. I personally think that’s a bit harsh on the management – it seems like a lot of people want everything and forget the efforts that it will take to get there.

The speeches at the AGM have been made public & free on Arsenal’s website, so check it out if you can:

http://player.arsenal.com/home/player/1117-wenger-at-the-agm

I’ll be back tomorrow for the big Chelsea vs Arsenal preview…

Down at the Arsenal, we’ve been taught a few lessons this season, without a doubt and when we look back at the start of the season, it’s fair to say that things have improved and there is more discipline and a sense of unity about the squad. We’ve just had a decent run of 7 wins out of the last 8 games, and the big test is against Chelsea this weekend, whereby a good performance and a point would go a long way to understanding where we have come in the last month… but before all of that… the big question is – what have we learnt this week. Of course, by this week, I am referring to the two games, firstly against Stoke and then more recently against Bolton…

Learning #1: Van Persie is very important

Now that is what I call stating the obvious! Quite obviously against Stoke, we lacked a level of sharpness up front and that sharpness came into the game with the introduction of Van Persie. The problem is that Van Persie will get injured and when he does, we need to ensure someone can come in and make a difference or at least ensure we have an attacking threat. The good thing is that Gervinho looks very exciting, so does Park. But so far in the league, it’s been Chamakh who has been chosen and to be honest, he has been worryingly bad.

Learning #2: Arshavin through the middle is better

The performance from Arshavin against Bolton was probably the best all round performance from the Russian in the last twelve months.

He scurried and closed down, he had a turn of pace about him, he looked switched on, he was a threat for the entire game.

“I have to say that the experienced players took charge of the game and made the difference. Andrey loves to play behind the strikers and he scored a goal and gave an assist. He is an exceptional talent, everyone knows that. He loses the ball sometimes because he takes a gamble because he is a creative player.”

His goal was a very obvious reminder to us all that shooting is a good thing… there have been many times whereby we’ve been in a similar position but tried to pass – good to see Arshavin being direct – in all fairness, he is always quite direct and playing in the middle may make him more dangerous.

Learning #3: Vermaelen may get injured again (but is very good)

Vermaelen hasn’t played that much football in the last couple of months let alone the year. He played against Bolton and show moments of defensive magic. However, he got injured and had a calf strain. This is something that we will have to learn to accept and he will be in and out of the team a lot this season. News yesterday was that he has recovered from his injury and can play this weekend…

“I feel great. I trained yesterday with the team and I felt good straight away so I felt confident for tonight. Personally I don’t believe in that [needing games to regain sharpness]. If I come back from injury after a long time I don’t believe in coming back and getting rhythm. I think it is just in your head and a mental thing – if you are a football player you have to be there straight away. That’s why I wanted to play today and I think it’s good. It was a good game for us, we fought hard and it was a deserved win for us I think.

But there is a massive question that all Arsenal fans are asking each other – do we put Vermaelen back into the centre of defence against Chelsea? The partnership of Koscielny & Mertersacker has started to grow and is it wise to break up that partnership?

If we don’t break it up – do we play Vermaelen at left back – four centre backs across the back in Vermaelen – Koscielny –  Mertersacker – Djourou – but obviously this will have some affect on our forward play.

Learning #4: Park Ju Young could be the back up for Van Persie

If you watched the game on Wednesday, you will have seen a very spirited performance from the Korean. Arsene took time out after the game to comment on his peformance:

For me I am very pleased with his performance. He had a very, very good game. He has shown intelligence in his link play with others. The quality of his movement was exceptional and his finishing is absolutely fantastic. He has shown tonight that he is a very, very good player. He is ready to play in league games, yes. Compared to the player who played in the first match [against Shrewsbury] where he was a bit inhibited, tonight I felt he played with freedom and has showed what a good player he is.

I’d like to see more of him. If we’re winning a game (and can rest RvP) or need an extra striker, perhaps Park is the answer rather than the somewhat not-so-useful Chamakh…

Learning #5: Chamakh is definitely not the back up for Van Persie

What has happened to the Chamakh that scored 10 goals in 15 at the beginning of last season. Indeed, he went for first choice to third overnight, but still, we have to expect more from an International player who plays for Arsenal on the wages he gets. Arsene did come out with a plethora of excuses about Chamakh’s performance after the Stoke game:

I think he worked very hard. He is running after a goal at the moment. I felt there were two or three occasions in the first half where he was nearly there on crosses and just didn’t get in front of Shawcross. I am pleased with his effort. I think he knows in his mind that at the moment Van Persie is untouchable. Because we play with two wingers it is very difficult to play with two strikers because you are too open in the middle of the park. So unless I change the system it will be him or Van Persie. It is difficult. But he will get confidence by playing games and scoring goals like all strikers.

Arsene says this, but of course, it’s a problem that can’t be solved – well, it could have been solved if Chamakh got a nod against Bolton – he would have gained some level of “playing games and scoring goals” – but it’s obvious that Arsene doesn’t really fancy the player and obvious that he prefers Park – actually, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Park overtake Chamakh in the pecking order…

Let’s hope we’ve learnt from the last week and take our learnings in the next game… the big one…!

Til tomorrow…

But in this change of temperament, what we’re seeing down at the Arsenal is a crop of new players, dedicated to the cause, with the passion and desire to succeed, and succeed at Arsenal. Players like Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Emmanuel Frimpong, Szcznesy, etc have Arsenal instilled in their hearts, their blood, their veins… you name it…

If you’re on twitter, then you may have seen the exchange between Frimpong and Wilshere, when the latter gave Nasri a nice tweet…

Wilshere’s tweet: ‘Good luck to my friend @Nanas08 (mr Nasri) learnt a lot from him. World class player! Will be missed!’ wrote social network heavyweight Wilshere.

Frimpong;s reply ‘Pfffff come on Jack’…

Frimpong showing a classic “club comes first” attitude..

More importantly for us, were the words we heard from Jack Wilshere himself earlier this week…

“No disrespect to Manchester City but Arsenal is the perfect home for me. Some players have got their price, but to be honest that’s not the way I look at the game. All I think about is playing at the highest level and in the top competitions so I can measure myself against the best in the world. I really am happy at Arsenal at the minute. Obviously I want to win things and I want to do it with Arsenal. I have been at Arsenal since I was nine and I have grown to love the club. There are players there who have been there as long as me and I think we are starting to build something special there with the likes of Emmanuel Frimpong and players I have seen in the youth teams coming through. In a couple of years, they’ll be big players for us. Obviously I want to play in the Champions League and that is the aim for Arsenal and everyone at the Club. We started a bit slowly but we still feel we can finish in the top four.”

The way that Bergkamp, Henry, Adams, Bould, Keown, Winterburn, Dixon all loved the club and would put their bodies on the line has been lost in recent years. The likes of Wilshere is the kind of player we need in the heart of our midfield. Someone who’s got Arsenal DNA… In fact he’s already tapping up Cesc in an attempt to bring him back from Barcelona…

“If you look at him now, he’s flying. It’d be nice if he came back one day – the door is always open for him because of what he did at Arsenal. You’d almost say he’s an Arsenal legend now and I think the fans would welcome him back as well.”

Now talking about Barcelona, I’m sure you’ve all heard the very unsavoury reports that Barcelona want our new number one goalkeeper Szcznesy…. he’s been in good form for us and is starting to make a name for himself around the world. We’ve kept faith in him and he has repaid that faith with some match winning performances. The link to Barcelona is annoying and moreover the reports that he is trying to steal the captain’s armband… the Polska Times reported this:

“Yes. I have friends in London, friends, not just in the senior squad, but also the youth team. I cannot imagine a situation where I leave the club for money. I can’t declare that I will spend my entire career here, but if I leave I will have a very important reason or I will go to Barcelona.”

Well our new captain had something to say about that…

“I got annoyed with a few things about myself in the media recently so I’m gonna set the record straight. 1) I never said I deserve an Arsenal armband. I said that I would love to one day take a responsibility of being an Arsenal skipper. RVP is doing a great job as a skipper and he fully deserves an armband. 2) I AM injured and had to be pulled out of Polish national team. Hope to recover asap. (Thats for Polish media) 3) Please continue the “Szczesny to Barcelona” rumours. Makes me laugh everytime I read it haha”

Classic retort!

It may all be a bit tough right now, but there is a definite bond with the current crop of players and the club. A bond that will make them really work for the colours and the badge… I know we all want it to be now, but with injuries to Wilshere, Vermaelen and Sagna, we’ve lost a very active and powerful spine… I know you all hate “putting up with it”… but believe me, no one wants to lose. Especially not Arsene…

The future is bright, the future is red & white… (i.e. Arsenal)…

Til tomorrow…

“I have just completed 30 years of coaching. I don’t want to answer this kind of question.”

But it could be the way in which the media have approach this one and of course, the inability of our board to recognise any failings that couple up with the dismissal of such an idea. I definitely think it will be a good idea, and why I am qualified to make such a comment. Well, it’s simple maths to me. Previously, we had a back four of:

Sagna – Gallas – Toure – Clichy

We’ve gone through mixes of this which have seen:

Sagna – Toure – Vermaelen – Clichy

And even now we’re kind of going between these back fours:

Sagna – Mertersacker – Koscielny – Santos

And

Sagna – Mertersacker – Vermaelen – Gibbs

What is evident there is that there have been several different players in each of those positions, and the outcome is pretty much the same with all of them… individual mistakes and problems communicating and playing as a unit…

Now let me take your mind back to 2005/2006 when a certain Arsenal side managed to make it all the way to the Champions League final with a makeshift defence which looked something like this:

Eboue – Toure – Senderos – Flamini

Four players who you will most likely cringe at if you saw them play at the back together

Former manager Terry Neill said this at the time:

“The ingredients are there. They have the qualities to do as well as their predecessors. They have good examples to follow in what the former players have done. Behind the scenes Martin Keown has been there on the training ground doing his coaching badges and I don’t think they could have had better mentors than Keown and Pat Rice. George Graham made sure the back four defended and kept clean sheets whereas Wenger likes his players to have the freedom and express it and go forward more. The famous back four had a long time together without the disruption of injuries, that makes this makeshift back four all the more remarkable.”

The key thing that was present was that Martin Keown was at the club taking his coaching badges at the time – and what a difference he looks to have made to 4 players who (with the exception of Senderos) are naturally defenders. If Keown’s presence can shake Eboue, Toure, Senderos & Flamini into an unpenetrable fortress, just imagine what he could do with the likes of a Mertersacker, Vermaelen, Sagna and Gibbs / Santos.

Surely it’s worth a go?

At the beginning of the summer, Arsene said he was planning on strengthening defensively and with experience… but as the summer kicked off, it was clear that we had a few potential departures on the horizon. With Cesc, Nasri & Clichy in positions to move and as an Arsenal fan, those names departing were not unexpected.

Why didn’t we sell earlier in the summer?

Selling a player isn’t an easy as many people may think – Arsene Wenger wasn’t keen on selling either player and therefore had the intention of keeping both. It only became apparent throughout the summer that Barcelona would move for Cesc – in the first few weeks of the transfer window, they hadn’t bid for him and coupled with our intention to keep him, meant that there was no need to strengthen that position. Cesc was also keen on a move, and to bring in £30m for a player where he would only go to one club, although less than the value of the player if on the open market, was high enough to allow it to happen.

With Man City’s desire to buy Nasri increasing and the bid, which started at £10m ending up at £25m, we reluctantly had to sell the French playmaker. Again, although half expected, based on his refusal to sign previously, Arsene would have kept onto him if he could – but the money was too good to refuse.

Why didn’t we buy earlier in the summer?

We live in a footballing world in which we compete for players with the likes of Man United, Man City & Chelsea and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to act earlier on in the transfer window when the vultures sniff around. We had talked to Blackburn about Phil Jones and Valencia about Juan Mata, but as soon as United & Chelsea found out, they swooped in, offering the clubs more money and the players a great salary.

One thing to remember, is that Gervinho had come in earlier in the summer and the return of Miyachi and signing of Oxlade & Jenkinson meant that we’d spent a chunk of money earlier on. However, I believe it was always Arsene’s intention to bring a few more players to the club. The sales of Cesc & Nasri went some way to distracting the summer activities and if two of your best players leave, then you’ve not got too much time to act and you have to act fast.

Did we panic?

I don’t think we panicked, and despite the result at Old Trafford, we were always looking to buy the players we bought – the exception being Mikel Arteta. Mertersacker had been in the offing for a while and our centre back choices this summer were torn between him, Cahill and Jones. The German international is still a quality player. After we sold Cesc & Nasri, the question is surely, why didn’t we buy immediately, before the games came thick and fast – what stopped us buying Mertersacker & Santos 2 weeks earlier?

I believe that we operate within our means, and therefore it was the sale of Nasri that ultimately allowed us to bring in more players. With Arsene looking for super quality early on, I’m sure there were a lot of targets on the radar and when you’re trying to strengthen multiple positions, it’s a balancing act which allows you to get the best group of new players rather than one major stars and then a few average players.

Should we be happy?

This summer has been a difficult one for Arsenal fans and one thing is clear – if a player doesn’t want to play for Arsenal – then they should move on. The departures of Cesc, Nasri & Clichy may not be a negative thing. We’ve satisfied the requirements at the beginning of the summer; Arsene wanted experience, he has brought in 2 captains, a player with vast experience in the Premier League; Arsene wanted defensive re-inforcements, he’s not sold a centre back and brought in a top quality one; Arsene wanted better depth and players like Benayoun, Santos, Jenkinson, Miyachi, Oxlade will offer us more options in the various positions they play in.

In the summer of 2008, Arsene said this:

“The strategy of the club is to sell every year and to buy less expensive players. We manage at Arsenal to maintain all our football ambitions—national and European—while having to free up—for 17 more years—an annual surplus of £24million to pay for our stadium. The club’s strategy is to favour the policy of youngsters ahead of stars and to count on the collective quality of our game.”

And as a result, being able to correct the balance of our squad, adding quality where required, and to remove the players who have often disappointed us (loans for Bendtner & Denilson and sales of Clichy & Eboue), can only be a good thing.

The acquisition of Arteta for me was one of the transfer stories of the deadline day, he’s one of the very few players who plays the Cesc role in the way in which Cesc plays it – he is a very talented footballer and most Everton fans believe he was their best. Of a poll of best buys by Sky Sports, Arteta came top – I am very excited to see him in an Arsenal shirt.

We’ve got a new team, one with more experience, and one that looks like it has more passion, desire & drive. We’ll have some of the missing 8 players returning soon – our season kicks off against Swansea in roughly a week’s time.

It’s time to reserve judgement and support the team…

• Szczesny, Fabianski
• Djourou, Squillaci, Vermaelen, Traore, Miquel, Jenkinson, Sagna
• Frimpong, Ramsey, Rosicky, Song, Lansbury
• Miyachi, Van Persie, Gervinho, Arshavin, Chamakh

As normal with pre-season friendlies, we will probably see a lot of changes at half time, but for the first half, I think Arsene will experiment with the following line-up:

Szcznesy

Jenkinson, Djourou, Vermaelen, Traore

Frimpong, Lansbury, Ramsey

Gervinho, Chamakh, Miyachi

There were several players who didn’t travel for various reasons, the likes of Cesc, Nasri, Eboue & Bendtner have not travelled and there is a lot of speculation regarding all four of them leaving the club. The manager was in the news today and had this to say:

“Walcott is back in training but he is not ready just yet. Wilshere is injured on his ankle and it is very difficult to set a concrete deadline on his comeback. Nasri has a muscular problem. Cesc is just coming back from injury and he is not ready to play in the game. Diaby is out and Koscielny has a small muscular problem. Bendtner and Eboue are not in the squad because they might be going out of the Club. Koscielny and Nasri might be back for the start of the season. I don’t think Fabregas will be ready to start the season because he has been out for a long time and has had no games. Walcott might be back and, as for Wilshere, it is very difficult to say.”

There has been a lot of speculation on Bendtner & Eboue and proposed moves – at the same time, we’ve heard that a lot of clubs can’t afford them – the clubs that come in for them are the 2nd tier clubs, and with Bendtner on £60,000 / week and Eboue on £50,000 / week, it’s proving difficult for them to find new clubs. Galatasary and Athletico are favourites for Eboue, whilst Sporting have just signed a striker, so Stoke look favourites to land our promising and cocky Danish striker!

Looking at the news from Arsene above, I think the Fabregas saga is starting to unfold itself – it’s clear that Arsene is preparing himself for life without Cesc – there is no reason why Cesc shouldn’t be fit by the start of the season compared to the likes of Van Persie etc – but it’s clear that if Arsenal do sell Cesc for the £40m odd which is being demanded, an injury leading to a failed medical or a cup-tied Champions League player would lower the price or scupper the deal. Arsene most likely understands that he will not be able to prevent Cesc leaving so has to do the right thing by the club and play without him.

Interesting news on Jack Wilshere and it looks like he has suffered a bad injury which will keep him sidelined for a while – when Arsene says stuff like “it’s difficult to say”, that normally means, “it’s serious, but I can’t tell you otherwise I will shock you”… we need to keep our eyes peeled out for news on Jack. Lansbury was potentially leaving the club a few weeks ago and now we’re hearing that he may stay – perhaps related to the Wilshere injury – personally, I think Lansbury has done fantastically well on loan – and he’s a gooner, I hate see the passionate players leave!

On incoming transfers, we’re still linked with the usual crop of defenders, and a lot of our supposed targets are disappering before our eyes, but Arsene has reassured us that he is working hard:

“Ideally I would have finished all [our business] but it doesn’t work like that. We work very hard, we are non-stop working throughout the summer. I am positive because we have good quality and a style of play that is known by the players. So we want to add not quality but super quality.”

And the boss did offer a timeframe when he said:

“We hope to give you some good news soon. Next week, something might happen.”

Let’s see what happens…

Welcome back to the Football season, Benifica tonight, the charity shield tomorrow and then a the real stuff starts… Exciting times…

Malaysia XI vs Arsenal

So let’s kick off with the game which is going to kick off at 13:45 UK time; it’s our first pre-season friendly and will give us a few insights…

• Who will Vermaelen be paired with?
• How will Gibbs fair at left back?
• Who will play on the left wing?
• Who will play in the Cesc position?

I for one, think we’ll play the following team:

Szcznesy

Sagna – Koscielny – Vermaelen – Gibbs

Wilshere – Song

Walcott  - Ramsey - Nasri

Van Persie

I think the formation will continue as 4-2-3-1, despite it’s failings last year and I think Ramsey will be given a chance to shine in midfield. Carlos Vela has returned to join pre-season, we have Miyachi, Chamakh and new boy Gervinho (eventually) replacing Bendtner – so the question is – how do you accommodate all 4 strikers when you only play one? Last season, we saw Bendtner play left and right wing, and I suppose Vela can play left wing – but I secretly hope we’ll be more adventurous with our formations this year… I would mind season a bit of this in pre-season:

Walcott – Wilshere – Ramsey – Miyachi

Van Persie – Chamakh

or even this:

Miyachi – Wilshere - Ramsey – Nasri

Van Persie – Walcott

Would love to see what we can do with the Wilshere – Ramsey combination – as we all know what Alex Song offers us. I think for 2011/2012, we need to be able to play 4-4-2 at home and 4-5-1 away and / or mix both formations up as much as possible. Last season, we were simply too predictable.

Theo: We need new players!

It was very interesting to see what Theo Walcott had to say on Sky Sports News when interviewed on tour with the team. He was quite honest:

“It’s important to keep all of our best players and it’s important for players to come in as well. Knowing that we were nearly there (last season), the last couple of months it went away from us, we need to know what we did wrong there. The boss will see what the players have got in pre-season matches and see what they have got to offer this season. The boss knows what he’s doing, he’s done it year after year. Us players need to go on and win something, because it’s been a long time. I don’t like to get into talks about other players, they make decisions by themselves. You just want to keep your best players and attract players as well. Only time will tell what’s going to happen. We are just looking forward to the pre-season matches and getting the season up and running. If players come or go, we just have to go on and try and win something.”

There was an element of understanding that the players need to win something soon – they need to perform better. There was also an honesty about where we were last season and a realisation of the hard work going required – listening to him further on Sky Sports News – it was clear that the players feel they’ve underperformed – he talked of the guaranteed third ending up in fourth and the disappointments around that.

It will interesting to see Theo in action in pre-season – where will he play and how will he play – as he will be the first to admit, that his second half to the season was pretty poor!

Nasri: Should we sell?

So, now let’s discuss the Nasri situation… we all know that the player hasn’t signed a contract. We all know that he has one year left on his contract. The big question… do we sell or do we keep him for another year… or will he sign? Most people seem to think we should sell – as if he doesn’t sign, we’ll lose a very good player for free next summer.

“Samir’s situation is clear for me – he stays. I’ve told you that we are in a position where we can say ‘No.’ And we will [in the case of Nasri]. It was put to Wenger that keeping Nasri with no guarantee that he will sign a new contract represents a £20million gamble – the fee his suitors are reportedly prepared to pay. You are the same people who reproach me for not spending money and now you reproach me for wanting to spend it! It is in the interests of the Club. Imagine the worst situation – we lose Fabregas and Nasri – you cannot convince people you are ambitious after that.”

I think there is a hidden message in that statement – and that is that we are going to lose Fabregas if the price is right. If he was really confident that we were going to keep Cesc, then surely he’d sell Nasri and then use the money to replace him with a similar player? How on earth Nasri was allowed to enter the last year of his contract, I don’t know… and in addition, Arsene doesn’t need to be stupid to prove that he spends money – if we sell now, we can get a replacement, if we don’t sell, we won’t get any money to replace him.

Of course, perhaps there is a slim possibility of him signing a new contract – but surely he would have already done so if he was going to. I hope Arsene isn’t being stubborn for the sake of it. Nasri’s agent has confirmed that United enquired and City have made a serious offer – Alex Ferguson seems to think Nasri is off to City too. We’ll have to keep our fingers crossed and see what happens in the next couple of days…

Van Persie: Invest!

Van Persie has called out to Arsene Wenger to invest (just like Theo and Sagna have done)…

“These days, proper players cost money. Sometimes you see players go for loads of money and you think, ‘Is he that good?’ It needs to be seen. Most of the time, they are. You need investment to keep up because, when you look around, Man City is buying loads of good players, Liverpool are doing it now, Man United have been doing it for years.”

When all the players start calling for investment and the manager isn’t investing and the players are being sold every summer, then eventually, we will drop down the league… and players will lose heart… and we will stop being able to attract players.

No matter what people are saying – Arsenal are more in need for a marquee signing – a big name – than ever before – for the players sanity more than anyone else!

So, we’ve finally heard from our beloved captain Cesc Fabregas on his future at Arsenal. There were some interesting quotes yesterday, so first thing’s first, let’s see what he had to say:

“Barcelona are the best team in the world and going there guarantees titles. Any player who says he is not frustrated at not winning titles is lying. I am ambitious. But I owe myself to Arsenal.”

This was a snippet of a slightly bigger quote:

“I’m very happy where I am. If I said anything else to you I would be lying. I’m an Arsenal player, we have a great team and a great coach. If one day I have to leave Arsenal then I’ll speak that same day, not before. I haven’t spoken to the boss. He’s the one who makes the decisions and I don’t know if they want to sell me or not. Everyone has their way of interpreting things, but in these decisions not everything depends on the player. To say anything else would be to lie and to give way to speculations that aren’t true. I have my values and after everything I have lived in the team for eight years, I’m not going to say something that could ruin everything. I have always acted with discretion. I’m in a very complicated position. I’m not one of those who will talk (to the press) so a signing can be sorted out. Last year I think I made a mistake but that’s passed now and you learn from your mistakes. Last year was hard. I came out and gave my position and maybe I was wrong to do so. Barca are the best team in the world and going there guarantees winning titles. Any player who says they are not frustrated by not winning titles is lying. I’m ambitious I’m not going to talk about any team, but you can never say never to anyone because in the future you never know what will happen”.

I’m not exactly sure how you take this, but a lot of the Arsenal sites and a lot of the papers have taken this as “Cesc stays at Arsenal”… but I see a cryptic message within these words. Words that imply that he “won’t say he wants to join Barcelona”, thus implying he does. Heck, he said so later summer, so obviously he does.

Sandra Rossell, Barcelona president threw in some annoying quotes too:

“Cesc? I guess he’d like to join us, like a lot of players would, but we won’t go mad and offer silly fees. Last year we offered 40M for Cesc, this season his value is less. What we can offer will also depend on his salary.”

Personally, like Real Madrid did when they wanted Ronaldo, pay the silly money – give us £100m in cash… and then and only then, will you get your player. Otherwise, just stop talking about him like an obsession! Barcelona fail to remember that Cesc has 6 years left on his contract (well done Arsene for tying him down)… His value is still the same – invaluable!

What do you make of the quotes?

One player who is obviously worried about his place in the team is Johan Djourou – who despite a mid season purple season – has been pretty bad at the end of the season and was frankly shocking for England vs Swizterland. The Swiss defender said:

“I’ve been here a long time, I want to keep my place and become a better player. When you play in the top flight each player has to push himself and battle for his place, and I am no different. I know I can improve and that I have a lot in me, so now I have to improve in time for pre-season and be ready for the team. I hope it’s the case that other players look to me because I have experience, and that the manager continues to have confidence in me. Last season, I had a little shoulder injury at the end, but I think overall it was very good for me.”

Arsene is closing in on one of Gary Cahill or Chris Samba (who would you prefer?). I am pretty sure I’d prefer Cahill. He’s English after all, and has a bit about him. If we did sign Cahill, you would have to presume Vermaelen and Cahill would be first choice, which would leave JD and Koscielny as #3 and #4 respectively. There have been some rumours that we will sign both Cahill and Samba and Vermaelen will move to left back – can you see it happening? I don’t think so… well, if Clichy goes, them maybe, just maybe it could happen…

There is more transfer news surrounding Gervinho and Sagna has backed his acquisition, should it happen…

“This season he was a key player for Lille, and really helped his team to be champions. He’s got a wonderful technique on a football field, and I’m sure he would be welcome.”

Lille general manager, Paquet, did say this:

“We are in negotiations with Arsenal over Gervinho. We received an offer from London and although our intention is to offer a new contract to our striker we will talk to Arsenal.”

Fingers crossed he will sign, he does look good… he is a winner and he’s better than Chamakh and Bendtner. Talking about the Dane, it’s rumoured that he’s in a bit of a tug of war between a £10m bid from Bayern and a £12m bid from Sporting Lisbon. Both agreed to pay his extortionate wages!

I’ll be back later… ’til then… Adios…

It’s been a whirlwind last couple of days, and personally, for me, having arrived back to the UK late last night, there has been quite a lot to take in in the last 24 hours or so. (Yes, that sentence needed two in’s!)… First of all, massive thanks to @j1mm7t for Friday’s blog on X and to @kieran_delaney for yesterday’s post. Both very good reads if you haven’t already done so.

Last night, I had the privilege of attending the Arsenal Supporter’s Trust meeting – for those of you who don’t know what the AST is – it’s a trust of supporters and shareholders whom have the interests of the club at heart. The AST has been the prime instigator of the new Fanshare system that has allowed many fans to own a part of the club.

Before I review the meeting from yesterday, here are a few key points about the offer:

• For each Arsenal Share, Arsenal Shareholders will receive £11,750 in cash.
• The Offer values the entire issued share capital of Arsenal at approximately £731 million.
• KSE is a Delaware corporation wholly-owned by Mr E. Stanley Kroenke.
• KSE has entered into a call and put option agreement with DF Nominees (the company holding Mr Daniel David Fiszman’s interests in Arsenal Shares) in respect of 10,025 Arsenal Shares, representing approximately 16.11 per cent. of the issued share capital of Arsenal.
• In addition, KSE has received irrevocable undertakings to accept the Offer from Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith and the Arsenal Directors who hold Arsenal Shares (other than Mr Fiszman and Mr Kroenke) in respect of all the Arsenal Shares which they hold, representing in aggregate 10,448 Arsenal Shares (approximately 16.79 per cent. of the issued share capital of Arsenal).
• Taking into account KSE’s existing holding of 18,656 Arsenal Shares (representing approximately 29.99 per cent. of the issued share capital of Arsenal), the call and put option agreement referred to above, and the irrevocable undertakings it has received, KSE now has an interest in or commitments over a total of 39,129 Arsenal Shares, representing approximately 62.89 per cent. of the issued share capital of Arsenal.
• The Offer will be made in accordance with Rule 9 of the Takeover Code and will be conditional only upon KSE receiving acceptances which will result in KSE and its concert parties holding more than 50 per cent. of the Arsenal Shares.
• The Offer will include a Loan Note Alternative.

Arsene commented on Stan Kroenke’s new level of involvement and said this:

“I have worked with Stan Kroenke at board meetings over the past couple of years and I believe he has the best interests of Arsenal at heart. He understands the Club’s heritage and traditions and our ambition to run the Club in a way which protects our long term future.”

My personal opinion is that this takeover is very much different to that of the other clubs in the Premiership. United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City have 4 different types of ownerships – some have a lot of debt, and some have sugar daddies. What we have at the moment, in terms of stability and our economic plan, will not change with the takeover. Yes, Kroenke has much more of the club – but in reality, he will not be in a position to then take over the club financially. In fact, much of the current takeover if deferred payments and loan notes – advantageous for the people buying (money is deferred) and good for people selling (tax earnings can be split across multiple years).

The key points to take into consideration regarding the takeover:

• KSE will not leverage the club to pay for the investment – in fact, as they own less than 75%, they cannot use the club as leverage
• With Usmanov having 27% (ish) and additional 9% being owned by smaller groups and individuals, it will be hard to get to the required amount – Usmanov unlikely to sell
• Fanshare and AST can continue, as there is no legal obligation to sell their share

Other interesting points of note:

• 70% of all profits that the club makes going into a “team fund” – this is use solely for the team and playing staff and cannot be used for anything else – this protects the money and stops any ulterior motives
• 2013/2014 will see new sponsorship deals – which the club will agree in 2012/2013. Injection of money will come from this too.
• There is currently £35m in the bank team fund, a lot of which comes from the sales of Toure and Adebayor – this fund is used for player contract and sign on fees, so does not represent the possibility of a £35m player.

If you’ve picked up a paper today, you’ll see much more on Arsenal, I think there is a lot more to be said!

Outside of Arsenal, tonight it is Man United (1) vs (0) Chelsea, let’s see what that game has in store for all of us, should be an entertaining game….