Just a few further shots I found around:
Yes Almunia will be wearing a Kimono next season. And why aren’t the socks all red. I hate the white!
Month: June 2008
Wenger thinks we can win it all next season!
Wenger has been quoted in the Daily Express. saying he thinks Arsenal can win silverware next season
“I think we can win everything. We are very, very close,”
“Now that the Champions League final has become an FA Cup final the team who is very strong in England has a good chance to win the European Cup. The Premier League title goes down to one game, won or lost.”
“I believe overall quality, going forward, we were the best team in the League. However, Arsenal conceded 10 more goals than the others and that made the difference.
“It’s very difficult to take a perspective in what people expected from us at the start of the season, and the fact we are disappointed for not winning the championship.
“We have done beyond expectation, but, as well, we are disappointed beyond expectation as we have not won the championship. But we feel we are very, very close.”
I’ve said before on this blog that we were amazing going forward this season, it was just defensive frailties that let us down. That was what cost us everything in the end.
Wenger should look at signing someone to bolster the defence before he goes for players like Nasri or Ben Arfa, as tantalising as Gooners do find them.
Wenger remphasizes what Pat Rice said a few days ago, last season we exceeded expectations and next season we will be back better and stronger.
Gallas, Fabregas, Walcott and Almunia show off new Arsenal kit in leaked picture
Arsenal players Gallas, Cesc, Theo and Almunia are modelling the new home kit in this leaked picture from The Other Football, a Florida-based blog.
The picture was sent in by a reader, it seems to confirm rumours of the 08/09 kit designs which were leaked earlier this year.
I like it, but it does seems a bit similar to the 00/01 and 01/02 home kit. I would have preferred all white sleeves, but Nike probably wanted to vary the design a little.
The goalkeeper kit looks a bit odd!
What do you think now we have actually seen it on the players?
Update:
I think Arsenal.com are about to announce the kit lanch, check this link, at the time of writing only the headline has been written, possibly a publishing error!
Lehmann is now a Stuttgart player
Jens Lehmann, 38, the crazy old ‘keeper has left Arsenal for VfB Stuttgart on a free.
We all knew this transfer was coming. Lehmann has been out of the team for most of this season and is ageing. Wenger allowed him a farewell 20 minutes at the Grove where he got a standing ovation in the last home game of the season against Everton. That was his last apperance in an Arsenal shirt.
Hopefully Lehmann will be fondly remembered for his antics whilst at Arsenal. He was almost ever present in the unbeaten season of the Invincibles, and played a large part in some of our more recent successes under Wenger.
Although very, very, very temperamental, and generally mental, Lehmann has been a good player for the club. Some dodgy moments aside we should remember him as an eccentric keeper who brought us a period of success.
He said this:
“The talks with the leaders of VfB Stuttgart were very pleasant from the beginning,” he told Stuttgart’s official website.I look forward to Vfb and the Bundesliga and I want to play my part in a successful 2008/2009 season.”
Are Arsenal in for Ramsey?
Man Utd have had a bid accepted for Aaron Ramsey of Cardiff. The 17 year old is highly rated and Man Utd are leading the race for his signature. Are Arsenal also in the running?
Another top Premiership club has had a bid accepted by Cardiff, they stated:
“We can confirm that on 3 June the club has received formal bids from three top Premier League teams for Aaron Ramsey… Aaron has been given permission to speak to two of these teams.
The BBC says it’s Arsenal. I can believe that, but I think this guy is Man Utd bound.
Pat Rice puts rumours to bed and looks forward!
Right a bit of Pat Rice news here. Pat has denied the speculation that he was considering leaving the club.
A few weeks ago Gooner Talk posted up an article stating that sources close to the club said Pat’s wife was ill and he was considering leaving Arsenal.
That day the comments rained in and Stephen Rice, Pat’s son, even commented that the rumours were untrue. Gooner Chris came forward and did the right thing, apologising for the rumour.
Today Pat Rice spoke on Arsenal.com:
“To put the record straight, there is absolutely no truth in the rumours that have been going about,”
“The first rumour on a website claimed that I was leaving because my wife is in ill health. That is completely and utterly a lie. I’m really surprised and disappointed that someone would say something like that when it’s not true.
“As far as I am concerned, my role this summer is no different to how it has been since Arsène came here in 1996.
“Until he tells me something different, I will still be in my normal role as his assistant and we will be looking forward to doing pre-season as per normal.”
Pat also looked forward to the season ahead:
“If you got back to the close season the so-called pundits were writing us off,”
“One pundit – who I remember is an ex-player – said we would be lucky if we finish in the top eight! That goes to show you just how good the side is.
“I believe that the experience and the disappointments we endured throughout last season will make sure we come back even stronger and even more committed.”
This the same thing we have heard quite reguarly from the club this season. At the time I couldn’t understand why people were going so crazy and were so pessimistic about the season coming up. I was nervous but most of the people saying we wouldn’t finish in the top 4 were just talking up the hype.
This team is strong, but to be honest I am more nervous about the season ahead than last because we achieved so much good last season, it will be even more disappointing to not win anything this season again.
We have a great side, but it lacks depth, and with key players leaving Wenger needs to make the right moves to keep the team strong.
Nasri – Will Arsenal ever sign him?
Last week Wenger said that there was a good chance Nasri would be an Arsenal player before the Euros kick off.
We still have a week to see if that is actually the case. I’d like to point out that no matter how much speculation there is, until its a done deal its not a done deal, no amount of hype will make this fact.
Basically everyone is bored on the football front and every tiny quote is analysed in detail in the hope that we can glean a minute detail of information.
So after all the talk we have another quote from Le Boss, talking on French radio RMC:
“Nasri, he interests me, I hope I will do it after the Euros.
“It is more complicated now because the wage differences [between the French and the English league] are not as big as they used to be.
“Just watch [Karim] Benzema. He is 20 and recently signed a new deal.“It is very difficult [to transfer players from the French league] but England is considered one of the two top leagues and the best players want to play against the best players.”
What we know – Arsene is interested in Nasri and would like to sign him.
What we can guess – Arsenal have been talking to the player and are currently negotiating a deal.
What we hope – That Nasri signs up.
I wouldn’t be too hopeful of signing him anytime soon. Really I’d prefer it if we just heard nothing until it actually happened.
Translated quote: Setanta Sports
Wenger linked to PSG & he thinks transfer system is dead!
If you looked at Arsenal’s transfers out this summer, you would see Flamini, and that would be it. For all the gossip and rumour very little has happened. Last summer that wouldn’t have bothered anyone.
But with the saga of Hleb, which started with one fateful ice cream in February we have seen a whole heap of talk about Webster clauses and the like, and when Flamini left on a free it brought up a lot of issues about how players leave clubs and how our transfer system works.
Thw ‘Webster Clause’ allows players under the age of 28 to hand in their notice after three years of a four or five-year contract. If they are over 28 they can hand in notice after just two years. This is what Hleb was supposed to be trying to invoke.
Wenger thinks this will spell the end of the transfer system as we know it, unless it is sorted out:
“At the moment it’s either three years or two but believe me, soon someone will challenge that and ask why at 28 years old and not, say, at 27,”
“And then it will be why after two years and not one? Once you get to that stage, the transfer system is dead. You’d have a team built for a year – then you are in big trouble.”
This is a valid point, but the authorities in football should move to simplify the transfer system and regulate it a little better.
People might have said the same thing about Bosmans, but they have blended into the transfer market. Wenger has a point though, this might just be a step too far, and it could bring the football industry crashing down if players get too greedy.
Also Wenger was linked to PSG, purely because his mate has become president there. Why does the Telegraph write such crap?
Do you think Wenger will finish his career at Arsenal?
ArseSpeak 