Category: Transfers

Are Arsenal in for Ramsey?

On By jamesgillespIn Transfers1 Comment

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!

On By jamesgillespIn Transfers

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?

On By jamesgillespIn Transfers26 Comments

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!

On By jamesgillespIn Transfers4 Comments

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?

Arsenal make signing and Van Persie will stay

On By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Injuries, Transfers5 Comments

RVP says he’s an Arsenal lad! After his last comments about the wage structure, he has come out to put transfer rumours to rest:

“I’ve never thought about leaving for a less physical league like Spain.

“I’m a committed Arsenal lad and discussing a new contract. It’s not the money which is important, it’s keeping this team together.

“Collectively we can become something very special.”

This sounds very different to the Van Persie we heard a few days ago. I think you need to take everything you hear with a pinch of salt, because the media manipulate interviews, as we have seen in the past.

RVP is a quality player, but he isn’t fit. Thats the problem. We all saw how amazing he was at the beginning of the season just gone, but when you’re out injured as much as he is it becomes very hard to get a run of form.

If RVP can stay fit then he can be amazing, but if he isn’t up to scratch next season I think Wenger could be justified in offloading him.

Remember though that Wenger does stick with players, even the most doubted can become huge successes under his guidance!

Talking about injuries, we’ve also signed a new physio, Neal Reynolds from Norwich City. He told the Telegraph:

“It’s going to be a very different kind of role”

“It’s a new role that they have designed in that a full-time, experienced physio stays at home at Shenley and looks after everybody. Eduardo is actually home in Brazil right now doing his rehabilitation work there and that may well be another part of the role – to go out there and have a look at how their rehab treatment compares and how he’s actually progressing.

Reynolds will help out and ease the pressure on Gary Lewin and his team, because he will be able to saty in the UK when Lewin is off with England or with other players. I’m sure he’s top quality and hopefully he will do well!

Van Persie wants extra wages to keep Arsenal together

On By jamesgillespIn Transfers3 Comments

Last night Robin Van Persie came out saying that Arsenal need to break their wage strcuture if they want to keep their squad together.

Already having lost Flamini, and now facing losing Hleb, Van Persie put further pressure on the club to revaluate the contracts of players like Fabregas and Adebayor. He said:

“They should make sure that these players stay”

“Arsenal have a policy in which they will not go over a specific amount of money when agreeing the salary of a player. They won’t pay enormous amounts of money. I think that they should go to a higher level of salary.

“If you want to keep the group together, you have to keep them happy. If you are 27 or 28 I can understand that you would make the decision to go elsewhere if you can earn three or four times as much. If that sort of money was also paid at Arsenal I’m sure that person would stay.”

“It is very important that Arsenal keep these guys. This group is unique. If a number of them leave it will be different. I think of myself as an Arsenal man but Arsenal should also try to make sure that we all grow together.”



The issue of wages has been hotly debated ever since Flamini left for AC.

I think that RVP does have a point, the club can’t just be naive and hope that players will just stay at Arsenal even when they are offered fat contracts elsewhere.

This is sad, but it is how modern football works. I don’t think that we need to raise salaries greatly though. The best course fo action would be to reassess the wage structure, but the club doesn’t have to go crazy in raises.

We don’t want a system which will spiral out of control and leave us in huge debt. Because of this I do still have sympathy with the club.

It would be even better is if we could just sign some guys who won’t fuck off as soon as they see some extra cash, but instead want to work in a great team at a great club.

What do you think? Should the wage structure be thrown out the window?

Wenger and Ribery say Nasri will sign

On By jamesgillespIn Transfers6 Comments

Wenger said on Telefoot that we are probably going to sign Nasri

“It is likely to happen, and if it does happen, it will be before the start of the European Championship.”

Ribery backed this up here

“It’s good for him. This is a good club with a lot of young players, but the English Premier League is completely different, difficult to adapt to.

“It is a pity that Samir left Marseille, he’s been there all of his footballing career. But it was important for him to see something else.”

So still nothing totally conclusive, but I think we will get this chap now. He has been the only thing the press are talking about now, compared to a few weeks ago when we were linked with everyone and anyone!

Arsenal bid for Nasri not final/transfer rumours

On By jamesgillespIn Transfers1 Comment

Samir Nasri’s agent Jean-Pierre Bernès, has said that no deal has been finalised for Nasri to join Arsenal.

“”We are not in a hurry. It is true that we are examining an offer from Arsenal, which is interesting for Samir Nasri from a sporting point of view, but there are other offers on my desk”

This comes from the French Eurosport website, here. I think a transfer is likely, he’s a top French winger, about 20 years old. I hear that he would fit in well with Arsenal’s style.

We have apparently signed Francis Coquelin from Stade Lavallois, he’s a French U-17 international who was on trial with us earlier this season, there’s nothing official, but Stade Lavallois released this statement:

“The truth of the moment it that Francis Coquelin is free.

“Nothing more links him with MFC, as a consequence his future club have no obligation to pay an education fee.”

So wiating for an update on that one, but it seems a done deal.

We may also be set to sign another young Frenchman, Clement Chantome, a 22 year old midfielder playing for PSG, World of Arsenal says he is in the mould of Didier Deschamps.

Finally, Carlos Vela has his work permit and will join the rest of the Arsenal squad for pre-season training at the end of the summer. His agent said:

“He has his work permission so Carlos will be joining Arsenal in July to begin pre-season work.”

Nasri on his way to the Arse for £13 million?

On By jamesgillespIn Transfers

More and more speculation in the papers about who we’re going to sign. Nasri is a name which is coming up quite a lot.

Nasri is 20 and won the Young Player of the Season Award last year in Ligue 1. He has a buy-out clause of €17m (£13.5m).

Apparently representatives of Arsenal and Marseilles have been talking and it’s likely that he will join us. Nasri did say that on Saturday he might have played his last game for Marseilles.

He is our sort of player, fast, agile with good passing skills, he could replace Hleb. The only problem is that he isn’t that experienced, and is a little weak. But when has that stopped Wenger before!

Two which I don’t think will happen are Frey and Aquilani, these are both just randoms I guess. Aquilani isn’t a likely target, and Wenger won’t be signing a keeper I don’t think.