Tag: Transfers

Hill-Wood slams greed while Sagna signs on like a good boy

On By jamesgillespIn Transfers2 Comments

Arsenal have rewarded Bacary Sagna with a new contract until 2014. The news came out a few days ago but we now know the length of the deal.

“I love Arsenal, they are a great club. The manager is also very good and next season we will be fighting for all the trophies.”

Sagna is definitely the best right-back in the Premiership and was our top signing last summer. In typical Wenger style, he arrived with little furore and proceeded to play amzingly all season.

The fact that we have renewed his contract after just one season at the club is good, it means we can hold onto a top player, but it also reveals the state of the transfer system at the moment.

With players like Hleb being linked away from the club with this Webster Clause and others like Flamini leaving, it seems that we are putting in a concerted effort to keep the team together and happy in their contracts. I have no problem with this, but it does show that the club is a bit more wary of loyalty issues now.

Peter Hill-Wood made comments about the same issue, speaking harshly about the lack of loyalty which is present in football these days:

“Nowadays, a lot of people sign four-year contracts and you heave a sigh of relief. Six months later they come marching in saying they want double the wages.
“The only answer is to tell them they are on that contract and that’s it. Unless you do that, the game will become chaotic and descend into anarchy.

“I think there are very few people who have really got the tradition of the club at heart. You can name them on one hand. Actually I can’t name them on one hand and that’s a great pity.”

“In the old days money was not the big driving force. Nobody was greedy. People didn’t come marching in for pay rises, be they executives, senior managers, players, whatever. People weren’t motivated by the money. They liked the job, they liked the club and they wanted to go to work in the morning. Everyone has become much more materialistic.

“I think that is one of the reasons why Arsene [Wenger] signs younger players. OK, they will probably walk out in five years but at least he has the opportunity to mould them. But some of the so-called stars have got their own ideas about what should happen and don’t always agree with what we think.”

“We are going to go on this way. We are not going to be diverted. We are not going to spend £100 million,”

This is apparent in players like Flamini and possibly Hleb. I am all for sticking to our guns and doing things the way we have been doing them. Arsenal as a club know that we are not like the Chelseas of this world and we don’t have to spend oceans of money to be the best in the league.

Click here for more Arsenal News!

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.

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?

Samir Nasri signs for Arsenal

On By jamesgillespIn Arsenal6 Comments

Samir Nasri will play for Arsenal next season according to L’Equipe. He should be signing his contract today.

Marseilles and Arsenal have apparently agreed on a transfer fee of 15 million Euros. Nasri, has been at Marseilles for four years, this season he has had viral meningitis, but is a top quality player.

If we have got him he will be an excellent addition to the squad. Probably playing on the wing in the style of Hleb or Rosicky. Just better hopefully!

To read the L’Equipe article click here.

Update: 12.47 pm. The Independent says here that he was in London for a medical last night.

Update: 16.50 – It seems Nasri is in Clairefontaine with the French Squad, no news on the transfer front…

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.

UEFA Cup for Flamini and Diarra

On By jamesgillespIn Arsenal2 Comments

Mathieu Flamini left Arsenal for Milan because they are a big club, and they are paying him loads of money. He won’t be in the Champions League next season though!

If anything though he seems to have taken a step back right now. He is not guaranteed first team football there, Gattuso the fans’ favourite plays the same role, and when Fiorentina won 1-0 they sealed fourth place, leaving Milan in fifth.

This means that next year the ‘big club’ will be playing in Europe’s second tier. Who would you rather play for, the third placed team in England, with a young squad full of hope, or an aging fifth placed Italian team?

Diarra, another ex-Arsenal central midfielder will also be playing UEFA Cup football next season with Pompey after winning the FA Cup.

There’s no doubt this guy has talent, but he has to be one of the most obnoxious players to have ever played for us.

He is already looking to use Pompey as a stepping stone after leaving Chelsea and Arsenal because the competition for places was too intense.

Tony Adams had this to say:

“I know why Arsène let him go but I’m not going to say, have you asked Lassana?”

“You have to think outside the box”

This suggests that there were other reasons for Diarra’s departure other than a lack of games, maybe the fact he is a bit of a shit-stirrer. Good riddance Arsene!

Hatem Ben Arfa

On By jamesgillespIn Transfers9 Comments

I thought I’d do a quick video post of one potential transfer target for Arsenal, Hatem Ben Arfa, enjoy!

Is this man destined for Arsenal?

Flamini, parting shots

On By jamesgillespIn Transfers4 Comments

Flamini says that Arsenal could have kept him if we had offered him a new contract earlier.

“Last July I told Arsenal I wanted to extend my contract so, of course, I would have signed if they had offered me a deal – but they didn’t.

It all comes down to the fact that he was basically a fringe player till this season. Le Boss was going to offload him, he stayed, but we didn’t offer him a new contract in the summer, because we wanted him ‘to prove himself’.

Basically we didn’t believe in him, and at the time that seemed to make sense. Now at the end of the season Mathieu has made his point.

If we had had a little more belief we would still have him, but when a big club like Milan comes calling with sacks of money, you don’t turn it down. Especially if you feeling a little more than unappreciated by the club you’re at.

We used him, and now he has used us.

Wenger must be feeling a little stung after the happenings this season. Flamini left, and Diarra went, leaving us bare in central midfield. No real likely candidates within the sqaud to take the role on a long term basis. Gilberto will still be here, and theres Diaby, but I think we will see a new face for that position.