Transfer stuff

Halloo halloo,

Another day in the neighborhood as we offload another center back and look set to sign our 50th forward. It's very Wenger to do something like this after he's spoken about our depth up front. Senderos has all but signed for Everton and we look in for Kalou and out on the Chamack deal. We've offered 6m for each player apparently, definitely for Chamack, Kalou might just be rumors. Bordeaux value Chamack at 18m euros, which is outrageous for a player who scores a goal for every 4 games and can go on a Bosman in a years time. Wenger won't budge on his 6m offer and it seems we're out of the chase. Wenger is quoted as saying:

"My offer seems fair to me, taking the market into account. Chamakh would be good, but there are other options should we wish to pursue them."

He also said:

"In five months, if he doesn't prolong his contract, Chamakh will be free to talk to any club and Bordeaux won't get anything.

"In the current context, to me, it is over. Let's say that at the moment it is terminated."

Bordeaux chairman Jean Louis Triaud said of the matter:

"I will admit that the fee I quoted is excessive, but Arsenal's offer is still a long way short.”

It seems like Bordeaux are playing games that Wenger isn’t interested in and it’s all a bit unfortunate for Chamack who is very upset by the whole thing. I won’t quote him because we have enough quotes but he’s saying he won’t sign a new contract for Bordeaux, that if he looses out on a move to Arsenal then Bordeaux will loose out when he leaves for free next summer.

Our other option in that position is Kalou, who I do admit to liking. Arseblog seems to have no time for him making a stupid list of terrible things he would do to Kalou, which I suppose is all well and good but I don’t see how he would be bad for the team, only that it would stifle Wilshere’s immediate progress with the first team and probably Vela’s too.

Kalou can play all across the front three and can finish well. He’s pretty good in the air and he’s not a small boy so he’d add some physicality, which would be nice, although we need it in midfield more than anywhere else.

Chelsea say we’re 2m short of their asking price but it’s said that Wenger is willing to meet that. Now, like I said, I do like Kalou and I think he’d be more than useful, but at what cost? Wilshere will likely fade out of the first team frame, as he did last season, although he’ll get more games I’m sure. Vela will be one more down the pecking order and will seem all the more surplus as we have so many skillful little left footers. And we won’t have another center mid or center back.

Letting Senderos go not only leaves us with bulbus head fish face as our fourth choice, I know I’ve spoken of his value and wanting him to stay, but that wasn’t taking into account that Toure and Senderos would be leaving. I like Silvestre because he can teach all the younglings a thing or two about a run in and all that, but I never wanted him to play regularly. Senderos’ move will also allow Everton to move Jolean Lescott on to Man City, making another rival stronger. I suppose Wenger would take the stance that we have no time to worry about what other clubs are doing, only what we’re up to, and I suppose that’s fair, it’s just that fuck, I like Senderos and I quite like Lescott and would really hate to see them both move.

With no other moves in looking likely it seems that the only other signing we may make this summer is Soloman Kalou. I haven’t heard much more about Matuidi or whatever his name is and so I doubt that’ll be happening.

In other news 4thegame.com is linking AC Milan with a 35m Euro move for Fabregas, which apparently Wenger has agreed to by promising them Cesc as Andrea Pirlo looks to move to Chelsea. Fuck Off, like Wenger would ever do such a thing.

Not much else, I know I promised another rival analysis but I’ll have to postpone it until tomorrow.

Highbury86

Bye Bye King Kolo

King Kolo is out and I’m not at all happy. You can say what you will about the remarkable piece of business Wenger has done the club as Kolo has brought us a title, 2 FA Cups and helped us to a few good long runs in the champions league, including the final in 2006. He stood up and replaced Keown and Adams when nobody else could, he stood up and continued when Campbell left and he’s our longest serving player, he’s our only connection to the invincibles. In a squad with so much youth and such little tradition and leadership, letting go of one of our most experienced leaders, the only player who can carry on the Arsenal tradition left over by the likes of Adams, Keown, Parlour and Bergkamp, is in my mind a mistake. I’m very upset about this transaction and don’t have it in me to write much more. Arseblog said that this is football and players come and go but under our circumstances I don’t think it’s right.

Alright, that was bit dramatic, my heads on straight now but I’m still pissed off. 16million is a lot of money, more than we’ve ever spent on a player and Wenger does know when to let go, particularly when it comes to players around Toure’s age. Overmars, Petit, Vieira, Hleb, Campbell, Edu (I have a bit about him you’ll see later) all left between the ages of 27 and 30 (I think) and have all gone on to less prestige and glamour in their post Arsenal careers. You might say they became slightly useless even. Speaking of Hleb, he was part of the deal that saw Ibrahimovic go to Barca as he was loaned out to Inter for a season with an option of a 10m Euro buy at the end of the season. He couldn’t get a game at Barca, who don’t have a lot of midfielders, going to Inter who have about 900,000 midfielders won’t do his career much good. I doubt we’ll be hearing about Hleb for a long time.

Having said all that, that money better go into the team and we better not let Eboue go. I understand that Eboue, Toure and Adebayor were all great friends and perhaps this will be playing on Eboue’s mind in his decision to leave and it seems that Fiorentina are in talks with him over a move said to be somewhere in the 10m range, which again is very good money.

We’ve spent 25m since January, on Arshavin and Vermaelen and have made that back with the sale of Adebayor. We’ve got another 16m for Toure coming in, which really ought to be enough money to sign a quality center mid like Sissoko. Even if it costs more, I have to imagine that we had money in the kitty without selling Adebayor, there must be something to spend. We obviously won’t replace Kolo, I’m sure we’ll keep Phil the Swiss and probably Silvestre. This is beyond me, I’ve said that I like Senderos and that I see the value that Silvestre can bring but keeping these guys over Toure just sucks.

We’ve signed Vermaelen to be a starter, I don’t think Wenger would have paid that money for a sub. Kolo and Gallas and Djourou would have been scrapping it out to play alongside him and maybe Toure just didn’t have the fight in him. That doesn’t seem right though, Toure has tons of fight doesn’t he? So maybe it was the money. Maybe the excitement of a new project, maybe a chance to join up with his buddy Adebayor and make some new buddies in the process. Or maybe it’s the money. I’m sad to see him go and I thank him for his work with Arsenal but there’s a bad taste in my mouth and I don’t suppose I’ll ever know where it’s coming from.




Highbury86