It’s funny how quickly things change in football. Even a week ago I would have, and did, pour scorn on all the stories about Thierry Henry leaving Arsenal. Now, I don’t think I’d be so quick to dismiss them (despite knowing how the Spanish press works) and being brutally honest I think Thierry leaving the club is a real possibility.
The Times picks up on L’Equipe’s story about Arsenal Wenger holding talks in Paris with Ferran Soriano about the whole situtation and it’s believed that he will want Samuel Eto’o as part of any deal. I am told that this is more than paper talk and if Arsene can get the deal he wants and the deal which he believes will benefit Arsenal Football Club then he will let Thierry go.
The motivation behind it remains unknown although it’s probably a combination of things including Henry’s desire to play somewhere else, Arsene’s belief that now might well be the right time to let him go especially if he can get a quality player like Eto’o as part of the deal and maybe the idea that a change is good for Thierry and good for Arsenal. That said, Arsenal hold all the cards here. Eto’o has repeatedly said he doesn’t want to leave Barcelona and Henry has three years left on the deal he signed last summer so if it’s not right for the club then he won’t be sold, simple as that.
It’s a huge shift in position from a year ago when Thierry said he would never play in Spain and this would be his last contract. Why that has happened is all conjecture and speculation but you can hear myself and the man from East Lower discuss it in the Arsecast. While it is a big deal I have to say the idea of him leaving doesn’t upset me nearly as much as it would have done last summer and I do hope that if it is going to happen it happens quickly, tidily and without any (more) bullshit which leaves a stain on Thierry’s time at Arsenal. With Barcelona concentrating on the final day of La Liga I don’t expect any big news between now and then but who knows?
If I had to put money on it right now I’d say he won’t be an Arsenal player next season.
In other news Ryan Babel says it would be a dream to play for Arsenal and he has supported them since he was young. He’s a decent looking player but he’s got to come to augment the squad and not as a replacement for Thierry. As talented as he is I can’t see him scoring 20-25 goals each season.
Thomas Sorenson reckons Nicklas Bendtner could become the top class striker that Denmark has been waiting for but again warns that he needs to work hard and take his chances when they come to him.
Full fixtures for next season are here. August looks like a decent month for us and this time around we need to make sure we get off to a good start. The three games we have are certainly winable and we don’t want to be in a situation where we find ourselves off the pace quite so early. There’s a run of games at the end of March – start of April that could make or break us (hopefully) but maybe we should just concentrate on getting there in good shape first.
And that’s that. Now, time for the Arsecast.
In this week’s Arsecast, brought to you by OleOle.com the football community that is free to join, I talk to the man from East Lower about the whole Thierry situation, the Man in the Bar has a player history and there’s a look back at some vintage post season material from Arsenal mixed with all the other waffle.
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[audio:http://arseblog.com/podcasts/arsecast_episode32.mp3]So, let’s get these Arses going. I have a feeling there’s going to be lots to talk about today.
