Morning all, a quick Sunday round-up for you.
Arsene Wenger has urged Mathieu Flamini to stay at Arsenal and not just follow the money. He says:
Flamini can earn more somewhere else that is for sure because it would be a free transfer – but how much is he ready to sacrifice to stay here? There is something in this team which is stronger than a few bucks here and there.
Unfortunately while Arsenal have made Flamini a very, very good offer the fact that he can leave on a Bosman means other clubs can offer much more. Much, much more. And Arsenal can’t match those offers. The precedent it would set would be potentially ruinous. Other players would see Flamini being paid that amount of money and demand the same or at least an increase on their own deals. You then find yourself with the kind of wage bill that would bankrupt a club, it’s an impossible situation.
And as much as I want Flamini to stay we have to acknowledge that he has really only become a vital part of the team this season. We were willing to let him go last summer and I don’t think anybody would have shed too many tears. He’s always been a solid, dependable squad member but you can’t pay him superstar wages after just one great season. Sadly superstar wages are on offer elsewhere and if you step back and think about from Flamini’s point of view it’d be very hard to turn that down if that kind of deal was on the table. I know there’s more to life to than money and that we’d all be quite content with £50,000 a week from Arsenal but I suppose a footballer’s outlook is different. It’s a short career, one that can be ended with one bad tackle, and when you see an opportunity to earn a lot without sacrificing anything in terms of the standard of football you’re playing then I think most of us would make the decision I think Flamini is going to make.
Chairman MC PHW has spoken again about transfers and assured fans that Arsene will always be given the money he asks for when it comes to bringing new players to the club. I suppose we’re due for a summer of bullshit from people who would happily sell out the traditions of the club for a few star signings. With Fat & Orange still lurking like bottom feeders the Chairman reckons it would be a ‘disaster’ if the club fell into their hands. He says of Usmanov and his clementine Henchman:
He is still circling around, aided and abetted by other parties who are trying to justify their existence with ridiculous statements like, ‘You need a multimillionaire to succeed’.
When you consider the way the transfer market is about to go the need for millions and millions on transfer fees is greatly reduced. The Webster Clause means clubs can take players they want for just the price of a couple of years wages instead of a massive transfer fee. Perhaps we might fall victim to this clause but there’s no reason why we can’t exploit it for ourselves.
Plus we just can’t forget that Usmanov is a fat, Man United supporting cunt and Dein is the man who loves Arsenal so very much that he sold his shares to a fat, Man United supporting cunt. They are Phil Collins and Michael Bolton, Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo, Poo and Vomit, Cancer and Stroke. Cunts. Fuck off away from our football club.
Alexander Hleb, who could potentially use the Webster clause to leave Arsenal, talks to the Times and explains why he chooses to pass instead of shooting. It’s all down to an old coach who said ‘pass, pass, pass’ all the time. Do you suppose Hleb finds himself in front of goal then, like Luke Skywalker in his fighter, zooming through the trenches of the Death Star, he hears a voice?
“Don’t shoot, Alex. Although there’s nobody in front of you and the goal is at your mercy, pass. Pass the ball. And something about the force too, you know yourself.”
The People says Arsenal are keeping tabs on Gareth Barry, which is probably just because Gunnerblog wrote a piece about how Barry might be an ideal replacement for Flamini. Funnily enough I was thinking about potential replacements the other day and a former Villa man came to mind – Thomas Hitzelsperger. He always reminded me of a more athletic Petit, he’s currently playing for Stuttgart, he’s an established international and with Premier League experience. Just a thought anyway.
So that’s about it. Tomorrow night’s game at Derby is a must win as Chelsea have kept the title race open. We can move to within 4 points if we win, it’s mathematically still on but still very, very unlikely. United could be cracking though, squeaky bum time indeed, and with their players kicking stewards and scrapping with Chelsea ground staff it looks like they’re beginning to feel the pressure.
We just need to win our last three, hope that Chelsea and United somehow lose theirs and sweep to the most unlikely of titles. And then I woke up but fuck it, it’s worth thinking about.
Right, more tomorrow, have a good Sunday.
