Good Saturday to you all.
A fair amount going on so we’ll get right into it. New boy Samir Nasri says he’s not the new Zidane. Well, here was us thinking we’re getting the new Zidane and he spoils it straight away. He says:
I don’t think it’s fair to have that sort of pressure on a young player. There’s only one Zidane, just as there was only one Platini. I’m me, a novice, who’s trying to get better.
Which we have to admit is a far better attitude than someone who actually thinks they’re the new Zidane. There’s all kinds of stuff about him on the official site so go have a look. I suspect that he’s going to play left hand side for us but I suppose pre-season will tell us a lot.
Meanwhile Andrei Arshavin, having said only last week that Barcelona was his dream move and that he only wanted to play for them, has changed his tune somewhat. According to his agent Yuri Bolokov:
Andrei would love to play for Arsenal. Their style of football would be perfect for him
It might well be but if Zenit are looking for £19m he might as well eat a load of cheese before bedtime because the only place he’ll be playing for Arsenal is in his dreams. Funny how quickly footballers change their tune though, isn’t it?
I suppose Arshavin’s turnabout came when Barcelona looked like they were going to sign Hleb. The Spanish press are reporting that the deal is ‘nearly’ completed and Hleb could be unveiled as a Barcelona player early next week. Not much else happening in Spain though.
Adebayor – no day would be complete without some more Adebaybore stuff and our old pal Vicenzo Morabito has been centre-stage again. Talking on Italian TV he said:
We are going towards more reasonable figures that are within Milan’s reach, as they had placed a ceiling on the bid they were willing to make. It is much, much lower than the £32m initially requested. In fact, it’s a little bit more than half that figure. The signs are very positive.
Perhaps the reason for the reduction in price is the inclusion of Yoann Gourcuff in the deal but that matter is complicated by Gourcuff’s loan deal with Bordeaux. The other reason for the lower price might be that Morabito is talking out of his big, fat arse. Who can say?
The Telegraph, via the Sun, links us with a move for Gareth Barry, saying a cash + Hoyte deal could be on offer from Arsenal, although we’ve made no official bid as yet. We could do a lot worse, in my opinion, and Barry’s defensive style would probably compliment Cesc’s more attacking instincts in the same way that Flamini did. Interesting.
Charles N’Zogbia says he’s been dreaming of playing for Arsenal since he was a kid. Join the fucking club, pal.
So it’s all beginning to get a bit busy now. One or two deals beginning to happen across the transfer market and once the ball gets rolling I’m sure it’ll gather no moss and the stitch in time will judge a book by its cover. Oh yes.
Right, have a good Saturday. More tomorrow.
