As the transfer window heads into its final stages there still appears to be an impasse between Arsenal and Zenit over you know who.
Maxim Mitrofanov, the chief executive of Zenit says:
Arsenal received a fax on Friday night last night from Mitrofanov containing the “final offer of my board with a massive discount from the 25 million euros we wanted last summer. I told Arsenal already that we don’t accept the £12m and they know it very well.
He goes on to confirm that personal terms between Arsenal and Arshavin are all sorted out but the deal looks more and more unlikely to happen with Arsene Wenger saying:
When you want to buy a player, you go as far as you can and, if you cannot take one step more, you cannot. You have to accept that everybody has a price and when the buyer has a certain amount of money and not more. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.
There’s talk of Arshavin going on strike but I’m not sure what good that would do him. Arsenal’s valuation of Arshavin is obviously significantly below what Zenit want and with neither side willing to budge the whole thing seems like a busted flush unless one side caves in – and it’s hard to see that happening.
In his interview with Arsenal.com yesterday Arsene was doing his usual thing of talking up the squad he has. He said that even if we didn’t get Arshavin he felt we were strong enough to compete on all fronts and, let’s not forget, that the injured players coming back would be LNS. I just can’t say those words any more, I’m sorry.
Obviously there would be disappointment if Arshavin didn’t happen but I’m not sure it would be huge problem. As has been pointed out before he’s not match fit, he’s coming into a team at the business end of the season trying to get up to speed in a league that normally takes some time to adapt to. But then there’s the whole ‘even a half fit Russian finding his feet would be better than Eboue’ thing. Maybe though, the money would be better spent in the summer.
Ahead of the FA Cup game tomorrow the only piece of team news is that William Gallas is fit again. Stop, stop, I can hear the cheers of joy from here. The manager, referencing the very public issue of Kolo’s dislike of Gallas, said:
They get on OK. In football you don’t have to go on holiday together but you can still play together. Kolo and William talk to each other but it is always very difficult to assess how much people are friends or not. What is essential is that, on the pitch, football is most important and they should respect the game.
He says he’s still to decide on who will play against Cardiff but the decision is surely one or the other to partner Djourou. Firstly the manager has admitted that as a pairing Kolo and Gallas do not work and secondly the two have no kind of relationship. I know you don’t have to be friends to play with someone but when one actively dislikes another to the point where he puts in a transfer request you have to say pairing them in important matches is a huge risk.
The boss has to consider the game against Everton on Wednesday and might be tempted to rest Djourou but he’s a young man, he’s capable of playing the games. And with Kolo installed as captain, Gallas might find himself spending some time on the bench. I certainly don’t want to see Gallas and Kolo as our centre-halves unless there’s no other choice.
As for the rest of the team he says there’s no room for sentiment in relation to Aaron Ramsey‘s return to the club he grew up with. He says he’ll play him if he thinks he’ll help us to win, which is fair enough, I suppose. He also talks about Robin van Persie and talks up Denilson who, he feels doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
Denilson is an interesting one. He’s played most of our games this season. He’s had his good moments and his poor moments, like most of the players. I have to say I think there’s potential there and I’ve always maintained that his presence in the first team has come a bit early for him. While I look at Alex Song and remain baffled as to how he’s even near the first team at Arsenal, I can see much more in Denilson.
I think he’d have matured better had he been eased into the team and would have benefited greatly from having more experienced central midfielders to play with. Not every player comes on as quickly as Cesc, for example, and let’s remember Cesc had quality experienced players to help him along when he first came into the team. At times this season Denilson has had Diaby and Song as his partners, not exactly players who will give him the kind of guidance he needs.
So while I fully accept he has had his stinkers this season he’s not the kind of player who hides on the pitch and hopefully this season and all the football he’s played will help him develop. Let’s remember, he’s just 20 years of age, and to completely write him off as not good enough already is, in my opinion, premature.
The game against Cardiff brings us up against a former Gunner, Jay Bothroyd, who left the club under a cloud some years ago. When substituted in an FA Youth Cup game he threw his shirt at Don Howe and there was no way back after that. He’s been fairly well travelled since, playing for Coventry, Blackburn, Charlton, Wolves and even scoring 5 goals in one season for Perugia in Serie A. He talks about his time at Arsenal and more here.
And that’s about that. Have yourselves a good Saturday, more tomorrow.
