Morning everyone,
a little bit to keep us ticking over. What better way to start than with some fresh transfer speculation and this morning’s Sun is linking us with Stuttgart midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger. You may remember he started his career at Aston Villa before heading back to the Bundesliga.
I have to say he ticks many of the right boxes. Exactly the right age, lots of experience, an established international, a left foot like Thor’s hammer, a good set-piece taker, not afraid to put himself about a bit and he just has one year left on his contract meaning we could land him for a relatively valuetastic price. I’ve always thought he was a very decent player so put me down as one who hopes there’s more to this than just newspaper fiction.
Meanwhile Cesc has set the record straight about his interview with the Spanish press which turned into a plethora ‘If Guardiola told me to jump off a cliff I’d do it’ stories. He says:
I never said it.
Succinct and to the point. And precisely what I said on Sunday when I saw the story in Sport. At no point did he say ‘If Guardiola calls me I’ll go to Barcelona’ which is merely what the headline said and we all know the reasons for that. They are sneaky varmints, the Spanish press, and Cesc is aware that they have a tendency to, you know, just make things up, saying:
You have to be careful not to fall into this kind of trap.
Erm, quite. Seems the only way not to fall into this kind of trap is to never speak to them, which is unrealistic, but again it’s heartening that he has come out and set the record straight so quickly. Nevertheless Arsenal fans know well the relentless nature of the Spanish press when they’re operating on behalf of their club. Sport and El Mundo will just keep tip-tapping away, adding a little lie here, a little fib there. And that is just their way.
As well as that Gael Clichy has responded to stories linking him with Real Madrid, saying:
I heard there is an interest from Real Madrid, but I have a contract with Arsenal which I intend to respect unless the club say otherwise. I want to win things with Arsenal.
Good man, can’t say fairer than that.
Auxerre’s Polish striker Ireneusz Jelen says a move to Arsenal would be absolutely tip-top. He doesn’t want to go to PSG in case the fans smash up his car (talk about faith in your own ability – and you can always buy a banger to go to the games in if you’re that worried) but says:
I heard that I would never go to England because The Premier League is not for me, but all it would take would be a phone call from Arsenal and I would pack my bags for London.
I hear ya, buddy. I’d be exactly the same. Sadly, I think you too might reach my age and sit here thinking ‘if only’ where ‘if only’ is followed not by ‘Arsenal had called me’ but ‘I’d been good enough for Arsenal to call me’. Which I was, of course, I just had a calling to blog about Arsenal instead of playing for them.
*weeps*
Theo Walcott and Kieran Gibbs played for England’s U21s in the U21 European Championships taking place in Europe, somewhere. England won 2-1. I didn’t see any of it but Theo was taken off at some point. They play again sometime against someone else. I can’t wait!
Right then, that’ll have to do for today. I shall return tomorrow with more nothing. Till then.
