I don’t know what the weather is like in London this morning but if the game were happening in Dublin I doubt it’d be going ahead. More snow here as the new ice age begins to take hold. The only upside I can see is that soon we’ll all get to ride around on those giant snow camel things that they had in The Empire Strikes Back. That’d be awesome.
With regards to team news there’s nothing new to report other than Jack Wilshere is out for today with a slight hamstring strain. There’s also good news regarding Nicklas Bendnter who will be fit and ready again with two weeks. That, obviously, has an influence on our transfer dealings this month with Arsene Wenger saying:
His return will influence [what we do]. If he’d been ruled out for two months, we wouldn’t have had a choice but to sign someone. It would have been an absolute that we signed a striker. But now we can be a little bit more relaxed. We can take it or leave it if we don’t find what we want.
While we’d all like a striker to come in I suppose the manager is looking at a fit again Bendtner who will join Arshavin, Vela, Eduardo and Walcott as forward players. Then come the summer van Persie is fit again so adding another striker leaves him with something of a surplus and decisions to make. Buying a striker now is effectively ending the Arsenal career of at least one of those players. When you consider that Vela, van Persie, Eduardo, Walcott and Bendtner have all signed new contracts and Arshavin is a relatively recent purchase with plenty left on his deal then it becomes even more difficult.
The other thing to remember is that we’ve scored more goals than anyone else in the Premier League, Bendtner’s return provides us with the physical central striker we’ve been crying out for, and looking at it that way you might consider the money we have is better spent elsewhere. Just to note, he hasn’t ruled out a forward signing, but the issue is not so urgent and he really does have all those things to consider when bringing somebody in. Would it make a very short term loan signing a more attractive option for him?
So, given our efficiency going forward might we better spending our money to strengthen our defence? I know a goalkeeper is high on many fans wanted lists but that possibility is hardly spoken about. There’s almost a reluctant admission that we need a defender. I know forward signings are more exciting but let’s be realistic. A centre-half is an absolute must. Adding a quality defender to our squad not only strengthens us, it allows us to get the best out of Gallas and Vermaelen who are sure to tire as the season goes on. It would also provide good competition for places.
As I said yesterday I remain extremely doubtful about Sol Campbell’s ability to play at this highest level again. Arsene was quite coy when asked about him yesterday but said:
Sol has a fantastic attitude and good fitness. He is not the youngest but he is in a very good shape. He can still play in the Premier League, I’ve said that many times. He is important in the dressing room as well. He’s positive with the young players, and every year we have one or two like that. I think a Premier League club will sign him and, of course, we are a Premier League club.
Make of that what you will. Personally I think there isn’t a manager better in the world than Arsene Wenger to know when to let a player go. Whether that’s because they’re not committed to Arsenal or whether they’ve got to an age where their physical decline has set in, he knows. And in Campbell’s case he got it right. Honestly, I thought he might have left a season earlier than he did but having let him go, having seen him do ok for Portsmouth and not much more than that, then seen him essentially give up the ghost by signing for Notts County, I find it hard to understand how he’d be ready for Premier League football now.
Of course Arsene sees him every day in training, he knows more about him than I do, and there’s no doubt his experience would probably be beneficial (provided we don’t find ourselves 2-0 down to West Ham at half-time). He’s a popular figure around the club with the younger players and he has been there and done that when it comes to winning titles. However, I think if there’s one area in this team that could really be improved by spending some money, and I don’t mean big, big money, I just mean spending the right amount to get a player of suitable quality, then it’s our defence. We’re not going to score 3 and 4 in every game, sometimes we need to be able to scrap out a 1-0, and making ourselves stronger at the back would be the way to achieve that. I’d be quite happy to not sign a striker if we got a keeper and a defender, even just a quality central defender.
January, and the transfer window, does throw up a lot of speculation, most of it utterly groundless. Yesterday Arsene ruled out any move for Carlton Cole, saying he wouldn’t sign another player to add to his injury list, Gignac, as he’s too expensive, Chamakh, for now, and young Crystal Palace player Victor Moses, who hasn’t yet learned to part defences like his great great great great x 193,199,000 grandfather parted seas.
This week we had a ludicrous story about Gonzalo Higuain coming to us as part of a swap deal with Cesc Fabregas. It doesn’t even have one foot in the realms of reality yet it is regurgitated around the web and NewsNow with gay abandon by websites which are hit-whoring their hairy moobs off. It’s stupid. And then those stupid stories get picked up by the ‘mainstream’ press who, desperate to get in on the hit-whoring, repeat them when they should really know better. Arsene was asked if got frustrated with such stories. He said:
I have a big respect for the press in general, but some people are just not serious. They sit behind their desk and they think ‘What kind of stupid idea can I create?’ and the next day you have to answer that stupid idea. That is not really serious.
Heh, classic. He did have a good laugh with the press folk afterwards but he’s dead right. And this came after one journalist asked him about the story and then it went to the lady, I think she’s from the BBC, who seems to insist on asking him questions he’s already answered.
Journo 1 – Selling Cesc?
Arsene – No it’s a load of my steaming bollocks etc etc
Lady – Selling Cesc?
Arsene – No, it’s a load etc etc
Lady – So, you would sell him for any money?
Arsene – As I said etc etc
Lady – There’s no chance you might sell him then?
Arsene – *sigh*
If it were me I don’t think I’d cope as well as him with that kind of questioning. It was also interesting to hear Arsene reveal he’d written a letter to Real Madrid and Barcelona to ask them to shut their fat mouths. Naturally, as they are ill-mannered twats, he got no reply. I trawled all my sources and have managed to find a copy of the letter Arsene sent. You can see it here – please note it is Not Safe For Work (which, as this is a Saturday, is probably all right).
Patrick Vieira signs for Man City.
Right, that’s about that. It’s worth noting that if today’s game goes ahead it effectively becomes our game in hand, with Chelsea’s game against Hull one of many already called off. Here’s to repeat of the opening day of the season, even half of that would be good. I’d love to sit around tomorrow reading about Arsenal 3 – 1/2 win over Everton.
Come on you reds!
