You would think after winning the World Cup the Spanish players would toddle off on their holidays, put their feet up and bask in the glory of their famous triumph.
Most of them have, it seems, but one man, the one with the mouth, is always ready with a quote about Cesc Fabregas. Speaking to the Express, Xavi says:
If we don’t manage to get his signature this season then Arsenal only really have him on loan for a year – because there is nothing they can do to stop him joining next summer. Arsenal need to understand they are only delaying the inevitable.
Either Xavi has the biggest crush of all time on Cesc or he’s actually mentally ill. He’s got some kind of obsessive compulsive disorder. I’m not joking. It’s not normal for a professional footballer to talk about the same thing time and time and time again. It’s not normal that when the manager of the team you’re trying to steal a player from says the talk should stop that you ignore it and continue to publicly try and undermine the player’s relationship with his club and its fans. Nobody, and I’m 100% sure about this, has said more about this whole thing than Xavi. He’s a disturbed man.
Even on the most basic human level he has the manners of a pig. How many of us here would presume to speak so freely for another person? It’s quite pathetic when you get past how very annoying it is. And as Goonerholic points out FIFA, the people who are tasked with enforcing the rules of the game, are doing nothing to prevent it. In fact, they’re aiding and abetting.
I mean, it’s no surprise from one of the most corrupt, venal organisations on earth. Having raped South Africa for billions they want the few quid some extra clicks on their website brings in. As for Xavi, fine player he might be, but he’s an oafish, ill-mannered egomaniac who really needs to learn some respect. And it does make the comments by Rosell’s sporting director rather laughable. Just the other day he said of the uneasy association between Arsenal and Barcelona:
Relations exist. But we want them to be good. We are not in a phase of negotiation, only a phase of relationship building.
If that’s their idea of ‘relationship building’ they’re insane. Which I think they might all be. Especially Xavi. And frankly, saying there’s nothing we can do about it strikes me as something of a challenge. Over to you Messrs Wenger and Gazidis.
Moving on, as quickly as possible, and the same Express article says Mark Schwarzer has been offered a coaching role at the club as part of a deal to bring him in this summer. Arsene quite publicly played down our chances of signing him but maybe he’s just affording Fulham the kind of consideration that a decent club should. The need for a keeper is still very real, maybe things are a bit more complicated due to Fulham’s lack of a manager.
Croatia manager Slaven Bilic has more or less confirmed Eduardo’s move to Shaktar Donetsk. He says:
I spoke with Eduardo. He was very pleased with the move to Shakhtar. He is going to a strong league. This season they will once again play in the Champions League, have many difficult matches and this is excellent for the national team.
I suppose now we just wait for official confirmation from the club. It leaves the number 9 shirt free, of course, which has become something of a burden in recent years. Players to wear it haven’t exactly prospered – Jeffers, Reyes, Baptista and Eduardo – but then a shirt is just a shirt and a number is just a number.
The club did confirm the not very well kept secret that Robin van Persie would follow in the footsteps of Dennis Bergkamp and play in the number 10 shirt from now on. It never really sat right on a centre-half, let’s face it. And Carlos Vela’s future is more clear after he was given the number 11 for the new campaign.
The Austrian squad was announced yesterday and there were a couple of notable absentees. Both Denilson and Bendtner are missing through injury while youngsters like Simpson, Barazite, Hoyte and Randall found themselves left at home to play for the reserves last night (2-2 draw with Crawley Town). Unless they get very lucky I think it’s fair to say they’ll probably be continuing their careers elsewhere in the long run.
Both Jack Wilshere and Johan Djourou talk about the importance of pre-season and the Emirates Cup. Wilshere in particular says good performances in the pre-season kickabout at the Grove can put you in the manager’s plans. I seem to remember him being quite awesome in last season’s tournament but perhaps his still tender age went against him. I’m hopeful he’ll make an impact with us this season, some good performances in the next few games won’t do his prospects any harm.
He could very well start with tonight’s game against Sturm Graz which kicks off at 6pm. Coverage via the official site and I think I’ll sit down and have a good look at this one. It’ll be my first chance to get a look at new boys Chamakh and Koscielny and hopefully we’ll get something post-game from Arsene about filling the obvious gaps in the squad.
Finally, a piece of transfer gossip from Norway (thanks Stian), apparently we’ve sent scouts to look at Senegalese defensive midfielder Kara Mbodji. He currently plays for Tromso.
That’s yer lot. More tomorrow.
