Hello there, it doesn’t really feel like summer’s upon us yet despite the raft of transfer stories that abound. I blame the lack of sunshine. And summer breeze. The jasmine of my mind needs a good blowing through.
Let’s start with possible ins. Today’s main story is about Karim Benzema and some quotes from Arsene Wenger about the player. He says:
Viewed from the outside, it doesn’t seem impossible today. He’s a player that I like. I think he’s intelligent in his movement, I think he is capable of combining well and making a difference, and of doing individual moves as well. So, for me he’s a player who’s at the top level in the world.
With the rumour mill going into overdrive about Aguero crossing the city from Atletico to Real there might well be a will to make this happen on Madrid’s part. They seem to have spent quite a bit of money already and while I know finances are different for them they can’t have a bottomless supply, can they? Again it’s all just speculation at this stage but if we’re looking for a striker this wouldn’t be the most outrageous transfer assumption to make.
Then The Mail links us with Porto’s Falcao in a £25m move because, apparently, he won’t sign a new deal at the Portuguese club. I haven’t seen much of him apart from his rather excellent goal in the Europa League final but I was a fan of his father’s top 80s hit about Mozart so based on that alone I say bring him in.
Also in the Mirror John Cross talks about the club ‘clearing the decks‘, nothing out of the ordinary in there really, but he does mention the Nasri situation and says the player has been given a deadline to sign a new deal. End of June, I’m told. If it’s not done by then we’ll make moves to do what we have to do.
I have to say I’m less confident that he’ll stay as time goes on. I’ve never, ever understood the thinking that a player is too busy or too caught up with the football side of things to worry about a new contract. Generally speaking he has little part to play in the negotiations. Agents talk to officials, terms are thrashed out, agreement is reached, player comes in and makes scrawl, club announce player has signed new deal, fans wonder why deal was signed in some kind of serial killer’s basement.
Any suggestion that things have been too hectic to address a contract situation are, frankly, nonsense. From the club’s point of view, well that’s part of what they do. That’s their work. It’s like saying they’re too busy to issue tickets for a game. From the player’s side, he trains in the morning, then what?
‘Oh sorry, I can’t make a few minutes to come and sign a contract because … well … I just got Portal 2 you see and I’m really stuck on one level. Maybe when I get past that. I just can’t think of anything else at the moment’.
My hole. From what I can gather Nasri’s agent is one of the agenty agents of all time – and a man with a dubious background. Much of the delay is due to them looking for as much money as possible, none of which should be any surprise in the modern game, but, I suspect, he’s turning the screw a little bit given the position he find himself in. He knows that he can demand X, Y and Z from Arsenal as long as the threat of Nasri leaving on a free (massive signing on fee and wages elsewhere) hangs over the club.
As I said last week you can question why we’ve been able to hand out new deals to all and sundry yet failed to secure one of the better players at the club. However, it’s unthinkable that we haven’t tried or that it was just some bungling oversight that Nasri wasn’t made an offer. The reality of the situation is that he’s been made offers, none of those offers have been acceptable to him or his agent, and here we are now in a difficult position which suits only them. They know they’ve got a strong hand but if they try and call our bluff we’ll have no choice but to list him.
That obviously adds a new dimension to it. He doesn’t have to sign anywhere if he doesn’t want to and could see out his contract with us. Or our need to sell might force a reduced price which can then be passed on to Nasri in terms of his contract at the new club. Or they might just be successful in getting more from Arsenal than they probably should and he could sign a new deal with us (followed by quotes about how he always wanted to say, perhaps some French kissing of the badge too).
Whatever happens it’s an uncomfortable, unhappy situation which sums up much about what is wrong with the modern game. I know I’ve been critical of the club handing out deals to players who have done little to merit them but when you think about it, it’s probably a much better way to do business than dealing with the kind of situation we have now with Nasri. They have us over a barrel and it’s really not pleasant at all. It doesn’t reflect well on the player either, which is a shame, but that’s football these days.
Speaking of which, David Conn has an interesting piece in the Guardian today regarding UEFA’s much vaunted financial fair play system. Well worth a read for the depressing inevitability of it.
And while we’re on the business side of things, Alisher Usmanov is making offers for Arsenal shares at £14k a pop. I hope the AST are as strident in their calls for fans who own shares not to sell to the Uzbek as they were with Kroenke. Usmanov is clearly targeting smaller shareholders but for what purpose? Not for the benefit of Arsenal, I’m quite sure about that, but to show the new majority shareholder he won’t be going away. A strutting tom-cat face off which is as unseemly as it is unwanted.
Finally, interesting news that Barcelona are to use our training facilities this week as they’ve had to travel to London early in case the Bjorkcano goes mental and leaves them stranded in Spain. Whatever issues there have been in the past, and clearly will be in the future, I’m glad that we’ve made this gesture because it’s the kind of thing The Arsenal should do. At a time when disillusion about the club is so prevalent on so many levels, a reminder of why we’re a class act is always welcome.
Right, that’s about that. Good Wednesday to you all, back tomorrow.
