As the club gets ready to go on tour to Asia, and not Magaluf like Stewart Robson suggested before he launched into a vitriolic attack on Arsene Wenger for the way he insists that the grass is cut, the Nicklas Bendtner saga continues.
After Eintracht Frankfurt announced they were on the verge of signing TGSTEL, reports now suggest that the deal has broken down (although not irreparably just yet). Their chairman said:
After considering everything … Bendtner has proven to be not realistic. Now it is up to us. With Arsenal, there are no problems. We need to check whether it is financially feasible.
Most reports suggest that it’s Bendtner’s wage demands that are the stumbling block, but at this point you wouldn’t be surprised to discover that he had a pathological fear of completing anything. The number of times this has happened is beyond belief now.
The talk of all the clubs wanting him, the time passing, the nothing happening. It’s even been reported that Arsenal were willing to contribute to his first year’s salary – something of a pay-off, just to get the deal done – but clearly that’s not enough. Bendtner has realised that in order to play regularly he needs to look at clubs outside the Champions League, but doesn’t want to take less than Champions League wages.
While some might say it’s all Arsenal’s fault for giving him such a big contract, surely the player himself has to be a bit more open to the fact that they’re only offering what he’s actually worth, rather than what Arsenal thought he might be worth when they gave him that deal a few years back. Does he want to play football? If so, he needs to accept the fact his stock is low, his behaviour hasn’t been sterling and that, along with his recent injury problems, makes him a big risk for any potential new club.
At this point he’s like the front of your house after its been sprayed by a tom cat. No matter how hard you try, you just can’t get rid of the smell. It’s easy to joke that we should pay someone to take him, but the longer this goes on the less ludicrous that seems. And you have to laugh at the line from Bild (put through Google translate but still …)
The ex-Frankfurt Jan-Aage Fjörtoft scoffs: “Since 2005, Bendtner scored 41 league goals. That’s an average of 5.1 per season. I can do that even now. And I’m 46 .. “
Hyperbole it might be but when you consider that his last league goal was in April 2012, it’s understandable that nobody’s pushing the boat out for him. And the boat isn’t even a boat. It’s a dinghy. Or a raft made of lollipop sticks held together with frayed twine.
*sigh*
Meanwhile, various outlets in France are reporting that Gervinho is a target for Roma. His former Lille manager, Rudi Garcia, is the new boss there, and he’s somebody who, in fairness, knows how to get the best out of him. How true it is remains to be seen, but it’s not the first time he’s been linked with a move away from the club this summer and I do know the club would not be averse to moving him on if the deal was right.
It’s been something of a thing this summer that there’s been more action around players going out than coming in. We’ve shed five players already through loans and contract expiration, and there’s still work to be done in that area. The relative quiet when it comes to those who might arrive might be seen as somewhat comforting, as in the best case scenario we’re getting all that business done quietly behind the scenes.
Yet there’s always that fear that our multi-tasking skills aren’t quite as good as they should be, and perhaps there’s too much focus on those going than those coming. But a fear is all it is, however grounded it might seem, and even though we’re going to be away in Asia that doesn’t mean we can’t do what needs to be done. If it complicates things or not, I don’t know, but I doubt it.
If a potential new signing requires the personal touch and a visit from the manager then that might prove an obstacle, but you have to think that wouldn’t be necessary in most cases. A phone call here, a Skype there, a risque pic by Snapchat at it should be all done and dusted.
Still, while I remain somewhat patient and hopeful, it’d be nice to do something soon. I fail to see any downside in signing new players now. Today. Good. Thanks. Cheers.
Till tomorrow.
