Step up, step up, the great transfer merry-go-round has begun.
There are many who will look at Gareth Barry going to Manchester City and think ‘But I’d like Gareth Barry at Arsenal’ but I’m not one of them. He’s an all right player but nothing special. Plus he spoke about only leaving Villa for Champions League football, instead he’s followed his wallet and gone to the Burj Al Manchester. If that’s the height of his ambition then away with him.
We’ve been tenuously linked with St Etienne midfielder Blaise Matudi (an anagram of which is ‘A bum idealist). Basically he heard that Arsenal were interested in him and is going to have talks. The talks appear to be with St Etienne, not with Arsenal, and while the player himself says ‘anything can happen’ that doesn’t necessarily mean a move to us is on the cards. However, he does fit the bill, being French of African origin, less than 6′ – he’s our NBF (new Black Flamini).
Elsewhere strange things are going on in the world of Tony Adams. The former captain gave an interview to Talksport in which he claimed he’d be installed as the new manager of Celtic if their former boss Wim Jansen was appointed Technical Director. Adams did some coaching at Feynoord and knows Jansen from there. However, Celtic immediately denied any such story and Jansen said last night:
I can honestly say I don’t know anything about it. Sure, I worked with Tony at Holland when he was coaching there and I know him well. We have a good relationship. But it’s a little while since we have been in contact with each other. And I have never suggested anything about Celtic.
Ok, maybe Tony got the wrong end of the stick, the stick that he invented himself, but even if it were true to blab about it on national radio seems rather unprofessional. Then, in an interview with the Mirror, he’s been talking about Arsenal and claims that one of the current board is not a fan of Arsene Wenger. He says:
I don’t know who it is, but I think there’s someone on the board who’s not pro-Arsene. I don’t know who it is, but that’s what I’ve heard.
I think, given what he’s been coming out with regarding the Celtic stuff, that anything he says has to be taken with a rather large pinch of salt. And I’d also question the need to air that kind of gossip, and gossip is exactly what it is. The steadily increasing raft of ‘enemy on the board’ or ‘board don’t support Wenger’ stories appearing on the news wires right now is the unfortunate consequence of such ill-thought out remarks. And you know how stuff becomes accepted as conventional wisdom even if there’s not much to back it up.
He then goes on to talk about the fans and their expectations but claims that Arsenal don’t have the money to make the signings we need, saying:
I remember when I first broke into the team, losing 4-0 at Maine Road and the fans were doing the conga. They didn’t expect much.
They expect a lot now. They’re crying out for experience and the fans are not silly, they know the team needs experience at the back and in central midfield. Arsene knows, too. He’s not a silly man. But you tell me a player they can get for the money they’ve got. It’s unrealistic.
Well nobody knows how much money we’ve got apart from Arsene and the board. I don’t think anyone believes that we have enough to roll around in and throw in the air and go ‘Wheeeee!’ but at the same time I don’t believe we’re broke either. Everything we’ve heard from people close to Wenger suggests he knows we have issues in midfield and defence. Bearing that in mind you don’t then spend all your money on a player like Arshavin.
It’s all a bit strange, I have to say. I know Tony’s burning ambition is to become Arsenal manager some day but right now I can’t ever see it happening. Great player does not often equal great manager and his public eccentricities aren’t helping (not to mention the fact he’s hardly set the world on fire when he has been in the hot-seat himself).
Meanwhile Kolo Toure believes keeping the majority of the squad together is the most important thing this summer. To a certain extent he has a point when he says it’s helpful to play with someone for a prolonged period, all the same sometimes a squad gets a bit stale and needs some fresh blood to rejuvenate it. A mixture of consolidation and rejuvenation is needed this summer at Arsenal.
Right, that’ll be that. Still warm and sunny here. Wonders will never cease.
