Righty, a quick Paddy’s day Saturday round-up.
Commenting on transfer rumours and such the manager insisted that Gilberto Silva would be going nowhere despite reported interest from Juventus. He also, after that rather curious incident in midweek, said that Julio Baptista was happy at Arsenal and put the team ahead of his own individual performances.
Despite being told all along that the Reyes/Baptista transfers could operate independently of each other should one club decide to keep and another let a player go Arsene said yesterday that the futures of both players are linked. With Reyes not wanted at Madrid and now desperately trying to go back to Sevilla now that they’re top of the league it’d mean Arsenal paying top dollar for the Brazilian. Some reports suggested we’d negotiated a fee of £15m but I would respectfully suggest those reports are a load of shite. There’s no way we’ll pay that much for him (if a proven Premiership goalscorer like Andy Johson was too expensive then a guy who can’t seem to score bar one or two games a season must surely be too expensive) and to be honest I’d be very, very surprised if he was an Arsenal player next season.
He also has high hopes for Nicklas Bendtner who, he says, will return to Arsenal next season to challenge for a first team place. Of the other loanees he says Kerrea Gilbert ‘might’ come back while Alex Song ‘will’. There’s no question Bendtner has shown flashes of talent this season at Birmingham but questions can be asked of his workrate and I’m baffled at how many people seem to think recalling him is the answer to our current problems.
Another player rumoured to be on the way out is Jens Lehmann but he’s been offered a contract by Arsenal. Obviously if he wants longer than a year he’ll go elsewhere though.
Thierry Henry speaks in today’s Sun:
If someone asks me how to describe this season, I would say we could have done better. Next season, we need to bring back some silverware. I think that is very important. We need to repay the fans but we also have to repay Arsene, who has shown a lot of confidence in the team.
Also at yesterday’s press conference said the next three away cames can decide our season and the ambition is to finish as high as possible. They’ve got second place in their sights but the focus has to be just on the next game. Three points against Everton is vital but it won’t be easy. They’re never a pushover (that one mad night a couple of seasons ago apart) and they’re pushing for European football too. With Liverpool playing before us we could find ourselves in 4th before the game so we’ll need those points to go above them again.
Right, that’s that. Time for a big breakfast then the beers may commence.
Finally:
