The Beautiful Groan

The real football ebbs ever closer, and the pre-season matches are hotting up as a result. Match sharpness is returning and we are beginning to get a feel for who is likely to be taking up those eleven spots a week on Saturday.

So far, the stars of the show have been some of the up and coming players, three of them in particular.

The first is Bendtner, who probably has mixed feelings about Adebayor staying. Putting aside whether they actually get on or not, there is no doubt that the Dane would play a great deal more first team football if Adebayor left. On the other hand, to win trophies you need to keep your best players. Either way, Bendtner has been staking his claim in these early games, linking up well with teammates and looking lively in front of goal. This could be a big season for him.

Another who has shone has been Carlos Vela. After a long wait to arrive in England having signed back in 2005, the Mexican has certainly looked the part - fast, skillful and with an eye for goal. He will be a threat.

The final one has come out of left field. We knew about Jack Wilshere from his impressive exploits for the youth side last season, but no-one expected him to look so assured in pre-season, especially against the serious opposition of Real Madrid, yesterday. He’s sixteen, for goodness sake. But here is a real talent, and he has now been given GIlberto’s old number 19 shirt.

All three will be in and around the team, but it would be a surprise if any had forced their way into the first eleven, if there are no injuries. The only new man with a shot is Nasri, simply because he is replacing Hleb, but the trio I’ve been talking about are likely to start on the bench. In Wilshere’s case, even that is a massive step up.

Year after year we are accused of lacking depth, right up until someone watches our kids play.

Twelve days to go.

The Sun use the age old ‘we understand’ to completely contradict the quotes, which are quite clear in themselves. Villa said:

“Aston Villa can announce that Gareth Barry will be staying with the club following the interest from Liverpool over recent months. During discussions in the past few days, a final deadline to conclude this episode was set that all parties were aware of and agreed to. This deadline has now passed and so Gareth will remain with Villa.”

Fairly conclusive, although the Sun think otherwise, starting the very same article with:

GARETH BARRY is on the brink of joining Liverpool. The Reds have agreed an £18million fee with Aston Villa for the England midfielder.

Oh really?

Let’s start with the transfer news, and the long suspected arrival of Amaury Bischoff has now been confirmed by the Arsenal website, with his signing likely to be the one Wenger claimed he was ‘definitely going to make’. Now all the remains is the second one that he ‘might make’. In all honesty, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the last of the action.

There are those that will slate this signing because Bischoff isn’t a big name, but they will mostly be jumping on the media bandwagon that buying famous names is the only route to success. There are also those that will rejoice and talk up the player, simply because he is a Wenger signing.

Let’s be honest, we know very little about the guy, perhaps unsurprisingly given how much time he’s been out injured over the past two years. Fingers crossed he won’t be joining Rosicky and Van Persie on the treatment table.

All I will say is that at 21, we should expect to see quite a lot of him in the first team over the next two years, as he doesn’t have as long to develop as some of the younger midfielders now presumably behind him in the queue. If he isn’t destined to be a first teamer, his signing is a strange one.

Elsewhere, the captaincy debate is raging on, with some saying Gallas is a good leader and others saying he is one of the worst in recent years. I tend towards the latter - the example he set at Birmingham was unforgivable, at his age he shouldn’t need to ‘learn to talk my players better’. Captaincy is something you are ready for when you get it, and if you screw it up, it is taken away.

Having said that, I’d be surprised if Gallas wasn’t wearing the armband this year. This time last year, he suddenly started making the right noises, as if he already knew Wenger’s decision, and he is doing it again now. The trouble is, he seems a good captain when things are going well, but when the going gets tough and he needs to step up, he doesn’t. That for me is the biggest disappointment.

A look at Arsene Wenger’s less than successful youth signings during his Arsenal tenure

Mention the name Igor Stepanovs to an Arsenal fan and he will shudder as his mind drifts back over seven years, to a Sunday afternoon in wintry February.

The date was February 25, 2001, the venue Old Trafford, and Stepanovs partnered Gilles Grimandi in a makeshift defence against the eventual champions. The resulting 6-1 defeat has gone down in infamy, along with Wenger’s tirade at half-time with his side 5-1 down and victims of a Dwight Yorke hattrick.

Latvian centre back Stepanovs arrived from Skonto Riga in September 2000, but never impressed in an Arsenal shirt, looking way out of his depth from his first appearance to his last. Eventually, he was loaned out to then feeder club Beveren for the 2003-04 season, who struggled to twelfth in the Belgian league.

On his return, it was abundantly clear that he was never going to make it at Arsenal, and Stepanovs was transferred to Grasshopper Zurich on a free, as he looked to rebuild his ailing career. That same summer turned out to be a highlight, as he represented Latvia in their Euro 2004 campaign having qualified against the odds.

But once he got back to club football, his troubles resurfaced. He was in and out of the Zurich team, and struggled for form when picked. After nearly two years in Switzerland, he returned home to Latvia to play for strugglers FK Jurmala, desperate for regular football.

But even that was fruitless, and after six months in his native country he had appeared just nine times. Attempting once again to resurrect his career, he joined FC Esbjerg, a midtable side in the Danish Superliga. Finally, he managed regular first team football for the second half of the 2006-07 season as Esbjerg finished seventh out of twelve teams.

It was a brief high, as he found himself in familiar territory at the start of the 2007-08 season, out of favour with his club, and after only three appearances in the first half of the season made another switch in January, this time to Shinnik Yaroslavl, who had just been promoted to the Russian top flight. It was hardly a glamorous move.

And it wasn’t a successful one either - Shinnik are currently in the relegation zone, but despite that Stepanovs couldn’t get a game, and was released at the end of June, after just six months of his contract. At 32, he is currently without a club.

It seems his is a story without a happy ending, and that he will always be remembered for that awful day in Manchester.

A look at Arsene Wenger’s less than successful youth signings during his Arsenal tenure

Quincy Owusu-Abeyie is a classic example of star potential going to waste on a player unable or unwilling to capitalise on their immense talent. In his time at Arsenal, he impressed with dazzling skills and wonderful footwork, but all too often lacked any sort of end product. In a way, he was Alex Hleb’s predecessor. So what has become of him?

Dutch-Ghanaian winger/striker Quincy was born in Amsterdam in the spring of 1986, and having spent much of his youth at Ajax, signed for Arsenal in 2002, aged just sixteen. He made his debut in the League Cup in 2003-04, the same campaign in which a certain Cesc Fabregas made his bow. The following season, his performances lit up Arsenal’s run to the semi finals, although it was becoming increasingly apparent that despite his sublime skills, he wasn’t a passer of any note, often refusing to even take that option.

His final appearance for Arsenal was his only Champions League start, ironically against home town club Ajax in a group ending dead rubber in December 2005. A month later, Adebayor and Walcott were signed, and Quincy found himself way down the pecking order. A transfer to Spartak Moscow swiftly followed, a move he insists he does not regret.

But he struggled to adapt in Russia, rarely playing ninety minutes partly due to injury, and partly due to the Eboue syndrome, where he was automatically the first player hauled off when the manager wanted to make changes. Rumours of an ongoing feud with teammate Vladimir Bystrov didn’t help, and eventually he moved to the sunnier climate of Spain, joining Celta Vigo on loan last summer.

In the meantime, he had switched allegiance on the international front. Despite shining for Holland at youth level, he opted to play for Ghana, and despite a few hitches along the way that saw him picked for squads that he wasn’t allowed to play in, he was eventually given permission to represent Ghana before the African Nations Cup earlier this year. He appeared in the knockout stages but has struggled for a regular place in a talented midfield.

Meanwhile, Quincy had become dissatisfied with his experience in the second tier of Spanish football, and is keen to have another crack at the Premiership, as reported earlier this month by Gooner Talk. With Spartak seemingly ready to listen to offers, it’ll be interesting to see what lies ahead for the kid.

It would be a shame if his talent continued to be unfulfilled - he always had bags of ability, but has yet to become a rounded footballer rather than a showboating trickster.

Following Wenger’s comments that he will intends to sign one more central midfielder this summer, there has been considerable conjecture that the man in question is none other than Gareth Barry, chased by Liverpool for the past few months.

To be honest, I don’t see the logic in that conclusion at all. There is no doubting that Barry is a fine player, and his workrate and eye for a pass would complement Cesc beautifully, but the reason the negotiations with Liverpool have stalled is that Villa are inflating the price due to him being English.

Now, if Villa are demanding 15m from Liverpool, it is reasonable to assume that they would ask the same of us, and for Wenger to spend that kind of money on him would be extremely out of character for a man that thrives on the bargain. Surely he would think there is better value for money to be had elsewhere?

The only way I could see Barry joining is if Villa drop the asking price, which they may be forced to do if their captain is determined to leave. But if they did, Liverpool would rejoin the hunt.

As I said, I’d be surprised if he joined.

Elsewhere, two pre-season matches have been played, a 2-1 win over Barnet and a draw last night with an unpronounceable Austrian side. In both there were flickers of magic from the likes of Wilshere and Bendtner, but its far too early to be drawing conclusions. The main issue is that the players get match fit without getting injured.

Which leads us to Kolo Toure, who has contracted malaria. Fortunately, it is being reported that it is a mild strain, and he should be fit for the season opener. That said, malaria is a disease that can hang around for a while, so we’ll have to wait and see. Get well soon, Kolo.

It is nice to be seeing a bit of football again though, isn’t it?

A common trend among fans is to talk up, praise, and defend a player when he plays for your club, only to criticise them as soon as they move on and take up employment elsewhere. It is all too easy to see past the flaws of those who pull on the same shirt as you, and then feel resentment when they begin to kiss the badge of another.

Sometimes this is justified, if the manner of their exit is sour in any way. But sometimes it can smack of bitterness. Football is, after all, a business, and these players are just employees. In the business world, people change jobs all the time, working their way up the ladder towards the peak they envisage for themselves without ever looking back. So why is sport, and football in particular, so different?

The trouble is that we expect our players to have the same attachment to the club that we do, as fans. But they aren’t fans, especially in the multinational state of the game, where they grew up supporting clubs in their home country, probably never even paying the English game much attention. When they sign for us, they do so as a career move, to stretch and further themselves, not to realise a lifelong dream. It is not their ultimate fulfilment to play for Arsenal as it would be ours.

Take Flamini, who fought tooth and nail to succeed at the club, and then when he shone, chose to move on when his contract expired. We all know that Flamini is not world class - very good, certainly, but realistically his stock has never and probably never will be higher. The business analogy is if you just closed the deal of your life, and suddenly your newfound reputation saw you offered big bucks to be a consultant to others. It would be a great surprise if you didn’t cash in on your success without question.

Even Adebayor has a business equivalent. If he is being offered massive pay rises elsewhere, he is entitled to ask his current employers to match them. His trouble is that he probably isn’t actually being offered those sums, and is simply being greedy, an entirely different situation.

We cannot expect players to stay at Arsenal just because they feel attached to the club. Some become so in their time here, as Cesc as done, and that makes them eligible for additional adulation, not to mention the possibility of the captain’s armband. But this is a bonus rather than the standard. What we can expect is honesty. If a player wants to renegotiate his contract because he feels he is worth more, fine. If he intends to move on when it expires, fine. Just as long as he doesn’t lie about it.

Ashley Cole is rightly despised by Arsenal fans, not because he wanted more money, that he felt that he should get that infamous extra 5k, but because he lied about his dealings with Chelsea. He deceived us, or attempted to, effectively spitting in the face of those who sang his name. More recently, Hleb attempted to pass off a meeting with Inter as accidental when he ‘went for an ice cream’. Those are the sorts of deceptions that destroy the memory of a player in the hearts of the fans they leave behind.

But if they treat their contract with respect, and treat us with respect, then we should do the same for them, even if they are moving onwards and, in their opinion, upwards. So Gilberto and Flamini, thanks for all your efforts.

Always remember - they are the employees, and we are the fans. No matter what they do, how they leave, what they go on to achieve, we are the only ones who stick around for a lifetime. No player is bigger than a club, and no club is bigger than its fans.

A month away from the start of the new season and the summer that has so far seen very little action all across the continent is finally springing into action. And our players are very much part of the merry-go-round.

It all begins with Barcelona, who are having a changing of the guard. Deco has already joined Chelsea, and with new manager Josep Guardiola making it clear that Ronaldinho wasn’t needed either, every attacking midfielder with any talent has been touted their way.

The main two have been Arshavin and, of course, Alex Hleb. Tonight’s confirmation that Hleb has indeed made the switch probably ends the Catalan interest in Arshavin. Hleb moves for around 12m, possibly rising a couple of million higher on clauses that hopefully don’t rely on goalscoring. The man amusingly labelled Belarus’ greatest ever (go on, name me another) predictably claimed to love Barcelona on arrival, which will last precisely as long as it takes to realise the Spanish city isn’t a quiet country retreat.

Barcelona’s funds have come mainly from the sale of Ronaldinho, who has now confirmed his move to Milan, with the Italians since claiming that their spending is done for the summer, slamming the potential of a big money move shut for Adebayor.

Our Togolese frontman now appears to have only one possible destination, and that is once again Barcelona. But they already have an abundance of strikers, even if they do jettison Eto’o as has been mooted, and they are unlikely to pay Arsenal’s asking price for a reserve.

All this leaves the agents of Adebayor and Arshavin with egg on their faces, having attempted to get the clients a big money move, and in turn secure themselves a large fee. Neither now appear to have a viable destination, and while Arshavin may be able to return to Zenit having not himself expressed a desire to leave, Adebayor may find it somewhat trickier to win back the affections of a fanbase that had begun to warm to him. This summer may be one he ends up regretting.

Arseblogger makes a good point about the state of the transfer market today, explaining how many of the top clubs are resisting the big money purchases this time around. And he’s right - if you take a look at the blogs of other clubs you’ll see a considerable wave of discontent. Some Liverpool fans are uneasy about their signings so far, as Benitez does not have Wenger’s success when buying unknowns, with more Voronins than Cescs, while United haven’t yet moved to improve their squad, may lose their forty goal winger, and of course were usurped on the Ramsey purchase.

Only Chelsea have pounced, but even they’ve been quiet by their standards, Deco’s arrival perhaps signalling the end of Lampard’s time with the club. Our 16m outlay on Nasri and Ramsey suddenly looks considerable.

And more will surely come if Gilberto does make the switch to Greece, as our defensive options in central midfield wouldn’t stretch far beyond Diaby.

The next month could be very interesting.

Sepp Blatter is a tool. A complete and utter moronic idiot.

And Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t far behind by agreeing with him.

Seriously, how is Blatter still in charge? Does he want the whole transfer system abolished now? Or is this just part of his hatred of English football and the Premiership?

Lots to get through today as the rumour mill moves into overdrive.

First, the news that Samir Nasri has finally arrived from Marseille in that most rare of circumstances - a Wenger transfer known about well ahead of time. He has signed the traditional ‘long term contract’, and that probably paves the way for Hleb to leave. Six years younger than the Belarussian, he is still raw but has more of an eye for goal so will perhaps be the better option in the long run. With Hleb likely to generate more money that Nasri cost, it is likely to be a very tidy piece of business.

Another man who may need replacing is Adebayor, so unsurprisingly the papers are suggesting strikers that we may want to sign. Slightly unusually, they actually have some quotes to back their story up. Colombian Radamel Falcao says:

“I know there is interest from Arsenal and that excites me. If there is an agreement between the clubs I’m ready to go. It would mean a huge leap forward in my career.”

He plays in Argentina, is 22, and has a prolific record for River Plate. All in all, it does sound plausible. Let’s wait and see.

Elsewhere, Arshavin’s agent is telling anyone who’ll listen that an English club have bid 19m for him, but had the offer rejected. I’m skeptical - United don’t need him, we won’t pay that for a player of his age, and Chelsea don’t need him either. My guess is if there has been an offer, it has either come from Liverpool, or its Chelsea trying to stop anyone else getting him.

If I’m honest, I don’t think we’ve ever been in the market for Arshavin, and I’d be surprised to see him come to England at all. He’ll end up at Barcelona, I reckon.

Finally, Charles N’Zogbia says he wants to play for us. Only two problems - one, he also says he’d happily play for Spurs, and two, he’s not actually that good. Which probably means he’ll end up at Spurs.

The summer rolls on.