Having spent most of yesterday having Number One Son’s tonsilitis misdiagnosed by faceless voices at the end of a telephone, as Swine Flu, certain reassurances can be gained from the first match of the new season. Well, OK, it is technically pre-season but if you want to argue about that, we are definitely talking semantics.

Ahead of the trip to Barnet, He has still not left and The New One has not been signed, apparently not even a telephone conversation with Bordeaux to enquire after the health of their chairman has taken place. Actually, Arsene may have enquired after Jean-Louis Triaud’s well-being but not the availability of Marouane Chamakh. And there we will leave that matter for the moment.

Yet is it my sense of mischief that finds newspaper reports of Adebayor’s advisors attempting to get Roman to part with £25m of his reducing pile? Mix into this the supposed determination of Wenger and Arsenal to sell Him to ‘honour’ the deal reached with Chav Junior, it has all the hallmarks of a transfer ending in tears.

Thank God for a match then. And I mean that most sincerely. Never can I recall having been so utterly fed up with a close season. The squad for the game is a nice mix of youth and experience, seeing the return of Tomas Rosicky will be worth watching alone. No matter the result or even performance, an injury free next week is the ultimate result.

Whilst some are turning out, others are not yet back in training. One of those, Theo Walcott, began by repeating the mantra of last season:

We need to do the dirty things right. Sometimes it’s not just about pretty football, we need to grind out the results sometimes and get the win, get the three points

The arguments that rage at the moment are those which football has debated since the early 1920s. Do you win or win in the proper manner. Ever since tactics evolved from the simplistic 1-2-7 or 2-2-6 of the early era, pragmatism and purity have struggled to be comfortable bedfellows. In the modern footballing age, winning is all yet at the end of the season there are four domestic league titles, two domestic cups and two continental trophies – do not get me started on the chinless wonder of the World Club Championship or Cup or whatever FIFA designate it – so pragmatism becomes the dominant partner.

Wenger has built a rod for his own back to a certain extent. In creating over a decade where the long ball was the antithesis of everything anyone believed in at club level in this country, many in the media have still not forgotten the manner of the 2005 FA Cup victory and a win in style will only quench their thirst. Thrilling as though the football is at times, it is very much built on confidence as last season proved.

Without the most brittle component, the beauty is often not possible as such luminaries as Meisl, Sebes and Hogan have found in the past to their cost. Pragmatism has moved on a stage since then, defensive stalemates no longer a surprise. Indeed, it is a surprise when teams turn up at The Emirates and try to play instead of playing 8-1-1.

Manuel Almunia was not quite so concerned with the ugliness of the matches, more the building on a good start:

A good start gives you confidence, stability, points and a nice cushion for the rest of the season.

More importantly, he believes that the return of Rosicky and having Arshavin available for all competitions is going to make a crucial difference:

They are going to help us. Arshavin has already helped us in the League but now he can help us in the Champions League because he is a great player. Tomas will have a big welcome back because he is one of the greatest players in this Club but he had a serious injury. He had to come back slowly, he could not rush his recovery. He has experience; in and out of the dressing room he is a senior player. When he comes back, when he is on the pitch, he will take responsibility to lift the team up.

Rosicky is clearly held in high regard by his colleagues but too much should not be expected. He has missed 18 months of competitive action and it will take time for him settle back into the routine of matches. Even then, I wonder if he will be used sparingly by Wenger before November in order to ensure that his comeback is completed rather than as has happened on occasion, being rushed back before he is ready.

’til Tomorrow.

Tell all the folks in Russia…

He might be off to Manchester today for a medical. Hold on, we have been here before, haven’t we. Stuff it, I’ll wait until the transfer is confirmed by Arsenal before passing any more comment. Anyway, Andrei Arshavin thinks He is a good player:

He is an excellent striker. Everybody knows him and he can score from nothing. But it is his decision whether he wants to stay or he wants to go.

Which is pretty much all there is to be said this morning on Him. The Pocket Dynamo (or should that be Dinamo?) was merely warming to the task:

We have Arsene. He knows everything. He knows if we need someone then he will buy.

You cannot really argue with that but Arshavin needs to whisper it when he says, “Arsene knows“, simply because it has become a dirty word. Or words. I guess phrase is more appropriate. But he was not finished there, oh no.

Of course he is a very strong coach. He gives me freedom on the pitch, which I like. He’s found a new position for me which I’ve never played, as a left midfielder!

A minor adjustment to one with Arshavin’s talent since playing across the forward line and supporting roles, ought to be a piece of cake when you consider his footballing intelligence. It is a big season for him. His short spell last season unquestionably highlighted the threat he will pose and to be honest when opponents look at van Persie, Arshavin, Cesc and Nasri, retreating even further into their shells is going to become even more de rigeur at The Emirates.

Don’t you know that it’s time to get on board, And let this train keep on riding, riding on through

If Arsene was blushing then Cesc will have gone a permanent shade of red at the praise heaped on him by his Russian colleague:

His vision is excellent, he plays every ball into a perfect position for our players. He is fantastic.

Now all they have to do is to learn to time their runs to meet the ball. Fabregas’ absence last season hurt the team but this time around, I believe that the squad is better equipped to deal with such an absence.

There are players who can stand in for him and whilst they may not be the same style as Fabregas, they can provide sufficient prompting for the absence to be minimised. Crucially, they now know how they will cope without him. The unbeaten run of 21 games was built whilst he was out and that should give them confidence to deal with anything the season has to throw in their direction.

People all over the world (Join in, ride this train)

Still that pales into insignificance compared to the praise heaped upon Tomas Rosicky by the Spaniard:

He can bring many, many things to the team. He’s a guy with a lot of experience, he has won things, he knows how to compete, he’s very humble and he works for the team.  Technically he is one of the best in the world and physically I am sure he will be really strong because he’s been working really hard. I am happy because soon he is going to be back and I can’t wait to see him playing again

And that feeling is echoed by every Arsenal supporter that I know. In terms of his comeback, Rosicky is fortunate in that it can be done reasonably gently in the first team. He is not required to jump straight in – at the moment – since there is a lot of competition for the attacking midfield spots.

The form he was in before the injury struck was quite possibly the best since he joined the club. In many respects, he reminds me of Vladimir Petrovic, thier style and vision of play is remarkably similar despite being separated by more than two decades in their time at the club. Petrovic only had the chance to show a glimpse but Rosicky has more time on his side than the Yugoslav ever achieved.

Barnet tomorrow and hopefully some football to distract everyone from the Hughes Brothers circus that is encircling the club.

’til Tomorrow.

First of all, every thought should go to John Hartson and his family following the neurosurgery he underwent yesterday as a result of his cancer.

By comparison the transfer news is trivial. It might not be in the minds of the individuals involved but in the greater scheme of things, it is. Adebayor is apparently stalling on the deal. The media, no doubt fed by the disgruntlement at Arsenal and hoping to pass it onto Manchester City fans, claim that it is the player’s wages demands that are holding the deal up. Given that they have told us already that the deal on the table is worth £170k per week, either they have been woefully misinformed or willfully misleading their readers. Not too hard to work out which side of the fence I think they fall.

Whatever the reason for the prevarication – The Guardian plausibly believes it to be concern over the perception amongst his fellow countrymen – it seems to me that the deal will go through. Reports suggesting that he has already had a medical appear wide of the mark. Even so, has it gone too far to fail. Well, OK, until he signs it has not but you catch my drift.

Adebayor is aware that Arsene may want him but he is not indispensable. How does that affect him mentally? The issue becomes one of motivation for the move. Has he the desire to stay at Arsenal or during discussions with the club that he was ambivalent towards remaining in London. The suspicion will always remain that Milan was the preferred destination but once that became out of reach, any club would do.

There are no guarantees in football but he has a better chance currently of playing Champions League matches at Arsenal than at Eastlands, next season and in all likelihood, the one after. City are intent on assembling a decent starting XI but do not forget that the rest of the squad struggled last season to test the waters of the top half of the table. Injuries, suspensions, international travels all contribute negatively over a season – are the players coming in to replace the new boys up to scratch?

I am not convinced that there would be an issue within the dressing room should he remain, in fact staying may enhance his standing with his fellow squad members provided he presents the reasons for staying the correct manner. Convincing supporters or certain sections of them; well, he could score sixty goals next season and still be classified as a lazy bugger. In some people’s eyes, he will do not right. Even then, failure to score thirty will lead to criticism. It seems a little chance of a win situation.

Rob Kelly in his Daily Telegraph column argues that Arsenal will be stronger without Adebayor, surprisingly without mentioning Robin van Persie once. He believes Wenger will play Arshavin as the second striker so being top scorer and Player of the Season counts for nothing other than a place on the bench…

Incoming, unsurprisingly the focus is on Chamakh whose fee will apparently include Silvestre if Bordeaux get their way. A tad hard to imagine that the inclusion of the former Manchester United player will be a deal breaker, especially since the back four is well-stocked and his contract, like those of Gallas, Toure and Senderos, is up next summer. If he does not arrive, Huntelaar is the next media darling although VfB Stuttgart want the Dutchman and have reportedly agreed a fee of €20m. Don’t be surprised if Adebayor = Eto’o + Hleb in Catalan eyes although whether they do so in those of London N5, remains to be seen.

That’s it for today. ’til Tomorrow.

First off, it’s still rumbling on. Still no offer, Manchester City still wittering on about a deal to be done but now adding the word ‘possibly’ to sentences, hinting at either belated or utterly insincere diplomacy. Amazingly, the City way is exactly the same route that Chelsea followed when Abramovich came in: the basest way.

Reports suggesting that hacks ‘understand’ discussions about a Work Permit will take place today – surely a tad of a no-brainer considering that Adebayor has been first choice at a bigger club for the best part of, oooh, I dunno, since he arrived. A new Permit has to be applied for with any change of employer but even so the hearing ought to be stunningly brief: “Can I have a new Work Permit please? Yep“.

Ray Parlour then put the boot in:

He was too lazy at times last season and just didn’t do it.His body language wasn’t great. Sometimes if things are not going well for you, you have to show desire…At first I heard £30m bandied around, and I’d snap their hand off at that price. Then you go and get an excellent player who will work his socks off

And therein is the flaw in Parlour’s plan. 2007/08 was a season when Adebayor worked his socks off. 2008/09 was injury disrupted and yes, on occasion, he probably did not work as hard but he was still doing his job for the team in scoring every other game or so. Unfortunately, that is not enough for his detractors since the antics of last summer have not been forgotten or forgiven.

Parlour’s observations do have a flaw in them. Working your socks off is not enough on its own. Skill is needed and there are frequent accusations against players of this ilk that they are lazy at times simply because of their style of play. When a player is signed they will work hard but there is no guarantee that this will continue. There are lulls and peaks with performance levels affected by any manner of reasons on and off the pitch. It is far too simplistic to be dismissive as saying at times a player does not try.

Anyway, since he is going – according to the media – an indulgence has been craved and answered, with the search for his replacement. Hot favourite was Marouane Chamakh since Arsene has specified him as a target. Peter Crouch is apparently there for the taking at £11m which allows for the defensive midfielder so craved. Coming up on the rails is Demba Ba of Hoffenheim, a club Arsenal reportedly contacted or my own personal favourite, Mirko Vucinic of AS Roma. Why? Not on ability alone but more to do with this extract from The Guardian’s Fiver newsletter:

At the moment it’s useless to talk because there aren’t any offers. If one should arrive I will talk with the club and we’ll see. Obviously there are places where I would not want to go. Tottenham? Let’s reject that

And that has to be as good a reason as any to sign a player. Well, it puts it on a par with criticising Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Away from this circus, Eduardo has been speaking with the Croatian media:

Everything is great, nothing hurts me. Last week I worked with a fitness coach and physio. I did all that was required and Arsenal are very pleased with my recovery…We are leaving for Bad Waltersdorf next week, on Monday. We will play two games where I should get (playing) time in one

As boosts go, this is on a par with the official site suggesting that Tomas Rosicky will be part of the squad that goes to Barnet this weekend for the traditional pre-season opener. When does a fixture become traditional and why do we not use it for Premier League games against Liverpool, Manchester United, etc??

Hopefully the circus surrounding Adebayor will be resolved swiftly and replacements, if required, can

When does fact become fiction or fiction become fact? The starting place for these might well be football’s transfer mill. If one club is desperately seeking comfort through the spending of cash, there is not one shred of doubt that they will be the source of a high percentage of rumours. That the club in question is playing in the English Premier League is manna from heaven for journalists covering the sport in this country.

Manchester City are intent on buying their way to the title. It will take more than one summer splurge to do so. An impressive first XI is worth nothing if the players who will be needed when injuries and suspension strike are not up to standard. That is not to dismiss them; were City to sign Adebayor and Terry then they may have the potential to become a good team. Even if they do sign those and more players, there is no guarantee that they will become a good team. A huge raft of signings will take time to bed down and that is going to be a commodity in precious short supply at Eastlands once this summer is over.

For Adebayor, the question is what his ambitions in the game are. Where will he best achieve them? With the best will in the world, none of the players who have signed for Manchester City since their takeover has done so to believe in the ‘project’ as it is being euphemistically called. The primary reason has been money. When manager of Arsenal, George Graham shied away from signing players from bigger clubs since those from smaller clubs were hungrier for success. Far from being good for the English game, should Manchester City rise to the top, they merely reinforce the idea that merit is no longer a benchmark but money is. Not that fans of Manchester City will care right now.

Does Adebayor believe in achieving success? Will he win the Premier League title at Eastlands or The Emirates? Or is it going to be the lure of money that holds sway? Whatever happens, City has yet to lodge a bid that matches the reported £25m valuation placed on him by Arsenal. We can argue the merits of this either way but at the time of writing, he is still an Arsenal player and personally, I would prefer that he remain one. There are few world class forwards available for purchase. If reports are to be believed, proven strikers are in short supply. Those at the peak at larger clubs are not going to be easily prised away. Arsene will no doubt have a list of those ready for replacing the Togo striker and in that, you have to place some trust.

Could he go into the season without buying someone to replace Adebayor? I do not think so. Eduardo and Bendtner have the ability but for differing reasons, cannot be relied upon just yet. The Croat is on the return from a serious injury and yet to put together a run in the first team, proving his fitness. That is the risk in relying upon him. The Dane by contrast is ready in terms of fitness but short on experience. I believe he will be a leading Arsenal striker in the future but is perhaps a season or two away from leading the line in all competitions. He is definitely a confidence player and the autumn saw this at a low point. The turning point came at The Hawthorns. Can Arsene leave this season to chance?

With the replacements mooted, there are risks. Dzeko has been a star in the Bundesliga for one season. Chamakh played for the French champions. Neither has an overall impressive goalscoring ratio for their careers but then neither did Adebayor before arriving at Arsenal.

The key thing is that Adebayor is undervalued by sections of the Arsenal support. Yes, he could score more but then Robin van Persie criticised himself for the same thing. Football is a team game and that which Adebayor brings to the side is undervalued in a welter of complaints about offsides and only scoring against Derby County. The former misses how tightly he plays on the last defender’s shoulder whilst the latter, well, if he did not score against them, he would be charged with failing to score against Derby County.

The remaining forwards do not bring the aerial option for Arsenal. It would mean a change to the way that the team plays,losing the variety. Yes, I know that we do not score that many headers but that is evolving, certainly last season when the unbeaten run was put together, the completeness of the play in footballing terms was key to that. Vela and Walcott, in my opinion, will always be the support striker to an established forward. In the latter’s case, he has much to learn about being a central striker before even being considered for Arsenal in the Premier and Champions Leagues.

If Adebayor goes, he goes. The club will still be here, the squad loses a good player. I would be surprised if he went since City are not in the Champions League and will not be Premier League champions next season. They have too much ground to make up. His departure would weaken the squad of that there is no question.

To deny it is to delude yourself. For all of the media hype, I suspect he will not go unless Arsenal says to him you can. Reports that his agent met with City at the weekend cannot be dismissed but even with the money, will he be improving his lot as a player?

Think of Mel Charles and it is pretty much a racing certainty that one of the first things that will pop into your head is the fact that he was John Charles’ younger brother. It’s alright, Mel knows it, does not mind it and indeed used it as a motivator throughout his career to try and show people, “Yes, he’s bloody good but I’m not half bad either“. Like his older sibling, Mel was a versatile player, comfortable in central defence, attack and at right half which gave him what is now called, a half-decent career. If you wonder how good he was, FIFA picked him for their team of the 1958 World Cup. As the record goes, Now That’s What I Call Quite Good.

The thing is that throughout the book, even when talking about the times that he fell out of love with football, Charles cannot quite believe that he had the career that he did. Starting out at Leeds United, at the same time as brother John, he succumbed to homesickness and returned to Swansea for a job outside of the game. The local team, Swansea Town (now City) signed him up and Charles set about making the grade as a professional.

This is a tale of bygone days. The high jinks of today are not a lot different from those that Charles and his team-mates got up to back in the 1950s and a decade later. The crucial difference is that the media turned a blind eye to it, as Charles says they wanted to keep in with the players. Even so, it did not stop Charles getting hauled over the coals by George Swindin during his Arsenal days for having a pint. Back then, and probably now, the club expected players to abstain. THe intervening decades probably made up for that…

When Charles signed for Arsenal in 1959, it was for a record fee between two clubs. For a short while, he joined brother John as the most expensive British players following the latters move from Leeds to Juventus. Typically, it was the elder sibling who shaded the values. His move from The Vetch Field to Highbury was by no means straightforward, a bidding war with Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and a late move by Newcastle all in the mix. Arsenal won though, offering the most. At the time Charles was happy with the move to London and still holds a deep affection for the club.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and he now views the move with more than a tinge of regret. Injury wreaked havoc with his stay at the club and mixed in with the rise of Bill Nicholson’s Tottenham team of the time, give him a sense of what might have been had he gone a further seven miles North in the capital. That Tottenham signed Dave MacKay having failed to sign Charles is probably little comfort to him.

Even so, Charles had an excellent scoring record for Arsenal, netting 28 times in 64 games. He left in February 1962 for Cardiff City where he linked up with brother John for the only time in club football. Despite this, Cardiff were relegated and Mel’s career entered into a descent. Ironically, leaving the professional game for a short spell once his Cardiff career ended reignited his love for football and he briefly returned to the Football League with Port Vale before once more dropping into the non-league game.

This is an enjoyable yarn. Charles rarely has a bad word for anyone, recognising his own character has its flaws which contributed to personal differences. One thing shines through is his pride in his own achievements and those of his more famous sibling, even if the latter did deprive him of the opportunity to wear his white suit to Sophia Loren’s party when John was in Turin. It is an honest account of the life a footballer in post-war Britain, the lengths that the military would go to in order to accomodate National Service. You sense the peak of his career was Sweden 1958 but to an outsider, he achieved much more than that. And yes, Mel, it ain’t bad for a boy from Cwmbrwla.

Click to purchase In the Shadow of a Giant

Finally, my thoughts go to John Hartson. There is little one can say other than to wish him all the best in his fight against such a dreadful disease. Actually there is one thing to say: please make a donation or perhaps here.

’til Tomorrow.

Alisher Usmanov is not going to go quietly but in following a high risk strategy, he risks becoming a lame duck investor. According to the, ahem, usually reliable News of the World, the Sheriff Fatman is going to call an EGM to put his proposal for a Rights Issue to the vote.

Which is perhaps the ultimate in gesture politics for a shareholder. With the Board at very close to 50% control of the voting rights, he looks very likely to be defeated in his objective. No doubt he will hope for a close run thing but for him, it will mean public scrutiny of his plans and open questioning of his motives, something that he has reluctant to let happen to date.

Overall, it is an unlikely scenario for it puts the Uzbek into a corner but it also explains Stan Kroenke buying shares this week. His tally is closer to the 30% level than Fatman’s and therefore he may have enough to stop an Usmanov takeover bid in its tracks even with a beneficial Rights Issue for the Uzbek. It is interesting that most sniping has taken the form of criticising the current Board for not investing directly into the club as if it is something that Usmanov has been doing all along. No, the Uzbek has not put one penny into the club and indeed is more intent on taking something out, having previously demanded that dividends be paid on his shareholding.

Problematically none of the detractors has come up with the sustained model arising from the Rights Issue. Assuming that it is spent clearing the loans surrounding the properties, the outcome of that is to save the club £5m per season (using rough roundings on the interest payments). That does not buy a player of the calibre that everyone demands: it might pay their wages but not their purchase.

The remainder of the funds once loans are cleared may be enough to buy one world class player this summer but with prices the way that they are, I would not like to bet on it. What happens next summer though? Where is the funding to make a similar purchase? If someone can come up with a strong argument, bring it on.

It wouldn’t be a Sunday if there were not comings and goings happening. Crossing paths at Terminal 5 apparently are Alex Hleb and Eider Gudjohnsen, looking wistfully at the Barcelona suit who is carrying a suitcase full of used Euros that will apparently be enough for Arsenal to let Cesc take the return flight to the Catalan capital.

It is at this point that they will see Mikael Silvestre moving towards the departure gate for Bordeaux, no doubt light of luggage to board his Ryanair flight and considerably lighter in the wallet once all of their add-ons have negated the cheapness of the flight.

Philippe Senderos has to go City Airport for his flight to Sunderland although he is going to meet old chum, Patrick Vieira there to save on the cab fare to the Stadium of Light. All of which is nice but spare a thought for poor old Armand Traore as he leaves the M40 for a cup of tea in a beaten-up Hillman Imp on the way to Birmingham for a year of living dangerously at St Andrews.

A quiet Sunday before the pre-season really kicks in. ’til Tomorrow.

Sports Psychologists have been working overtime on the Arsenal squad or so it would seem. There is a bit of a Jackie Wilson moment going on, starting with RvP, followed by Rosicky and now Theo and Aaron Ramsey are adding a touch of the Monty Python’s. Walcott has apparently got the ball rolling in the July edition of the official club magazine:

It was a good learning curve for us all but next year it is all about the trophies. Hopefully we have had the years of experience now and can bring something back for the fans.

Aaron Ramsey more or less echoed his thoughts:

I think we lost more games than we would have liked to against teams which were lower down. That’s the main lesson we have learned from last season. It is frustrating to lose against teams further down the table when you have beaten the big sides. But I think we’ve got a good enough squad now to really kick on this season and get ourselves in the mix for the title.

One thing that the players have in abundance is a positive word for the media, an area no doubt worked upon during media training sessions. It is by extension good for supporters as it extends a feeling of belief, unless of course you are not predisposed to believe them. That there is humility in the words is, for want of better phrase, a positive aspect. The hunger to win is there to be seen without the misplaced arrogance that can sometimes be insinuated.

It is, of course, difficult when the interviews are with official outlets to misquote since the real words can easily be found. Yet there can be too much of a good thing. At the moment, the optimism surrounding the new season is understandable but last season there were times after a poor defeat when the positive ’spin’ put on matters was, I think, misplaced.

A balance has to be struck between the positive and the realistic. The latter half of the season veered towards the latter, although the public belief that the title could still be won even when though it was only a mathematical possibility was too optimistic. However, that was then, this is now. Better I guess to hear from the players than they become possessors of a shyness that is criminally vulgar.

The ruminations over the rejection of that Rights Issue continued yesterday, Stan Kroenke’s purchase of more shares bringing more speculation as the reasons for the Board rejecting Alisher Usmanov’s proposal. In The Sun, Steven Howard speculated that Danny F would ‘do a long-expected runner’ when Manchester City replace Arsenal in the top four at the end of the coming campaign. Which presupposes that City have brought good enough players to make up the double figure gap in points before even comparing the two squads. Let’s not even go down the route of managerial competency.

The Guardian’s David Conn makes several valid points regarding the benefits that the money would have had for the club’s finances without actually knowing the detail of Usmanov’s plans. The devil such things is always in the detail which Conn acknowledges in the final two paragraphs. A long way down the article to learn:

[The Board] may well have valid reasons for rejecting that offer. The board may believe the rights issue is a stalking horse for Usmanov to gain more control – which he denies – and they may feel they have good reasons for being suspicious of Usmanov

Conn’s request that the Board ’spell those reasons out’ is not unreasonable but stands little chance of ever happening.

’til Tomorrow.

Men Can’t Help Acting On Impulse

There was an advert many moons ago for a woman’s perfume – Impulse – which basically when worn made the lady in question irresistable to the opposite sex. Cesc must be wearing something similar because to coin a Robert Palmer song, he is simply irresistable to the major Spanish clubs. Fear not about Real Madrid. Despite the obvious linking by the British media, they have admitted that their splurge is over until they raise funds. Huntelaar’s €20m move to Stuttgart gets them through some of the shortfall which sort of squares that circle.

Over at the Camp Nou, Laporta is feeling the pinch. Envious eyes cast in the Madrid direction mean that he has to do something and whilst David Villa is his main aim, Cesc is his pet project. The Red Tops here are desperate for Cesc to leave, not because they hate him, simply that they gorged themselves on Ronaldo’s move and now need another fix, as well as having umpteen more stories about Arsenal in crisis to run. For Barcelona, this is more about being seen to be doing something. Inactivity is the enemy in the summer and when your closest rivals are spending money like it is going out of fashion, that enemy becomes more dangerous.

With Presidential elections next summer, Laporta can ill-afford Real stealing a domestic march. Pep Guardiola has the right idea, apparently concerned about how long he will last having won the treble last season. In England, that would mean a job for life. In Spain, it keeps you employed until Christmas. Sandro Rosell has used the media to suggest he will bring Fabregas which for Laporta is a highly risky business. If he tries and fails, it gives Rosell a boost before next summer. If he tries and succeeds, how does Guardiola employ all of the midfield men? Easy actually, since Samuel Eto’o won’t be at the Camp Nou, they can revert to 4-4-2.

We’re The Sweeney Son And We Haven’t Had Our Dinner

Incoming at The Emirates is Sebastien Bassong who has apparently had enough of Tyneside, the new Channel 4 soap opera. He awoke to see headlines that he was a wanted man, relieved to discover that it was Arsene who wanted him and not Regan and Carter. Reports earlier this week suggested he would stay if Shearer became manager. That had moved on yesterday to him definitely wanting out, with a fee of £12m suggested. With the current penchant for swap deals, maybe a Philippe Senderos will halve that cost.

I Can Move, Move, Move Any Mountain

A brighter season ahead cannot start quickly enough for Tomas Rosicky. Apparently, he was fit enough to play last season towards the end of April but the club did not want to risk it. Understandably he was frustrated by it all but perhaps that extra delay has meant the injury – whatever it was – has been able to heal more fully than having to withstand the stress and strains playing competitive football brings?

I am missing the competition. Playing alongside Cesc Fábregas and Theo Walcott makes you feel comfortable and I think that I will quickly forget that I have been out for a while. Now that I have recovered, I am a new option for the manager. We have a strong team capable of moving mountains in all competitions

Undoubtedly, the pressure is on the attacking midfielders to deliver. I cannot recall Arsenal having such strength in depth in these positions before. Certainly, if they are all fit, absences such as the four month’s Cesc was missing last season will be more than adequately covered. Arshavin, Rosicky, Walcott and Nasri are all vying to keep the Spaniard and one of Song / Diaby / Denilson company on a regular basis.

The crucial part will be keeping them all fit. If that happens, the positive thoughts of van Persie, echoed by Rosicky, can be turned into a reality and bring home the silverware that players of these talent should be winning.

Play nicely and enjoy your day. ’til Tomorrow.

So where to begin, where to begin. First up, I picked up a small brochure…Just joshing…

Robin van Persie has signed a new contract – HUZZAH! Well, OK, so it was leaked over the weekend but we never heard from the man himself so he made up for lost time:

I’m so happy to have signed a new long term contract. I’ve been at the Club for five years now and there really is a great feeling here at Arsenal. We have a top class manager, a squad full of superb young players, a world class stadium and brilliant supporters. Arsenal Football Club has a very bright future and I want to be part of it.

My heart is with Arsenal and I just can’t picture myself in a different shirt. I just can’t see it now because I love this Club so much. If you look at the last five years, look at the steps I have made every season, if you look at the support the Boss and the whole Club gave me, the fans gave me, my team mates gave me – this is the right decision

Awww shucks Robin. Are we really that good as supporters? Are we or were you just being polite. Why don’t you take a quick straw poll around the dressing room? On second thoughts, no, for crissakes, don’t. You might change your mind.

I liked van Persie before, like now and anyone that talented who wants to stay at Arsenal for the rest of his career is alright by me. If he can get a full season on form, the prospect of him combining with a fully settled in Arshavin, a fully fit Eduardo and a goalscoring Adebayor shows the strength of the Arsenal front line. The fit bit has been the problem in the past but ever the optimist, I will hope that it remains firmly rooted there.

Which is where I hoped that Alisher Usmanov would stay. Or go. In fact, he can go anywhere as long as it is far away from this club. Sheriff Fatman is crying over spilt milk since the Board has rejected his proposal for a Rights Issue. Ivan Gazidis spelt out the reasons that the overtures were rejected:

The Board, with its financial advisors Rothschild, considered thoroughly the proposal to use permanent equity capital to either pay down debt or to add to the Club’s spending in the transfer market…Using permanent capital to pay down debt would not, therefore, radically transform the annual cash flow of the Club.  With regard to players, the Board decided not to issue permanent capital in the hopes of signing one or two players in an inflated transfer market. Instead, the focus continues to be on securing the services of talented young players we have on long-term contracts and making very selective acquisitions, only where a new signing will add real value to our already strong squad.

If you look carefully out of your windows, the squadron of flying pigs carrying Melo, Hangeland, Cana, Inler, Ribery and anyone else who is going to cost a fair whack are rapidly disappearing over the horizon. Which to me is not a problem since I have a considerable amount of belief in the current squad and the manager’s ability to improve it where necessary.

Fatboy Slim was not having any of it though:

Based on financial information that only they have, the board have informed us that they are confident they have adequate financial resources to support the manager to strengthen the squad, to weather the property downturn, to renegotiate the Highbury Square loan on good terms and to deal with the continuing difficult economic conditions. However, we will keep the situation under close review.

So let me get this right. Usmanov does not have any information to the contrary yet does not believe the Board whilst expecting us to believe him. Hmmmm, it is a tough one but I know whose word has more credibility with this blogger and it is not someone who does not have all of the information.

Crucially, the Board has found the flaw in Usmanov’s plan to spend big in this transfer market through the Rights Issue. It is not sustainable beyond the summer or January if Arsene decided to parsimonious. The only way in which big signings in 2010 could be funded would be through either increased borrowings or sales of existing personnel.

Exactly how this improves the current position is unclear, quite probably because it is the sort of reactionary, short-termist view that Wenger felt unable to clasp to his metaphorical bosom when Real Madrid came calling. The suspicion remains that Usmanov is a pea from the same pod that spawned Florentino Perez. Look at the state Real Madrid were in when Perez’s first reign at the Bernabeu ended acrimoniously to see the future at Arsenal if Usmanov takes control.

’til Tomorrow.