Chamakh Love-in Continues

Well, Wenger said the deal is not quite done yet, but . . . it’s a done deal.

Robin van Persie has said, on the official site, that he likes what he sees from Chamakh, and think that Chamakh will really help the club next season. I don’t think the official site would put up anything like this unless the contract was essentially done, so that certainly makes me think that it has been finalized, and the parties are just waiting until after Bordeaux’s final match of the season on Saturday to announce it.

Bacary Sagna has also come out and said that Chamakh is “top-class,” and that he is looking forward to playing with him. That really excites me, not so much because of what Sagna said about Chamakh, but that he’s already looking forward to playing at Arsenal next season. We’ve heard a lot of transfer rumors (mainly out of Italy) about clubs coming in for Sagna, but at least at the moment it appears his heart is at Arsenal where it belongs.

Elsewhere, rumors persist that Gallas is unwilling to sign a one-year contract at Arsenal, and that the club is unwilling to give him a second year. Gallas has been good for us this season, but I can understand why, given his injury history, Arsene Wenger doesn’t want to give him another two years at his reported £80,000/week salary. But I can also understand why Gallas doesn’t want to play on a year-to-year basis when he can almost certainly get at least a two-year deal from another big club. He’s gone and I wish him well.

And Owen Coyle has again stated that he’d like to keep Jack Wilshere on loan. Really, Owen? I’m glad you said something, because we didn’t get the hint the first 40 times you said it. At this point it’s starting to look a bit desperate. Setting aside the issue of whether a move like that would be good for Arsenal or not, it’s Arsenal’s decision to make at this point, and no amount of media lobbying by Coyle is going to change Wenger’s mind.

That’s it for now. Season Review stuff starting tomorrow.

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Category: Arsenal News