Transfer rumblings and Gunners in Europe

Hey all, Felegy here. Every morning these days I get up and make a cup of tea, coax my dog outside to do the necessary, sit down at my computer and type in “Arsenal transfer news” in the “Google machine”. What am I honestly expecting to see you ask? I’m not even sure anymore. Obviously the headlines are dominated with news (or lack thereof) regarding Mr. Van Persie. Wouldn’t it have been nice to have taken care of this before the Euro Tourney? Well we didn’t and I would say we are suffering for it.

We all know that RvP and the club came to an agreement to not discuss his contract situation until after the conclusion of the Euros (which will be quite soon with their recent loss to the Germans). Obviously Robin’s wife, mom, and dad did not get the memo. I have seen reports from all relating to what Robin is likely to do. Apparently his wife likes living in London and so do his kids, shocking reporting there fellas. His mom also feels that he should stay with Arsenal, great. His dad ruled out him moving to another Premier League side or Barcelona, thanks dad. It’s all rubbish and pure speculation at this point. Since I now write on a blog I will add my rubbish and speculation!

He looks like I feel about the whole situation...

I can’t help but feel that Robin is going to be moving on to another side after the Euros. If he truly wanted to stay here he would have already extended his contract. He knows we are not going to match the salaries offered by the likes of ManCity and Real Madrid. The idea that he is waiting to see what Arsenal does in the way of new signings is silly to me. By him not committing to the team he is hindering our ability to get new business done in the transfer market! “How many strikers do we need to buy? It’s tough to say since we don’t know how many we really have!”.

The whole thing is really frustrating. I hope he stays, I really do. But…would there ever be a better time to sell him? It’s really been his only season not marred by injury and he is quickly approaching his 30’s. “Soccernomics” by Kuper and Szymanski make some great points about selling players at the right times and what it can do for a side moving forward. It’s a great read if you haven’t checked it out already. So where does he go if he doesn’t re-sign with Arsenal? My guess is a team that really hasn’t been heavily linked with him, Real Madrid. Mourinho, Ronaldo, and RvP? Like I said, we shall see.

I’m sure you have all seen the rumblings regarding other players that we are in pursuit of, maybe, kinda, sorta. A few weeks back we were heavily linked with Yann M’Vila, the 21 year old defensive midfielder currently playing for Rennes in the French Ligue 1. He seemed like a good fit on paper, providing cover for Song while also allowing Song to grow into more of an all around midfielder. Talks have stalled with him playing for France at that damned tournament in Europe and now Barcelona is said to have interest as well. The rumor mill says that if he performs well at the Euro his value could reach as high as 20MM. If that’s the case, next!

Me!? Arsenal!?

Another Frenchman that seems more likely to join us is Olivier Giroud. Recent reports are suggesting that the deal is all but done and will be announced after the Euros. Playing for Montpellier he was the leading scorer in the league with 21 goals. Latest reports are saying that we have agreed to a fee around 13MM but who really knows. Do we really need another striker in his mid to late 20’s? Podolski is 27, Giroud will be 26 this year and RvP will be 29 if he stays (actually he will be 29 regardless). Wouldn’t it make more sense to bring in a younger striker that can be groomed a bit? Not having watched much of the French league I can honestly say I had never heard of Giroud before being linked with us. I have heard he brings some physicality to the front of the attack and is good on the ball. I’ll have to give a look at his highlight reel on YouTube.

He's pretty dreamy and doesn't look like he puts Crisco in his hair!

Another bit of transfer speculation ties directly into the Euro tourney. All of the sudden we are being linked with Alan Dzagoev. Who you ask? He’s the guy that has just so happened to have scored 3 goals in 2 games for Russia at the Euros. Almost as soon as that third goal hit the back of the net reports are saying that both Arsenal and Chelsea are in pursuit of him. Truth? Rubbish? Who knows. If we are in fact in competition with Chelsea to sign him, we might as well start looking elsewhere for an attacking midfielder. Juan Mata anyone…

So that’s a little bit on who might be coming to the Emirates and the frustration that comes with all the speculation. What about players that might (and maybe should) be on their way out from the team? As of right now; Bendtner, Denilson, Squillaci, Diaby, Park, Chamakh, and Arshavin are all still Arsenal players. All of whom could/should be on their way out. The fact that none of these players have been sold is almost more frustrating than the lack of new signings!

Why am I still here!?

Both Arshavin and Bendtner are having good showings in Europe which could help in moving them on. I know that there is a lot of intricacy to transfers dealings and contract negotiations and such but it seems like Arsenal is so much slower than our competitors. Why does it seem like Arsenal has such a hard time getting business done!? We need to recoup what we can from these players and reinvest in some new talent. We’ve still got some time and let’s hope things pick up after the Euros. Speaking of that competition…

Is anyone really that interested in the Euro Tourney? I’m just having a hard time getting into it for some reason. Part of it may be the fact that the games are on while I’m stuck at work and the other part is that I do not have a rooting interest in any particular side. It’s still nice to see some quality futbol/football/soccer during the summer even though it means I have to listen to that idiot Alexi Lalas on ESPN here in the states. I just can’t stand him for some reason.

It was nice to see Podolski in action for Germany and trying to imagine how he will be used in the squad here. I guess a lot of that depends on a certain guy staying or going. I believe he has played every minute so far for Germany and is thus far uninjured, phew. He really hasn’t been the talisman for the team that we have seen in the past but he will get plenty more playing time with the Germans looking to go far in the tournament. Mertesacker has yet to see the pitch for Germany (which is fine by me).

Like I said earlier, both Arshavin and Bendtner have had good showings so far. Arshavin has been pulling the strings in the middle of the pitch for Russia and Bendtner scored two in a losing effort against Portugal. Hopefully these performances will equal some extra cash in transfer fees for us. Why Arshavin never got much of a chance playing that role for Arsenal is up for debate.

I didn’t get to watch much of the England match but I heard Ox performed well when the team had a bit more attacking mentality and struggled a bit when they sat back. Ox got the start and played 75 minutes or so, Theo came in as a sub in the 90th minute. Interesting no? Sczesny had a rough start to the tourney getting caught in no man’s land conceding the first goal for Poland then followed it up with a clear red card when left one on one. He was eventually bailed out by his backup but will have to sit out a few games due to the red card. Rosicky has continued to play well for the Czech side and they had a much better showing in their second game out against the Greeks. Koscielny has yet to feature for France starting off on the bench. He’s young and he will have plenty of opportunity to represent his national side in the future, thanks to Wenger pulling him from obscurity and allowing him to show the talent he clearly possesses. And of course, Mr. Robin Van Persie is playing for the Netherlands. He got a goal yesterday in a losing effort to Germany and missed a few good chances earlier on in the game. Not a tournament to remember for Robin. Now he can get home (in London where his wife likes it) and get to the business of deciding his future.

The tournament continues today but no Gunners will be featured as Italy takes on Croatia and Barcelona/Real Madrid/Spain take on Ireland. So far all of our players have stayed healthy and let’s hope that continues. With all teams having played at least a game I will go out on a limb and say that either Germany or Russia are going to take the trophy home. As the tournament and silly season continue both Perry and I will do our best to keep you updated. Be well fellow Gunners!

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Category: Arsenal News