Au Revoir, Gael Clichy

Luis Enrique, Emilio Izaguirre, Leighton Baines... one of these will do.

errr... I meant Jose Enrique! Not the Roma coach. I am excited for Roma btw.

4 those who say he left 4 the money have a point but Clichy has one too. City's roster is alot better than Arsenals. Just look at the back line. To be fair i would only pick Man U's roster over City's in the EPL. People misjudge how good City really is due to Mancini's Italian style of coaching.Prime example is using YAYa as an Attacking midfielder.Mancini rather wins 1 nil than 3-2. Anyway Clichy has a valid point for joining City for titles and he saw what was about to happen. Cesc,Nasri,bentner,denielson,and bacary will all leave this summer.

well it looks like fabio coentrao is going to Real Madrid for 30 million euros so we can all scratch him off our wishlist and plus there was no way we would pay that much for him IMO he isnt worth anything more then 12 million euros.

"I really believe if you are a player who thinks only about money then you could end up at Manchester City."

Words of wisdom? Nope.These words were spoken by Gael Clichy when Emmanuel Adebayor left us for Manchester City in 2009."I really believe if you are a player who thinks only about money then you could end up at Manchester City."

"You have to think if you want to play for a big club and have your image or if you want to play for a good club and earn big money."

"When you ask someone to move for something like £300,000 a week it is just crazy."In the next few days I fully expect to hear how 'excited' he is to be part of Manchester City's crusade. Like a knight.I just hope Clichy doesn't bad-mouth us in the future. It would be surprising if he did, but it wouldn't shock me.I guess it just shows that money is the be-all and end-all of most footballers these days. Even someone like Gael Clichy, someone I thought was loyal.

This is crap. Going to ManCity in 2009 is much different than going to ManCity in 2011. In 2009, they were throwing money at any high-profil-ish player they could, and were not in any Europe competition. They are now going to be playing in the Champions League group stages and will be a serious contender in the years going forward. As well, it is well known that Clichy almost went to Real Madrid last summer, but Wenger convinced him to stay.
Gael Clichy has flaws, but unclassy is not one of them.

Nasri is probably going to leave because "he wants to win trophies". I can only criticise these players giving fake excuses but on the other end shouldn't Wenger also take responsiblity for our best players leaving the club. You don't expect best players staying in a team of constant losers that Wenger is so proud of. The attractiveness of the club is now only due to the fact that Wenger is giving the chance to young and talented players to improve but as soon as they reach a high level of football or popularity they want to leave.  

What a prick that Clichy is, and it goes to show how dumb footballers really are.

You didnt join City for the money but to win lots of trophies - pull the other one you blank, you joined City, coz you are a greedy cunt.

He mentions, that he wont do the same thing as Adebayor did when he scored - well here's a newsflash for you cuntchops - first you have to get in to a scoring position, and then you have to put the ball in the back of the net - when was the last you did that, you wanker??

As for the team collapsing - RVP was playing in the Carling Cup final, so were you, and you were one of the players that played like a cunt.

I for one am glad to see the back of your shitty little greedy head - now fuck off and pretend that we will miss you.

That's incredibly harsh on a player that has been a great servant of Arsenal for 8 years. Yes, his form has dipped in the last 2 years, but are there that many left-backs in the Prem League you'd rather have? We finished 4th last year. I would put Evra, Baines, Cole, and maybe Enrique (based on his reputation alone) as better than him. Being the 4th placed team with the 4th/5th best left back is fine. 

Your disrespect shows how little you know about how football works. If you want to be mad at someone, go after Nasri. Clichy didn't come out and say he wanted to leave. He didn't talk about our "mentality". He knew the club didn't want to renew his contract so he waited patiently for a suitor to come along and quietly went on his way. I wish him the best except for the 2 games a year that we play Man City. He should get just as much respect as Toure does when he plays against us. 

have you ever paid to watch this team?  Its nice to sit in the comfort of your own home and pretend to know what you are talking about - utopian isnt it?

I and many others who pay the most for a season ticket  crap beer, shit burgers etc - and get fed loads of other tripe year after year, will beg to differ about Clichy.  Clichy had one good season, and that was the season after Cole left, after that its been all downhill.  Incidentally, Clichy in my eyes is no different - he left a club that nurtured him, stuck by him, especially after making high costing mistakes, like the stupid penalty he gave away in the semi finals against Villareal - if it wasnt for Lehman saving his arse, the fans would have got on his back a lot sooner.  You can name 4 Leftbacks who are better than him in England, try extending that to the world - you will find he isnt even in the top 10.  He is an average player, who cashed in - again no different to Cashley Cole. 

You can tell he has no mental strength, by jumping ship, rather than pulling his socks up and proving that this club, team and the players have to capacity to win things. 

He's a cunt, and he can go and join all the other cunts at Man City - who deserted their clubs for more money

I'm so sorry I have offended thee, O true Arsenal fan. The millions of Arsenal fans around the globe who have never been to a game couldn't possibly have any idea about what it is to be a fan. You realize of course that the current writers of this blog and the past ones, live no where near London. No, I have never paid to watch the Arsenal play in person, but living over 4000 miles (6400km) from London doesn't make it something I can do on a regular basis. 

The thing that amazes me is that you still don't get it. Clichy did not complain about pay, or "jump ship". HE WAS SOLD!!! It is an entirely different situation from players who have engineered moves away from the club. Arsenal decided that his contract was up in a year, he was no longer good enough and when a suitor came along they cashed in, not Clichy. You may have a ticket stub to show off how much more of a fan you are, but you have no clue about what's happening at the club.

I have more of a clue then you do - he jumped ship - get it in to your diet mate.  He said he wants to leave, he doesnt want to be at the club.  See this is what amazes me about you armchair supporters, you wade in with your baseless opinions because you read too much.  Your emotions to the club only cost you a bag of chips.  Of course you dont have a clue what is going on at the club, again you base your opinions on reading - when others who go to games up and down the country, see a different reaction, get a different perspective on a player.  Clichy was a liability, you senses it, he would either fuck up, give away a penalty in crucial games or lose his marker.   Give me an example of when Clichy scored a vital goal or put in a vital cross, or even did something spectacular as a defender?  I can tell you what Sagna did, or even what Cole did - but not Clichy.

Clichy is a cunt he could have stayed but he didnt want to - the club had no choice but to sell, otherwise he would go on a free, like Flamini and Edu did - it will be the same for Nasri - if he decides he wont sign a new contract - and again he will be another greedy cunt in my eyes. 

The club made this bottler - and the bottler jumped at the first chance

Because no one bases their opinions on reading...

i like when you read a comment and immediately realize this is someone you'd never actually want to meet face to face.

he just left for money, maybe if for the past two years he played like he gave a damn just maybe we would have bad him

You clearly have not watched Clichy play. He has always given 100% and to say otherwise is absolute crap.
As well, ManCity is in the CL group stage, ARsenal is not yet. Going to City is quite credible now, unlike in 2009.
Get some perspective.

Just because he hasn't played as well recently doesn't mean he didn't "give a damn". He's played to the best of his ability and given 100%. He's certainly played a lot better than Eboue in 2 years, yet if Eboue was sold, no one would crucify him like they are Clichy. This was Arsenal's move. He wasn't offered a new contract. Clichy didn't try to move away for more money. He was sold by Arsenal because they didn't want him around anymore just like Gilberto and Eduardo. 

I think that's about right regarding fan reactions to these players.  Whenever a player can reach a certain level of performance at a young age, we assume he'll continue like that.  So when his performances drop, fans get angry, even if there are other explanations for the dip.  But with Eboue, we've never really expected a whole lot, so we've never been too let down either.

and so it begins. is any1 else worried about the 2011-2012 season? liverpool looks like they can push for the title let alone a champions league spot and that means 1 of the 4 teams already qualified arent gonna qualify next year. i cant help thinking that we might be the team that ends up getting 5th.

would it be wrong if i said i hope tevez leaves man city and that because of that they get 5th? :/
anyways thank you clichy and good luck

Same thing was said about our club this past season. When you look back, we played without RVP for the first half the season, without Verm for the entire season, Fabregas was sprinkled in here and there, and yet we still competed on all fronts up until the last 2 months in which the fatigue and lack of depth caught up to us. I would say, don't fret until you know what the results are from this summer window.

Thing is, not signing any players will probably damage player morale more than anything else tangible.

And then it all becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

I'm still not super worried about Liverpool.  However, I'm also not super happy about finishing 4th again.  I don't really set qualification for the CL as my goal each year. 
Regarding Tevez, I just don't know who can afford him (both in terms of wages, headaches, and transfer fees).  I think he'll stay put when it's all said and done.  As a side note, I think he referenced his kids, and trying to be closer to his kids.  But his kids live in Argentina, from what I read.  So will he really be closer to his kids in Spain or Italy?  He's just a weird dude. 

1 down, 3 more to go.

So let's see here, the other 3 are Denilson, Almunia, and Arshavin?

Ha, you're testing me aren't you? Denilson, Almunia, Bendtner. Arshavin used as a super sub or 60 minute gamer was perfect, I'd like to keep him around for that role.

Yes, of course.  I know of your man crush on Arshavin.  Probably like mine for Walcott.

I guess i'm the only one who has a man crush on Bendtner, Arshavin and Walcott then?

someone likes that ugly Russian, mines is Diaby, Wallcott Gibbs owe how i wish they stay healthy this year

Are you saying that in a good way or bad way?

GREAT way. He, along with Denilson, were at the top of my list of players I wanted sold this summer. Too many unforgivable mistakes, too much chatter about wanting to "win trophies elsewhere"; I really can do without these type of players in our squad. Now I will continue to have faith that we'll buy the players to fill our needs. If we don't get fresh blood to replace Clichy, I still will honestly not feel bad about him being sold, I am one that feels it was definitely a time for a change in that position. With that said, I am fairly confident some defensive recruits will be coming in soon.

Wenger will play Jenkinson at left back. Then when the winger dart past him,Wenger will say give him time.By then it will too late thanks to Wenger's kid policy. He won't go for the experienced guys preferring youngsters.

couldnt we sign Michel Bastos from Lyon? Im sure he wouldnt be too expensive but in this day and age who knows? haha what do you guys think about him?

Nope. He's going to Italy.

have you ever watch Lyon play, this guys remind me of Jerome from Birmingham

As I was reading up on him just now, I was amazed again at his most recent transfer price - €18 million.   Assuming Lyon would at least want to break even on him, that would mean we'd have to go higher than we've ever spent on a player in our history.  And for a left back.  I can't see it. 

Bastos is a Winger, not a Fullback.

He can play Wingback but thats not his best position.

Might as well buy Aly Cissokho or Coentrao.

Coentrao to Real Madrid pending personal terms--I think the fee is 30 million euros

People keep complaining Wenger not making any purchase, but probably he is waiting to see who leaves and who stays before he makes any purchase

i personally think that is a smart move

But we now have someone who's left, so it's time to start buying. Plus, as was pointed out in Part II of the Transfer Season Predictions, we definitely need some more attacking players if we're resorting to Rosicky or Bendtner out of position.

ok Clichy left, suppose Cesc and Nasri end up staying Wenger no know knows he has these guys for another year so he can now go get a high class LB,

suppose Cesc leaves Nasri stays he has to now decide who plays in the Cesc role, so he would now buy a player to suit that position, say he plays Nasri there he would go get a Winger or plays Nasri as a Wenger and get and attacking midfielder

If we get no buyers for Bendtner and Rosicky there is nothing he could do about it, we would still have to play them and hope for the best. if we buy players we would end up like Man City and am sure you don't want or club to end up like those scums

Since we as a club want our players to be loyal to us so we must in turn be loyal to them

remember what we did for Gilberto and Eduardo, we always move with class

The other thing is to send a clear message to Nasri and others that we're serious about getting better.  I just don't think this is the summer to sit and wait until the end of August before doing anything.

Dont you relive these players don't care about us getting better, they only think about there selves, we could go buy a world of players they still wont stay

why Bendtner not happy, he isn't getting playing time you give him the time he does nothing with it, if he starts to play regular then he would come out and say he leaving because we not winning but yet still he is the one missing all the chances in front goal

if we buy players and bench Nasri and Cesc you feel they would be happy

One thing you mentioned does strike me as interesting.  It's when established players lobby for more players to be bought by their team at their same position.  I mean, we see it with the Barca midfielders lobbying for Cesc.  And we see it at other clubs all the time.  I just think guys like Nasri are secure enough with their place that they don't mind new players coming in.  And they (hopefully) also realize that it's a long season and a big squad is needed to win anything.

JG, nice result by Peru in the Copa today.  Too bad they didn't hold on to the win though.  I'm sure you watched it?

Heck yeah. Everybody kept yapping about how Uruguay would be the 'team to watch' and Peru never got any mentions as if they were already bottom of the group. Yet with our two best players (Farfan and Pizarro) out injured for the entire Copa, we still would have won today if for two missed chances. Our GK was better than I expected and apart from Suarez, Uruguay's attack was pathetic. Feeling a lot better about this team now and hoping for a win against Mexico's U-22s.

Heck yeah. Everybody kept yapping about how Uruguay would be the 'team to watch' and Peru never got any mentions as if they were already bottom of the group. Yet with our two best players (Farfan and Pizarro) out injured for the entire Copa, we still would have won today if for two missed chances. Our GK was better than I expected and apart from Suarez, Uruguay's attack was pathetic. Feeling a lot better about this team now and hoping for a win against Mexico's U-22s.

So, Leighton Baines, Leighton Baines.  Might as well get on the YouTube compilations for him, eh?

Looks like a pretty good player.  Can take penalties and free kicks.  Good left foot--like Clichy (and Sagna for that matter), he likes to play very wide and put in crosses, and his crosses from the sideline seem to be his trademark.  My concern is that we don't really pack the box enough for crosses to be dangerous--just ask Sagna.  Defensively, I've seen too little to comment.  There is a video in which he owns Ronaldo, but obviously that was a couple of years ago.  There's also a video of him in general vs. Man U--looks okay, but obviously was responsible for one goal.  Can't be terribly excited about that.

He never seemed to me like a glamorous signing--would it be asking too much for one at the moment?

he was linked with city but they didn't buy him so probably he is to expensive or they aren't selling him

Is anyone too expensive for City?  I was a bit puzzled at that as well.

Everton probably not selling or Baines probably is happy their

If not Baines than who?  Frankly I don't remember how the idea of Baines-to-Arsenal emerged, and his mere name popping up here and there is the closest thing to transfer activity on that area of the field.  At this point it's likely that no replacement is coming.

Someone above mentioned Michel Bastos--shame if he is going to Italy--he would be a good idea.  He could play at LB or LW, and there's definitely a market for quality at both positions at Arsenal.

Not sure Baines is right either. Whatever happened to that Vertonghen link? I'm an Ajax fan as well, so while I'd be sad to see him go, he seems like he'd be a great signing for Arsenal.

I've been a fan of getting Vertonghen as well.  I know he's played some at left back, but do you see him fitting in there at Arsenal?  I'd love to see him play in the regular rotation at DM, mixing in with Song and Wilshere.  He seems quite versatile.

He is predominantly a centreback, but he is relatively strongly left-footed and attacking minded. He could definitely fit in as a LB, and he's brilliant in my opinion. I watched religiously as he had a huge impact on the Ajax turnaround that saw them win the title after quite a dip. 

Another plus is that he was the first choice partner for Verma at Ajax, so we can know those two work well together.

It really is a wonder that he is not a target this summer.  His transfer fee couldn't be that high, could it?  And where are the other clubs sniffing around for a starting defender on a championship-winning team?

Well, there has been pretty much no talk of Vertonghen joining Arsenal this summer, but with Clichy joining City, I think it would be safe to assume that they have ended their interest in Vertonghen. I think he would be our best choice in defensive signings, so it's up to Wenger to recognize the chance and take it with both hands. And getting both Baines and Vertonghen would be nice, too.

I could forgive a lot of stuff in this transfer window if we got both Baines and Vertonghen. 

I guess I'm not entirely convinced about Baines. That said, if he can provide a solid option for the next few years until some of our young centre backs are ready to be first teamers, that'd work for me. But I can't see Wenger signing a player like that...

I seem to remember when Toure left people were saying he was the "last of the Invincibles."

Nope, Clichy got his EPL medal that season. Maybe it was because Toure was a big part of the starting XI that season, in contrast to Clichy, who played second fiddle to Cole. And for further reference, Cesc WAS with Arsenal at the time, but didn't play enough games to get the medal. So now we're officially a club with no EPL winners in it.

Oops, we were writing at the same time.  Your answer was better than mine though.

I just looked that up on Wiki.  Toure was the last of the starters.  Clichy did play that year.  And it appears that Cesc had 3 appearances as well.  So maybe you'll hear it again when he moves on too.

So far I'm one for one on my transfer predictions.  I must be butter, because I'm on a roll baby. 
Ok, in all seriousness... if we consider Baines to be a clearly better option than Clichy, then why didn't City make a run at Baines?  Is it because they view Clichy as simply a backup option, and so they didn't want to spend big for a new starter?  I dunno.  It would just seem odd if we were to make a bigger LB purchase than City this summer.  Of course we probably won't, I'm just saying it would be very odd.

Well this settles it. Wenger has got to start spending. Maybe this is the big move he was waiting for to trigger the market? But quite simply, if he's going to sell, he has to buy. I'd love to see Baines, or another versatile defender who could provide general cover or start at LB.  

Speaking of buying, rumor has it Ricky Alvarez is off for a medical at Inter tomorrow. Oh well.

If I had confidence we'd use the "Alvarez money" somewhere else, I'd be happy he's going to Inter.  I never really understood the fuss about him to start with.

Hes a more mobile, cheaper and more dynamic version of Nasri, who doesn't fade in the second half of seasons.

Thats what the fuss is about, and thats why so many top clubs want him.

You'd think top clubs with their experienced coaches and armies of top level scouts would know more about a player than our very own Homey Mills, but you'd be wrong eh.

Ok, I'm sure that the coaches and armies of top level scouts know a lot more than I do.  But they make a lot of mistakes on player evaluations as well.  I'm not the only blogger asking "who in the heck is this guy?"  I mean, 5 goals in his professional life.  Didn't even make a professional debut until he was 20.  Just now heading for Europe at the relatively late age of 23.  Only played a really full professional season once in three years. 
Again, I'm sure you know more about him than I do.  But I'm trying to dig up as much as I can find, and I just don't really see it.  And I'm not the only one.

It's not like he's my top choice either, it's just yet another reported Arsenal target we're not getting. I don't really know anything about him, and I don't know how he'd fit into the team, but as a fan I'd start to breathe easier with a signing or two. Someone who can make an impact.

Believe me, I'm with you on that.  I'm as frustrated by our inaction as anyone else out there.  And  I think that not only would fans breathe easier, but I think Nasri, Cesc, and others would too.

What even is going on with Arsenal in the market right now? I hear a lot of links, but is there any action? What ever happened to the Gervinho etc deals?

I wish we had inside knowledge simply by being official bloggers.  But we don't.  Or at least I don't.  I assume the Gervinho deal is still in the works.  It's just funny how the Clichy-to-City thing popped up a few days ago, and now it's a done deal.  The Gervinho-to-Arsenal thing has been talked about for weeks, and still nothing. 

Ah of course. I haven't been paying a huge amount of attention to the rumors in the past couple days, so I wasn't sure if something else had surfaced. Had the same thought about the Clichy deal, though.

With all respect to clichy, he just isnt what we need at left back. We need someone more like sagna. Someone who can help out when defending corners. Someone who doesnt make a significant of costly errors over the whole season. Clichy has had years to make the left back position his own, and he hasn't. Through a lack of competition we have seen him drop from the dizzying heights of the 07/08 season to what we can honestly describe as a few of years of fairly mediocre football.
Still, as always we want to wish loyal players the best of luck but in all honesty we all want city to crash and burn and if Gael is collateral damage - so be it.

will this change be reflected in fifa 11 for xbox 360?

That's my main question right now.

very disappointed at Weneger...very.
Clichy was not my best player by any means, but man, he was not the worst either!!
And now...who will be our LB?
Man, I feel the worst this coming season. Wenger knows exactly what we need nd instead he is doing exactly the opposite!

Something tells me Wenger is not buying a new LB, so maybe Gibbs with Vermaelen as backup.

Don't jinx it!!

It's not the end of the world. He wanted money, he's gonna get it. We should be looking for players who put the club ahead of themselves, which is why Nasri must go.

I'm not so sure.  I mean, in this day and age, top players want to get top money.  If we onlyl looked for players who put the club ahead of themselves, we'd have a bad team year after year.  We have to get used to the fact that it's professional soccer - a business.  I don't like that aspect of it, but we have to do our part of it as a club conducting business too.  We have to offer competitive wages and spend in the transfer market to be a big club.  So far, we haven't shown that we will do so.  Thus, people like Gigi and I start to worry about that.

Today, in 2011, no one in the top flight actually "puts the club ahead of himself" - who are we kidding? But there's a fine line between respecting the club, and completely disregarding your employer. Look at Cesc and Adebayor. Both wanted a move out. Everyone knew their intentions. Yet Cesc keeps quiet hoping something gets done, while Adebayor is mouthing off about going to Milan and whatnot. Money is not the only thing there is in football, and it should certainly not be top priority for the kind of players we're looking to bring to Arsenal.

Yeah, I think there's a fine line there.  Of course I don't want the guys who will constantly moan and threaten and turn in transfer requests.  I think we're seeing City get what they deserve with their latest Tevez headache.  So yes, quality human beings would be great. 
At the same time, if we're offering only 70% of what a player can make somewhere else, I don't think we should look negatively on that player for taking the money. 
Furthermore, in your prior statement, you were frowning on players who put themselves above their club.  Isn't that what Cesc has been doing, albeit not for monetary reasons?  I mean, he has a few years left on his deal, and he's been pretty publicly wanting to go back to Barca. 
So if you want to rid yourself of Nasir, Clichy, and Cesc this summer, what will the club look like in the future?  I think we'd only end up getting players the bigger clubs wouldn't want, and I don't think it's the way to climb to the top of the EPL.

In my opinion, Cesc should write a book called "How to make a transfer move happen without being a cunt" - that thing would be a bestseller. Of course he'd like to join Barca, who wouldn't? They're rich and play delightful, the best in the world, win a gazillion trophies every year, etc. And that's excluding the matter about family, Catalonia being his home and stuff like that. And yet, no one will be booing him if he turned out in an Arsenal shirt next season? Why? He remained respectful to the club. How can you say he publicly wants a move? It's hard to stay loyal and respectful when all your mates are opening their stupid mouths at every chance they get and putting on Barca shirt on you forcefully in front of millions of TV viewers.

Don't get me wrong, I agree with most of what you said and most of what I think only happens in an ideal world; football has changed quite a lot. But some characteristics, like gratitude and respect, shouldn't be shunned away as time passes and football progresses even further.

Spot on. Cesc has probably the biggest pull to transfer somewhere else; he certainly has more than a monetary reason to move to Barca than Nasri or Clichy. Yet he doesn't say a WORD to the media. And he hasn't done probably the douchiest thing I could hear a freshly ex-Arsenal or soon to be ex-Arsenal player say, which is that they want to move on or moved on because they want 'to win titles/championships/things'. Like Clichy today for example. You know Gael, we would have had a better chance of winning things if you gave a rat's ass at properly defending an offside trap. Or actually contributing positively towards our attack. But I digress.

That's why I like the skipper, and I'm going to miss him once he's gone. He's such an exemplary professional footballer. And by the way, Nasri's going to do the same thing as Clichy did once he's gone. And Adebayor did the same thing too. Toure, I think, was a different case due to the friction with Gallas and you can't have a defensive pairing who hate each other. But in the end, most of City's players can be seen as greedy bastards, in my opinion. 

Spot on. Cesc has probably the biggest pull to transfer somewhere else; he certainly has more than a monetary reason to move to Barca than Nasri or Clichy. Yet he doesn't say a WORD to the media. And he hasn't done probably the douchiest thing I could hear a freshly ex-Arsenal or soon to be ex-Arsenal player say, which is that they want to move on or moved on because they want 'to win titles/championships/things'. Like Clichy today for example. You know Gael, we would have had a better chance of winning things if you gave a rat's ass at properly defending an offside trap. Or actually contributing positively towards our attack. But I digress.

Its called football you faggot.

Thanks Bertrand.  Should we Americans not even bother watching it at all? 

Chill Gigi, we're gonna be fine