Oh look, our team gets younger

By: travis | July 11th, 2008

Much to the surprise of, well, no one, Samir Nasri completed his transfer to the Emirates today. Nice to have that one done and dusted. It could be the first of what looks to be a very busy July, with the chatter about Adebayor proving to be relentless, Hleb on his way out of town, and Gilberto Silva possibly heading off to Greece.

As far as the Nasri signing goes, it’s nice to get another player. But considering that the first signing was 17 year old Aaron Ramsey, and now a just turned 21 year old in Nasri, the trust being put in these Young Guns is quite remarkable. It’s hard to believe that young players can win the league. And if this trend of older players deciding their salary should be doubled, it’s going to be hard enough to keep talented players around. Don’t get me wrong, Nasri is a great player, but he is still young. Nonetheless, Wenger still has my benefit of the doubt. He’ll have the right players in place in August. Which is next month.

Lots more going on, with constant rumors still following Adebayor. The Nasri move seems to indicate that Hleb will be on his way shortly there after. Not the biggest loss, as we’ll hardly miss the astronomical 10 goals he managed in three years. Hleb is a great player and his skill is hardly paralleled; however, his finishing has always left a lot to be desired. He just wouldn’t shoot the ball. Best of luck to him in Barcelona, a place that should nice and quiet, free from the big scary city of London. He’ll be nice and peaceful, as I hear the press around those parts don’t really care about their football team.

As for Adebayor, he can hit the road for all I care. Demanding high wages off of one good season does not show any sort of loyalty to a manager or club that gave the guy a chance. While a player of great skill, I almost feel as though a more consistent finisher could have had 40 goals with the kind of chances he had last season. It will be a shame to see him go, and hard to see him stay as he has turned out to be a greedy old codger. Klaas Jan Huntelaar wouldn’t be a bad replacement. There will be much more as these rumors play themselves out.