To Arsene Wenger, his players and the Arsenal faithful, September 1st can’t come soon enough. The media Vultures are going on a frenzy, publishing articles that makes Arsenal fans drool as well as articles that are causing mixed emotions on certain issues of the club.
After the quick-fire purchases of Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, the fans have waited anxiously to see one or two more faces but the gates of the Emirates remains shut as the arrival lounge of the club is no different from a haunted ghost house. However, the departure section of the club is buzzing as players (who have already packed their bags) are waiting in line to seek new employers elsewhere.
Denilson was the first to package himself in a box to his homeland to secure another loan spell with Sao Paulo and it seems as if another Hispanic contingent is braced to wave his goodbyes to Arsenal after seven years of mediocrity. Carlos Vela joined Arsenal from Chivas Guadalajara for £125,000 but the deal increased to £550,000 after he activated a clause for reaching 50 games for the club. In his time at Arsenal, Vela had showed the fans some glimpses of quality but he wasn’t fully braced to cope with the demands of the Premier League.
In his time at the club, he has made four loan spells to teams in Spain and England but his last move to Real Sociedad was fruitful by his standards, as he had done enough to prompt the club to approach Arsenal for a permanent transfer. Vela notched up 37 appearances for Real Sociedad and he scored 12 goals and made eight assists. Since donning the Arsenal jersey in the 2008/09 season, Vela has managed to score 11 goals in 62 games for the Gunners.
The club’s official website has reported that Vela is in Spain to put the final touches to his permanent move to San Sebastian, the home ground of Real Sociedad. The club has been holding out on the move but the Arsenal hierarchy decided that the time was right to wave its goodbyes to a prospect that failed to harness his potential at the club.
I’m not disappointed about Vela’s move to Spain because there was no way he could command for a starting berth at Arsenal but in my opinion, Vela would have been massive for Arsenal if he had the same amount of chances Nicklas Bendtner had. Despite having a small frame and a weak build, the Aztec Warrior was a predator in the box and the 11 goals he registered in his time at Arsenal were top notch. He had some placed efforts but his chips were exquisite to say the least.
I wish the Aztec Warrior all the best in Spain and I hope he continues to excel there.
If I get a pound for every time I’ve written the word “Robin van Persie” this summer, I would have secured enough funds to make a bid for him if I owned my football club as well. Van Persie was an idolized figure courtesy of his exploits on the pitch last season, and a huge wave of expectation was placed on his shoulders like the way the world was placed on Atlas.
The European Championships was a horror outing for van Persie and his Dutch counterparts as the team that was 90 minutes away from winning the World Cup fumbled at the first hurdle crashing out of the group stages. As expected, van Persie got an early break to basking the sun with his Bouchra and two kids, but he earned himself a place in the spotlight again after releasing a statement that broke all Hell loose.
Many journos, bloggers, columnists, pundits, players and fans have voiced their opinions on the issue and it seems as if Arsenal is prepared to take a stand on this matter. Van Persie has been told by Arsenal that he is going nowhere this summer and he’ll be allowed to leave the club on a Bosman at the end of the season. The Dutch striker has hinted at making a move to Italy, with Juventus being his preferred destination but the Arsenal hierarchy has decided to gamble on losing Van Persie for nothing next year by holding him to his current deal, which expires in 11 months.
It is also reported that Arsenal wants to resolve this saga as soon as possible because the club intends to hold more talks with van Persie in an attempt to clarify the contract stand-off that is threatening to overshadow their pre-season tour of Asia which begins on Saturday. The Gunners will play Malaysia XI before locking horns with a familiar foe in the form of league champions, Manchester City, in Beijing. The Asia tour ends with a match against Kitchee before the Gunners return to Europe.
Arsenal fans are rightly frustrated about this van Persie saga as its dragging on in the course of this summer but the arrival of Podolski and Giroud have somewhat calmed that storm. Van Persie is an indispensable player for the club but Arsenal it is, Arsenal it was and Arsenal it will always be. The badge on the front will always be bigger than the name at the back.
Barcelona are up in Arsenal’s business yet again as the club has confirmed that they are in talks with Arsenal over the services of Ignasi Miquel, who they intend to place in their Barcelona B team. Bojan Krkic’s clone began his career in Barcelona’s La Masia Mutant Academy in 1999 before moving to Cornelia in 2004. Arsenal snapped the youngster in 2008 and he has made only four appearances to date, which all came last season. Barcelona is about to make a £300,000 bid for a player that cost Arsenal…nothing.
On potential arrivals, Rennes has stated that they are still awaiting an offer from Arsenal for the much sought-after Yann M’Vila. I can vividly remember when I had butterflies on my tummy as it was fabled that the deal was 99% done. Rennes’ president, Frederic de Saint-Sernin, had stated that the club has agreed to sell the midfielder because he has been attracting interest from several foreign clubs. He also declared that the club has been grateful to M’Vila for always been there for the team he began his career with and he has been more than a leader.
I went on a personal scouting mission on M’Vila this Euros and I was impressed with what I saw. I can’t deny that I don’t watch Ligue 1 football on a consistent basis and the highlight show focuses more on goals rather than overall team play. M’Vila will be a superb acquisition for Arsenal but the summer is still way ahead of us so the deal can still manifest in the coming weeks.
Footy Latest reports that Arsenal has made a £9m bid for Corinthians’ playmaker Paulinho. Inter Milan have also placed the Brazilian on their radar and it seems as if this bloke might be worth his bacon. Paulinho has made a name for himself in Brazil for clever runs into the penalty box where close control, quick feet and equally lethal finishing on the ground or in the air have made him hot property.
Last season, Paulinho made the Brazilian League’s Team of the Year alongside Neymar, Ronaldinho Gaucho and Fred. The last Brazilian that caused waves on Twitter was Paulo Henrique Ganso, and it was believed that the club had made a £17m bid for him.
That’s enough transfer news for one day.
Sayonara.
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