Daily Bits and Bobs

Benzema a smokescreen? Bigging up Theo the sub….

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

Headlines, what are they all about? Clicks,  hits and money making or just plain rubbish to get us sucked into believing….

The latest relates to Alex Song. The player many Arsenal fans celebrated his leaving when Barcelona so foolishly coughed up £15 million….

Arsene Wenger must have been laughing all the way to the bank when that move unfolded and he’s probably laughing now when he reads that West Ham have beaten Arsenal to the signing of Alex Song’!

Seriously?? Had Arsene Wenger truly believed in Song, he’d have never left  in the first place. And had Song believed he was truly wanted at Arsenal, he’d never have left, not even for Barcelona as I suspect that deep down, the player knew he’d never make it there, not really.

But that’s football, heads get turned by ‘big’ clubs, they see them winning stuff and perhaps think ‘ I want some of that’ and off they go. Oh, and a few extra pounds get thrown in of course……

Did you know that is was on this very day back in 2012 that Arsenal sold Song to Barcelona? Spanish Press dubbed him the ‘next Yaya Toure’……

Anyway he’s set to remain with the Hammers as long as he passes a medical which could be tricky as he’s injured. Not that injury stops players from signing for Arsenal, eh Kim Kallstrom….

On this day back in 1995, Dennis Bergkamp made his debut for Arsenal in a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough at Highbury.

Arsene Wenger can’t take any credit for him signing but believes that was the “first push into the modern, international era” for Arsenal. Of course Wenger went on to make sure the great Dutchman had many a wonderful year with the club right up to his rolling one year contracts and eventual retirement from playing and I think Dennis remains one of footballing greats of all time and probably Arsenal’s best ever signing. Although Thierry Henry might think different……

The manager also believes signing Theo Walcott was a master-stroke:

He has become very mature, he has gone through difficult periods so he is a very strong man. He is a man today, when he arrived here he was a boy, a little boy who discovered a world where he did not know anything about it.

Of course he had to go through bad injuries and disappointments and I believe he is a man today, a man who knows what he wants and has been faithful to our club. It was a great signing.

I’m sure there has been many a manager who has tried to lure Walcott away from the club during the transfer windows but to this day no-one has succeeded. I thought he might actually go this summer with Brenda sniffing around but no, he’s signed a new contract and Wenger is clearly pleased.

So pleased he’s left him on the bench for the last two fixtures…….

Gossip:

Arsenal are not interested in the transfer of Karim Benzema this summer and are instead in talks to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Edinson Cavani. That’s according to Talksport journalist Ian Abrahams….

What does he know, eh….

Twelve days left for Arsene Wenger to work some magic….

Have a good Thursday guys and gals.

rico

98 thoughts on “Benzema a smokescreen? Bigging up Theo the sub….”

  1. rogerbij says:

    Thank god, 12 days till I can stop checking the gossip! Im not expecting anything major to come through at this point. If it does, bonus. We’ll soon see if we have enough strength with what we’ve got. (dont quite think so).

    I think the most interesting thing for me this window is how many promising kids we have on loan. If even half of the boys come back men then the future should be bright 2 years or so from now.

  4. Adam says:

    The psychological process that makes grown men invent stories about who Wenger is going to sign, or endless streams of nonsense about what unknown has rejected Arsenal to move to some corrupt club in Italy are a mystery to me. Guillaume Balague, the half man-half Beaver journalist from Spain leads the charge of nonsense every year, closely followed by Graham Hunter whose levels of absurdity grow season upon season, much like his gut and his vain attempts to cram it into a pair of jeans that a man of his years shouldn’t even be contemplating. Pssst Graham, look toward the elasticated waist of a somber chino. As for Metro, Bleacher, Here Is The Rubbish and the rest? Just stop. FFS shut F..k up and at least attempt a bit of dignity.

  5. rogerbij says:

    It makes my head spin Rico that amount of money that LvG has spent lately. Do you know he has spent more on transfers in 1 year than Ajax has in their entire HISTORY ?

    While we would all like Wenger to spend a bit more, its nuts how you can lose 20m+ on DiMaria in one year. Or a Falcao loan at 350k/week. Or 30m for Shaw. etc.

    Arsenal hopefully are making some ready made players. Some of them looked really good preseason – Iwobi, Jeff, Maitland Niles, and I think in 2 years we will see a lot of Zelalem.

  6. rogerbij says:

    Its the same media that cant stop with gossip about so-and-sos butt, Adam. It wont stop. ever. Because someone is reading it.

  8. rico says:

    That’s staggering Roger and no, I didn’t know that.

    Di Maria was a desperation signing wasn’t he and a bad one at that. LvG is just one of many kids in a sweet shop during a transfer window…

    Re the younger players, it looks lik we’ll finally see a few break through next season, not all imo, but a good few. That must have a knock on affect to AW’s transfer plans as he can’t sign too many 25-26 years olds as that would all but end the youngsters career with us but of all those on loan, only Hayden (I think) is a DM..

    Hint hint Arsene….

  9. Lee says:

    I was reading somewhere that people were listening to what Ian Abrahams (the moose) from talkshite was saying about who we are signing! Beggar’s belief…

    John Cross releasing a book…… “The Inside Story of Arsenal Under Wenger”

  11. Adam says:

    Personally I cannot wait for Cross’s new book. Perhaps he will devote a chapter to the signing of Khedira that he dined out on last year.

  16. Wavy says:

    Perhaps he’s sent the boys away to finishing schools around the country where they will magically be turned into men! He has to do this because his soft spoken , paternalistic approach has to drummed out of them. They have to toughened up in the boot rooms of other less sophisticated, more rough and ready clubs! Sometimes his loaning scheme backfires, as with Afobe who having tasted the grass elsewhere decided Arsenal’s grass was never going to suit him! He jumped into the Wolves den and has gone from strength to strength.
    Our hope must be that when all the boys return as men, they will will feel empowered to play in the EPL and there will be space enough for them to fit in! In the meantime we have to wait another year for them to be available and we “go with what we’ve got”.
    C’est la vie!

    Morning all.

  18. eduardo says:

    Wenger has explained that we have had to send so many youths out on loan cos the U21 league is just not of a high enough standard to get lads ready for BPL football at the top level. He once again suggested that BPL clubs should be allowed to field teams in the lower leagues.

  19. rico says:

    He reiterated that just a few days ago Eduardo. League one and downwards..

    Seems a sensible idea to me, and apparently the FA are looking into it…

  20. scottfromoz says:

    Morning all.
    Incredible how the media can offer so many conflicting reports on transfers, on the same day, and from “reliable” sources.
    We’ve agreed on a fee with Real on Benzema, then a minute later, we haven’t even spoken to the player or his club.
    I hate it when people say it, because we all know this, but until it appears on Arsenal.com…….
    Still, discussing it is a bit fun 🙂

  23. allezkev says:

    What LvG spends, is just loose change in my world of jet setting, exotic holidays and money no object…

    I mean, this Sunday I’ll be jetting off to Margate for the day…

  26. scottfromoz says:

    True Rico lol.
    Adam, I wonder if anyone’s ever kept score of these so called experts, and ITK’s, to see how often any of them get one correct,
    I’d say it would make interesting reading.

  29. Wavy says:

    I thought ‘the metro’ was an underground system in Paris. What would they know about transfers in the EPL?

    And Kev, I’ll raise you one Bendermand see your Bent!?

  31. Adam says:

    I am still supremely confident that we will sign a couple of world class stars. Three even.
    It’s the wily old fox Arsene throwing up smoke screens, playing it close to his chest and using diversionary tactics the foil the pug-faced Dutchman, the glistening toothed botoxoid and the diminutive dong.

  42. rico says:

    Italian journalist Emanuele Giulianelli claims the Gunners are targeting the 31-year-old Spaniard.

    Giulianelli, who also claims Karim Benzema will join Arsenal from Real Madrid this summer, wrote on Twitter: “Arsenal will try to take Bruno Soriano from Villarreal as DM.”

  45. Bob John says:

    John Cross is out of the same mould as Steve Stammers who used to be Talkshite’s go to Arsenal man in the know! He was so much in the know that he wrote a book on the history of our great club. I got it bought for me and it had so many factual errors that I binned it as it was winding me up too much. Privileged to be doing the job they are doing with such a lack of basic football knowledge.

  49. rico says:

    Mundo Derportivo claim Arsenal will make a move for the 5ft 10in ace Asier Illarramendi, who will compete with Mikel Arteta and Francis Coquelin for a place in the Gunners midfield.

    He is thought to be valued at £16m

  53. allezkev says:

    Afternoon All

    Afternoon Rico…

    Rico, who on earth is this new blogger whose appeared in our midst…?

    He must be an Arsenal Jehovah’s Witness, sent from Positive Arsenal, sent here to save our souls…

    I mean his 21.21, 12.26 and 12.36 almost moved me to tears…

  58. Adam says:

    From the couch the world of Arsenal seems but an illusion. Why do today what you can do within the final few minutes of the transfer window?
    Anyway, we have too many players competing for the same places and the PL title is nailed on.

  63. rogerbij says:

    Illarramendi looks ok, had a great time at Real Sociedad, but not so much the last 2 seasons at Real, possibly due to lack of playing time. Would be a reasonable bet… really high passing percentage! Probably available in the sense he is not a Real starter in most games… If (big if) we are interested then this could happen. But who knows if Wenger is serious about buying a DM, or if only we are!

  64. Micko says:

    Anyone see the photo’s of Raheem Sterlings house up for sale at 1.5 million in the Daily Mail, there was me thinking I was the only one who had Michael Jacksons legs hanging from my ceiling !

  68. Micko says:

    Lee, doesn’t even come with a turf shed, I’ll never sell.

    Straight into a ditch kev.

    How’s the form agag.

  85. Lee says:

    Yeah Reus and Pogba job done!

    If Benzemza happens the media will be man marking him like fuck, lots of pressure to score etc! They’d love him to fail after we splash loads of cashish on him….

  90. Lee says:

    Arsenal have been working on these transfers for months as we are so often told…. seems really strange that all the other PL clubs can manage get their business done quicker than us?!?!
    Ho hum i guess, the trials and tribulations of being an Arsenal supporter!

    Wenger can seriously fuck off if he doesn’t add the necessary players to this squad…

  91. frednerk says:

    Morning All,
    North London could be in for a change,
    rumours have it,that not one Bender
    but two could be running around with
    tight shorts on.
    Bookmakers slashed the odds last night
    that Benzema will join up with the Gooners
    after a Venezuelan model spilled the beans.
    she even reckons she knows how much is in his
    pay packet..
    The moneys on the table now for the top clubs,
    Com’on Arsene join the fun.

  92. rico says:

    I just don’t understand either. 12 days left and he’s still faffing around. Why? We are cash rich, just spend the darn money and sign what/who we need..

    I reckon the pressure will really be on him if no-one else comes in and we start drawing/losing…

  94. Lee says:

    Fred I’m still smiling at a Venezuelan model spilling beans! Giroud involved?
    Wenger deliberating about transfers…..I’m not having that!
    I read somewhere that one of the Bender’s relaease clause was £10.6m seems cheap no?

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