Vela getting closer to a return. Things are starting to move in the Academy…

It will be a few more weeks before the ‘new man’ arrives at the Arsenal Academy, but I am already looking forward to Andries Jonker getting his feet under the table, as the club continue to freshen things up behind the scenes.

Whatever the reasons, it seems that things are-a-changing, not only in the Medical Department, Fitness Department, the Scouting, but especially in the Academy…

Despite some encouraging results in the cups last season, both the U21’s and U18’s had wretched campaigns in their respective leagues amid worrying rumours of unrest behind the scenes.

Liam Brady, who had worked tirelessly for the Academy, despite a few health issues, has retired from his position at the club and will take on an ambassadorial role.

Both Pat Holland and Terry Burton have moved on and now we have the recent news of the departure of Roy Massey.
Massey was the Assistant Academy Director and ran the Hale End complex. I don’t know the circumstances surrounding him leaving, he may have simply come to the end of his contract and was looking to do something different?

Whatever the reasons, Twitter is full of rumours, and there does seem to be changes afoot, a new broom perhaps?

Andries Jonker has an impressive CV, having worked for 7 years as a Technical Director in charge of youth at the Dutch FA. He has also managed both the Dutch U15’s and Dutch U21’s…

In club football he has worked alongside Louis Van Gaal at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich but he will be leaving his job at Wolfsburg to become the Head of Youth Development at Arsenal in July…

The recent arrival of young left-back Elias Hatzitheodoridis, from Arsenal’s Elite Academy in Greece, shows the benefits of that investment by the club and comes hard on the heels of an earlier Greek signing, midfielder Mougos Savvas…

According to Jeorge Birds excellent youth blog, these are the intake into the U18 squad for next season…

Marc Bola, c/b l/b
Aaron Jordan, r/b r/w
Chiori Johnson, r/b
Stephy Mavididi, striker
Tyrell Robinson, w/f
Chris Willock, mid
Harry Donavon, mid
Kaylen Hinds, striker
Jonatas Centero, r/b r/w
Kristopher Da Graca, c/b
George Dobson, c/b def/mid…

At least things are getting sorted out in the Academy, hopefully Arsene Wenger will soon start to sort out the first team….

Written by Allezkev.

Transfer Gossip:

All I can find is from The Sun, they believe that Arsenal will activate the buy-back clause for Carlos Vela.

 

218 thoughts on “Vela getting closer to a return. Things are starting to move in the Academy…

  1. ozgunner says:

    Can’t see Vela wanting back to us, although i do think Arsenal will get a quid out of the situation.

  2. Hell Raising Devil says:

    I do not think that Vela will be good for us. Yes he might be good in Spain…..but I do not think he will cut it in the EPL. So he will be a flop again.

    Better take the money as I think his heart will not be in it. Then again I might be wrong.

    Regarding the Cesc story I think that there will be many underhand tactics. However, AW will remain quiet until the Chavs come out with their offer, only for Cesc to turn it down when AW will phone him.

    Good article habib.

  3. rico says:

    Morning Kev and all.

    Really good post and I hope the appointment of Jonker see’s many changes, especially for the first team. I now we have said it before but the lack of players coming through the Academy into the first team is embarrassing.

    We should have signed up the two youth coaches who Southampton sacked, seems they have been getting a lot right. Not sure why they were sacked though…

  4. rico says:

    That would make sense Lee..

    I read somewhere that RS are trying to buy the clause from Arsenal, not sure how much if any truth is in that…

    Griezmann got two for France last night apparently, as did Benzema…

  5. ozgunner says:

    we have invested huge funds into these academies as well, agree the return has not hit its mark at all. Players have been brought from all over the world and hailed as the future so many times. Glad the changes have been made

  6. Nickie says:

    Maybe we should pluck some staff from Southampton Academy? They’re like a conveyor belt for talent what is a mid tier club doing correctly that we aren’t?

  7. potter says:

    Southampton I reckon take on board local boys from the south coast teams and concentrate on them 100%. Our approach has been like the first team, a scattergun effect , comb the world for any youngster that breathes , spend a fortune on them and their families , cast them into the mixer and nip out to grab another lot in case you miss something. Had we concentrated on a handful of them instead of chasing 5000 we might have seen better results.

  8. Family Enclosure Man says:

    How to bugger Chelsea up:

    1. Come in with late bid for Cesc; 2. But Vela buy, thereby scuppering Chelsea’s deal for Costa (since Atletico won’t release Costa until they have signed their favoured replacement for him – Vela).

    Unlikely to happen, I know, but wouldn’t it be fun?

  9. Scott From Oz says:

    Morning all.
    So Arsenal has an Acdamey in Greece?
    Well, there is already a school here just yearning for a big club to throw a few dollars at it and get first crack at the best talent down under.
    They’d only need one top player every 5-10 years to justify their funding, and they’ll get more than that!!
    Wake up Arsenal 🙂

  10. Nickie says:

    I agree with Potter, the best talent from Southampton is British. They must have been grooming them kids for years. Focus on a core of talented (British) youngsters, devote all time to them so they become super footballers. Ok some influx of young foreign talent is good, keeps the group fresh. But just because we got some “wonderkid” with some exotic spanish name like Santiago xavi Rodriquez doesn’t mean he’s going to be any good

  11. Scott From Oz says:

    Oh, and Devil, I hope youa rer ought on Arsene sitting back awaiting the Portuguese pricks next move!
    How sweet would it be?

  12. Nickie says:

    Just read my comments back, all talent is welcome from all over the world but I wanted to get the point across of focusing solely on less players. We don’t need 5000 kids in like Potter says, poaching Bolivia for their one superstar

  13. potter says:

    Not just British kids though take the case of Håvard Nordtveit , he cost us about £2 million we spent three years bringing him on , never gave him a chance in the first team squad sold him for £ 800,000 . He is now a centre half playing regularly for Borrussia Moechengladbach and has 13 International caps at age 22.
    I sometimes believe that we don’t do joined up thinking.

  14. rico says:

    You are too biased Scott 😉

    Nickie, agree, I too don’t care where they come from but AW seems like a kid in a sweet shop overseas. Less is more sometimes….

  15. Wavy says:

    But wouldn’t Senderos come into the same bracket. A child in whom we spent half a fortune only, after half a century to off load him to any one who would have him! He too has won countless international caps……..doesn’t make him worth keeping though, does it? Or all the investment!

  16. rico says:

    Funny though really, we have 100’s in the Academy but when it comes to the first team squad, numbers are seriously low….

  17. rico says:

    Wavy, I’m not sure comparing Senderos with Nordtveit would be right. One is getting plenty of plaudits in Germany, the other has just helped his team get relegated… 😉

  18. potter says:

    The case of Senderos is similar I agree but players have to play to find out. This kid never got the chance and was released because Wenger said he could not develop any further with us without first team football.Still Borussia came 5th in their league and are in Europe next year so maybe we will see for ourselves.

  19. Scott From Oz says:

    Are our kids exposed to tough, hard, competitive football, or is the technical stuff what they concentrate on most?

  20. rico says:

    I think a lot aren’t pushed enough and don’t have enough discipline instilled in them, bit like most of the kids in this day and age….

  21. Nickie says:

    We always hear of the next best thing, this youth coming from Barca or the next superstar coming from Fiorentina (as examples). Luke shaw Southamption, where is our youngster bursting on to the scene. A world class football club and we have no one lol. People mention Gnabry but if you take a look at his progress along the lines of others of a similar age, he’s not actually that spectacular. Why can’t our staff see that Djourou is a pile of turd or prime example Senderos, the fans can see it, they’re not Arsenal quality but we persist with them.

  22. rico says:

    Absolutely Scott. Too much money at too young an age as well… As has been said before on here, these kids think they have made before they have even started and then shock horror, they are gone…

    But, like Potter, I think one or two are given up on all a bit too soon.

    Hopefully, Jonker will change all this….

  23. rico says:

    I want to see a few English players coming through….

    Also, it would be interesting to see how our wages compare to other clubs Academy players…

    Not the likes of Chelsea and City but say Southampton, Sunderland, Everton etc etc

  24. snaparse says:

    I believe with the right guidance and coaching system we might just see changes….even La masia had to go through some kind of revolutionary process maybe we should focus on British kids? I do think it still boils down to the coaching system and also getting this boys to know basics instead of focussing only on results..

  25. Canadian Gooner says:

    Good Morning to The Lady of the House and all fellow Gooners in residence.

    I’m not sure Arsene wants Vela back. I think he wants half the proceeds of his sale to the likes of Atletico Madrid or leverage to guarantee Arsenal get Griezmann, probably at a reduced price. After having watched possible Arsenal targets Benzema, Griezmann and Remy in the France vs. Jamaica friendly game, I hope it is the latter. Remy looked godd, but Benzema and Griezmann looked great and both worked very well with our own Giroud.

  26. rico says:

    snap, coaching, money, there’s possibly plenty of reasons our Academy hasn’t been a success…

    Morning Cg.

    I’m not sure Arsene knows who he wants… 😉

  27. Canadian Gooner says:

    With Real Madrid putting the price of Angel di Maria at 40 million quid, I think Antoine Griezmann is a better bet for Arsenal.

  28. Canadian Gooner says:

    Oz – There were questions as to Benzema and Giroud being able to work together, even in the French press, but yesterday’s game certainly showed that they can. However, if we could get Griezmann and Remy for less or the same price as Benzema, I’d take the pair. Getting all three would be Nirvana (not the band).

  29. Lee says:

    But we won a cup and were within 7 points of the PL winners….no need to strengthen! We have players coming back from long injuries they’ll be like new signings!!! 😉

  30. Canadian Gooner says:

    Oz – If you believe the club are broke, I can only surmise that living down under has caused all the blood to rush to your head resulting in delusions. Now, get your tongue out of your cheek.

  31. Nickie says:

    Have they played well together any other games or is it literally against the 1 team which lets face it aren’t world beaters lol

  32. ozgunner says:

    CG – agree mate – I have always felt squad depth has been a real weakness with Wenger – He appears to gamble so many times and being a lucky guy eg. the sudden injury free run of RVP and then again with the playboy – he seems to look at his first 11 and seems them as good enough. Its only my opinion but you have to admit he runs major gambles regularly. If Cesc is available you buy him no question, he improves the squad, sell if necessary, its what building stronger sides is about surely?

  33. rico says:

    I doubt we’ll get either Griezmann or Di Maria myself..

    Oz, which is why I think he’ll sign a few players, may not be who we’d all like though….

  34. Canadian Gooner says:

    Lee and Oz – Are you two doing a comedy duo or is the stress of the transfer window getting to you both?

  35. ozgunner says:

    no one will earn more than Wenger either so be careful with your top end players. they will want top end money

  36. ozgunner says:

    Rico, he will scout around what’s left no doubt and I agree 1/2 10/12m buys are more than likely.

  37. Nickie says:

    I know we desperately need a striker and a cdm but the one player i’d really like in this year is Di Maria. I’d take a double swoop for Khedira and Di Maria

  38. Scott From Oz says:

    Let’s face it, none of us have a clue what Wemger is thinking.
    Nobody picked Ozil 12 months ago as a potential signing.
    Oh that’s right…..that wasn’t a Wenger decision, yet Wenger has all the power.
    Sounds right lol.
    Still, that just goes to show we don’t have much idea at all, so let’s just sit back and watch it all unfold, and hope he gets it right, not just on quality, but a little depth as well.

  39. Adam says:

    I don’t think that Wenger has any choice but to buy players like Griezman and Di Maria. They will show the fans that the club really mean business and are ambitious. He knows that Wigan beating Man City in the FA Cup semi meant that he dodged a bullet. Does anybody think we would have beaten Man City in the final? I can’t see it as a likely possibility though don’t discount the fact that it could have happened. If he had lost the final I think he would have walked. The home and away fans are tapping their feet while waiting to see what happens next. If he blows this transfer window then it won’t take much for it all to kick off again, especially after the ST rise that was totally uncalled for and a PR disaster. He was lucky last year and the fans know it as sure as they know that there are no excuses left for him to hide behind now. Fcuk this one up and I doubt he will see the 3 years out.

  40. Scott From Oz says:

    Adam, I was thinking the opposite….I honestly thought if we won the Cup he’d go out on a high.
    He’s a tough bugger to read lol

  41. ozgunner says:

    he has pressure from every quarter and so he should, to spend. Even Kos has been in the press with high expectations of numbers and quality. IG has made no secret we should be chasing top end as has others. Has to happen regardless of his stubborn nature

  42. Canadian Gooner says:

    Rico – I can’t see us getting di Maria unless he is still available on deadline day. Griezmann is another matter. I don’t think Sociedad want to sell both. As long as we have the option on Vela, we have great influence over both players.

    I think Arsene wants Griezmann, but is under no pressure to rush negotiations as the longer it goes on the more pressure Real S. are under. In the meantime, if Arsene’s caution causes the Costa to move from Atletico to held up, so much the better. The Petulant Portuguese Pygmy Maureen Yo needs to taught a lesson in manners.

    As for the Cesc trade, rumour has it that Maureen wants to get the transfer fee down to below the level that Arsenal would get a share. I’m not sure what the first refusal clause contains, but why not let Chelsea spend the time negotiating down the price and then Arsenal exercise their option to buy. Wouldn’t that irritate the Special Needs One?

  43. ozgunner says:

    he has the softest job in football management and is paid a fortune, he was never going to quit Scott

  44. rico says:

    AW said the FA Cup had no baring on his decision Adam and you and I both he speaks the truth always…

    Seriously though, Wigan did beat City and we won the big jug, so why worry about what might have been on a negative side? 😉

  45. rico says:

    To be honest Cg, I haven’t a clue what AW’s plans are and I haven’t seen Griezmann play so can’t really comment on him. Haven’t seen too much of Di Maria either and if he’s as good as people here think, why Real would sell him baffles me. Unless of course it’s to raise funds for Suarez..

    I’m going to remain positive until the last day of July, and then if no-one has signed, I might start to worry… 😉

  46. ozgunner says:

    CG – i have seen these thought lines in the press but honestly don’t think we’re smart enough or believe enough in squad depth. Time will tell. Master stroke and a great opportunity to finally get one back against Mourinho. Mourinho no doubt would revel in taking Cesc and to me sends out another poor message. He’s now a very highly rated player and its obvious who his first choice would be.

  47. Adam says:

    I am not worrying about it Rico. I merely point out that he has made it his business to scrape through year after year and this year it went to the wire and he got lucky. I reckon that him staying or going came down to winning that cup. Great, so let’s put away all this scrimping and saving and buying the leftovers as long as we can get them at a good price and push ahead. Quite frankly, when you’ve paid about £35 million all up for Arshavin and given money for Park and been giving that tosser Bendtner £52 grand a week for years while he did bugger all except mug himself off, then what does it matter whether DiMaria is £35 or £40 million?

  48. Nickie says:

    We will 100% be signing a player we haven’t been linked with lol. Actually there was the odd rumour of Ozil floating around but it seemed so silly yet it happened. Wenger always springs a suprise

  49. Scott From Oz says:

    Oz, the pressure he is under from fans and the media hardly makes it a soft job.
    I’m not sure why it is you can’t see a single good thing in the guy.
    Adam, I was hoping, because it thought it was a great way for him to depart….let’s hope he spends up, wins some more trophies and goes on an even bigger high.

  50. rico says:

    I get all that Adam, I really do and I know things have to change but I’m just saying let’s enjoy the FA Cup and let the bloke have a chance to sign players.

    I just can’t see him or the board mucking up this transfer window, not with him just signing on for three more years and with all the money that is clearly available…

    AW has got away with it for far too long, something has to change and as I’ve said before, I can’t see him wanting abuse hurled from the stands as he experienced last season…

  51. tsgh says:

    A very good one Kev…

    Nickie, imho, hindsight is a beautiful thing…

    We fans may slate Senderos or even AW now but if you remember it was a tag of way between us and RM when he was at Servette, the same as it was between us and RM for Ozil…

    In Senderos’s case he joined us as he and his dad were AFC fans… the reason why when he was available RM loaned him for a year or so…

    Senderos was very good playing with an experienced player leading to our only CL final… keeping the highest number of clean sheets too…

    As a matter of fact, Switzerland were meant to be like Belgium now in terms of emerging talent with the likes of Inler,Bahrami,Frei etc.

    Most teams wanted a player from Servette and Basel’s academy in the early 2000’s at one stage…

    Same as the ‘best striker the world has ever known’… during his loan spell at Birmingham, for an odd reason, loads of clubs including Chelsea wanted him as the next Drogba or Laudrup…

    In fact the Laudrups themselves billed Nickie up as the next best thing…

    At that time in Scandinavia it was between him and a younger Zlatan… the same as it was between Reyes and Ronaldo; but AW made the safe and pragmatic approach in both cases which back fired… but as I said hindsight is a beautiful thing…

    In reyes duet he rescued us from 2-0 down with a peach of a free kick and another master stroke when even the master and TH14 were struggling to score…

    Up north, CR was the portugese Owusu-Abeyie; diving and falling and misfiring for 2 years until he finally had an epithany and the rest is history…

    The issue is we were conned by Bendtners’ father and he was given 50k a week at his age. It became too much for him to want to learn… and teh fact that we did not have the TH14 around for him to learn from did not help… imho of course…

    Afternoon Rico, Dev, Cg , the fishing Scott from Oz et al…

  52. Wavy says:

    He’s saving the transfer pot up so his successor can dip his bread in……………..three years time!

  53. Canadian Gooner says:

    Oz – I’m sure Arsene has a list of primary candidates and their alternates for each position. The club can’t negotiate for all at once, so is concentrating on the majors first. Hence the likes of Aurier, who has expressed his wish to come, will be left till later. Add to that the wish of some clubs to delay deals until after the WC in hopes that good/great performances will lead to higher transfer fees and Arsene’s stuborness and willingness to wait till the last minute in hopes of getting a ‘bargain’. It may yet be another long hot summer. So, we should try and enjoy the WC and all other distractions.

    My predictions are Aurier, Bender/Grenier, Griezman, Morata/Remy and Ospina.

  54. ozgunner says:

    CG – agree mate. I said last time on here, i skip 90% of the media crap now and will stick to my original prediction – 1 around 20m 2 at approx 10/12m and one very cheap option.

  55. rico says:

    If he does Wavy, I agree with Adam, AW won’t last three years. In fact, I doubt he’d be here at the end of this season.

    Hi Ts.

  56. Nickie says:

    Wavy,

    what a waste though, spends all those years on a limited budget, cutting costs etc. Then when he has a chance to go wild retreats back into his shell. If he doesn’t buy or spend this year he really is a petty old man

  57. Canadian Gooner says:

    Rico – If you can find a tape delay of the France vs. Jamaica friendly from yesterday, give it a watch. You can see how Aurier, Benzema, Giroud, Grenier (cameo) and Griezmann play together. I was impressed. Unfortunately not all of them [lay from the start.

  58. rico says:

    Cg, but they were playing Jamaica… 😉

    Thanks though, if SS’s are showing a replay I might take a peep…

  59. tsgh says:

    What are you trying to say Rico re Jamaica? 🙂 that the palyers were jammin’ instead of actually playing footie… lol

  60. Canadian Gooner says:

    Ginge – Good afternoon. Thanks for reminding that I neglected to thank Kev. I was in such a rush to make another point.

    Kev – Thank you for a great and concise update on the Arsenal Academy.

  61. Canadian Gooner says:

    Ginge – Not having seen much of either team lately, I’m not sure if France were that good or The Reggae Boyz were that bad, but France made them look like The Ganga Gang. I think France were that good, certainly better than England in their recent friendlies against similar opposition.

    Anyway, I have a lot of plants to get into hanging baskets and beds. So, I will bid you good night from me and good day to you.

    Keep The Faith!

  62. Lee says:

    No magic sponge used by the Jamaican physio…. something that they lit, I couldn’t quite see it through the plumes of smoke! Left me baffled tbh. Any thoughts Adam?

  63. Canadian Gooner says:

    Ginge – Regarding your US of A – I can’t answer that directly as the language I would use would have Rico banning for life.

    I’ll be rooting for France and Germany. I just can’t see Engerland past the quarter finals.

    Gone.

  64. tsgh says:

    Ciro is the striker who has now signed for BVB… top player… he and Balo’ will be sensational

  65. rico says:

    The Mail

    Arsenal have shown an interest in Steven Caulker in what would be a surprise move for the former Tottenham defender.

    😮

  66. Rick says:

    Afternoon Rico and the House.
    Good post Kev thats just how I see it. I would like to know just what went wrong last season. Untill Nov the U21 and U19 were unbeatable and from then on we could not win a game. Like you I am hoping Jonker can sort things out. Adding the new intake
    to what remains of last seasons squad looks very promising in my view.

  67. rico says:

    Arsenal have tabled a bid for Real Madrid’s £20m rated striker Alvaro Morata, according to reports in Italy.

    The Bernabeu star struggled for a regular starting place last term and had reportedly agreed in principle to a five-year deal at Juventus last week.

    But a delay in his move to Italy appears to be because Real president, Florentino Perez, is also considering offers from Arsenal and German side Wolfsburg.

    Perez is hoping to recoup around €30m for the 21-year-old Spaniard and the Juventus deal was set to be worth just €10.5m, while the other two offers are thought to be considerably higher.

    Morata’s reputation as one of Europe’s most promising talents has put him at the top of Arsene Wenger’s wishlist, although the Gunners boss is also eying up moves for a number of other strikers, including QPR’s Loic Remy, Real Sociedad’s Carlos Vela, Bayern Munich’s Mario Mandzukic and Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema.

  68. tsgh says:

    Too many experiments re u-21’s and u-18’s Rick imo…

    So many players were played out of position…

  69. bob john says:

    Hi all. Just a random thought. We all naturally want our players to do well at the world cup but realistically the best thing that could happen is that none of them play and their countries all get knocked out early!

  70. Wath says:

    Totally agree BJ… I also think it’s utter bollox that Wenger is off doing tv work when he should be sorting out Arsenal stuff…! Said it for years it’s a piss take he goes and does tv work when tournaments are on when he should be sorting out his day job. Who at Arsenal gave the go ahead for him to do that..?

  71. rico says:

    I bloody hate stats! 😉

    Spot on Bj, I want them all out asap. Sadly though, I think France, Germany and Spain could be there for a while…

  72. rico says:

    I suspect he did Wath..

    Totally agree though, he should be back in London, unless of course someone else will be sorting out transfers. Now that would be novel….

  73. Rick says:

    Nickie your10.19 this morning, and Potter your 10.36
    There is one simple reason why Soton have a conveyor belt of young English talent.
    When the powers to be introduced the acadamy system they also introduced a rule saying clubs could only recruit youngsters within a certain travel time radius.
    Because of the location of Soton this ment the London clubs could not recruit from there and also ment that Soton and Pompy were the only clubs that they could in fact sign for.
    This is a stuped rule because clubs can still recruit players of the same age from overseas.

  74. Adam says:

    Wenger has always seemed to be swanning off to any football tournament around the world at this time of year. Perhaps his wife, like Mrs Adam, is pleased to see the back of her spouse for a while. From what I understand he spends most of his time watching and analysing football anyway. He must be a bundle of fun to live with.
    On a slightly more serious note, perhaps Gazidis, Fox and Law, if that is them and not a firm of dodgy accountants, really are doing the biz behind the scenes. No, I don’t believe that either.
    The equation seems to be, do your business late and get a better price. The one thing that is missing from this is that there is less to chose from. I say, steam in, sort the money and get ’em on board early for a decent fitness program, to mix with their new team mates and to begin to understand the culture of the club.

  75. snaparse says:

    hi ts Rico and all….morata??? he might come good but I can’t really think of a 21yr old leading the line for title aspired team…..would be happy if he came with a more seasoned professional too

  76. Adam says:

    Half man, half beaver Guillaume Balague said months ago that the Morata deal is already done.

  77. Rick says:

    I don’t know Rico. There was a big debate last season about it and I seem to remember some of the smaller clubs were up in arms over the way it benefited the big clubs.. However I have no idea what the outcome was,maybe Kev or ginge will know.

  78. Lee says:

    Balague could of done with him on Saturday, his Hampsteads would make a cracking beer bottle opener!

  79. rico says:

    Agree Adam. The 3 musketeers are busy as we type no doubt…. 😉

    Neither can I snap..

    Rick, thanks, I didn’t know that rule might still be up in the air…

  80. snaparse says:

    Guillaume Balague is one of those itk I guess Adam but he definitely gets more wrong than rights

  81. goonster says:

    Just reading through the comments….I agree with a few of them. Vela ll struggle in the epl plus I don’t think he wants to come back. Greiezmann looks the shit hope we get him but my favorite player over the past 2 seasons is heading to barfa. Bummer

  82. goonster says:

    His gf huh?? Alright just like higuain senior said we ve signed his son. I believe it when I see it.

  83. rico says:

    She’s posted a comment on twitter saying she’ll miss Messi’s girlfriend when she leaves Spain… lol

  84. goonster says:

    Cuadrado maam….he’s is beast. Could have given us everything di Maria would plus he ll be cheaper watch out for him at the world cup maam. Colombia to be precise.

  85. rico says:

    Never heard of him goonster…

    That was his old girlfriend I think, this one wants to live in London, apparently…

  86. goonster says:

    He’s fine maam…He ll be fine. Watch him pop on in the next 20 minutes. He. Loves it when we miss him. That old tree bark. If I don’t know any better I ll say he’s doing it on purpose.

  87. BrainwashedKev says:

    Evening All…

    Bloody busy today.
    Stan, I was really ripping off the tourists, big time.
    You would have been impressed…

    Rick, I think you’ll find that the rule governing the distance you can scout youngsters, has been scrapped…
    Fred is the guy to ask, he knows his onions when it comes to the Stiffs and Youths…

  88. BrainwashedKev says:

    Night Rico…

    Had a good chat with Wath today, think he was in a pub close to Camden Lock.
    As usual… 😉

    Evening Scott. I been right out of the loop today. Had a short break outside the StPancras Hotel, but full-on after that…
    Another lovely day, weather-wise..,

    Thanks for all your positive comments on the post…
    Southampton certainly seem to have found the recipe for bringing through some quality youngsters…
    Ward-Prowse looks another….

  89. frednerk says:

    Just quickly,The old 60/90 mins rule for young players was scrapped.
    All geared up for the big boys now.

  90. Lee says:

    Adam, I suffer terribly with hayfever and it’s bad today. Apparently this summer will be one of the worst……..

  91. Adam says:

    Brudder. I never knew you were a sufferer. I have never had a problem with it but this morning I am Mister Mucus. 🙂

  92. rico says:

    Make that three of us, hayfever has been awful this spring/summer. Really upsets my eczema too…. 🙁

  93. Scott From Oz says:

    Hi Rico.
    Interesting read, Lee.
    Let’s hope those bastards don’t get him, and if he leaves Barca, he heads to Germany……or us.

  94. Lee says:

    No Rico, but I’m off to Ibiza for a stag do/birthday on Friday morning and I’m dreading it…….some real nutters going!

  95. Lee says:

    Seems RM might be in for Suarez and need to balance the books….Khedira and Di Maria would do me!

  96. rico says:

    Sky Sorts launch a new channel in August which will be dedicated to European football…

    I’ll never getting any work done…. 😉

  97. Lee says:

    There are other DM options…. I still like the look of Bender, and to see Bender on Kev’s back would be funny!

  98. Lee says:

    He’s good, but only completes 83% of his cereal in the mornings and butters his toast in an anti clockwise direction….

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