Hi,
Quite a bit has happened during my forced absence from the Internet. Got to tell you, never have I encountered a wifi connection so appaling in roughly 10 years of my travels. Things are really looking bad for Greece. Anyway, I'll try to keep my overview short, for the benefit of those already familiar with the news.
Yaya Sanogo has finally joined the Club after a lot of talk. If I recall correctly, the transfer happened on the 1st of July. The French international was handed the 22nd number, but has yet to make an appearance as a proud owner of the T-Shirt. Here's hoping he'll have a good pre-season under his belt, though I think he'll be restricted mainly to Capital Cup appearances in the forthcoming campaign.
However, our "out" department seems to have a lot more on their hands, than the "in" one, with Mannone, Denilson, Djourou and Coquelin all leaving, either permamently or on loan, with the futures of Gervinho, Bendther, Chamakh and Park all hanging in the balance.
Don Vito has left us for good, joining Sunderland for an "undisclosed fee". He had a decent spell with the Gunners this season at the start of the campaign, when both Poles were absent, netting over 10 apperances in all competitions. He failed to convince, however, that he can be Number 1 and was immediately swapped for Sszcesny, upon the latter's return. Frankly, Mannone was never very good by Arsenal standards and the move was imminent. It was the question of when, rather than if. Good luck to him at Sunderland, though he has big shoes to fill after Mignolet's departure.
Denilson has also left the club on a permament basis. He left as a free agent, with Arsenal pulling off some hocus-pocus and terminating the contract by mutual consent. No money from this deal, it seems, but at least Denilson is off the books, as the streamlining of our squad continues. The Brazilian has already joined Sao Paolo, his home club, where he's spent two previous seasons on loan. The best of luck for him there.
Djourou and Coquelin, meanwhile, have joined Hamburg and Freiburg respectively, both on loan. Djourou has a clause, however, that will allow Hamburg to buy him out at the end of his loan stay. Both had very little practice for Arsenal this year, with Johan being shipped out on loan for Hannover at the end of the campaign. While the Swiss international will, most likely, leave at the end of the season, it's not so clear with Coquelin. He may yet have a part to play in this team, though it's hard to see where he joins the picture right now. He's a very likeable defensive midfielder, tidy and energetic, but with Ramsey stepping it up, he's down the pecking order. We'll have to wait and see what happens a year from now, but, to my mind, Coquelin is another candidate for leaving.
As for Park and Chamakh, it's pretty quiet on both fronts. Park's signing has always been a mystery to me, and he'll most likely leave this summer, after completing his boot camp training back in Korea. Who will take him and whether we'll be able to get some money out of it is entirely different question. Park, being virtually non-existent, is an unknown quantity, at least to me. Glad it's Wenger's headache, not mine.
There's a bit more to Chamakh's quietness, however, with his former club Bordeaux seemingly intrested in taking him back. With his stock having fallen so low, it's hard to see us getting some money for his transfer, which, at this stage, is not even an option. Looks like he'll stay with us one more year, before leaving on a free. A situation the Club will gladly avoid, but, as I said, options seem scarce.
Bendther, meanwhile, stole the show, with his trademark stupidity becoming, once again, a real obstacle in moving him on. Frankfurt were more than willing to buy him, with Arsenal even more willing to get rid of TGSTEL. We've gone an extra mile, and offered to pay up the difference in wages for the first season, but oh no, Bendther can't take it. The pinnacle of dumbness, his decision, that is. He could 've played a lot more in his new club, receive the same wages for the first season and then, depending on how good he played, moved on to a better club or demand a pay rise from Frankfurt's usual wages. So it seems, he's ready to spend one more year on the bench and than leave on a free, only to play at roughly the same level as Frankfurt, with his stock so low. So be it. We won't be getting any cash out of his transfer, but he'll still have what he deserves. It'll be unwise to close the door on his transfer just yet, but it's highly unlikely still.
Yao Gervinho finds himself in another interesting situation. He was left behind for our Vietnam tour, presumably with a sickness. Whether he really is sick or is actively seeking pastures new remains to be seen. It'll be surprising, if he leaves, having earlier said he wants to stay and fight for his place, but take Marseille's reportes interest, add the Ivorian's suspicious absence from the tour and things get interested. It may all prove a coincidence in the end, a misunderstanding, but for now he seems to be ready to leave.
Finally for today, congrats to the team for beating their opponents (Vietnam this time) so compehensively. It's just pre-season and all, but a shower of tropical goals is still very pleasing to the eye. A special mention goes to Giroud's hat-trick, well done sir, well done indeed. Hope he carries that killer attitude into the new season.
That's it for today. More tomorrow
Quite a bit has happened during my forced absence from the Internet. Got to tell you, never have I encountered a wifi connection so appaling in roughly 10 years of my travels. Things are really looking bad for Greece. Anyway, I'll try to keep my overview short, for the benefit of those already familiar with the news.
Yaya Sanogo has finally joined the Club after a lot of talk. If I recall correctly, the transfer happened on the 1st of July. The French international was handed the 22nd number, but has yet to make an appearance as a proud owner of the T-Shirt. Here's hoping he'll have a good pre-season under his belt, though I think he'll be restricted mainly to Capital Cup appearances in the forthcoming campaign.
However, our "out" department seems to have a lot more on their hands, than the "in" one, with Mannone, Denilson, Djourou and Coquelin all leaving, either permamently or on loan, with the futures of Gervinho, Bendther, Chamakh and Park all hanging in the balance.
Don Vito has left us for good, joining Sunderland for an "undisclosed fee". He had a decent spell with the Gunners this season at the start of the campaign, when both Poles were absent, netting over 10 apperances in all competitions. He failed to convince, however, that he can be Number 1 and was immediately swapped for Sszcesny, upon the latter's return. Frankly, Mannone was never very good by Arsenal standards and the move was imminent. It was the question of when, rather than if. Good luck to him at Sunderland, though he has big shoes to fill after Mignolet's departure.
Denilson has also left the club on a permament basis. He left as a free agent, with Arsenal pulling off some hocus-pocus and terminating the contract by mutual consent. No money from this deal, it seems, but at least Denilson is off the books, as the streamlining of our squad continues. The Brazilian has already joined Sao Paolo, his home club, where he's spent two previous seasons on loan. The best of luck for him there.
Djourou and Coquelin, meanwhile, have joined Hamburg and Freiburg respectively, both on loan. Djourou has a clause, however, that will allow Hamburg to buy him out at the end of his loan stay. Both had very little practice for Arsenal this year, with Johan being shipped out on loan for Hannover at the end of the campaign. While the Swiss international will, most likely, leave at the end of the season, it's not so clear with Coquelin. He may yet have a part to play in this team, though it's hard to see where he joins the picture right now. He's a very likeable defensive midfielder, tidy and energetic, but with Ramsey stepping it up, he's down the pecking order. We'll have to wait and see what happens a year from now, but, to my mind, Coquelin is another candidate for leaving.
As for Park and Chamakh, it's pretty quiet on both fronts. Park's signing has always been a mystery to me, and he'll most likely leave this summer, after completing his boot camp training back in Korea. Who will take him and whether we'll be able to get some money out of it is entirely different question. Park, being virtually non-existent, is an unknown quantity, at least to me. Glad it's Wenger's headache, not mine.
There's a bit more to Chamakh's quietness, however, with his former club Bordeaux seemingly intrested in taking him back. With his stock having fallen so low, it's hard to see us getting some money for his transfer, which, at this stage, is not even an option. Looks like he'll stay with us one more year, before leaving on a free. A situation the Club will gladly avoid, but, as I said, options seem scarce.
Bendther, meanwhile, stole the show, with his trademark stupidity becoming, once again, a real obstacle in moving him on. Frankfurt were more than willing to buy him, with Arsenal even more willing to get rid of TGSTEL. We've gone an extra mile, and offered to pay up the difference in wages for the first season, but oh no, Bendther can't take it. The pinnacle of dumbness, his decision, that is. He could 've played a lot more in his new club, receive the same wages for the first season and then, depending on how good he played, moved on to a better club or demand a pay rise from Frankfurt's usual wages. So it seems, he's ready to spend one more year on the bench and than leave on a free, only to play at roughly the same level as Frankfurt, with his stock so low. So be it. We won't be getting any cash out of his transfer, but he'll still have what he deserves. It'll be unwise to close the door on his transfer just yet, but it's highly unlikely still.
Yao Gervinho finds himself in another interesting situation. He was left behind for our Vietnam tour, presumably with a sickness. Whether he really is sick or is actively seeking pastures new remains to be seen. It'll be surprising, if he leaves, having earlier said he wants to stay and fight for his place, but take Marseille's reportes interest, add the Ivorian's suspicious absence from the tour and things get interested. It may all prove a coincidence in the end, a misunderstanding, but for now he seems to be ready to leave.
Finally for today, congrats to the team for beating their opponents (Vietnam this time) so compehensively. It's just pre-season and all, but a shower of tropical goals is still very pleasing to the eye. A special mention goes to Giroud's hat-trick, well done sir, well done indeed. Hope he carries that killer attitude into the new season.
That's it for today. More tomorrow
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