I won’t be around for a while… 4 September, 2007
Posted by lasagnechef in Arsenal News, Transfers.trackback
I’m off to Spain for a week and I doubt that where I’m going will have internet access but if it does I’ll keep the blog up to date. It’s international week anyway so there shouldn’t be loads of news, there’s the possibility of an announcement on Wenger’s contract and hopefully there’s no more injuries. Here are those players that are off on international duty; it’s strange that William Gallas and Bacary Sagna have been called up to the French squad even though they’re injured, maybe they’ll be back for Tottenham? Also, “Jens Lehmann has been selected to play for Germany despite suffering from an Achilles injury” is the quote from that article. Hmmm.
With the transfer window now closed, Wenger explains why he didn’t add another striker to his squad. He makes it quite clear though here, talking about Nicklas Bendtner:
“Every other club in the Premier League seems to phone me to get him on loan. So how can I say that everybody wants you but we want you here and then go to buy someone new.”
I can accept that. I’m sure we all know how desperate Bendtner is to play; he only came back here from Birmingham on the guarantee of first team football. He’s certainly 4th choice striker but I’m sure he will get games. If we did bring someone else in then Nick would’ve left and then we’d be back down to the same amount of strikers so there was no point in bringing someone in. Gilberto Silva has supported Wenger over not making many signings.
One player Arsene did decide to bring in though was Lassie Diarra. He only had a year left on his Chelsea contract and according to reports we got him on the cheap. He says that Chelsea thought he would “crack and finally accept a contract extension”. What a delightful situation. He goes on to say:
“But I refused every extension and now I have signed a three-year deal with The Gunners. Chelsea finally accepted, maybe because they were scared I would leave for free in one year. At 11pm on Friday night, I got a phone call to tell me I could start to negotiate with Arsenal as both clubs had found an agreement. I didn’t hesitate because Arsenal was the only club I wanted to join. It was Arsenal or nothing. Other teams contacted me, but I knew what I wanted. Chelsea knew I wanted to join The Gunners.”
I love the way it sounds like Chelsea were desperate to sign on this boy and offered him extensions and extensions yet he refused them all, brilliant. To be completely honest, by the sounds of things, behind the scenes at Chelsea Football Club is not a nice place, and I’m not just talking about the Diarra situation. There’s Lampard, Gallas, Mourinho and others who in one way or another have been unhappy, or had stalls in contracts talks or fall-outs.
That’s about it then for today. I’ll try get on el internetio this week, if not, I shall speak to you after the international break for a build up to Tottenham away. Thanks for reading.
where you off to in spain?
Right at the south, near malaga.
nice one matey - well you enjoy and be sure to cook up some lasagne for the fags from the lane in time for da derby.
At 11pm Diarra got the call to say that he could start negotiations. What would have happened if he didn’t hear the phone, he was with his girlfriend, or in the loo, or both. 11pm, 11 bloody pm, Behind the scenes at Chavski sounds like a scary place to be.
don’t worry - he was taught by ashley to keep the phone shoved firmly up his bumhole at all times. chelsea rent boy tactics…
I cant really work out what the reason was for chelsea telling arsenal and diarra at 11pm that they agreed to the move. was it really to stop any deal going through at all or just to piss off both diarra and Arsenal? would not surprise me if they had been so petty. they will say they have done well out of it since I think they only paid £1m for him and I expect we paid at least £3m for him. but he is a very good player so I am pleased.
3mil for a player thats seen as a future first choice in the french national team aint bad at all, chelsea paid 1 mil then blooded him in the premiership for us to reap the benefits. Nice
)
Gazzap
Chelsea paid 7m for him not 1m. Remember, we wanted him then and there was a minor bidding war; we offered 5m and were overbid for 7m and they had him. Now we paid 5m for him I’m told, so despite time value of money and his experience in the EPL and the CL, its still a bargain for us in my opinion. They lost and mind you, he’s only 20 and a midfield fighter in the mould of ‘my friend’ Reo-Coker. I’ve liked Reo-Coker since he moved to Villa, he’s been massive for both Villa and U21. We should’ve gone for him.
I saw Diarra last season againts us in the Carling Cup final, and I think he is a good player. So I am happy with his signing.
Just for fun I wanted to imagine the team using all the center midfielders we have:
Almunia
Flamini, Toure, Gilberto, Clichy
Diarra, Cesc, Diaby, Denilson
RVP and Dudu
Not bad at all….
Rick
[...] I won’t be around for a while… I’m off to Spain for a week and I doubt that where I’m going will have internet access but if it does […] [...]
Howard - Chelsea paid 1 million for him - “Chelsea’s wide network of scouts tagged Diarra as the ‘new’ Makélélé and promptly paid £1m[3] for his services in July 2005.” Quote from Wikpedia
You cam put anything you want into wikipedia Mickey C, its like an open forum whereby users can add to the info already there. 100% correct it aint , far from it
Diarra is a pig … they should have left him at chelski
while in spain, try and watch some la liga games
________
http://www.insearchoffootball.ipbfree.com
DeiseGooner - Point taken - I have had a scout-about on the internet and found that Chelsea paid 4 million euros for Diarra, this works out at £2,710,126. Sources are a more reliable http://www.premiershiplatest.com/news/lassana-diarra-having-patched-up-with-ch-551150.html and http://www.grdb.com/player.3458.lassana-diarra.aspx.
Still no where near £7 million, but I admit I was wrong as well.
Come and comment on my new site ,
you gotta love it !!!!
http://ethangoonerworld.wordpress.com/2007/09/07/bendtnergilberto-jens-and-arsene/#respond
also i heard diarra was purchased for 2 million , he was in the last year of his 3 year deal , and the chevs cut there losses , as he made it quite clear he only wanted to join arsenal .. knocking back aston villa amoungst others…
I just got back from Benalmadena, i was also out there for a week.
A good week for Arsenal win against Portsmouth, Signing Diarra and Wenger’s new contract all done a dusted, i can’t wait for sunday now!
Anyone with the right squad for the game againts Tottenham ?
This is the most probable team:
Almunia
Sagna (Diarra ?), Toure, Gallas (Diarra ?), Clichy
Hleb, Cesc, Gilberto, Rosicky
RVP and Adebayor
BUT, this is the team that I would like to see:
Almunia
Sagna, Toure, Diarra, Clichy
Hleb, Cesc, Diaby, Rosicky
RVP and Eduardo
Regards,
Rick