Bye Bye Mathieu 6 May, 2008
Posted by lasagnechef in Arsenal News.trackback
Well it has been officially announced on the AC Milan website for some time now but tonight they’ve finally decided to update Arsenal.com with the news that Flamini will move to Milan in the summer. My current thoughts are: Well thank fuck that’s over. I’ve been waiting for them to announce it on Arsenal.com for bloody ages so I could talk about it on here but AC Milan’s site beat us to it.
It’s been a very long process, the decision on Flamini’s future has gone up and down, left to right and every possible outcome discussed. It’s a shame he’s decided not to stay with us but at least we’re still not left in the dark about it.
Flamini has had an incredible season with us this term; I would even go as far as saying he was probably our best player this campaign. It looked like he was certain to leave last summer but for some reason he didn’t and he actually ended up starting our opening games of the season. At the time, the explanation for this was that Gilberto Silva was still tired from international duty.
Mathieu got a little run in the side and he never shifted since. Gradually, but quickly, people started to realise that Flamini was some player. After a couple of months, he became irreplaceable, forcing Gilberto to the bench, the man who was favourite to become the new Arsenal captain after the departure of Henry.
Flamini was technically brilliant but the thing that stood out for me was his commitment. He gave more than 100% every single game, despite the opposition and chased down every ball. He formed a great partnership with Cesc and it was no surprise to see us rise to 1st in the league.
He became a fans favourite and Gooners were calling for a new deal. However, as time went on his situation became more worrying. I was always confident he’d stay; I always thought that the contact just hadn’t been sorted out yet. However by about March I just realised it was never going to happen. We were all praying for him to stay, but it came apparent that Mathieu was after a very generous salary and was not afraid to look elsewhere for it.
We could never compete with Europe’s elite and a move to Italy or Spain looked likely for the Frenchman. There’s one thing I’d really like to say though, I totally admire the way Flamini has gone about his transfer. He has been incredibly committed in every game he was selected for, even though his future was in doubt. That is a fantastic quality and proof of a true professional. Right up until that injury at Anfield, he gave absolutely everything for Arsenal and very once showed that his mind was elsewhere. And for that I admire him and wish him good luck at his new club and wherever he goes after that.
So he’s chosen AC Milan, the team that we outclassed at the San Siro and knocked out of the Champions League. They’re not doing too great in the league this season either, currently they’ve just scraped into 4th but that Champions League spot is by no means guaranteed yet, they have a lot of work to do.
You’d have to question Flamini’s ambition if he’s signing for a club that might not necessarily be in Europe’s top competition next year. Well it isn’t really about that for Mathieu. We know that he’ll do his everything for the team, no matter what the prize is. But the main reason he’s chosen AC Milan, is for the money.
I heard that he’ll be getting 144 grand a week at Milan. Now I don’t know whether that’s Pounds or Euros, but even if it is that’s still close to £90,000 a week. That incredible money either way and you’d have to be mad to turn it down really.
I don’t blame him for going one bit, but I just wished that Arsenal meant more to him than the money and he stayed. Oh well.
He’s still officially our player until 1st July, he’s signed a pre-contract agreement with Milan or something like that which means we’ll still be paying him until the end of his deal, nice work I suppose!
Both he and Ashley Cole have left Arsenal at times when they are close to becoming Arsenal’s best players. Both moved on to make the most of the money that is available in football. However they way that Flamini has conducted himself this final season will make me love him forever. He wasn’t a cunt about it (like Cole), and just did his job and got on with it. Since cAshley moved to Chelsea his career went downhill, I honestly hope the same doesn’t happen to Matty, good luck mate.
Great piece mate. I completely agree with what you’ve said. He’s a class act and has handled himself well and I wish him all the best at his new club.
I do wish he stayed though, of course…
lol..flamini has never been “technically” brilliant, yes he has had been a hard worker, been a real grafter in the holding midfield role but there is now way flamini was ever technically gifted and ever came close to being our best player this season..he is absolutely no way near the quality of diarra who is by far the bigger loss of the two.
I’m actually glad flamini has left ive wanted him to leave for years, one decent half season doesnt make a player and he was one of the reason y there was never any bursts of energy in the midfield, no penetrating of defences against the likes of boro and birmingham at home, he is no vieira, no diarra, just an average hard worker. I just hope he is replaced with tremendous quality, hope it’s diarra but its not gonna happen.
Are you lot mad??!!! Matty is a money grabbing short sighted little cunt! simple as! Wenger gave him his chance…he took it….played well for one season….then decides hes worthy of more money than anyone else at arsenal football club?!! He is a worker, a water carrier, does the hard work and gives the ball to the match winners like cesc. He desrved his 50k a week at arsenal and i am in no doubt that milan will want more for their 90k a week than matty is capable of giving.
We are a better side than milan, have a better chance fo winning trophies next year and he was loved by his team mates. So to move on now for more money, risking it all (may not get in milans team straight away, may not fit it, like italy, new league, etc) is madness and shows just how much of a cunt he is, purely driven by his bank balance.
I would love to see him rot at milan and go back to the average player he has always been before these last 9 months or so…then a team like birmingham can buy him for £1 million or summit.
well said rock. Diarra would have become a FAR better player than flamini could ever be given half the chance this season. I said it every week at the start of the season, when we bought diarra he should go straight in and replace flamini/bert. Long term diarra would have been world class, flamini has been v good mostly, but will be found out. I heard somewhere we had first refusal on diarra…hope so but i cant see it to be honest.
Muppets re: Diarra I seem to recall Wenger saying that we don’t sell players with those kinds of clauses but I can’t be certain. Something else must have been going on there with Diarra above and beyond the moaning in the papers–a world class midfielder in the making let go after 6 months is very unlike Arsene or Arsenal. Anyway can’t bring back that cunt.
Anyhow yeah bye bye Matty but i don’t think that he was too special. I still think back to Freddie playing left back after we lost Arse Cole because Flamini refused to play there. Jesus what a prima donna.
So this summer is going to be really tricky for Wenger, I don’t think any of us really know what should be done (i.e. who should be bought)–people say Barry but I’m not 100% sold on that idea. A good player but he seems more flair than hardman in the middle.
I personally don’t think Song’s quite ready, but hell what do i know I just speculate.
Who then?
Flamini can be world class in my opinion, if he stayed he would have become and arsenal legend no doubt in my mind.
True diarras technically better, but i put them on a par overall. Flaminis attitude was awesome and I thought hed have made a great captain for the side
Dont you think tho, he got treated a bit poorly by wneger for ages, I remember him playing left back, extremely well actually, and helping us get to the final of the ECL without letting in goals, only to be dropped to make way for ashley.
Some ppl say hes a late bloomer but thats utter crap, hes always been good, but like many players, needs a run in the team befre u can really see wat he offers
So im sure to him, either he felt wenger could do that to him again, or more likely it just left a bad taste, so first chance he got to move up (in the money stakes at least) he took it.
Fair play to him, rate him as a person really, and as a player. Jst a shame he left. I think arsenal will bounce back next year. At least its over very early, so planning can commence on how to build for next year.
But Everton didn’t.
Alan Wiley didn’t give them a free kick from a blatant Gallas back pass in the first half. That helped the cause. Whatever happened to that back pass rule? I can’t remember a back pass free kick being given this season.
Andy Johnson was never going to get anywhere against our short and fast defence. Yakubu probably would have got Everton a point. Oh! hang on, Johnson scored against us at Goodison last season.
We will pay off our financial debts, but in that time we won’t win much or possibly anything.
Flamini will probably die a rich man. When we have money coming out of our ears in a few years time we will be able to keep our best players and challenge Man Utd and Chelsea for silverware again.
All the English blokes who play for us are badly behaved, non professional or just not good enough, although we hope Theo develops. He was a headless chicken on Sunday.
Shame that Song, Toure and Gallas aren’t a bit taller or that Senderos isn’t a bit better at defending.
Pity about the injuries to RVP, Rosicky, Eduardo, Sagna and Diaby.
We can’t really complain. 3rd spot, 80 points, 107 goals. CL quarter finalists.
If he is unable or unwilling to splash the cash, maybe next season Wenger will focus more on the FA cup and the Carling Cup.
Why do you said that Arsenal can’t compete with the Europe elite? Arsenal board shoul think bigger. I’m not saying in this case but overall. They aways negociate the players that shines like Overmars, Petit, Vieira, Henry and others. The away i see things far away here from Brazil is that Arsenal its big enough for them.
Flamini is a runner who scores the odd goal and does the simple things well but isn’t great under pressure near his own area.
He lost the ball to Gerrard at home in the CL QF, he gave it to Clichy who didn’t want it in the last minute at B’ham and he lost it at Bolton for Taylor’s 2nd goal. The Taylor goal didn’t matter but the other 2 certainly did.
He shouldn’t be that difficult to replace.
Derby Scored Twice,
Famous last words
check out http://www.arsenalheat.blogspot.com to discuss why our best players want to leave.
evo, no fuck off
lol what’s with the gay square logo’s??
I’m glad Flamoney has gone… he was beginning to p*ss me off. A contract was offered in January and he should’ve just said back then that he was gonna leave for money.
I have no respect for him now.
Farrukh
the logo’s are so nobody can copy anyones name now.
Anyone saying bad about Flam stop sucking on ur lemons muppets he was a brill player and its AW and the Boards fault for fucking him off. AW sort it out
Its Arsene Wenger”s and the boards fault they we lost both Flamini,letting his contract run down and letting Diarra go.Utter madness.Diarra left because he wanted a first team stop.God we would have him back now as Flamini”s replacement
Nice post indeed.
More than Flamini departing, there is a a larger problem at Arsenal.
The problem that Arsene has with his players leaving now is because the Board has not found a suitable replacement for Dien who managed all this business beforehand.
Arsene’s main task is managing the team on the field–not off it–and until the Board finds him someone that excelled at the services that Dien provided in his former role, Arsenal will continue to hemorrhage and we will suffer.
FIGURE THIS OUT NOW ARSENAL BOARD, IF YOU ARE READING!!!