Monthly Archives: June 2011

Roma’s cliche and the never ending Cescy story

I’ll start today’s post with the advertising note from that crazy gooner that put Denilson up for grabs on eBay.

He tagged the player, “Denilson: The Crab footballing machine” and he put him on the sporting section.

He has 160+ games on the clock, but don’t worry, at no time was this player ever over exerted

In fact, he’s so easy going, even pudgy middle aged referees breeze past him in important matches

He’s technically sound, literally never seems to get injured, passes sideways with precision and vigor and would be perfect for a team that requires a slow defensive midfielder that’s less mobile than a bleached oil tanker

Sevilla was the only side that was brave to offer the escort-in-chief an escape route but it seems as if the deal vanished into thin air. Arsenal tried to use him as bait for Shakhtar’s Will.i.an and Douglas Costa but the Ukrainian outfit told Arsenal to bring only cash if they’re serious.

The new season starts in two months’ time and I still believe that the Premier League’s 25-man squad listing will still stand so the sooner Arsenal gets rid of the bloke to replace him with a better defensive midfielder, the better for everyone. The club has been linked with Arturo Vidal recently so signing him as Denilson’s replacement will be a good call for Wenger because he’ll put Alex Song on his toes.

Gael Clichy has been linked away from Arsenal this summer and he has refused to sign a new deal with the club. Wenger has been trying his best to coax him into signing a contract at the table but Clichy has decided that he wants to seek greener pastures elsewhere. Liverpool made a meager bid of £5m that was duly rejected by the club.

Wenger has told the media Vultures that he’s resigned to losing Clichy but he’ll only favor a move outside England for the pacey fullback. A host of clubs have been linked with Clichy but AS Roma has been the most likiest candidates to seal his signature. There was a point in time when the media Vultures reported that Roma where ready to offer Jeremy Menez in a part-exchange deal for Clichy but his agent has laughed it off.

The media Vultures have reported again that Roma wants to make another attempt for Gael Clichy so I hope that they’ll give Arsenal an offer that they cannot refuse. Clichy on the other hand is keen on a move to Anfield so the saga involving Clichy, Arsenal, Roma and Liverpool will go on for a very long time thereby turning Clichy’s transfer situation into a cliche.

If he fails to sign the deal and Arsenal decides not to sell him, we’ll have to choice but to let him take the same path with Flamini. Leighton Baines and Jose Enrique are strongly linked as his replacements so we’ll have to wait and see how the events will unfold.

If I have the nerve to write that the tales involving Clichy’s transfer speculation would become a cliche, what word would best describe the Fabregas-Barcelona saga? Fabregas has been linked with Barcelona probably from the day he was born in the city. Barcelona had a £27m bid that was rejected so the media Vultures have reported that they are set to make a new £35m bid for Arsenal’s captain.

Arsenal’s valuation of Fabregas stands at £45m so the bid is short by £10m. Fabregas on the other hand told the media Vultures that there’ll be no problems if Arsenal sells him to Barcelona. He has said that his future would be decided by the two parties involved and he won’t do anything to balance the scales to any side. He says,

“I’m calm and optimistic. I got nothing to say and there’s nothing I can speak of. If something happens… it’s because it has to happen”

At least, he used “IF” not “WHEN”. Judging from my lexicon, IF has a conditional attachment to it. It’s either he goes to Barcelona or he does not go to Barcelona. There’s also an article from the Telegraph telling the World why Manchester United should go for Fabregas.

It’s worth a read though.

In other news, Arsenal set to lose the battle to sign the BioHazard of Eden from LOSC Lille Metropole as the player is linked with a move to the latest money bags in town, Paris St. Germain in a deal that involves loads of cash and a player too.

Jack Wilshere also got himself involved in a brawling incident that saw a girl injure her elbow. Jack Wilshere didn’t get involved in that act itself but it seems as if he instigated it. He has had off the pitch drinking issues before but his performances on the pitch were top-notch last season.

Congratulations to Sir Reverend Father His Royal Intelligence Dennis Bergkamp in his new role as Ajax’s assistant manager.

The tweet of the day goes to Arsenal’s transfer target, Ricky Alvarez

@11rickyalvarez: Just to let you know, EPL is the most watched league and Arsenal play sexy football 😉 that’s all! Easy decision..

July 1 is just two days away.

We await our trio that was promised.

Sayonara

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The Fabregate continues and a signing that would really Mata.

The saga between Fabregas, Arsenal and Barcelona dates back to the days King Arthur ruled Camelot. If Arsenal’s captain is personified as a beautiful girl, Arsenal would be her father while Barcelona will be regarded the suitor that wants to get some. The suitor has tried several techniques to woo her to join him but her father has kept him at bay times without number.

She then came out to say that she loves her father but she wants to be with him because it has always been her dream. But she has concluded that she owes her life to her father but she won’t go over the top to leave him.

Fabregas has tried to be calm throughout this ordeal surrounding his future at Arsenal. Wenger is resigned to losing his priced asset but Barcelona has failed to meet Arsenal’s evaluation for the player. Barcelona insulted the club by offering a meager amount of £27m for one of the best central midfielders walking on this planet but the media Vultures report that Barcelona have upped their bid to £31m.

It hurts really bad to know that Barcelona are willing to break bank to seal Alexis Sanchez and Neymar but they’re treating Fabregas like dirt with their derogatory bids for Arsenal’s talisman. The board has confirmed that Barcelona has approach them formally but their answer is the same with the type of answer you’ll get when you’re asked to do something you have no plans of doing, NO.

The board said,

“The offer was made formally in writing to our chief executive, and we said no straight away.”

But they made a comment that’ll definitely raise some eyebrows.

“Possibly. If it’s enough I expect we’ll have to sell.”

That comment has painted the picture vividly for Barcelona. If they want Fabregas, they must bring a value that Arsenal would find acceptable and he’ll be free to warm their bench for all eternity. No more talk about him having their alien DNA or how he deserves to be in their team because he was born there.

Arsenal struggled initially after Thierry Henry’s departure but Emmanuel Greedybayor emerged from the shadows to score the total amount of league goals Henry scored in the 2003/04 season. Greedybayor’s antics and summer shenanigans earned him a new deal at the club but after he left van Persie stepped into the spotlight for all the right reasons.

I love Francesc Fabregas Soler for everything he stands for but Arsenal will still be Arsenal if Barcelona brings that bid that might make Wenger and the board to say goodbye to him. Losing a player like Fabregas will definitely put Wenger under extreme pressure to sign an ideal replacement for him but there are not many players in the World that can offer what Fabregas has offered to Arsenal Football Club. Blood, sweat, sand, assists, goals, class, determination, teamwork, technique and 110% effort in every game.

It’s not every footballer in the World that would stay on the pitch with a broken leg. It’s not every footballer that would nurse a hamstring injury, get into the pitch, score two goals and get injured again in the space of 26 minutes.

My best footballer of all time is still Thierry Henry but Fabregas has done enough to rise to the number two rank. For starters, we’re age mates but he’s just a month and six days older. He’s the best passer of the ball currently playing in England. He’s also ranked in the same class with Riquelme, Xabi Alonso, Pirlo and Xavi because they all have the same passing attribute in Football Manager which stands at 20/20. There’s no player in FM that has a rating of 21.

Fabregas is also among that special breed of footballers that interacts well with his fans. On Twitter, Arsenal’s captain has 1,020,764 followers and he has been generous enough to reply or retweet on some tweets from his fans. There are so many tweeps I follow that write the exact date Fabregas tweeted at them on their Twitter bios. When Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was sworn in on the 29th of May, Fabregas wrote this on Twitter.

@cesc4official: Good luck to Goodluck Jonathan. Nigeria’s new president.

I must admit that I’m not looking forward to writing a post about Fabregas’ departure because it could leave a tear or two in my eyes. It’s also pleasing to know that Barcelona is a broke-ass club at the moment and I hope that they won’t reach Arsenal’s evaluation for Fabregas. Even if Shakira wants to do a tour to raise funds for her lucky boyfriend, Gerard Pique and his club or Victor Valdes wants to be a matador for a bullfight, I’m still optimistic that Fabregas would be an Arsenal player for years to come.

In other transfer news involving possible arrivals, Arsenal has been linked with Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s versatile holding mohawk-wearing midfielder Arturo Vidal. The Chilean had a decent World Cup outing and was very impressive last season for the club that plays its home games in the Bay Arena that ended last season’s Bundesliga in 2nd place.

They have also reported that Arsenal is set to bid for Newcastle’s Jose Enrique as Clichy’s future still remains in doubt. I still prefer Leighton Baines to the chap but if he’s Wenger’s top target in the left back position, I’m cool with it because Arsene knows best.

Moving over to the other part of my headline, there’s a signing that would really Mata for Arsenal. The media Vultures have reported that Juan Manuel Mata is Arsenal’s top transfer target and his agent has hinted that his client will look at offers for his services. Mata hasn’t acted like Greedybayor to say that Arsenal is his Lady Gaga. He says,

I know Arsenal is a big club, a very important club in England, always in the Champions League, but it’s up to any club to pay the required amount to Valencia.

Arsenal is valuing Mata at £18m but the media Vultures say that Arsenal must pay at least £23m for the lad

Mata was born on the 28th April, 1988 born in Oviedo, Spain. He started his youth career in his home town club in Oviedo before joining Real Madrid in 2004 but he didn’t play any game for the Spanish giants. After a successful 2006/07 season with Real Madrid Castilla that saw him score 10 goals in 35 games, Valencia snapped him up on a free transfer.

Like Samir Nasri of France, Juan Mata has represented Spain in all junior levels before his promotion to the senior team on the 28th of March, 2009 against Turkey.

He has won 3 medals as a player but they have all been in his national team colors. He won the European Under-19 Championships in 2006, the World Cup last summer and the recently concluded European Under-21 Championships that took place in Denmark.

As a player, Mata is an excellent dribbler and a lethal finisher. He also has a nice passing range, good off the ball movement and bags of pace. He’s also a good team player that’s flambouyant in nature.

He’s a versatile player that can play as a center forward, on the left wing or in the hole behind the main striker. Mata is a proven quality player so his acquisition will make the fans drool to watch him in action. He’s acquisition could also make Fabregas stay at the club because there’ll be someone to crack Spanish jokes with.

That’s all for today but I’ll leave you with a brief roundup of the stories about those involved with Arsenal.

Former shareholder, Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith has disclosed that there was a feud between David Dein and Danny Friszman, Alex Song was fined over a handshake snub with Samuel Eto’o, an Arsenal fan put Denilson up for sale on eBay and Arsenal’s away kit has been unveiled.

The most emotional of them all was Wenger’s letter to the unhappy gooners.

You can follow this blog on Twitter and you can visit the blog’s Facebook page.

Gooner Daily is among the nominees for the award of the Best Sports blog in the Nigerian Blog Awards, so I’ll be honored if you visit the site and vote for the blog.

We might get Valencia’s Juan Manuel Mata.

It’s just in a Mata of time.

Sayonara

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Games that cost Arsenal dearly in the 2010/11 season

Arsenal Football Club ended the 2010/11 Barclay’s Premier League in fourth place despite challenging Manchester United for the right to crowned as champions but they fell by the road side at the business end of the season. Some many factors contributed to Arsenal’s Premier League demise which ranged from the forwards’ profligacy to incompetent refereeing.

Arsenal had a very different approach in the Cup competitions. The club had a successful run in the Carling Cup but the Gunners crashed in the final hurdle. Most gooners believed that Arsenal’s Carling Cup glory would have fueled the club for greater success but it was the exact opposite. Arsenal lost the game in the 89th minute thanks to a horrendous error caused by Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny. Arsenal had one of the easiest FA Cup run-outs in recent years but they failed in their first big test when they visited Old Trafford.

The Champions League draws offered Arsenal the chance to top a group that had Shakhtar Donetsk, SC Braga and Partizan Belgrade but with the group looking relatively easy on paper, Arsenal somehow found themselves on the back foot after back to back losses to Shakhtar and Braga. There was even a point in time when Arsenal was in a very precarious situation with Europa League football being a possibility if they didn’t secure a win against Partizan and Braga won Shakhtar. The Gunners won the final game of the group but they braced themselves for a clash with the emperors of modern day football, FC Barcelona.

Arsenal shocked the World with a historic 2-1 win against Barcelona at the Emirates but they also entered the football history books when they visited the Nou Camp to be the first side to lose a game in the Champions League knockout phase without a single shot on goal.

History

Here’s my take of the games that cost Arsenal dearly last season from August 2010 to May 2011.

Arsenal 2 West Brom 3 (25th September, 2010)

Arsenal hosted West Brom three days after getting their sweet revenge against Tottenham in the Carling Cup but Almunia picked up the wrong game to make his critics mouth water. He scythed down Peter Odemwingie in the box and injured his elbow in the process. He did well to save Chris Brunt’s penalty but he put a horror show in the second half that was worse than Resident Evil, Saw IV and Nightmare on Elm Street put together.

Almunia concedes the penalty

He was lost in transit when Odemwingie scored the match’s opener, his judgment let him down when a simple Gonzalo Jara shot went past him to the net and he was miles away from his goal when Jerome Thomas put the visitors 3 goals up with 20 minutes to spare. Samir Nasri did well to score a brace but it was not enough to salvage a draw for Arsenal. A football betting site in Nigeria called Nairabet gave West Brom the odds of 12.0 to win the game. I wonder how those gamblers that placed their bets on West Brom felt after the final whistle.

Shakhtar Donetsk 2 Arsenal 1 (2nd November, 2010)

Arsenal destroyed Shakhtar at the Emirates before playing them again a fortnight later but Arsenal’s loss at the Donbas Arena turned the tables on Group H.

Rosicky in action

Arsenal went off to a flyer when Theo Walcott dashed through the middle to score a goal that Arsenal legend Thierry Henry would have been proud of but Craig Eastmond decided to score his first Arsenal goal at the wrong end of the pitch though to level the game at 1-1. Clichy’s Self-Destruct chip got activated so Shakhtar’s captain Darijo Srna wasted no time in stealing the ball before gifting to Eduardo who placed the ball past Fabianski. As promised, Dudu Composure did not celebrate the goal.

 

Arsenal 2 Tottenham 3 (20th November, 2010)

Arsenal demolished Tottenham a month before this fixture but it will forever remembered for Arsenal’s capitulation in the second half after a scintillating first half performance. Samir Nasri squeezed the ball in from a very acute angle after rounding Heurelho Gomes. Marouane Chamakh reacted first from an Andrey Arshavin cross to put the Gunners 2 up but 3 goals from the World’s best left-footed Chimpanzee, Rafael van der Vaart and Younes Kaboul ensured that Tottenham’s grueling 68-match unbeaten streak against a Top Four side came to an end. They didn’t pick any better ground to end the record; the home of the old enemy.

The World

SC Braga 2 Arsenal 0 (23rd November, 2010)

In a match where Arsenal lost Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Eboue to injuries, the Braga side that was whitewashed at the Emirates turned on the style to defeat the Gunners thanks to a brace from Matheus. 

The result put Arsenal’s Champions League lives on the balance and Arsenal was also usurped by Shakhtar after their victory over Partizan.

Manchester United 1 Arsenal 0 (11th December, 2010)

Samir Nasri’s sheer brilliance against Fulham propelled Arsenal to the summit of the Premier League a week before the Gunners visited Old Trafford so the Gunners had a very simple yet daunting task ahead of them, to avoid defeat but Manchester United’s Korean Wong Fei-Hong’s header was enough to displace Arsenal from the top of the pile. Unfortunately, that was Arsenal’s last stint at the top of the Premier League.

Wong Fei-Hong

Newcastle 4 Arsenal 4 (5th February, 2011)

Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea have Premier League records that they refer to as their bragging rights. Chelsea is the team that has the least amount of goals conceded in a Premier League season while Arsenal is the only team that didn’t lose any match in an entire season. Liverpool’s 18-league title record was smashed to bits by Manchester United but when they visited the Molineux to play Wolves, they shared Arsenal’s bragging right at that moment. Wolves’ win against Manchester United meant that Arsenal had a chance to cut the gap at the top but Arsenal fed the neutral football lovers with an epic but Arsenal fans with feelings of utter frustration and despair.

Stupidity 101

A Walcott placed finish, Djourou header and van Persie put Arsenal in the driving seat at halftime but Abou Diaby’s silly red card early in the second half paved the way for an amazing comeback for Newcastle. Phil Dowd also had a hand in Newcastle’s comeback by awarding two soft spot kicks.

Arsenal 1 Birmingham 2 (27th February, 2011)

This is definitely one of the worst games I’ve witnessed as an Arsenal fan. We always have a knack for blaming the referees or other reasons when things go wrong but that game in Wembley was a lot different. Szczesny was lucky to be on the pitch early on after he hacked Bowyer in the box. Nikola Zigic opened the scoring for Birmingham but van Persie equalized for Arsenal and injured his knee in the process. Obafemi Martins scored the winner for Birmingham thanks to….

The perfect time to cry 🙁

Barcelona 3 Arsenal 1 (8th March, 2011)

After the Cup final loss to Birmingham, Arsenal went on a downward spiral that summed up their season with a series of lethargic and frustrating performances. Arsenal visited the Nou Camp on the back of a disappointing home draw against Sunderland that saw Szczesny produce a top drawer save from Welbeck’s shot. Wojciech Szczesny started the game in goal but a Dani Alves free kick ruptured the muscles in his finger thereby giving Almunia another chance to quell his personal demons. Almunia made a series of decent saves but the World’s best footballer scored a goal that only Lionel Messi could score by lifting the ball above Almunia before shooting into an unguarded net. That goal would have been avoided but Fabregas decided to be cheeky at the wrong end of the field and was duly punished for it. Sergi Busquets own goal frightened Barcelona a bit but the referee made a decision that demoralized Arsenal and gifted the game to Barcelona on a platter of Catalunyan gold.

Busacca: You wankhammer!

Xavi and Messi killed off the tie but van Persie’s red card took its toll because if he was at the end of Jack Wilshere’s superb pass at the death, Arsenal would have geared themselves up for a revenge mission with Shakhtar in the quarter finals but it was not to be thanks to the poor first touch of the self-acclaimed World’s best striker, Nicklas Bendtner.

Manchester United 2 Arsenal 0 (12th March, 2011)

Arsenal entered the New Year with hopes of winning the quadruple but the defeat against Birmingham and Barcelona made everybody hope for the league and cup double but a frustrating performance against Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter final meant that Arsenal had only the Premier League to fight for.

Mr. Consistency

Wenger made a tactical error by playing Kieran Gibbs ahead of a fit Gael Clichy and Arsenal paid for that switch because Evil Twin Fabio’s first goal came from Gibbs position. A Wayne Rooney header ended Arsenal’s hopes for FA Cup glory but the game was marred by Johan Djourou’s shoulder injury inflicted by his teammate Bacary Sagna.

West Brom 2 Arsenal 2 (19th March, 2011)

Arsenal’s fortnight of horror was complete with the defeat at Old Trafford a week earlier so every gooner expected the players wearing the Red and White to give everything left in them to win the Premier League because Manchester United were still in three competitions at that point in time but Almunia proved to Wenger and the rest of the World that he doesn’t to keep for Arsenal, Spain or England as he aspired at some point in his life. The first goal he conceded was very understandable because even the best keepers in the galaxy conceded goals form headers but the second goal conceded cannot be explained with simple words. I’ll explain it the way I did in my match review blog post for that game.

That awkward moment

“Mulumbu played a simple over the top ball for Odemwingie. Squillaci was with Odemwingie when the ball was played. For no reason explainable to man, Almunia ran out of his box to attack the same ball like a robot whose control chip became dysfunctional. Odemwingie controlled the ball and evaded Squillaci. Almunia then “pushed” Squillaci out of the way like he knew what he was doing. Like his fellow Nigerian Obafemi Martins in the Carling Spoon final, Odemwingie had the simplest of tasks by planting the ball into an unguarded net. Koscielny ran to anticipate the ball but his act was futile. A faster defender like Evra, Clichy or Micah Richards might have stood an outside chance of anticipating it.”

WBA 2 Arsenal 0, so much for my W-W-W-W-W form table.

The commentator said that, “Arsenal attack like Men and defend like Children”.

Arshavin and van Persie scored for Arsenal bought it wasn’t enough as two points went begging.

Arsenal 0 Blackburn 0 (2nd April, 2011)

In the build-up to the game against Blackburn, the media Vultures told the World that Arsenal had mathematical chance of winning the Premier League as long as they beat Manchester United and win their eight other games starting with a home tie against Blackburn. Jack Wilshere spurned the best chance of the game by missing at point blank range. That was one of the most lethargic performances I seen the Gunners play. Paul Robinson is renowned for being Arsenal’s goal scoring wife with over 60 goals conceded to the Gunners ranging from his days at Leeds, Tottenham and Blackburn but Robinson kept a clean sheet. That shows you how poor Arsenal was.

Disgrace

Arsenal 1 Liverpool 1 (16th April, 2011)

Arsenal were going into their most important week of the season with three must-win ties against Liverpool, Tottenham and Bolton but the Gunners produced games that prompted for some fans to ask for Wenger’s head on a plate. In a game against an under-strength Liverpool side that didn’t have the likes of Steven Gerrard, Daniel Agger, Glen Johnson and Joe Cole, Fabio Aurelio and Jamie Carragher suffered injuries in the same but Arsenal couldn’t find a way past them for 90 minutes.

Pantomine villain

In the 7th minute of extra time, Fabregas waltzed into the Liverpool and was tackled by some bloke leaving the ref no choice but to point to the spot. Robin van Persie converted the spot kick with the class he’s renowned for but Farmer Emmanuel Eboue picked the worst ever game for dive to the ground with an opposition player. For the first time in a very long while, Arsene Wenger was literally on his knees when Dirk Kuyt was about to take the penalty that was converted in the 101st minute of play. This game summed Arsenal’s disappointing season.

Tottenham 3 Arsenal 3 (20th April, 2011)

Rival matches are more or less the best games in the Premier League. Arsenal disgraced Tottenham in the Carling Cup in September. Tottenham returned the favor in the Premier League a month later. Tottenham and Arsenal clashed in White Hart Lane with a lot at stake. Tottenham had a taste of Champions League football last season that saw great European sides like Inter Milan, AC Milan and Real Madrid visit their home ground so they wanted to get that feeling again and a win against Arsenal would have helped their cause. Arsenal on the other hand was fighting for Premier League honors so anything less than a win would be labeled as a disappointment.

Clumsy

Walcott scored a goal early on but it was canceled by Rafael van der Vaart’s strike. Samir Nasri scored his first goal since the days Idi Amin ruled Uganda then van Persie smashed the roof of the net to put Arsenal 3 up against the old enemy put goals from Tom Huddlestone and Rafael van der Vaart ensured that both rivals where going to share the spoils of a fiercely contested battle.

Bolton 2 Arsenal 1 (23rd April, 2011)

Chelsea had usurped Arsenal to second place so a win against a Bolton side that was thrashed by Stoke Rugby Football Club was mandatory but the Gunners showed us why they have been trophy-less for the past five seasons by failing to stand up when they ought to be counted. Arsenal was undone by the oldest trick in the book; set pieces. Impressive loanee Daniel Sturridge was the quickest to react from a corner to give the lead to the home side. Kevin Davies missed the chance to give Bolton a comfortable lead with a penalty that was saved by Wojciech Szczesny. Robin van Persie equalized for Arsenal with a neat goal after a good one-two with Cesc Fabregas but Arsenal lost the tie at the death thanks to more poor defending from another set piece.

Sayonara

At the sound of the ref’s whistle, there were only two teams that eligible for Premier League glory, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Stoke 3 Arsenal 1 (4th May, 2011)

Arsenal visited the Britannia after restoring some pride with a victory against the eventual league winners but the match against Stoke had a lot of significance because it was the ground where Ramsey suffered that horrible tackle from Shawcross. Arsenal was expected to be fiery in that game but Jack Wilshere was the only player that showed that he had fire in his belly with clashes against Dean Whitehead and that John Legend’s clone, Jermaine Pennant. Stoke wasn’t that good in this game. Arsenal was really poor. Kenwyne Jones scored the match opener with his belly while Pennant’s shot was deflected in by Djourou. Van Persie did well to bring Arsenal back into the game but Djourou’s poor clearance gave Jon Walters the chance to smash Arsenal’s net for six yards and he wasted no time n doing that adding salt to Arsenal’s injury. Manchester City also emerged from the shadows to usurp Arsenal from third spot.

Arsene Wenger was in the touchline when all these games took place so he probably knows what he has to do to prevent this from happening next season. It’s evident that Arsenal needs a big guy like Samba to sure up the defense and help with those vital aerial interceptions with crosses swung into Arsenal’s box. I’ll keep you updated with the latest transfer news as the days go by.

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Sayonara