If Euro 2012 was a party, it’s fair to say that I’m nursing a hangover because I’ve been hit with the harsh reality of not seeing any form of good football till further notice.
Arsenal’s pre-season adventures begin with a 45-minute clash against Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s previous employers, Southampton.
After a long absence from the Premier League, the Saints are back and I hope their stay won’t be as short-lived as Blackpool’s. West Ham and Reading are two sides that have been there and done that in the top flight and as an Arsenal fan, I can only hope for 18 points against these three teams.
Speaking of teams, Arsenal’s young midfield maestro in the making, Aaron Ramsey, has made the final 18-man squad list in the Team Great Britain olympic team. Unfortunately, Kieran Gibbs missed out on the list.
Gibbs had his fair share of games last season and he put up a good fight against Andre Santos to stake a claim for a starting berth. He even added a goal or two to the equation but he’ll be fondly remembered for that tackle that handed Arsenal a place in next season’s Champions League.
Had Arsenal ended the campaign in fourth place, the shame would have been unbearable. The club would have been playing Thursday night Europa League football and to top it all of, Arsenal would had finished below Tottenham.
The exciting Ryo Miyaichi also missed out on the Japan Under-23 team and it certainly raised my eyebrow.
I can’t deny that I have no idea about Japan’s current crop of players without a few household names here and there (Shinji Kagawa and Shunsuke Nakamura), but Miyaichi was very impressive in his Bolton loan spell. The Japanese gaffer clearly knows what he’s doing (I guess), so we’ll have to sort out Miyaichi’s future.
The lad needs another loan spell for a full season, and sending him back to Bolton will ensure that he gets a whole lot of football. The folks in the npower Championship play 46 league games and they also feature early in the FA Cup and Capitol One Cup.
Arsene Wenger knows what’s best for his team and I’m going to trust his decision on a talented youngster like Miyaichi.
Wenger, however, has ruled himself out of the vacant France manager’s post vacated by Laurent Blanc. Blanc’s former teammate, Didier Deschamps, has been highly tipped to take the baton but I’m pretty sure that he’s enjoying his job at Olympique Marseille.
That’s their problem though.
There are more things to be bordered about in this part of the Arsenal realm, like Juventus offering a paltry £8m bid for Robin van Persie.
£8m is unlikely to get you the greatest striker that ever lived, Nicklas Bendtner, but the Italian giants deemed it fit to insult Arsenal with that joke of a bid.
I’m sure that they retaliated with such a bid after Wenger “mocked” them and their Serie A, stating that a top player like van Persie cannot play in their league because of their financial considerations and the quality of the league.
Despite the fact that van Persie hasn’t signed the £130,000 per week deal offered to him by Arsenal, his options are running out and it seems as if he may as well honor his contract and spend one more season with Arsenal.
No one can rule out the Dutchman signing that deal over the course of the season.
Roberto Mancini wanted the forward at some point but he has admitted that he’s not sure he needs him anymore. To be frank, Manchester City will not buy van Persie to strengthen their squad, he’ll only weaken Arsenal’s squad.
The league champions have Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Mario Balotelli as its lead attackers.
With only 25 players eligible to play in a season, there’ll be no point signing van Persie when you employ a formation that favors the use of a sole striker.
PSG can match Manchester City pound for pound to bid well for the forward as well as to offer him astronomical wages but Ligue 1 is no where near the Premier League.
There have been fresh rumors linking Arsenal to Hugo Lloris but I don’t see the possibility in that move. Arsene Wenger is a huge fan of Wojciech Szczesny and he’ll want to see his gem blossom into a world-class goalie.
Signing a superstar like Lloris will hinder Szczesny’s progressive curve. With Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone edging closer to the exit door, a free agent like Craig Gordon will not do Arsenal any harm.
Besides, there’s still the prospect of the young Damian Martinez waiting to get his chance.
That’s today’s lot.
Sayonara.
