Le Grove – Arsenal blog featuring Arsenal news

Yeah… that’s me… a happy Gooner rolling in transfers. What a bloody day eh?! The best day since time began? Or maybe just the best summer in 5 years? Either way, all the right things began to happen yesterday!

Now, there was obviously disappointment yesterday morning when everyone thought I was telling lies about Yann M’Vila, but then later that day, the backpage of the Evening Standard ran the story pretty much word for word and The Times are reporting the same this morning. Now, they’ve either got someone telling them the same things, or they’ve got a penchant for a daily dose of Le Grove. Either outcome is pleasing. Like I said yesterday, watch this space. We could easily spend £60million today and not bat an eye lid.

Simple fact is, Alex Song not the one and he’ll be off next summer. Frimpong is a very good prospect, but he needs guidance. Whichever way you look at it, we need a defensive midfielder today. We’re desperately short in the middle.

Defence…

We landed Per Mertesacker yesterday after he completed a medical. Andre Santos was also doing the same. There were a few articles floating about online that stated he’d changed his mind and flown back to Turkey to sign a 4 year deal. I’d be very surprised if that were the case!

Per Mertesacker was a massive curve ball yesterday, but ultimately a fantastic one. He’s a player we’ve been calling for on Le Grove since before June 2008. We reported that he was a Gooner way back then here, 3 years on, whaddya know, he’s going to be turning out at the home of football!

He’s 6ft6, he’s built powerfully, he has 70+ caps for a very solid German team, he’s won trophies, he has Champions League experience and he knows how to defend. Rumour has it we’ve picked him up for £9million. What a price!

This is the sort of player we should always be in for. He has pedigree, he has presence and he’ll slot in perfectly next to Thomas Vermaelen. We have a genuine little and large combination. We have a defender who has played the highline for club and country and we’ve done something crazy… signed a tall player to deal with our fear of high flying balls!

Sacrebleu! <- Does that mean what I think it does?

I’m very pleased.

Park Chu-Young signed for us officially yesterday. The South Korean captain joins us under a cloud of ‘who the f**k’, but the key point here is versatility and hard word. Mainly hard work though. Arshavin and Rosicky showed at the weekend that they’re not cut out for Arsenal when crunch time comes. We need someone who is going to work for their salary, this guy will. Does he have the required quality? I’m not sure… but if he can bag 12 goals for a relegated Monaco, I’d hope for something similar or better for a team capable of teeing him up with far more chances.

Oh, and he takes the number 9 shirt. You knew that already though, right?

Clint Dempsey…

There are big rumours we’re looking to add the American to our attacking line up. Whilst he’s not world-class, he’s a very good player with a superb eye for goal. He has that aggravation factor and a terrific work rate. You don’t need all your players to be La Masia schooled. Sometimes you just need a player who is direct, in your face and not afraid to ruffle a few feathers. He scored 14 goals for Fulham last year and he was very impressive. I’d welcome him into our squad and word on the South American street is that we’ve tabled a $16.8million bid for him.

Gary Cahill…

Have Bolton burned their bridges in negotiations for a player they’ll lose on a free if they don’t get rid of him today? We’ve signed a centre back already. That puts the pressure on Gartside’s hugely indebted club to do a deal today. I think we’re still in for him. Johann Djourrou has been so bad over the past 6 months, you wonder for his future. Cahill is still a top defender and regardless of how many people tell you he’s rubbish, he’s not, he’d make a great addition to the squad.

I still remember how many people told me Ashley Young wasn’t Arsenal quality… some statement eh?

Chris Samba…

There were a lot of rumblings about the shower bully from Blackburn. I have my doubts. The rumours feel more like stories designed to get him a move away from Steve Kean. He’d be a useful addition, but we’ve already filled the role of ‘massive beast’, if we get another centre back, they’ll be good on the ground and stylish… Like a break dancer.

The creative hole?

There’s a massive hole in our side, that’s the one left by Cesc Fabregas. If there’s going to be a monster signing today, I’d love it to come there. Yossi looks like he’s off to Spurs, so good luck to him, quality player, poor injury record. That leaves us with the prospect of Gotze or Hazard. There will probably be another curve ball thrown there, but I’m struggling to see where it’s coming from. The German might be pulled away from his club for £35million and a massive salary, I’m not sure though, it would be a bad move for Dortmund but I guess it depends on how much they want the cash. They’re not flush!

My money is on Arteta. Like Yossi, top quality, just not so much on the fitness side of things. I’d also be interested in Frank Ribery. He was once a £60million player, then his mates bought him a 17 year old hooker, now he’s not quite as popular. He’d be amazing in the Premiership. He’d replace Nasri perfectly. Could we move for him? I’d love it… who knows! Sky are reporting that Honda is in London for a medical… it’s all too much!

Medical…

I was told that two medicals were booked yesterday, two more for today. Make of that what you will!

Conclusion

It’s a shame it took an absolute spanking to push the board and Arsene Wenger into some serious action. Nearly all of this business could have been conducted in June. I don’t believe all these players have been targets all summer, we’ve just shown intent and made things happen because careers are on the line.

Still, that’s a story for another day.

We’re developing a strong core to the team now. We could make top 4 if we make 2-3 signings of intent again today. Amazing how quickly things can change eh? The squad will be revitalised and fans will be excited for the Swansea game. A morale booster for everyone!

My worry though, is that we’re once again in a transition year. This sort of frenzied 48 hours should never have happened and if we’d made purchases like this 2 years ago, who knows who’d still be here fighting it out in the first team.

Anyway, it’s the last day of transfer rumours. There won’t be a live blog, the comments section will going mental all day, tune in, you can get far more info than 140 characters into a comment and all the stories will come direct to you all day from the Grovers! Life is very exciting!

P.S. For some further reading and listening, check out Tim Payton in the Independent talking business models(I’m not talking topless Staples Girls) and the Footy Shows Podcast starring king of AKB’s, Bob Wilson!

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Transfer Updates

• Keisuke Honda in for a medical according to Sky Reports

Good morning Grove fans! So the Champions League eh? What a laugh! We were one of the top seeds and Platini and friends conspired against us by pitting us against Marseille, Borussia Dortmund and Olympiacos (<– Spelling change? I thought it had a K”)

Well, if you’re going to win the competition, you’ve got to play the best. Both Dortmund and Marseille have exciting young managers and they have some top talent I’m sure a lot of clubs have been interested in. No trips to Russia or the Ukraine to worry about though and to be honest, three games I’m excited to see.

In transfer news, apparently after months of threatening to buy Cahill, we’ve lodged a £6million bid for him. Amazing eh? Even in the last year of his contract, that bid is laughable. I don’t know why we do it. Why couldn’t we have got this nonsense out the way early in the window?

We’ve also been sniffing around Raul Albiol of Madrid. He’s rumoured to be available for £8million. He’s a smart looking player, though I am dubious about signing a Madrid cast off defender. We need steel, is he that guy?

As the deadline gets closer, more and more you get the feeling there won’t be a flurry of inbound talent. If that’s the way the manager feels, fine, but he’ll feel the full wrath of the fans if it goes tits up this year.

My concern isn’t just on the quality side. It’s the fact Wenger is totally comfortable admitting that Jack Wilshere played in the red zone for two months last year and that may have played a part in his injury, yet can’t correlate that to having an inadequate squad size. Precocious talent should be nurtured not exploited like an Egyptian Donkey (world class Donkey exploiters so I hear).

United on Sunday with a woefully depleted squad is hot on most people’s minds. I’m worried it could be a spanking. They know how to play us and they really did look impressive against Spurs. Their benchmark is Barcelona, ours is winning more 3rd place trophies.

I’m struggling to pick out a first team 11 that could do the job. Still, we’ve taken out big teams against the odds before, like the Galacticos with Flamini at left back. Anything is possible, I’m just fearing the odds.

Ghana…

Frimpong is at the centre of a tug of war between Ghana and England. The midfield terrier is on record as saying he’d like to represent Ghana, in my opinion, that would be a massive loss to England. He looks the type of player we need going forward. I also fear by signing up for Ghana, his value will plummet. At the moment, Kenny Dalglish has told me he’s easily a £27million player, if he chooses Ghana, he’ll be worth less than £4.5million.

Creators…

The papers are having a field day… the three front-runners for the creative spot are…

Kaka: A dream player in his prime, a bit of a crock nowadays. His talent would certainly lift spirits, but could a player of 29 do the business in the Premiership in the back 9 of his career? My fear… maybe not… He could either be a Davids like inspiration, or a Shevchencko like disaster.

Zarate: This player is a bundle of lunacy and talent all rolled into one. He’s incredibly skilled and pacey out wide or through the middle. Could Wenger handle his crazy side? Who knows… he’d be a curve ball, that’s for sure.

Hazard: This guy is basically the new N’Zogbia. He’s been linked with us every summer for 3 years, yet still, we haven’t dropped a bid in for him. Do we need a classy winger to compliment the 16 others we have in the side? Maybe not… however, this boy is mustard… and he’s for the now.

Finally, before we go, I wanted to pay tribute to a Gooner pal of ours called Terry. Sadly, cancer got the better of him last night. I actually took his season over this year as he couldn’t get up to the games. He was a top class Gooner, a long-term patron of Blackstock Road take aways and still was still rocking a replica kit in his sixties, our thoughts are with his family today.

Happy Friday Grovers!

P.S. We’re looking to redevelop the site, hopefully through a web design firm who are Gooners and have kind rate cards. If you’ve got a good track record of great design work and can manage the relatively easy job of skinning and moving a blog, we’d love to hear from you!

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Doesn’t that feel refreshing? Waking up one day in August without a metaphorical cloud over your Arsenal head?

Last night was a game that I was seriously worried about. I don’t ever dread games. This was a game that I not only dreaded, I almost feared. We’ve been on a horrible run this season (back date the run to February), we’ve been battered by suspensions, player exits, poor form and a lack inbound players. If we’d flunked out last night, that really could have set the tone for an awful season.

The line up was pretty bold from Wenger. He brought Frimpong into the fold, something many Arsenal fans wanted to see, but an inclusion many might have been shy about admitting they wanted in public. He sat just in front of the defence, giving Alex Song a little more freedom in front to make things happen creatively in front (I know, like letting Stephen Hawking paint your front door). A bit of an odd decision you have to say. Up top, our front three looked very scary. Theo for his pace, Gervinho for his trickery and Robin for his experience.

We started very brightly, we had 2 attempts on goal inside the first 2 minutes. Gervinho bounded into the box, cut across goal and the keeper had to intercept, moments later Theo smashed a shot at the goal forcing a parry.

Udinese weren’t going to shrink away into the night, Di Natale showed us he meant business when he cooly finished from an offside position. The play was end to end, it was a real slog fest, proper European football.

Udinese forced a couple of solid saves from Chezzer before hitting the post from a poorly executed downward header.

Frimpong was doing a good job guarding the midfield. He’s fierce in the tackle and he was making some superbly timed interceptions. He’s pretty much everything you want in a modern day footballer. He’s fast, aggressive, has a natural love for playing the game. Alex Song could learn a lot from the young Englishman’s attitude (He’s been selected for the England U21′s).

Our best chance of the half came when Gervinho worked his way into the box, cut back on his full back, slipped Theo in for an 8 yard tap in, he hit the keeper, Robin slammed the rebound into an Udinese defender. Great opportunity missed…

Di Natale was entertaining to watch, he was more stereotypical Italian than a pot of Dolmio wearing a latex puffa jacket. His movement was amazing and the effort he was putting in was commendable.

He showed his worth when he slipped off the shoulder of an unaware JD, Pinzi picked out his run with a floated pass, the Italian guided a looping header back over Chezzer into the top corner. A goal of pure quality. Absolutely stunning. Shocking though, that a player of that height is winning balls in our box…

There was another chance for Vermaelen to fluff a front post clearance, luckily for us, Udinese didn’t have their shooting boots on.

Arsenal were in trouble. We weren’t looking creative and we now had to chase a game. Wenger threw on Tomas Rosicky and sacrificed Frimpong (boooo). What a decision though. The Czech immediately changed the game by moving the ball around with more pace and directness.

We had a freekick that was missed by everyone in the box, JD perfecting the downward jump to evade the ball. Theo tried to place a 32 yard shot which was ambitious. Things were getting tense. Wenger cracked open a fresh bottle of Italian mineral water, you feared for that bottle, you truly did.

He needn’t have worried, Gervinho sauntered into the Udinese box again, he cut back, Rosicky flew over the ball, knowing that Robin was behind him to bang it home. It felt like job done, they’d need 2 more goals to win. Not impossible, but a tough task all the same.

Down the other end, the referee blew up for a very dubious Vermaelen handball in the box. Penalty. This wasn’t what we needed. I had faith though, Di Natale stepped up, he smashed the ball high and right, Chezzer scrambled across, threw a hand up at the very last moment and some how tipped the ball over the bar! A quite incredible save. In fact, the best penalty save I’ve ever seen an Arsenal keeper make, yep, better than Seaman against Sampdoria! Unbelievable.Lady Mental Belief was on our side tonight, there was no way we’d let this slip.

Theo was involved in the action again, he played a one two with Sagna and he was off, he danced into the box and smashed home near post. Game over, job done, we were through to the next round of the Champions League.

Thursdays from now on, are known as Spursdays.

Don’t forget that when you’re enjoying a few after work relaxing drinks tonight and your Spurs supporting mates have to slip off because their team are playing the Cardinal Harriers in Estonia.

Conclusion

Under the circumstance, last night was a fantastic result. We’ve taken a battering this week losing players and picking up injuries. For such an inexperienced team, a response like last night was refreshing. In the end, we created plenty of chances, had plenty of shots and came away with the result. There were positive performances from Frimpong in the first half and Alex Song in the second. I thought Jenkinson did very well for someone so green… Eboue who I found myself asking?

Up top, I was really impressed with Gervinho. He looked much sharper tonight. He’s not afraid to hit the line, he loves taking on players and he’s not shot shy. That sort of play can be contagious. It gives other players the confidence to express themselves. Theo Walcott, despite the goal, didn’t really do it for me. Sure he’s fast, but his final ball and his finishing really can be dreadful at times. Hopefully if we can keep him fit for an extended period he can shake that rustiness out of his games. Robin Van Persie looked good. He takes more of a lead role with the team and for once, it feels like we have a captain who won’t be soft. He’s Dutch… naturally outspoken, naturally fiery.

Midfield for me is still a bit of a problem. Aaron Ramsey is a superb talent but he looked lost at times last night. His natural position isn’t as a creator, that’s why he looks like he’s struggling at times. Rosicky came on and made a real difference, but, like Sol Campbell, you’re going to have to accept he doesn’t have the engine for a full season. He needs to be rested between games now otherwise he’ll have a break down. We desperately need inspiration and it has to come from an external source…

Arsene Wenger looked very down after the game despite the win. All he’d say on players is that Arsenal have worked very hard this summer. It doesn’t sound promising and I’d be very surprised if we managed to bring in more than two players before the window shuts. Regardless of the win last night, that squad is incredibly weak. How could it not be? It was weak last season with two of the best midfielders in the world at its heart. Don’t do what Arsenal fans do every year… take one win as vindication that we’ll be challenging for the title. This squad needs work and everyone at the club would tell you that… let’s hope Wenger sees it the same way.

Manchester United are up next. They’ll offer a far more solid challenge. We’ll take confidence into that game, sadly not three of our stand out performers from last night as they’re suspended. Apparently, Vermaelen is also injured as well. Still, the good news is, we have £100million to spend. There’s no Champions League loss to mourn. We live to fight another season in limelight!

Well played Arsenal, you done us all proud last night!

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