Cesc Fabregas finally turned his back on Arsenal as a deal was agreed with the Catalan giants. The Spanish midfielder played a glowing tribute to manager Arsene Wenger on his departure claiming the Frenchman made him the player he is.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Gunners blogs that include one rule for Arsenal and one for everyone else; last chance saloon for Arsene Wenger, while Lucescu confirms Arsenal interest.
We also look at the best Arsenal articles around the web this week.
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Last chance saloon for Arsene Wenger?
Arsenal flop set for another Premier League chance?
Why Arsenal should give transfer a wide berth
Blankety Blank – Arsene Wenger
Cearly one rule for Arsenal and one for everyone else
The ideal signing to kickstart Arsenal’s rebuilding task?
United succeed where both Chelsea and Arsenal fail
Last minute dealings at the Emirates?
Lucescu confirms Arsenal interest
Does Arsene Wenger Trust Himself to Spend Big?
Wenger looking to pip Fergie to £11.5m Ghanaian
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Best of WEB
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Why signing kids is a mistake – Gunnersphere
What Arsene Wenger is Doing is Simply Not Good Enough…… – Highbury House
Making Nasri play is a petulant decision that shouldn’t happen regardless… – Le Grove
Why Fabregas Should Be Remembered and Not Reviled – Online Gooner
Replacing Nasri Is Not The Problem… – A Cultured Left Foot
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Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has stated that he hopes England boss Fabio Capello is ‘responsible’ with the use of Steven Gerrard, as he returns to first team football after an injury layoff.
The talismanic midfielder has been on the sidelines with a groin injury for almost six months, but made his return against Brighton in the Carling Cup in midweek.
With Gerrard an integral part of the Liverpool team, Dalglish hopes England are sensible with him for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro.
“I don’t pick England’s team. Whatever they have to do, they have to do. But I would just hope that they will be as intelligent as we have been,” the Scot told The Telegraph.
“He deserves to progress. It’s been a disappointing time for him with injuries and we don’t want to ruin this opportunity after he has done so well.
“He’s well educated, he knows himself better than anyone else. He will manage himself better than anyone else,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Gerrard has stated his relief to be back in the Anfield fold, and may feature against Wolves on Saturday.
“I’ve had to watch from the sidelines while Kenny has been rebuilding the side and I’ve been really happy with what I’ve seen,” he stated.
“It’s been a nightmare for me. I’m not the best when I’m out injured and watching games.
“It’s been tough and the last six months have been a roller-coaster. But it’s behind me now and I’m looking forward to getting match fit and getting back in the starting line-up,” he admitted.
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Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has explained the scandal involving his supposed theft of a doughnut from Tescos, which he claims was not the reason he did not play against Norwich at the weekend.
The 19-year-old was accused of walking out of the supermarket without paying for the dessert, but De Gea has explained what had happened.
“Nothing really happened. Me, my cousin and a friend from Spain went to the shop, we were hungry and took the doughnuts,” he told The Sun.
“We were going to buy more things. I realised I didn’t have my wallet so I went out to the car to get it. Nothing more.
“They thought that I was leaving without paying so I tried to explain to them but my English is still not very good and we were there for a while.
“In the end a Spanish girl arrived and we understood each other and in the end they ended up apologising to us,” he explained.
The Spaniard watched from the sidelines as Anders Lindegaard took the field against Norwich on Saturday, but the Tescos incident did not play a part in this decision according to De Gea.
“Absolutely not true. They’re not going to drop me for a doughnut. The manager is the one that decides. He rotates players a lot and when he thinks it’s the right thing to do, he leaves you on the bench,” he concluded.
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De Gea and Lindegaard are battling it out to be United’s number one on a more regular basis, with a trip to Anfield next up for the Premier League champions.
Most football fans spend the off-season tracking, at least loosely, the transfer dealings of their favourite team. There’s always one player – a Wesley Sneijder, or a Sergio Aguero – whose situation takes the entire two months to resolve, and who eats up a large portion of your summer with endless column inches and rumour bulletins dedicated to them. But at the same time as we get excited about who’s coming in, there’s often a player many fans want to see going the other way.
It may be for any one of a wide variety of reasons. Perhaps the player is, despite several years of good service to your club, no longer capable of contributing to the first team. Perhaps he’s a foreign import who hasn’t gelled with the squad, or adapted to English football; or perhaps the manager gambled on a signing who has turned out to be a dud. Whatever the reason, you want them out.
In the gallery below, FFC brings you a collection of the ten players in the Premier League right now who have most outstayed their welcome. Time be moving on, fellas.
Click on Wayne Bridge below to see the top 10
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Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has applauded his backline for their performances so far this season, and feels his defenders and goalkeeper have been a major reason behind the Tyneside club’s excellent start to the campaign.
The St James’ Park club are one of only two unbeaten sides in the English top flight this season, and currently sit in third place after winning seven of their first eleven games.
Similarly, the Geordies have the best defensive record in the league, conceding only eight goals this term, and Pardew is full of praise for his rearguard.
“There have been a lot of goals in the Premier League. There are some fantastic players and sometimes, as much as you can defend and have all your disciplines in place, someone can produce a bit of quality to unlock it,” he told Mirror Football.
“Fortunately for us, for whatever reason, that hasn’t happened too often – and long may that continue.
“Our resilience and defensive quality are getting us over the line,” he concluded.
Newcastle have a difficult run of fixtures coming up over the next month that will really test their ambitions this season, starting with a trip to take on league leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium after the international break.
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Marouane Fellaini may have arrived in England as an unknown, signing for Everton for a club record £15 million from Standard Liege, but he has quickly developed a cult-like status among Everton fans.
The Belgian has been one of David Moyes’ star players in recent seasons, attracting interest from Europe’s big guns including Manchester United and Real Madrid.
His size, versatility and technical ability means Fellaini has a lot to offer Moyes’ side who have seen their fair share of injuries.
He’s also hard to miss in and around the city of Liverpool. And along with him is on-off girlfriend is Lara Binet.
Binet, who is also from Belgium, is a beauty queen and former Miss Belgium contestant.
Click on the image below to see Ms Binet in all her glory
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When Wenger bought Arteta in the final hours of the summer transfer window it was met with mixed feelings from the majority of Arsenal fans. A good signing yes, but to be signed for £10m at the age of twenty-nine when he had a history of injury problems, and signed without a medical. It wasn’t ideal by any stretch of the imagination. In fact for many fans that wanted more of a marquee signing it was somewhat of a disappointment. However there aren’t many on the red side of north London who aren’t now grateful for the presence of the uncapped Spaniard in their side.
Arteta has been praised for his consistently decent performances and the air of calm that he has brought to a team that was floundering a little when he arrived. Clearly Arsenal fans are warming to Mikel, why wouldn’t they after performances like his against City at (middle)Eastlands last weekend. I must admit however that until recently I hadn’t realised quite how good he has been for Arsenal. The role he plays is an unassuming one, a role where only truly exceptional performances will be noticed and much of his good work will go largely unnoticed.
For example, his role in midfield seems to be largely to keep the ball ticking over, to provide an outlet for the defenders and provide a link between the defensive side to the team and the more attacking element; bearing this in mind consider the fact that he has only been caught in possession fourteen times all season. The level of consistency this would be an asset for any team, but particularly for Arsenal who can become nervy towards the end of their games when their lead is narrow.
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The Spaniard also has the highest average number of passes per game out of all midfielders in the Premier League with over 79.2 per game and a pass completion rate of 89%, a figure that very few can even come close to. Obviously if his role was purely to set up other, more creative players then this would not necessarily be an impressive feat but frankly Arteta does attempt more complex, defence splitting passes and can even get himself on the score sheet.
On top of this he provides competition for all of Arsenal’s young and developing central midfielders; something that is necessary if Arsenal are to get the best out of players like Ramsey and Wilshere. Another issue that was clear before Arteta’s arrival was the huge amount of pressure on Aaron Ramsey to pick up where Fabregas left off. Let’s face it, that was always going to be a monumental task, but the fact that he has Arteta to share the burden can only be beneficial for him. Ramsey already has the pressure of being an international captain; it is essential that he has a team mate in a similar mould to help him out at Arsenal whilst Wilshere is injured.
One of the criticisms that some Arsenal players in the latter years of the careers, such as Arshavin and Rosicky, have faced recently is that they seem to lack the desire to perform when they play for Arsenal. This is not a criticism that can be levelled at Arteta. Despite being closer to the end of his career than the beginning this is the first real time he has had the chance to play at a big club and only his second ever time in the Champions League. It really is a case of now or never for Mikel, and it shows in his performances. Against Man City he was everywhere, helping in defence before joining in with the counter attacks. He shows a level of desire that not all have at Arsenal, and it is refreshing. Often you feel as though the signings your club makes don’t always appreciate the pride involved in playing for your club, especially one as historic as Arsenal, but Arteta has come in from day one and given his all, and it has been more than good enough. It has been exceptional. Fans talk about how Song is underrated, how Vermaelen has stabilised the defence, but to underplay the role that the former Everton man has played in providing stability and consistency to Arsenal since September would be a display of ignorance that is insulting to the efforts of Arteta since he moved to London.
For more Arsenal news and views follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay
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Chelsea winger Florent Malouda has admitted that he is eager to play more games for Chelsea, and has vented his frustration at a lack of first-team opportunities at Stamford Bridge.
The France international has been largely a fringe player since Andre Villas Boas took over as manager in the summer; this is something that Malouda is not used to.
“I am the kind of player who needs to play week in, week out and the manager knows that,” he told The Daily Star.
“I am expecting to start more games because that’s my standard and it’s what I’ve been doing for the last two seasons.
“I am trying to show, when I get the time, that I have the quality to start games,” he concluded.
Another frustrated figure at the London club is Romelu Lukaku, who has also spoken of his displeasure at having to watch from the sidelines.
“You have to be willing to make sacrifices if you really want to succeed at a big club, so I have to be patient.
“However, if my situation doesn’t change in the next six months, I might opt for a one-year loan spell elsewhere.
“That could be in England or in a country like France. I could have a good year at another club, and then return to Chelsea as a better player,” the Belgium international concluded.
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Over the past 12 months dozens of youngsters have come through and made their Premier League debuts and gone on to make a real impact in the greatest league in the world. The likes of Kyle Walker, Martin Kelly, Daniel Sturridge and Steven Caulker are just a few names that spring to mind as having a terrific 12 months breaking into first team squads.
2012 is set to top that with a promising group of youngsters starting to make a name for themselves in and around the youth system that has put them on the edge of a first team call up. With Euro 2012 on the horizon it may be too soon for any of these teenagers to make the plane, but with a new England manager set to take over after Ukraine and Poland an impressive six months from now on could impress the new boss.
Every club loves seeing one of their youth players coming into the first team and making an impression. More often than not they seem to put in more effort than the established stars and always get the crowd on their side. Here is a look at the top ten youngsters looking to 2012 as their breakthrough year.
Click on Tom Carroll to unveil the top 10
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Have I missed a player at your club? Let me know on Twitter: @Brad_Pinard
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Well it hasn’t been the best of weeks for Tottenham has it? A crushing 5-2 defeat at rivals Arsenal in last Sunday’s North London derby left everyone questioning whether Spurs could maintain their title tilt.
It was a remarkable turnaround on the 5-0 thumping they gave Newcastle just a fortnight ago and boss Harry Redknapp will be eager for his players to bounce back. It will be difficult coming up against in-form Manchester United and avenging the 3-0 defeat suffered when two met back in August will be high on the agenda. Tottenham have lost just three times since then and know they can close the gap on second placed United and put the skids on their pursuit of neighbours City.
This week on FFC there have been rumours surrounding Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen’s potential move to White Hart Lane plus more discussion over the England job and whether Redknapp isn’t the FA’s only option.
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Best of FFC
Redknapp not England’s only option
Belgium ace keen on Tottenham move
Is winning over the Press half the battle won?
The 16 ‘Biggest Myths’ In Football
Time to punish those who speak out of turn?
The Top TEN ‘most annoying’ football figures in the media
Van Der Vaart brushes off defeat
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Best of WEB
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The Bale Conundurum – Dear Mr Levy
A Sheep in Wolfs Clothing – Jimmy G2
Player Ratings and Tactical Analysis – Harry Hotspur
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Every Little Bit Hurts – Tottenham On My Mind
Will 90k be too rich for Daniel Levy’s blood? – Football Transfer Tavern
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Quote of the week
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“It’s going to be hard to win the title. All I have ever said is that it was not impossible, but if we get Champions League then that would be great, it is what we are looking for.” Harry Redknapp effectively ruling Tottenham out of the title race (The Guardian)