Given the events of the week preceding, it is hardly surprising that there is very little transfer gossip in the Sundays. Which is quite good actually, perhaps it will stop the fantasy speculation. Indeed, the only story that they are interested in is the removal of David Dein from the Board and the fallout of that. The Sunday Times reckons that it now frees up the FA to pursue Arsene Wenger with their fullest vigour which is the stuff of nightmares as Brian Barwick is not the most photogenic of individuals. As Dein is no longer attached to a club, it seems his days of office holding are about to be curtailed, albeit until he returns to the Game. The G-14 are likely to be the first to react with DD being asked to step aside as their “Leader” as he is no longer affilated to a member of this self-styled elite group.

The FA themselves will be leaving DD in situ until June when he will need to relinquish his positions on the International Committee and representing the Premiership Clubs on the FA Council. Speculation as to what this will do for Arsenal is rife. Personally, I think it is pointless as the Club received very little benefit from his “political” posts otherwise we would not have lost so many players to suspension in March whilst the equally culpable Chelsea got off relatively scot-free.

There is a shortcut route back into these roles, well some of them anyway, if DD is desperate enough to desire them and it is one that may surface in due course. Daniel Commolli is rumoured to be on Arsene’s shortlist of candidates for the post of Director of Football at Arsenal. Is it too fanciful to believe that Dein would fill that role at Tottenham if Commolli moves across North London? In some respects it is not given his personal ties with Daniel Levy. In others it is given his supposed desire to return t o Arsenal. It was disappointing to read the comments attributed to him about getting revenge on the Arsenal board; one hopes that was ‘paper talk’.

Cesc Fabregas was unsurprisingly did not come up trumps in either of the Player Of The Year Awards last night, Ronaldo scooping both. Media hype made that one inevitable. Ronaldo has played well this season, that cannot be denied but the praise lavished has been embarrassing at times, grown men almost wetting their pants in their desire to make the most crass superlatives in print. The player deserves credit for consistency and having the ‘bottle’ to face up his critics in the media following on from the last World Cup. It is indicative of the poor season that the Arsenal have had this term that not one of the players has made it to the PFA Team of the Year. The only non-Manchester United players in the XI were Gerrard, Berbatov and Drogba. It is not something that you can argue with particularly for the only two candidates could possibly be Toure and Fabregas. It is however a rarity under Wenger’s reign for none to be in this team selected by their peer.

Interesting thoughts from Alan Smith in this morning’s Daily Telegraph. He argues that the summer will not see the influx of new signings that everyone and his dog seems to want, intimating that AW has a transfer budget of £5m. Whilst he has picked that figure from the air, I am sure, it will make this close season very uncomfortable for the current Board if it turns out that Wenger has an exceptionally modest transfer budget when they have previously said that he has more than enough funds to spend. Of course, he could always sell Phillipe Senderos to Juventus for £7m as is being reported in places. Whilst the Italians have money to burn most summers, I find it hard to believe that they would put that much on the table for Big Phil. Still the transfer market must be having a dose of hyper inflation as a couple of weeks ago he was only worth £2m.

Finally, congratulations to the Arsenal Ladies for winning the first leg of their UEFA Cup Final in Sweden and a clean sheet as well. 1 – 0 to the Arsenal almost harks back to a bye-gone age.

‘Til tomorrow.