A quiet morning is likely to be the prelude to an even quieter week with Goodplaya reporting that Arsene was seen catching a flight to Sardinia yesterday, one hopes to have a week or so off and recharge his batteries. Whilst he may have left the outgoings to someone like Edelman, nobody can really be coming in as Le Boss will not be there to greet them. God Forbid that he ever left that task to the Chairman with his PR skills….

One man seemingly certain to be moving in the near future is Jeremie Aliadiere. Middlesbrough are reported to have agreed a fee with the Club – my guess would be in the region of about £2m – and now await Jeremie’s return from his hols to try and seal the deal. Aliadiere has his detractors and you cannot really argue that when his chance came at Arsenal, he never took it. With the injuries to Henry and RvP, this was his time to shine yet for whatever reason, it never worked out that way. I cannot help but feel sorry for the lad in many respects. He joined the club in 1999 which was possibly the worst time for him to do so with the form of Henry and Bergkamp making them irreplaceable by seasoned pro’s, let alone a teenager. He was talented there is little doubt about that but last season he could not hit the proverbial cow’s Arsenal with a banjo. Possibly his injury a couple of seasons ago put the brakes on his development plus inconclusive loan spells at West Ham, Wolves and Celtic. He strikes me as a player who will do well at a ’smaller’ club than Arsenal, away from the spotlight of the media, and could well do as Steven Sidwell has away from Arsenal.

Gilberto Silva spoke ahead of last night’s money-spinner, sorry, important friendly about the state of play at the Club. It is an interesting comparison with the words reported from Henry, not in that they were different, more that their delivery, to me at least, sounded positive and a bit more, well, Captain-like (regular readers will know I favour him or Toure ahead of Henry in that role),

He promised us at the end of the season that he is not just planning for the short-term. He is planning long-term as well

Which is quite positive, Gilberto adding after that AW has told the players he is in for the long haul not just the short-term. On his own future, he stated that he wanted to see out his contract and ‘beyond’ at the Club. If that pans out, it is good news for he has been consistent in his performances for several seasons, winning over doubters at the start. I think it was the season when Vieira u-turned about going to Madrid that it became very obvious how good he really was, his absence through injury opened people’s eyes about who was controlling the midfield and it was not necessarily PV4. But it was a quote later in the article that struck home and should be one that all Arsenal fans take to heart,

It’s not for me to say who Arsene should buy or what positions need strengthening. We have to have faith in the manager. He is a great record of bringing in new players who make the team better

So to the Naysayers, football is a game of opinions, everyone is welcome to theirs, but if the players have faith in Le Boss, should not we be extending the same courtesy?

’til Tomorrow