It would seem that Arsene is a mite concerned about the future of Alexander Hleb. Some interesting comments yesterday about his body language recently and how his frustrations are surfacing visibly on the pitch and they might not have been too far off the mark.
Arsene though has obvious worries about how Hleb could invoke the FIFA regulation, Article 17, and move for a relatively small buy-out fee,
The situation at the moment has become much more unstable with the Webster clause. Every new rule provokes a little bit more inflation and instability because the players can always move out earlier and quicker. Before, when you had a player under contract for five years, they were your player for five years; now, they can leave after three years [if they are] under the age of 28. You are always confronted with potential instability
Arsene’s concerns about potential instability are not misplaced yet the clubs can prevent this situation arising, as Arsenal has with signing Cesc Fabregas to an eight-year contract. There are obvious risks involved with longer-term deals yet no one seems to sign players to them when the initial transfer is made. Hleb has been at the club for three seasons now, which is long enough for Arsene to have decided whether the player had a viable future to his thirties and therefore could have tried to renegotiate his current contract, to defer any potential move away. He has not done so and now must run the risk of Hleb walking.
When the G14 was in place, there was a ‘Gentlemen’s Agreement’ that none of the clubs in that, ahem, august organisation would poach each other’s players, getting the individuals involved invoking the clauses of Article 17. Now that the clubs have agreed to subsume themselves into UEFA, it appears the gloves might be off. If Internazionale have taken this course of action, it seems to me at least that the gloves are off and Arsenal should not fight shy of using these rules to their own advantage this summer if they apply to any player that they want.
Hleb meanwhile has played his last match this season as the FA has charged him with violent conduct. Whilst the disciplinary process has its course to run, starting tomorrow with the hearing, there is little doubt that the Belorussian is looking at a three match ban after Saturday’s referee (sorry, his name escapes me as I write) said that he would have given Hleb a straight red card had he seen his slap across Murty’s neck. There can be no arguments from the offender or Arsenal; guilty as charged, m’lud.
The soap opera that is Mathieu Flamini’s contract renewal is becoming as regular a fixture of the back pages as the gushing love affair that the media has with Cristiano Ronaldo. Juventus’ ‘director’ Jean-Claude Blanc has admitted they want to sign him. The reported offer of £3.5m per year at least lets Arsenal know they are about £10k per week short in negotiations. Flamini’s arrival at the club was shrouded in controversy with Marseilles unhappy about the manner of his departure and it seems to be history repeating itself if the player leaves Arsenal. If he does, so long and thanks for all the fish; if not, more of the same form next season. One thing is certain; he is not irreplaceable but I suspect Arsene might just feel the odd twinge of regret over letting Lassana Diarra go.
William Gallas meanwhile, hopes as we all do, that both Flamini and Hleb stay, allowing Arsene to focus his attention on the areas that need strengthening rather than diverting him away to replace existing staff,
It would be good if we can keep this group together as we know each other very well and we know what we can do. We came very close to winning something this year but you get nothing for being close
If nothing else, Gallas is toeing the party line. He is right, as was Arsene at the weekend, with their assessment of the current squad. For all of his public displays of emotion, Gallas has shown the strength of character that a captain requires in ignoring the criticism in the media, or at least not responding to it. Further, he is spot-on when he reviews recent defensive lapses,
In the last few months we’ve not defended well as a team. It’s not about individuals
Therein lays Arsene’s problem. It has not been one individual responsible for conceding goals; it has been Gallas, Toure, Clichy, Senderos and any combination of the aforementioned that have made the mistakes. It is a collective dereliction of duty and that is harder to solve. Yet solve it he must and get the team into the habit of keeping clean sheets. They had it in the early months of the season but lost the confidence. To regain it is the key to a successful title challenge next year.
Theo Walcott has been garnering praise for his recent performances when on the pitch but he is not satisfied,
At the start of this season I wanted to make 20 to 25 starts and score five goals. At the moment I’m on 17 starts and five goals, so it looks like I will fall short of that
My memory is playing tricks but I thought he was talking about Premier League starts in the pre-season but that is nitpicking. He has shown enough recently to suggest that he might well be a good bet for a regular starting berth in 2008-09. Goalscoring from the midfield has been another collective problem since Christmas so if Theo can add to the tally then all well and good. The only concern I would have is that he is too easily marginalised at times and in that respect he is in a similar position to Eboue; learning the tradecraft of the right hand side of midfield. Walcott may have ambitions for a more central striking role but I would suggest that this might be a couple of seasons away yet. In any case, it seems as if he will have competition from Carlos Vela whose agent ‘bigged him up’. Vela is indeed a promising prospect but the aspirations of a club should not fall onto his shoulders; expectations need to be tempered and to allow him to grow as a player in a new country and more physically demanding league than anything he has so far encountered. It would be nice if he were given the space to do so.
‘til Tomorrow.
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Tags: Alexander Hleb, Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, FIFA, Football, Premier League, Soccer, Theo Walcott, William Gallas
