Aaron Ramsey was officially revealed as an Arsenal player yesterday, a new arrival from Wales as one of the old guard sadly passed away, my condolences to the family of Derek Tapscott. Ramsey made it clear that Arsene was the reason that he joined the club, very possibly to the chagrin of those who believe too much emphasis is put on the Le Boss rather than the club itself. Unfortunately for them that is a by-product of the media age we live whereby institutions are superseded by individuals because people no longer relate to them. It would not matter who the manager of the club was, they would be high profile and therefore presumed to be the club.

Ramsey seems set to have Emmanuel Adebayor as a team-mate next season despite attempts from AC Milan to unsettle, disturb and disrupt. The player commented in this morning’s Sun,

My future with Arsenal has never been in doubt and I want to assure fans I will be here for many years. My agent has met with coach Arsene Wenger about a new deal and I am happy about how the talks are going so fans can rest assured

So at least the Italian press got one thing right – Adebayor’s agent has met with Arsene and whilst I am sure that the prospect of the player moving if his demands were not met came up on the agenda, no doubt Mr 20% was also told that (a) Adebayor is not for sale or (b) he can go if they pay an extortionate fee.

Gervinho obviously does not have a very good Agent otherwise he would not be proclaiming to anyone who listened which happens to have been The Times. Instead his Mr 20% would have done that for him. After all, what is it that he pays them to do anyway?

Arsenal have spoken to my agents and we are looking at it. Arsenal have made it clear that they want me

Congratulations to Kelly Smith of Arsenal Ladies on being awarded a CBE.

So to Euro 2008. The Dutch are providing a masterclass in counter-attacking football, a pat on the back for Robin van Persie for his goal last night (although the pat should be gentle lest he fall down and suffer thigh-knack again). The French showed the sort of profligacy in front of goal that we have become accustomed to at Arsenal. You cannot help but wonder how fit Henry was mentally and physically because a peak Henry would have buried the chance he had instead of clearing the bar. At least van Basten is being sensible about his use of RvP. A substitute is surely better for his long-term fitness than a starting spot although that will probably come against Romania as the Dutch only need to keep the momentum going rather than winning in style.

The thought of Thuram joining as a player-coach as the oft-quoted rumour has it, is not filling me with joy. It seems he would equal Laurent Blanc’s efforts at United so perhaps a full-time coaching role somewhere might suit him better. Talking of Frenchmen coming to Arsenal, <Young Guns> reports that Nasri has signed a pre-contract with Arsenal negating Atletico’s supposed interest in the player.

As for who will accompany the Dutch to the Quarter-Finals, the Italians are doing their usual circuitous route there and the French seem devoid of confidence in front of goal, plus Buffon is proving that it is not a certainty that Casillas is the best ‘keeper on the planet at the moment.

Cesc  meanwhile is happy being a sub apparently,

For me it is not hard at all being a sub. There are some great players in the national side and whether I start or not I will do all I can to help the team. I know I can do a lot for the team and play an important role even if I start on the bench

Good luck to him and his compatriots today against Sweden.

Finally, Kenny Sansom was named at Number 36 of the Greatest Arsenal players and you can win a signed copy of his recent autobigraphy, To Cap It All, courtesy of Word Of Sport, purveyors of the finest football books, DVD’s and artwork.

Answer the following question for your chance to win:

Against whom did Kenny Sansom score his first league goal for Arsenal?

a – West Ham United
b – Coventry City
c – Stoke City

Email the answer to yogiswarrior@btinternet.com with your choice in the subject and your name and address in the body of the mail. Closing date is Monday 16th June 2008 and the winner will be announced shortly afterwards. Thanks to the largesse of Liam, the competition is open to all entrants worldwide.

’til Tomorrow.

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