Adriano Galliani, whose name pops up here more frequently than it really ought to, has told Italian TV that he has a letter from Arsenal that suggests the sale of Emmanuel Adebayor is going to happen. According to the Man from Milan the missive said that Arsenal were now prepared to enter into negotiations over the player, literally hours after Galliani claimed that he had spoken with Arsene over the sale but ‘right now we are divided on an important difference in terms of value of the player‘ which is pretty much as fundamental a difference as you can get. Perhaps Galliani should have looked closer at the letter for the Canadian return address and the note at the bottom telling him that he had won a lottery that was never entered, might have given him a clue about the veracity of the contents.

Andrei Arshavin is not joining Arsenal this summer according to his agent because the club has not bid for him. Also not joining Arshavin at The Emirates is Clement Chantome but winging its way to the club could be £3m in used and grubby fivers if David Bentley gets his wish to leave Ewood Park.

Ray Parlour was one of the ’six wise men’ – not even biblical stories are safe from inflation these days – to praise Cesc as part of the celebrations on the official site for him being the Player of the Season. It seems as one career reaches its peak another falls by the wayside as Parlour has announced his retirement from the game is more than likely to happen as he cannot find a club for the coming season. Parlour was the archetypal George Graham player when he broke into the team, hardworking and full of honest endeavour and like the back four, he flourished in his time under Arsene.

And so to morality. Is that the right word for football is at the crossroads, professionally speaking. For many, they will not care so long as Arsenal are in the big pond. The size of the fish does not particularly matter, staying in that pool of water does. UEFA has forced the issue somewhat. Public proclomations by Michel Platini that he wants to protect the smaller nations and clubs were always deemed ‘fanciful’ but the reality is that he and his cohorts are preserving the status quo. Changing the format of the UEFA Cup to the same as that of the Champions League was a logical step, surprising in only the length of time that it has taken to get this far.

The question that must be answered by fans of the game in general is whether or not they care. To a certain extent, the dreams of the many of reaching the promised land of the Premier League were answered with Stoke and Hull being promoted; two clubs which have struggled financially have breached the gap. Only West Brom going up instead of Bristol City spoiled that party. However, is the dream dead and more importantly, does anyone care?

UEFA do not, that much is clear. More teams have the chance to compete in European competition through increased participation via the Champions League but the numbers have merely shifted from cup to cup. By creating leagues, UEFA are accentuating the exclusivity. The same teams, aside from Everton, Newcastle, Leeds and Blackburn have represented England in the Champions League for more than a decade. Their number has increased through availability of places but that merely now confirms the rich league within England. The UEFA Cup will go the same way, perpetuating the tiering that exists within English football.

But why should we care? Arsenal are alright yet should that be taken for granted. Not necessarily though only a seismic change in English football will alter the landscape. Tottenham have tried and were tipped to do so last season. Failed miserably but will no doubt be touting themselves to do so again, breaching the gap that is.

However, all that the scenario is pushing towards is a progression toward in the first instance, a midweek European league, co-existing beside the Premier League. It is not surprising that football is heading this way. Few teams are worth watching in the Premier League on a regular basis because they play sterile tactics; it is rarely the exciting league that the media insist that it is. The gulf between the top four and the rest is massive, even if the points did not reflect that particularly last season. Attendances are apparently rising in the top flight but that is merely toying with statistics; take out the increased capacity at The Emirates and Old Trafford; little surprise that the rest of the division is struggling.

Should we as fans be surprised if a European League comes forth in the next decade, will we even care as long as Arsenal are involved? Probably not but how will you feel if that day comes and Arsenal are not at the top table any more?

’til Tomorrow.