Ready for your daily dose of high blood pressure? Insert your own rant here as Joan Laporta is accused of tapping up Cesc. It was of course entirely predictable since the, ahem, news that Cesc has apparently agreed to sign if Sandro Rosell wins the Presidential elections next summer. In fact, it would be of no surprise if a formal bid were made by the Catalans on political grounds even if they know that it will not be accepted since it will be easy for Laporta to run around chanting, “Liar, liar, pants on fire“, when Rosell makes his claim again next summer.

The usual specious reasoning from Laporta was applied, trotting out the ‘Barcelona is in his DNA‘ crap as if a heavily guarded and highly secret lab created the player. I wish I had been a fly on the wall when Laporta first took over as President of the club. Apparently he was left a file about Fabregas by his predecessor with a note that said words to the effect, ‘You will have to explain how this one got away‘ which also goes a long way to explaining Laporta and Barcelona’s obsession with bringing Cesc back, ahem, home as they like to put it.

Elsewhere, Arsene has reportedly made his observations about current players who are on the receiving end of flirtatious flutterings from others:

Inter have not inquired about Gallas, just like Bordeaux has never asked for [Mikael] Silvestre. Adebayor? In my opinion he will remain. Chamakh? He might be a valid acquisition in case of a departure.

You can read into that what you will. The arguments will no doubt go something along the lines of ‘it’s hardly a ringing endorsement that those players will stay‘. External comments from Mr20% do not help situations since the perception is that the player is behind the agitation. In some cases that may be true, in others not. However, with Adebayor the silence from the player or lack of affirmation of his desire to stay should not be construed as desire to leave Arsenal. He may want to and it is indeed rare for Wenger to obviously state that a certain player is a replacement. One thing seems to be certain, Adebayor’s eventual departure from Arsenal – I cannot honestly see him being at the club for the start of the 2010/11 season – is as tortuous as those of Vieira and Henry.

One thing that appears reasonably certain is that Wenger does not intend to sell at least two of the three, if not all of them. Were his inclination to divest the club of the players, I suspect the word ‘yet’ might have been appended to the end of his comments about Gallas and Silvestre. As for Adebayor, if it is Arsene’s opinion that he will stay, he will stay unless a suitable offer is made. Every player has their price but the way in which this transfer window has been conducted, a number of clubs seem to have Spanish banks burning a hole in their pockets due to the extravagance of Real.

There was good news in Jack Wilshere signing an extended contract. As much as there is a clamour for today, tomorrow must not be forgotten. Forgetting is something I would like to do about Sheriff Fatman but it seems to be the case that he will not bugger off quietly. The Board meeting yesterday ended without a decision on the much vaunted – by his supporters anyway – Rights Issue. The most perceptive sentence in that article is ‘with concerns persisting among some directors as to the real motives behind the plans‘. Here is a clue for them: he wants to buy the club. Don’t let him.

’til Tomorrow.