Arsenal Tour Finishes With Draw, Arsène Gets Meldrew And Footballing Clichy’s

Arsenal finished their mini-tour of Asia – it feels wrong to call what has passed a fully fledged tour – with a draw against Hangzhou Greentown. In contrast to the midweek romp, appalling conditions marred the match. The performance in the first half as disjointed as the second was cohesive.

With some players not having completed ninety minutes of match time during the past week, it is too soon to draw definitive conclusions about the squad. That has not stopped some from doing so and the reaction to the result and performance left me wondering if there was more riding on this result than a mere friendly.

It seems there is a lack of understanding that this is a warm-up tour and that players are not going to go at full throttle for fear of hamstring or other such injuries whilst no doubt there were orders to play within themselves.

The defence was almost non-existent in the first half, criticism made that they have not learned the lessons of last season. It is hardly surprising since they have played two halves of football since the final whistle at Craven Cottage, did people really expect those errors to be eradicated already? The only time these players can be judged is when a full first team plays against, no disrespect to the two teams from the past week, good opposition who will test the players.

A legacy of negative feelings remains following last season. Disturbingly it shows little sign of abating, the new season ought to bring fresh hope but the overriding sense at the moment appears to be uninspired. Not disinterest but a distinct lack of joy or belief.

Perhaps that will change but it is hardly a surprising situation. Before the summer, hints from Wenger and Gazidis were of new faces, fresh blood to improve the squad. With all due respect to Carl Jenkinson and Gervinho, a new defender and full back were not immediate targets. Had a new centre back arrived, I suspect the mood would be better. Still time before the season for faces to arrive but it is not going to be a comfortable time until that happens.

Irascibility seems to be a distinctly Arsenal mood at the moment. Mention of Manchester City is guaranteed to send Arsène incandescent with rage. The latest comments by Roberto Mancini merely served to add to Wenger’s distaste at the financial boost being received by City recently. For a manager who has pinned much hope on Arsenal’s fortunes improving through the introduction of Financial Fair Play regulations, Etihad’s sponsorship deal will have been a pin prick in his balloon.

Problematically, all mention of the deal is speculation since the minutiae has not been made public knowledge. Given that lawyers will have been crawling over regulations, it is not unbelievable that City will claim £150m is for redevelopment and therefore excluded from FFP. They still get £25m each year for sponsorship included, a sum that helps solve a number of their problems.

Mancini’s observations about Nasri elicited a tetchy response, Wenger believing transfer rules have been broken by the constant chatter about the French player’s future. To me they are no different from Barcelona’s about Cesc. Indeed, the Spaniards have been far worse in their conduct. I was puzzled to an extent by the club’s refusal to complain to Fifa about Barcelona’s behaviour, I drew two inferences.

Firstly, transfer negotiations are ongoing with a belief that the Catalans may actually come to the table with the ‘right’ money. Secondly, Cesc would be drawn into this as would Darren Dein. Given the latter represents or advises, two other squad members there is a concern that to draw punishment on him might upset others.

One of Dein’s clients, Gael Clichy showed he was living in denial,

It was so frustrating at Arsenal. At times last year, we played some fantastic football and looked as good as any team in the league. But there were also times when we had injuries to our best players and we couldn’t cope. If we lost Cesc (Fabregas) or (Robin) Van Persie then the team really suffered.

Clichy was a senior pro and one of those who should have shown leadership on the pitch whilst younger or more inexperienced members of the squad were underperforming. He showed no sign of having done so and in a typical footballer fashion, has bolted and blamed others without putting his hand up to admit his part in the failure. Still, what to expect of a player who criticised Emmanuel Adebayor for treading the same path a couple of years ago?

’til Tomorrow.

 

A New Dawn, A New Hope And A New Player Or Two

LIE NEWS TICKER…Police have trapped Arsène Wenger in a mountain top hideaway. Lie News understands that detectives leading the investigation into the kidnap of Cesc Fábregas have named Wenger as head of the League Of Really Nice Kidnappers. Sources claim that LORNK victims have enjoyed five-star luxury and inflated wages but there are rumours that they are injured quite frequently…LIE NEWS TICKER

The second game of the tour takes place today, lunchtime in the UK and for those outside, well, you work out your own kick-off time! One of the benefits of the Far Eastern tour is that the media have a lot of access to the players, curtailing the mischievous stories to a certain extent. Those of a negative persuasion though will enjoy this morning’s Sport.

Not entirely though as Barcelona’s desperation is such that they have even enlisted the help of the Mayor of Simpleton to release Cesc from his ball and chain. This story brought XTC to this blogger, I’m just waiting for the Generals and Majors to call on Sgt. Rock all the while they are making plans for Nigel (the codename for Cesc) [Thwack...get your senses working overtime on this post otherwise you'll have to move out of Respectable Street...Ed]. And I never even got to poke fun at Daily Star claims that Barcelona have kept a shirt number for Cesc…

So to the proper stuff. Even though he was busy evading The Sweeney, Arsène found time to reflect on the coming campaign using the pain of the past to drive the players forward,

The last part of the season was [the hardest]. That was certainly the toughest because, emotionally, it was very difficult because we were on a low. And then you could see that the last three or four weeks were very difficult.

I believe that the real destiny of this team is now there. They know as well as I know that we were very, very close. You say, OK we missed our chance or you say, in our position, let’s show everybody that we can do it and come back stronger. Which is what I think we can do because we are a young team and we can only be better. It demands the strength of character that champions have. That’s what we want to show.

So, how long will it be before the first complaint comes in because someone takes the manager’s words too literally. We all know that is going to happen because the complainant either wilfully ignores the nuances or is painfully witless.

Crucially for Arsenal the opening game at Newcastle offers some redemption, a chance to erase bad memories. Robin van Persie agreed,

It’s very important [to make up for that] because if you throw away a 4-0 lead, it’s mad

I can think of other more appropriate descriptions of that performance, mad never figured very highly in the choice of words. A new season brings new hope and new motivations. The performance at St James’ Park ought to bring enhanced motivation, the scene of the crime revisited.

Will it give any indication of a strengthened desire? Not in itself. That will be evident from the opening games, the toughest start to a season in Wenger’s reign. van Persie is looking forward to the new season,

I was 27 last year and everyone would think that you have an amazing start to the season and then maybe grow from there. But I had an injury and needed time to get back to fitness. The second part of last year, I scored 18 Premier League goals so it’s strange. You can’t really tell beforehand whether you are going to have your best year because you don’t really know what is going to happen. If it goes your way, I do believe that this could be a really good year for me.

Many people question optimism on the part of supporters who believe that the squad can achieve something. If that is the case, take a look at van Persie’s words. He missed a third or more of the season and must look back on that campaign, wondering what might of been if he had played more often – more goals for Arsenal? More points? Who knows.

Yet he has still come back believing that the new season is full of promise of hope. That is surely the essence of this time of year?

Reason did creep in but it was good to see he recognised his own part in all of this,

The way I see it is that I am halfway through my career now. I have been playing for ten years and I’d like to play for at least ten more years. Of course I want to win things but winning things doesn’t come from out of the blue. I’m just a part of the whole story, it depends on many things.

A footballer who is willing to admit that it is down to the squad to win? My goodness me that is almost as fanciful as believing Arsenal would spend £20m on Juan Mata or Romelu Lukakukachoo.

That’s it for today – let’s hope that Arsenal Player is up to the job at lunchtime rather than the expected shambles it was on Wednesday.

’til Tomorrow.

One Of Us Speaks: Let’s Get X-Rated

Big Al (One Of Us) is starting a new weekly column with A Cultured Left Foot, a different perspective from my own. The Grumpy Old Man kicks off with something I find irritating but nonetheless privately maintain, Player Ratings.

I used to quite like Player Ratings. They claimed to condense a 90-minute performance into one figure and being fairly lazy that suited me down to the ground. Even if I’d witnessed the match first-hand, I’d take the scores on board because the writer was a pro.

There are many problems with them, not least of which is that a team is an entity, not eleven individuals. Assign scores to each player after watching the match once and you’re taking a giant leap into the unknown. There’s so much that you won’t catch on first viewing.

If you want to judge a performance accurately, you’re going to need a 90-minute DVD devoted solely to that player’s actions, on the ball and off. This is just the starting point, because the performance of one player relies to a large extent on the performance of his teammates, so you’ll have to view two or three pieces of footage in synchrony, pausing at specific moments to evaluate decisions and actions.

A journalist won’t manage that during the frantic minutes before his filing deadline, instead he will be scratching his head to remember moments to give a performance value. Beyond the obvious stuff like goals, individual skill and egregious errors will be crunching tackles, lung-busting runs or anything that constitutes “a real shift”.

It is eye-catching when a player covers a lot of ground and launches into tackles but counter-intuitively, this behaviour can be detrimental to a team if it means vacating a position, playing in a way that teammates won’t be able to anticipate, or expending energy that could be better used in other situations.

Rinus Michels highlighted Sonny Anderson’s unsuccessful stint at Barcelona in the 90s in his book, Teambuilding: The Road to Success. The Brazilian striker complained that his attacking game was suffering because he was expected to do too much defending, which he interpreted as entailing a lot of running, sapping the stamina needed to join and finish moves.

Those grumbles appeared quite reasonable until Michels contented that Anderson’s comments betrayed a complete misapprehension his role in the team. If a striker defends in a “team-efficient” manner, he won’t have to charge around the pitch closing down the opposition or tracking back.

Instead, he’ll sense where his teammates will be; he’ll know what they expect of him and what to expect from them, and through intelligent positioning and effective pressing, he will defend efficiently without expending unreasonable amounts of energy.

That isn’t easy to spot during the flow of a match but it’s hugely important. Gilberto Silva had a great instinct for off-the-ball teamwork. Apparently languid on the pitch, many weren’t convinced by him at first. Then he got injured and in his absence a hole appeared in the team. People began to appreciate what they couldn’t see in the blur of a Premier League match at full pace.

Now, if a result in football depends so entirely on the team, would it ever be possible to designate precise 1-10 ratings to players? The answer is a tentative “yes”. But you’d need so much material – not to mention privileged access – to compile fair scores.

And let’s think about what’s fair for a moment. It’s a blunt truth that certain players are more talented than others. What is important is that they mesh together, know their tasks and carry them out diligently. A fair score would take on board the role that the player has been asked to fill. This means that the evaluator would need to know the ins and outs of team-talks, training sessions and private conversations between coach and player.

It’s this kind of hasty analysis that lumps players with unfair reputations. If an unpopular player misplaces a pass, this event is going to stick in the mind of the appraiser more vividly than if an established star had done the same because it reinforces an opinion. Already rushed, subjective ratings become prone to received wisdom.

Why is all this important?

Player ratings are a symptom of the misguided idea that it’s easy to build a team. At a time when there’s discord between Arsenal fans and players, they encourage cold, preconceived judgements that sustain a culture of negativity around unpopular individuals.

They’re just as likely to mislead as offer quick insight. This is a problem because their convenience makes them so popular. They confer unmerited authority on the judge. Hasty evaluation places too much stock in the appearance of effort by a player, without assessing whether these exertions are actually ”team-efficient”.

By isolating individuals, we end up with fantasy speculation like, “How many Arsenal players would make it into the Man U team?” Which makes as much sense as me discussing which of my internal organs would work better transplanted into someone else’s body.

And with that I think I’d better sign off for this week. I just hope you weren’t tucking into breakfast when you reached the previous paragraph – unless you happen to be a fan of player ratings.

’til Tomorrow.

Football’s Back Whilst Xavi Translates As Clueless And Classless

Football for once is the starting place for a post and a very welcome return it is too. The 4-0 win in Malaysia is, in itself, not going to register on the coming season. That should not detract from a pleasing performance with new faces showing encouraging signs.

Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring with a fifth minute penalty, awarded after Jack Wilshere was unceremoniously upended following a surging run into the area. Chances to double the lead wafted wide, over and generally anywhere but the target until Ramsey’s excellent angled pass allowed Walcott to lob the onrushing goalkeeper.

Wenger made eight changes at the interval, with the remaining three starters replaced midway through the second half. One of the late incomers was Samir Nasri. Apparently it is a ‘relief for Arsenal fans‘ that he has taken the pitch, as if this appearance means he is engulfed by an Arsenal force field that will protect him and the club from any unwelcome Mancunian advances.

The second half saw more positive signs, not least that a defensive wall did not splinter or defend an early Malaysian free kick by raising their arms to concede unnecessary penalties. We got the exquisite finish against weaker opposition from the bulky Carlos Vela, who has either been at the weights this summer or has lost Jenny Craig’s phone number. He would have completed his annual quota of Arsenal goals for the season but for the (un)timely intervention of a defender.

Weighty changes to the personnel has been a theme with Andrey Arshavin looking svelte compared to last year, nimbly rounding defenders on the left for Tomas Rosicky to head home the fourth deep into injury time.

Positive signs came in the performances of Miyaichi and Jenkinson, a friendly can offer no more than hope that they will be good squad players. Likewise, the perenially injured Rosicky seems fit and spritely whilst Vermaelen’s return is a new beginning or a new signing, I can never distinguish between Yoda and Arsène’s pronouncements.

This summer has seen the support drop to a basic level; abusing players online is deemed acceptable. It is not and little wonder that only the hardy or popular remain active on social media. The abusers will no doubt complain once players stop interacting, mocking them for being aloof and moaning how they used to go down the pub with Arsenal players of the 60s. Or at least their grandfathers did.

A perverse target for criticism is Cesc. It seems that refusing to talk to the media is now a measurable sin, a signal of his disloyalty to Arsenal. The theory goes that he should have come out straight away and declined any Barcelona advances. The theory is tripe and those who espouse it ought to be ashamed.

We have known for a number of seasons that he would like to return home – to be closer to his family, to play for his ‘club’ – at some point. Yet he has never come out and been disrespectful towards Arsenal or the supporters. Despite this, it is evident some think they can be disrespectful to the player.

Not least of which is Xavi, who did his usual interfering, proving at once that he and his employers do not understand the word ‘class’ at all. Either that or they do not want to, which is their prerogative. You can understand Arsène’s growing frustration,

If I found Barcelona in exactly the same position, I believe a mutual respect between the clubs should stop this kind of comment. It is very disrespectful and it is not the first time that Xavi has been disrespectful to Arsenal Football Club.

What is important is that Cesc Fábregas is contracted to Arsenal Football Club. That is a fact. Arsenal want to keep him and all the rest is comment.

You have to hope that on Ivan’s desk there is sliding scale of penalty increases in Cesc’s fee for every indiscretion. Sadly there isn’t because it would mean the amount paid by Real Madrid for Ronaldo would have been dwarfed by Arsenal’s demands.

It is apparent that all of the comments have Barcelona’s tacit or explicit approval and yet Wenger continues to be repectful towards the institution of Barcelona. The open hypocrisy of the Catalans shows that they have little or no finesse, incapable of setting an example to all through winning with dignity and conducting themselves in an exemplary manner. The whining that they cannot afford the fee demanded is bewildering when they can opt to spend £35m on a winger. It ought to be evident to Cesc that they do not want him enough at this moment in time, a path they may regret if one of their central midfielders is out for a substantial amount of time.

In short, they are nothing more than petulant schoolchildren who think that the time when they are top will always remain, forgetting that it will not always be the case. When their fall comes, it will be of no surprise to see how many enjoy gloating over their decline.

’til Tomorrow.

Jack Wants Loyalty But Will They Listen, Can The Squad Learn & More

Arsenal settled into the routine of their tour, training in front of 30,000 ahead of the first match at lunchtime against a Malaysian XI. With the players free to talk to the media, the initial interviews have found them free with their words. Following Robin van Persie’s observations yesterday, Jack Wilshere has given his opinion on the current speculation surrounding the squad,

If you are loyal, it means you are a real man. We have loyalty at Arsenal and players have shown that in the past. Cesc showed that last year and hopefully a few more players will show it this year. We have a good team and we need to keep our big players if we want to win things. Robin (van Persie) has said he would be devastated if we lose Cesc. It’s the same for me

Depending on whom or what you believe, that outcome is or is not going to happen. The latest speculation surrounding the captain is that Arsenal will accept a £35m bid, have accepted €40m or will take €45m. According to The Independent, Cesc is ‘determined to ignore Wenger‘ which seems a bit harsh. You would have thought that Fábregas’ wages would allow him to send Arsène to somewhere better than Coventry. Although that might make the board think twice about Samir Nasri.

It is a sign of Wilshere‘s elevated status in the squad that he feels confident enough to speak about the situation publicly; he would not have done so last season. Whatever is going on behind the scenes needs to be resolved by Arsenal once and for all before the start of the season. Inform Fábregas and his ‘advisors’ that there is a deadline for Barcelona to come to the table with an acceptable bid; let the player put the pressure on them. Once it is passed, do not even speak with Rosell and his cronies. Sorry if that ruins your dinner plans for this year, Ivan.

For Nasri, the ground for argument has shifted. Whilst you do not want to lose your best players, selling the Frenchman now makes more sense financially. Arsenal’s transfer budget does not come as a result of the owner’s largesse, the price of self-sustainability. Whilst Uefa may hold this model as the ideal, it is hard when the club is the only one playing by the rules.

Arsenal as a club, the manager, the AST, fans, everyone may decide that the Manchester City deal with Etihad is against the FFP, demand Uefa investigate. Such action is naive as lawyers will have been involved and scrupulously read the regulations to ensure compliance. As I pointed out on Saturday, it is not difficult for them to prove adherence to FFP, even using back of the fag packet calculations. You wonder if part of Arsenal objections to this is the knowledge of how bad it makes The Emirates deal look.

Wilshere went on,

It would mean everything to win a trophy this season. Last season we just missed out. That last minute against Birmingham ruined everything in a way.

In a ‘collapsing into nothingness’-debacle kind of way, Jack?

We are always there or thereabouts at the end of the season. But we need to stay strong and maybe make a few more signings and we will be alright. We have been saying in the last few seasons that we need a bit more toughness but the boss knows what he is doing. Hopefully he will bring what we need in and we will win something at the end of the season.

Hope is the right word. The tail end of the season has left a bitter taste in many mouths and raised genuine doubts about the mental strength of this squad. Whilst not inconceivable that the squad can learn from those games and the negative impact, the evidence suggests otherwise as the disappointments from 2006-07 onwards have not spurred them to achievement.

A different input is required, to freshen thoughts on the pitch. I believe it is not something that can happen with one voice, there must be influence across all areas of the game. One of those new voices has long been believed to be Gary Cahill but Chelsea are rumoured to be interested in an English centre back. The paucity of players from these shores who can fill that position is highlighted by these rumours. No doubt this will be used a stick to beat the manager with if he signs at Stamford Bridge despite no evidence of an Arsenal bid.

’til Tomorrow.

Arsène Ambitiously Defiant On Cesc & Nasri

As Gervinho arrived at London Colney, he found that the squad were doing likewise in Malaysia. Had he been able to do so, he would have seen his manager in fine form during the first press conference of the tour. Arsène was a shining beacon of defiance in front of the assembled media.

He would have expected the questioning to be dominated by Cesc and Samir Nasri’s situations; the media would perhaps have not expected the robust defence of the situation. At the end of it, no-one was in any doubt that his preference is that both will stay.

With Cesc, that is the least surprising news. Barcelona have made a summer habit of disappointing bids for the player. You have to wonder how he feels about it. No doubt forlorn that a deal cannot be struck but is his ardour for the move quelled at all in the knowledge that he does not rank highly in their quest for new DNA at the Camp Nou? It must hurt that his heart’s desire is rebuffed? Or is he simply blaming Arsenal, convincing himself that they have the right to demand a substantial fee for his services, one that is beyond Barcelona at the moment?

Nasri is a different matter. In the last year of his contract, Arsenal have not yet given up hope of him signing a new deal. If he does not, the club has a choice: sell the player or lose £20m and a player next summer. That presumes he will go, something Sir Alex Ferguson was keen to highlight even though it will apparently not be to Manchester United. His comments are curious; a manager would not normally comment about a destination unless seeking to destabilise the player? There is a suspicion that Nasri is giving the thought of staying serious consideration.

His position though was highlighted last night by the AST as a problem for the club. Focussing on the Transfer Proceeds Account, fears were raised that the club will be in a position of having to sell to reinvest if Nasri stays. It is an incomplete suggestion; cash held at the bank does not equate entirely to transfer and wages funding. The money in the account has to be replenished from sales but that is not the only source.

However, even though the theory of losing £20m is not wrong, the manager chastised the media for their hypocrisy. Constantly chided for not spending, Wenger’s decision is to keep the player and the opportunity cost is to lose the transfer fee. It is smoke and mirrors because the real opportunity cost is the loss of the transfer fee plus whatever is spent next summer in replacing him. It might be nearer to £35m all told in that scenario.

Arsène believes that to lose the players suggests a lack of ambition,

I believe for us it is important that the message we give out – for example you see about Fabregas leaving, Nasri leaving – if you give that message out you cannot pretend you are a big club. Because a big club first of all holds onto its big players and gives a message out to all the other big clubs that they just cannot come in and take [players] away from you.

We worked very hard with these players for years to develop them and now it’s time for us to keep them together.

Losing Nasri and Cesc in one summer is the nuclear option. It cannot happen. Arsenal are in definite control of one, not so much of the other. If one goes, one stays. The situation with Nasri, to my mind, is simple. If he will not sign a new deal now, sell him and take the fee, reinvesting in a player who wants to be at the club.

Robin van Persie is working on Cesc as well,

He is a special player, he can see things quicker than others. He will be a miss for any team, that’s why I hope that he stays and we can play a bit longer together

The Dutchman spoke of their connection, how the  captain sees opportunities earlier. There is an unpsoken consistency in Cesc’s play that has brought his colleagues admiration. The praise seems more heartfelt than that given to others, a sure sign that players of this calibre are not undervalued by club or colleague.

This, I feel, underlines the difference between Nasri and Cesc. The latter has played consistently throughout his time at Arsenal. The former? He has sporadically performed, never more than three months at a time. But is to lose one a lack of ambition? No, it is a recognition that the player is maximising his earnings by moving elsewhere.

Arsenal’s policy is egalitarian, the differential between top and bottom earners much narrower than others. Is this the correct policy? Theory suggests that selling players is more difficult because of the earnings, squad members more content to sit and take their money than actively seek first team opportunities. Perhaps this might be KSE’s legacy to Arsenal; make a wider pay band, reward the first team players on the pitch, incentivise the rest to perform consistently on the pitch, raise their game to get into the first XI.

That’s it for today, football is returning. Never have pre-season friendlies been more welcome! ’til Tomorrow.

Monday Morning Transfer Round-Up and TV To Shore Up The Back Four

The transfer tales continue unabated, no-one sure of what is going on, contradictory stories appearing on a daily basis. Some of them bring relief, others concern. At the start of the summer, Wenger was urged to spend big. That demand then seemed to take a backwards step when £17m was mentioned as the price tag for Gary Cahill. The £12m being demanded by Blackburn Rovers for the services of Christopher Samba seemed a more acceptable fee.

Well, if Cahill is too expensive, Stewart Downing must surely be the same if this morning’s reports are to be given any credibility. Thankfully it seems that Aston Villa have taken leave of their senses and decided that £20m for the England international is required. Even allowing for the English Premium Tax (EPT), it is a price determined to put off suitors. Personally, I am more put off by his performances.

Thankfully, Peter Hill-Wood has made an utterance that most will agree with, Daily Star reporters contacted him last night and he was ‘unaware‘ of any bid. Well, that is what the paper tells us but as they did not have any quotes, I cannot comment on the veracity of his comments although it is not hard to believe that he would have questioned how they got his mobile phone number…

The trip to the Far East has attracted as much attention for who is going as to who is not. Gervinho has not yet received his Work Permit so is not there, neither has Miyaichi but he is. Which is not surprising given that neither requires a Work Permit to play for Arsenal in a foreign country. Perhaps it was his visa after all and not the rumoured wage demands?

Manuel Almunia was left behind to try to find a new club, a return to Spain seems to be his most likely destination. Nicklas Bendtner meanwhile, is reportedly of interest to Sporting Lisbon and Borussia Dortmund for around £9m. Or £12m, depending on which report you believe. And I wonder if the Sporting Lisbon and Borussia Dortmund he is being linked with this morning, are the same Sporting Lisbon and Borussia Dortmund who both denied being interested in the player four weeks ago when Daddy was bigging him up?

There was a suggestion that Werder Bremen like him and that he could be used as a makeweight in signing Per Mertesacker. But that’s yesterday’s news.

Which brings us to Cesc. The one thing that this summer has shown is an admirable dedication to the cause on the part of Sport, Barcelona’s pet media outlet. No matter what knock-backs they receive on any part of their Cesc crusade, they get back up right away and plug on with something new.

Leaving Cesc behind to continue his recovery from injury was manna from Heaven. Yesterday’s story concerning Wenger being sidelined in Nasri negotiations was an open goal and Sport buried the chance with some aplomb. Two become one. Cesc and Nasri are now intertwined but the Frenchman dropped so everything for Nasri will now be recycled for Cesc. The atmosphere surrounding the negotiations is more conducive to getting a deal completed. Just the small matter of about £5m now. At least that is now acknowledged as being a sticking point.

It’s still a load of old cobblers but entertaining nonetheless.

Elsewhere, Thomas Vermaelen has spoken ahead of the coming season, seeing the campaign as the opportunity to make up for lost time,

I am really excited, especially after last year. I want to prove myself again and show the people what I’m able to do.

Personally yes, of course I am more determined, I played a lot of games in my first year and I hoped to do well in my second year but unfortunately I had a big injury and I couldn’t play a lot so I couldn’t show the people a lot. I’m determined to go on the pitch this year and fight for it.

Whom the Belgian will partner in defence is the crucial question. If Cahill were to join, for example, he would be presumed to be a first choice, especially for the amount of money being demanded. To my mind this is the sort of player that Vermaelen would thrive alongside, a good aerial combatant who compliments the Belgian’s strength on the ground.

That presumes a newcomer will arrive. Of the existing players, Johan Djourou seems most likely to partner Vermaelen, Koscielny is a left-sided defender as well and there would be a lack of balance in the Franco-Belgian pairing. Djourou knows what Vermaelen has been through in losing a season of his career. He has shown the strength of character to come through that, his Belgian teammate has the strength of character to guide him on the pitch.

Not for one minute do I believe Wenger is planning on playing Vermaelen at left back. It is not a square peg in a round hole but certainly, it is not making the most of his strengths. Were he to play there, whomever is ahead of him is going to be ‘hugging the touchline’ more because it is hard to visualise Vermaelen making overlapping runs.

The key thing to this tour is everyone returning fully fit. Chelsea appear to have lost Michael Essien for the season through injury, Arsenal can ill-afford a similar occurrence.

’til Tomorrow.