UNTOLD ARSENAL » 2009 » January » 20

Everyone is telling different stories according to the always believable and generally truthful British press.  (That statement is ironic).

Dennis Lachter, agent to the man most of us had never heard of a year back, said on  www.newsru.com: “Andrei wants to move to Arsenal, and Arsenal wants to acquire Andrei. All that remains is for the parties to agree compensation.”

But apparently he has had a month off for the Russian cold season.  Which would mean he isn’t fit (although he is probably rather cold).   So the young Arsenal reserves battling it out in the midfield, will have to battle on a bit longer it seems.  (Actually a reserve midfield, and a reserve central defence, and we are only about 6 points off the top – that isn’t so awful is it?)

Alisher Usmanov also figures in more and more press statements, ever since the Daily Mail found out that he is chairman of Gazprom’s overseas division – and that Gazprom own Zenit, as well as all the gas that flows through the Ukraine pipeline.

“Usmanov wants Arshavin to join Arsenal. In fact he insists on this deal,” Anton Lisin, a football writer and columnist with Sovietsky Sport is quoted in the Guardian as saying.  So that’s all right then.

Personally if Gasprom told me to do something I’d damn well do it – or else get out on the first plane and hide for a few years in the middle of Dartmoor, or Tierra del Fuego or somewhere equally disconnected from the Gazprom pipeline.

But Lisin says that Manchester Money will also bid for Arshavin.  Manchester M have shown they know how to play with the big children, by blaming everyone but themselves for the way the Kaka deal worked out.  They said that WC Milan used the event to bolster their own position with their fans – which of course is what happens.   Everyone tries to make the most out of every deal – except Manchester Money have ended up looking exceptionally silly.   So they might now go around like a playground bully, knocking over the other kids’ toys.

But really they ought to be able to afford a better public relations person to handle the work.

I’m available – but so far they haven’t called.

(c) Tony Attwood 2009.   If you want to copy any of this, that’s fine as long as you give my name and the blog web address.