UNTOLD ARSENAL: The most read Arsenal blog in the world » 2008 » May » 27

27/05/2008 by Tony Attwood.

As we said on Untold Arsenal last week the Nasri deal is on – just the usual boring stuff about whether it is 20k a week or 22k, and how many years.   Clever aren’t we?

And as we said nine months ago Grimandi is of total importance to AFC – he was in Colorado, which is now part of the Arsenal network, he won the double twice with us, and he finds the gems.  Not just a bunch of kids, but the real live winners – some of whom are 15 and aren’t even listed on the radar.   There was no way he was ever going to PSG or any other club.

These kids are now of double importance because of the new FIFA 7 + 4 rule – if the kids have been trained for 2 years at Arsenal they don’t count as “foreign”.  And its down  to Grimandi.

Meanwhile Randall and Barazite have joined the first team.   So that’s two more in the first team squad, plus Vela and Merida.  Four so far, plus some of the injured from last year.  Rosibky perhaps, Van Persie perhaps.  Then there’s the reborn Theo and the emerging Song.   The new squad is building.

27/05/2008 by Tony Attwood.

The idea that FIFAs bizarre attempt to limit the number of “foreign” players who can play in domestic matches will easily get through EU legislation is bizarre.

But let’s assume for the moment that Blatter’s limit of seven foreign players on the pitch for any team at any one time, does actually happen in 2010/11.  What would that mean for Arsenal?

Not much, in effect, because the “English” players will include players that have had part of their youth training in England.

This will mean that in terms of being counted as English, we have such players as Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Denilson, Johan Djourou, Gael Clichy, Armond Traore, There’s also Manuel Almunia who could apply for a British passport because of his length of residency.

Overall not much of a problem for Arsenal.  But a bigger problem for Chelsea, who have no youth player development programme to speak of.

One interesting side effect is that this is going to be a rule about “English” players – so a Scots or Welsh player would be part of the “foreign” grouping.

However all this is a long way off, as there is no chance that the EU will allow the implementation of a rule that just rides roughshod over the rights of workers throughout the Union.  More likely the rule in the EU will be “at least 7 EU players” which will have no impact at all.

27/05/2008 by Tony Attwood.

According to Wikipedia Stan Collymore “is widely regarded as one of the best football analysts for his work on radio,television and in print.”

There can be few Arsenal supporters who would agree with this after Collymore’s ludicrous and bizarre outburst on Radio 5 on the evening of 26 May 2008.   Collymore, part of a discussion programme which focussed on Manchester Bankrupt and Chelsea Bankrupt claimed that Man U are the only team with stability.   Liverpool, he “argued” are in turmoil with their owners at war, Chelsea don’t have a manager, and Arsenal have turned into a selling club – they have already lost two players and as a result of that more will follow.

It is hard to find much that relates this wild outburst to Arsenal.

Flamini left because his contract had run out.  Arsenal could have renewed the contract one year earlier – but there was no certainty whether Flamini would come good in the 2007/8 season, and had Wenger signed Flamini on a five year contract, only to have him playing little more than a handful of games a year, everyone would have criticized Wenger.

Hleb’s agent is trying to get a better deal for another player who has suddenly come good.  Hleb has two years left on his contract, and it is up to Wenger if he wishes to sign the player on a longer contract at higher rates.

So, one out of contract player has gone, one wants a better contract and the rest….

Quite what Collymore – or come to that whoever wrote the Wiki piece – was thinking about is anyone’s guess, but what is clear is that if you find his statements on 26 May ludicrous and nonsensical you too might like to change the Wiki piece.  It is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Collymore and you don’t have to log in or give your name to make a change.

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