Arsènal FC - 09/10 Season Thread

Hlebagone wrote:Defense + Mark Hughes

Ray Parlour wrote:Just realised Chamakh is African too

Hlebagone wrote:

Ray Parlour wrote:Just realised Chamakh is African too

Moroccan though. Not African proper.

L-r d wrote:

Hlebagone wrote:

Ray Parlour wrote:Just realised Chamakh is African too

Moroccan though. Not African proper.

More referring to african nations no?

Ray Parlour wrote:GGG13: Ray Parlour v Chelsea, May 2002

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLcWg4-8TwU

MadVillain wrote:*prays that Arsenal sign Huntelaar*

TheCrazy58 wrote:

MadVillain wrote:*prays that Arsenal sign Huntelaar*

Harry is more prone to that sort of thing don't you think?

Emmanuel Adebayor asks Manchester City for time to ponder £25m move• Striker worried how move will be viewed in Togo
• Transfer would take Mark Hughes's spending past £200m

Daniel Taylor The Guardian, Thursday 16 July 2009

Emmanuel Adebayor has asked for more time to mull over his proposed move from Arsenal to Manchester City, a transfer he fears could lead to strong criticisms of his motives in his native Togo. The striker's misgivings are such that City have been forced to delay plans for a medical while he considers their offer of a salary worth in excess of £150,000 a week.

Arsenal have accepted City's £25m bid and Adebayor has given his prospective new employers sufficient encouragement to organise a work-permit hearing at which the striker received permission to change employers. Adebayor, however, has concerns about being perceived as money-driven if he should leave a club that is hugely popular in Africa and go to one that has a much lower standing.

Although the opportunity to double his salary has an obvious appeal, Adebayor's preference was a move to Italy and he has asked City if they will allow him a few days to talk to his family and representatives before going through with a move that he believes could open him to criticism. The last year or so has been a difficult period for the 25-year-old, and he is acutely aware of how the public perception of him has changed for the worse.

City have already signed Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry this summer, but plans for Adebayor to join the squad as they left for a pre-season tour of South Africa have had to be shelved, and it is a measure of the player's uncertainty that his medical has not yet been booked in – contrary to earlier reports that he had already taken it.

City remain hopeful that Adebayor will be able to join them during their 10 days in South Africa and agree a move that will take Mark Hughes's spending through the £200m mark since he was appointed as City's manager 13 months ago.

The Abu Dhabi United Group is also willing to pay more than £30m to Chelsea for John Terry and another £20m to Everton for Joleon Lescott, but Hughes was unapologetic last night in the face of Sir Alex Ferguson's criticisms about the way it has affected the transfer market.

"We're just trying to do the best for our club," Hughes said. "We have no view on what it is doing to the market for other clubs because we are concentrating on what is right for ourselves."

Ferguson had talked of "stupid" fees and argued that none of the big transfer deals this summer represented "value" for the buying clubs, but Hughes regards Tevez's signing for £25.5m as a "bargain" compared to the £80m that Manchester United received from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo and he highlighted the £17m signing of Santa Cruz from Blackburn Rovers. "We were quoted £25m in January and we have got him for significantly less so I would suggest that's good business," he said.

It was put to Hughes that it was "hypocritical" of Ferguson to make such comments given the frequency with which United have broken transfer records over the years and he nodded in agreement. "That's a good word," he said.

Tevez, meanwhile, said the Argentina coach, Diego Maradona, had welcomed his decision to leave United for City: "Yes, now Diego is happy. I talked to him before I signed. He is happy because now I can play more often. He came to watch me [at United] when we played Chelsea but I did not play a single minute. That was very ugly to him and to me."

TheCrazy58 wrote:Hughes highlighted the £17m signing of Santa Cruz from Blackburn Rovers. "We were quoted £25m in January and we have got him for significantly less so I would suggest that's good business," he said.

TM wrote:Would Arsenal sign another forward or just go with the ones they have, if Ade leaves?

Batman wrote:Would it be better to not sign another striker and give Vela more first team football or is Chamakh a lot better than Vela?