Will Arsenal accept a decent offer for Song?

Should we sell Song? By SV

I’m sure you’ve all heard that Barcelona are reportedly tracking Alex Song. I’m not quite sure what to make of the reports myself, as while they did just lose Seydou Keita, they do still have two great defensive midfielders in Mascherano and Busquets. But what this article really focuses on is that, if we get a really competitive offer for Songinho (say £20m), should we sell him?

There are arguments which say that we should. To start with, there is, obviously, the money. Despite Man City inflating prices, a figure like 20m is nothing to be sniffed at. We could do plenty with that sort of cash. Perhaps sign another Santi Cazorla (I hear that reliable sources say the deal is close), or a couple of Mikel Artetas? And especially with a manager like Arsene Wenger, there is no player who is irreplaceable.

Some people also say that Song should be sold because he doesn’t fit into our system. They argue that Song’s attacking tendencies aren’t what we need from a player in his position; they maintain that we should sell Song (as good a player as he is) and invest in a pure destructor, who will simply sit and break up play.

I, however, am strongly against the sale of Alex Song. His current contract expires in 2014 (although some people, confusingly, say it expires next summer), and I reckon we should be doing everything in our power to make him stay. To counteract the above arguments, I say this:

First off, even though every club needs a successful business side, the first priority must always be long term future of the footballing side. And a player like Alex Song, who is integral to our midfield – having appeared 46 times for us last season – is needed for silverware. In the end, silverware is the best way for a club to regain its investment; trophies come with not only prize money, but also an increased profile for the club and a worldwide brand. So some of these moves can be justified financially. And before you say anything, it’s completely different with Man City, as they pay almost £150m per year for transfers, an amount which cannot realistically be paid back with trophies.

Secondly, I think that Alex Song’s defensive abilities are too harshly criticised. I admit that he can overcomplicate things and lose possession, or go forward when he shouldn’t, but I think that these are only tactical errors which can be ironed out relatively quickly. In fact, this season, with more of our attacking midfielders back, Song will be told to curb that attacking tendency slightly. And as a defensive midfielder, Song is excellent. He is unbelievably strong (praised by TV5 as our strongest player) and is terrific in one on ones. His fitness has also improved in recent years, so he remains effective throughout the 90.

Best of all, however, is that Song loves the club. And we want as many of those kinds of players in the squad as possible. I found this quote from Song, made in 2010:

“We know our fans want a trophy and we are very close to winning something. My message to our fans is: Believe in us. This team will get better. I am at the right club. Forget Barcelona, Arsenal is the best club. Arsenal have given me everything and I love this place. If I had to leave I would break down and cry. It’s still my dream to win the league here.”

Case and point. I’ll see you tomorrow.

If you liked this article, you can follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SVGunner

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Arsenal offer Walcott improved contract

Posted on July 19, 2012 by admin

Walcott set to re-sign by AH

According to many sources, Arsenal have offered Theo Walcott a new 4 year contract with much improved terms than there £80,000 p/w offer which was made 2 weeks ago. The wage offer is set to remain at £80,000, however the club has added an improvement percentage clause.

Walcott’s new contract agreement will be subject to a certain yearly percentage increase for next 2 years. This will be determined by his performance and how his ability increases.

Fans’ opinions are divided on Theo Walcott and many have called for him to be sold, however I think that it would be a massive mistake selling him as I firmly believe that next season will be his year. Many have said he has never lived up to his potential and I agree, however he is still young and I think last season he began to show what he was capable off. Some of his performances were magnificent especially his performances against both Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and Tottenham Hotspur at The Emirates.

He may not be worth the £100,000 p/w wage he supposedly wants, but there’s no doubt that he is starting to show his worth and we certainly shouldn’t be looking to sell him.

I was very disappointed that he wasn’t offered a contract extension before the euros and I wrote an article about that a few days ago but the club must now act quickly to offer him a contract before more suitors come in to sign him. There have been reports that Arsenal will speak with Robin Van Persie, Theo Walcott and Alex Song while they are on the Asia tour as the publicity will be significantly less involved.

Chelsea, Liverpool, Juventus and Spurs (apparently) are all interested and Chelsea have even made an inquiry but Arsenal rejected their talks. Hopefully a deal for Walcott can be struck in the coming weeks, as we don’t want another player at the club with speculation driving the players down.

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Wilshere and Ramsey offer a tantalising vision of Arsenal's future

 

This week, Aaron Ramsey expressed his slight envy at the burgeoning rise of Jack Wilshere, the player who has effectively jumped ahead of him and taken his place at Arsenal and the Welsh midfielder had his chance to earn some bragging rights at least, when the pair faced each other in the recent international. Ramsey, though, has been elevated as national team captain, a role Wilshere has been tipped for by manager Fabio Capello and the Englishman quickly showed that the position may have effectively been acquired by technicality despite Ramsey's obvious talent. Ramsey was unable to find any meaningful possession in an rapidly intense first 20 minutes for England as they pressed the Wales midfield and scored two goals in quick succession. Wilshere was at the heartbeat of any England move that harboured a semblance of attacking intent and was almost unplayable with his combination of glide and direct passing.

Wilshere has continued where he left off with Arsenal although here, Capello deployed him in a more advanced role. Wilshere doesn't mind however because, as Owen Coyle says, Wilshere is a "total footballer" and his vast array of skills make him fit in any number of positions without significant change to his performance. Many people harboured doubts about his role before the friendly against Denmark, which England won 2-1 because they felt it restrained him of his innate qualities and in some respects they were correct because Wilshere had to spend more time off the ball than on it. But here is a player of such natural ability that his impact is not necessarily neutralised or indeed heightened by playing in different position; he merely delivers consistently good performances.

"It was a normal performance from him," said Capello after the 2-0 win over Wales. "Not "normal" as in the insult, but "normal" as is the compliment, as in "it is this sort of quality display we expect from Jack. The performance of this player during this season has been incredible," added a salivating Capello. "I talked to Arsene about him and he said the same - incredible. He is playing like a 28-, 29-year-old with 40 caps. But a good player is already improving."

At Arsenal, Wilshere has been the mainstay of the side and has become the "stabiliser" that Wenger last season referred to Denilson of. The Brazilian was impressive although perhaps not in the conventional sense; the calm and sensibility he exuded on the ball perhaps represented an Arsenal that need some saneness and still rediscovering their identity after the move to the Emirates and break up of the "Invincibles." Wilshere's rapid "change-of-direction" and glide on the ball represents the new Arsenal, one that is all about dynamism with possession.

This season, Arsene Wenger has chosen not to play with any holding midfielders but to entrust the intellectual qualities between Wilshere and his most often partner, Alex Song, to dictate the nuances of their position. Through the process of natural assimilation they have been able to alternate positions on the pitch in relative to the ball and have spent as much time up the pitch, helping out in attacks as they have protecting their defence. Alex Song has gone from a holding midfielder of much destruction to one capable of making Frank Lampard style runs into the box while Jack Wilshere has shown a tactical acumen that belies his formative years.

It's this understanding and integration that will take Arsenal to the next level. As Barcelona have shown, although it is sounding more clichéd to keep saying it, it is about keeping players, as Arsenal are trying to do and imbuing a shared sense of belonging and loyalty which will allow success to be sustained and create a footballing culture which evokes the same sense of collective improvisation as the Dutch "Total Football" sides. Or as Johan Cruyff says: "If you have a good youth development system then it is obvious first team will one day be good too. It's not hard to get things right; all that is required is a lot of hard work."

Arsene Wenger may not want to be like Barcelona; Arsenal have their own style but he realises now the tentative steps required to become the image his envisages. Players like Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere, who offer an all-rounded game is the aim and who can play the "Arsenal way." The pair can work together, as they showed in a brief cameo in the 2-0 defeat to Manchester United this season and it remains an option. Wenger used both Wilshere and Samir Nasri in the central midfield role in the second-half against West Brom and both delivered a technically accurate performance to provide the basis for a comeback. In 2008, Wenger was excited about a partnership between Ramsey and Mark Randall in the centre against Wigan Athletic and with the improvements made by Wilshere in particular, it's not hard to envisage his name as the latter in the midfield. As part-time Arsenal psychologist Jacques Crevoisier says, "to play for Arsenal you have to be intelligent, technical and fast," and both Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere fit into that criteria.

Wilshere and Ramsey offer a tantalising vision of Arsenal's future

This week, Aaron Ramsey expressed his slight envy at the burgeoning rise of Jack Wilshere, the player who has effectively jumped ahead of him and taken his place at Arsenal and the Welsh midfielder had his chance to earn some bragging rights at least, when the pair faced each other in the recent international. Ramsey, though, has been elevated as national team captain, a role Wilshere has been tipped for by manager Fabio Capello and the Englishman quickly showed that the position may have effectively been acquired by technicality despite Ramsey's obvious talent. Ramsey was unable to find any meaningful possession in an rapidly intense first 20 minutes for England as they pressed the Wales midfield and scored two goals in quick succession. Wilshere was at the heartbeat of any England move that harboured a semblance of attacking intent and was almost unplayable with his combination of glide and direct passing.

Wilshere has continued where he left off with Arsenal although here, Capello deployed him in a more advanced role. Wilshere doesn't mind however because, as Owen Coyle says, Wilshere is a "total footballer" and his vast array of skills make him fit in any number of positions without significant change to his performance. Many people harboured doubts about his role before the friendly against Denmark, which England won 2-1 because they felt it restrained him of his innate qualities and in some respects they were correct because Wilshere had to spend more time off the ball than on it. But here is a player of such natural ability that his impact is not necessarily neutralised or indeed heightened by playing in different position; he merely delivers consistently good performances.

"It was a normal performance from him," said Capello after the 2-0 win over Wales. "Not "normal" as in the insult, but "normal" as is the compliment, as in "it is this sort of quality display we expect from Jack. The performance of this player during this season has been incredible," added a salivating Capello. "I talked to Arsene about him and he said the same - incredible. He is playing like a 28-, 29-year-old with 40 caps. But a good player is already improving."

At Arsenal, Wilshere has been the mainstay of the side and has become the "stabiliser" that Wenger last season referred to Denilson of. The Brazilian was impressive although perhaps not in the conventional sense; the calm and sensibility he exuded on the ball perhaps represented an Arsenal that need some saneness and still rediscovering their identity after the move to the Emirates and break up of the "Invincibles." Wilshere's rapid "change-of-direction" and glide on the ball represents the new Arsenal, one that is all about dynamism with possession.

This season, Arsene Wenger has chosen not to play with any holding midfielders but to entrust the intellectual qualities between Wilshere and his most often partner, Alex Song, to dictate the nuances of their position. Through the process of natural assimilation they have been able to alternate positions on the pitch in relative to the ball and have spent as much time up the pitch, helping out in attacks as they have protecting their defence. Alex Song has gone from a holding midfielder of much destruction to one capable of making Frank Lampard style runs into the box while Jack Wilshere has shown a tactical acumen that belies his formative years.

It's this understanding and integration that will take Arsenal to the next level. As Barcelona have shown, although it is sounding more clichéd to keep saying it, it is about keeping players, as Arsenal are trying to do and imbuing a shared sense of belonging and loyalty which will allow success to be sustained and create a footballing culture which evokes the same sense of collective improvisation as the Dutch "Total Football" sides. Or as Johan Cruyff says: "If you have a good youth development system then it is obvious first team will one day be good too. It's not hard to get things right; all that is required is a lot of hard work."

Arsene Wenger may not want to be like Barcelona; Arsenal have their own style but he realises now the tentative steps required to become the image his envisages. Players like Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere, who offer an all-rounded game is the aim and who can play the "Arsenal way." The pair can work together, as they showed in a brief cameo in the 2-0 defeat to Manchester United this season and it remains an option. Wenger used both Wilshere and Samir Nasri in the central midfield role in the second-half against West Brom and both delivered a technically accurate performance to provide the basis for a comeback. In 2008, Wenger was excited about a partnership between Ramsey and Mark Randall in the centre against Wigan Athletic and with the improvements made by Wilshere in particular, it's not hard to envisage his name as the latter in the midfield. As part-time Arsenal psychologist Jacques Crevoisier says, "to play for Arsenal you have to be intelligent, technical and fast," and both Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere fit into that criteria.

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Arsenal prepare offer for Rennes midfielder Yann M’Vila

Arsenal are weighing up a move for Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila.

French sources say the Gunners are among major European clubs interested in the France international.

A Rennes source told talkSPORT: "We know there are many club who want M'Vila but only a big offer will tempt us to sell him.

"We have not received any official bids."

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