Samir Nasri’s transfer to Arsenal took another big step to its completion this evening, as France ended their Euro 2008 campaign with a defeat to Italy. The Gunners had agreed a fee with Marseille for his services last month, but tieing up the deal with the player himself was made increasing difficult, as he was with the French squad ahead of the Championships.
But a pre-contract agreement was struck between Samir, Marseille, and Arsenal, which stated that the transfer would be completed following Nasri’s involvement for his country. This news was later confirmed by Arséne Wenger, who admitted he was left frustrated by the affair.
“Nasri, he interests me,” Wenger told RMC. “I hope I will do it after the Euros.”
“It is more complicated now because the wage differences [between the French and the English league] are not as big as they used to be.”
The player himself, along with his agent have also echoed the same statements, and with France’s exit this evening, everything will take shape in the coming weeks. Nasri played the final 13 minutes of the opening game against Romania, and looked extremely bright as ‘Le Bleus’ played out a goal less draw.
A result from game two was required to resurrect their chances, but a 4-1 drubbing left everything down to the final game. France needed to beat Italy, and hoped Holland would defeat Romania to stand any chance of progressing.
Holland did their bit with goals from Robin van Persie and Klass Jan Huntelaar, wrapping up the win, but France slipped to a 2-0 defeat, ending any chances of progression. After an injury to Franck Ribery after just 10 minutes, Nasri was sent on to fill the void on the left flank. However just 16 minutes later, he found himself back on the bench, after Eric Abidal was sent off and in turn conceding a penalty. Andrea Pirlo converted, and was joined by Danielle De Rossi on the score sheet, condemning them to defeat.
Samir will now be free to complete his move, which could take place anytime in the next few weeks. This will also signal the end of Wenger’s work for French TV, meaning he would also be available to complete any deals.
Article By – J.Sanderson
Great goal by RVP and now that AW is free he can get this summer started
nice. any way where do you think arsenal will play nasri, in what position. and can you name who you think will come to arsenal next season JS. anyway great site im tooooo into it.
With Rosicky still not fit yet, i fancy him on the left where he played tonight, abiet it for a short time.
i speak arabic and al-jazeera the commentator was talking about Nasri’s 20 minute cameo and interviewing wenger.
COmmentator: “your new player Nasri came on for twenty minutes and got subber y”
Wenger: “NODS as in NODS he is my new player./…..” Dont know what would be a bigger indicatoer he is ours and its a done deal !
Wenger’s still doing coverage for Al Jazeera? Can’t wait to see him in an Arsenal shirt.
aw is not just there to cover french games. he is contracted to castrol to cover the euros.
nevertheless, he can still do his deals by flying the players on our private jet. ha ha
Thanks, that’s great news! And what does “NODS” mean?
When someone ‘nods’ at you, they’re implying the word yes.
Very good news… Cant wait to see him in a Arsenal-shirt
This is a bit of a myth.
Nasri will not join Arsenal.
Just wait and watch.
Great news i wanted the French to go out purely for selfish reasons so we could sign Nasri looks like that should happen, hopefully in next couple of days to put me out of my misery on us signing the new Zidane.
Not to mention the fact that Nasri was AWFUL this evening, if only for 20 minutes.
Lost the ball 5 or 6 times.
Oh, “nods” duh, yes haha. Fantastic news!
yeah what does NODS mean?????
“Nods”
Hmmmmm, yes, I too am in agreement.
Even though he was on for 16min or so, Nasri did nothing in his cameo today. He looked like a boy amongst men! Having said that he is a great prospect and I’m fully behind Wenger’s vision for next season and beyond. That big, strong Dutch midfielder looks like he could cope the Premiership, anyone else agree?
Argh J, “increasingly”!!!
I am so happy France are out so we can sign Nasri. And it wouldn’t hurt to get Benzema either but wishful thinking is wishful thinking.
NODS as in nodding his head saying “yes he is my new player”
Could all have been so different for France; the coach could have picked some dynamic young players (Flamini, Clichy and Sagna spring to mind, Ben Arfa also) but instead took the easy, conservative route. Cant wait to see Nasri holding up his Arsenal shirt though!
Oh yeah Ruby, a team looking like:
Coupet (Lloris for the future?)
Sagna – Mexes – Gallas – Clichy
Ribery – Flamini – Nasri – Toulahan – Ben Arfa
Benzema
looks A LOT more exciting than the shit kickers of this tournament.
France sucked arse tonight
The Arabic guy can you actually clarify the Nasri situation. What is Wenger’s role whilst working with Al-Jazeera. Which language did the comentator speak to wenger in (Arabic?, French?, English?).
For those who have seen Nasri play, can you please inform me of his passing ability. I know his close control is very good and he can breeze past his markers and shoot from distance, his dead ball expertise is not bad either, but what of his passing ability? I haave never seen him thread a ball through for others to pounce on, which is a big part of arsenal’s game.
would have liked to see more of nasri tonight but ill take that guys word re wenger on al jazerra,,,,,,i see he is not intrested in any defenders,,hmm is that wise or a smokescreen,,,is wenger keeping song and djourou would prefer even a short term signing purely for expierience.
Derrick: He can do it. And he can do it very well. Ok, he’s no Cesc “I play balls like that in my sleep” Fabregas but he’s still a good passer. I don’t think he’ll have any trouble replacing Diaby at lm.
“It is more complicated now because the wage differences [between the French and the English league] are not as big as they used to be.”
J, you do know that this particular comment was not in direct reference to Nasri, right? Wenger was answering a question about French players moving overseas in general. That whole series of quotes that were circulating in every article all over the Internet were non-contiguous and all taken out of context.
Everyone saying they are glad France are out, just so we can sign Nasri, shame on you! What are you thinking? If Nasri had a good tournament, France won it, and he then decides he doesn’t want to come, then screw him! I would have preferred France to do well, Nasri to have a good tournament, and then sign.
That would show he really does want to come and is committed, plus he would be coming in, on a high. Think how great Van Persie will be next season after his performance at the Euros, he will be so confident, and have that bit much more experience.
You guys are blinkered, and being very short-sighted/narrow-minded.
Nasris team work and team play is superb, but his finishing could use a bit of tweatking , considering we sorted adebayor out to a goal maching and was almost goldne boat winner , Nasri should be no harder . For some reason i can see Wenger converting him to a striker ala Henry style!
Gunner4life have u read what u wrote? VP will come back knackered have a few weeks off and will need to work on his fitness ala silva styl! think man think! Nasri will come in freash and have more time to acclamatize to his teammate and fit as fuck, beside doemcock wouldnt have played him!
“This will also signal the end of Wenger’s work for French TV, meaning he would also be available to complete any deals.”
He’s still going to be working with TF1 (French TV) until the end of the tournament
I actually would be happy for those players who go all the way. If RvP or Cesc comes back with a winner’s medal, all the better. Winning is a habit, a spirit, an experience. It’s just different to have a European Champion in our team. The only thing is just that they injury-free and I wish them good luck.
I’m glad France went out for a different reason: Domenech did not deserve to get anything out of this tournament. He got lucky with the stars especially Zidane peaking at the right time, that’s how they got to the WC final in 2006. But those stars are either retired (Zidane) or injured (Vieira) or ineffective (Thuram, Henry). Then he picked the wrong guys. Then he got his tactics all wrong. That’s why I’m glad France got knocked out, it’s justice.
Unlcuky Samir Didnt Deserve To Be Substituted!
Should Of Took Of Makelele His A Waste Of Space
Hope Nasri Completes The Deal A.S.A.P
Top Player For The Future
I hope the AL Jazeera story is true and can we expect that Nasri will sign for Arsenal first and than take a vacation or will he first have some time off before he will be presented?!! Maybe the answer is obvious but I am just taking different scenario’s in consideration.
By the way are there people who watched the Holland – Romania game?!! I hope Arsenal will look into the possibility of signing Ibrahim “IBI” Afellay. He showed how great he is today, and for the first time he looked strong and a physical presence. I hope he gets stronger and toughens up more, than he could be a potential signing for Arsenal in 2009/2010 season… But first he needs to make my team in Holland (PSV) for the third consecutive time dutch champions :D
Its a moot point but since henry is getting a lot of heat Id like to point out that the deflection of the free kick actually came off benzema but very few people seemed to notice…
To Mouhsin : I also liked the look of engelaar but a few years of development still needed there.
Mouhsin, i agree whole heartedly with signing Afellay. However the wide position seems to be full already and room has to br left for Barazite and Merida. In any event Afellay has had a injury hit season last time, we definately don’t need that.
He’s known to be a bit injury prone but I think that was due to the fact that his body hasn’t matured quickly. He has improved so much last season and he was the player of the season in the dutch competition (not yet officially). He’s a great dutch player and he showed he can link up very well with RVP.
I agree that there wouldn’t be room for him but Rosicky is 28 and doesn’t have much more years left in him, I don’t think Merida will become a great player for Arsenal. I think he doesn’t have the mental ability to become a player like Fabregas. I know a lot of people are going to disagree with me here, but he doesn’t look like a detirmend player. I don’t know what position Ramsey is brought in for but I can imagine he is brought in for the wide positions.
I know Arsenal are following him and PSV are gentlemen and will surely settle for a fee between 15 and 20 million euro’s, as you all have seen these days we need some more dutch class in our team, Bergkamp, Overmars, van Bronckhorst :D and now we only have RVP and Nacer Barazite… We need to add one more :P
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What are you guys on about? Nasri came on for 16 minutes for an injured Ribery, and then got taken off for a tactical switch after Abidal got sent off, he didn’t really have anything to do.
He didn’t look ‘extremely bright’ as Sanderson suggested but he didn’t ‘look useless’ like others suggests, find something else to do rather than talk crap on a very informative blog..
just because france arse aout doesn’t mean wenger is done with french tv. he’ll be there till the end of euros.
Simplyfm.. if you bothered to even read the article.. it was the Romania game i said he looked bright in. Not tonights. At least check your facts.
lets get this deal wrapped up asap !
Just out of interest – how would the ability to speak Arabic help understand AW’s supposed comments on Al-Jazeera? This presumes AW could speak Arabic also…Surely he would be speaking French in these interviews…If he is answering questions in Arabic he could be nodding in response to anything…
RL, lol. Yes I read what I wrote, you’re crazy. Robin will stay fit, and he will come back with so much more confidence, he will set the premiership on fire. It would have been nice for all the others to do the same too, at least Fabregas still can.
You have got to look at the big picture, as long as they don’t get injured, then the more they play on a stage like this, the better. People cry about experience, do you want our players to have experience of friendly’s against Barnet, Madrid and the rest, or playing in the finals of a major tournament, second only to the World Cup? Think man, think. You know I’m right!
hope this is true.
I watched Wenger on Aljazeera. He was answering in French but he defended him like he would defend his own players and said that Govou should have made way. I felt very sorry for Nasri.
He looks like he’s got a belly in that picture of yours.
yeah, i think Govou should’ve gone off too. and why not play Sagna or Clichy? I don’t know what Domenech is doing. I think Frey should be playing too.
I’ll use Castrol Edge for my Mazda Protege for the next service.Haha
I thought santini was bad, but domenech has to be the worst French coach in living memory.
Firstly, putting Abidal in a CB was an accident waiting to happen.
Yes, Thuram is getting old, but he would have stepped up for this game, especially after the last one.
Considering what he had at his disposal thanks to his squad selection, and considering that he also wanted to replace Sagnol, he should have stayed with Thuram for this game.
Playing two defensive mids, one of whom is past it (Makalele), the other who is so shockingly bad I personally thought he was almost entirely to blame for the draw against Romania (toulalan), when he could and should have played a single DM like Diarra or Flamini (who would have had more pace and energy, and so would have negated the need to have 2 players there instead of 1), contributed hugely to nullifying the attacking talent at his disposal.
To further then leave on Gouvou, who was not having a particularly good game, and his two DM’s, and replace Nasri, who was at least likely to bring some creative spark that was missing without Ribery, was bizarre.
In the qualifying for the last world cup, domemench tried to leave out all the experienced players and bring in all the youngsters.
He had to backtrack on that and bring back some experience to get anywhere.
Now, when he needed to start blooding more youngsters, he didn’t have the intelligence or the balls to do it.
It often seems like fans think they know more than experienced coaches, but with domenech I think that’s probably true.
In fact, I think both of my grandmothers could have done a better job, and they’ve both been dead for years.
This reminded me a bit of Paris ’06 when Pires came into the team instead of Reyes but was subbed quickly when Lehman was sent off.
This transfer should be on Arsenal.com early next week the latest. It seems most of the big things were already done and just left to seal it. It will make me so happy to finally see his name on Arsenal.com
Totally agree with Mike. I’ve been a supporter for France but never have I thought Domenech a good coach.
He should be replaced.
well I heard Wenger speaking yesterday for aljazeera sports channel and he confirmed that nasri will be arriving. Al-jazeera is a well respected sports channel and they are broadcasting live from Austria-Switzerland where Arsene Wenger is a pundit for them alongside cescare Maldini and Sami Al-Jaber, I guess when Le Boss confrims it its done and dusted…
This is a bit of a late comment but is directed to one earlier that said about how short sighted we are to want France out so we can have Nasri.
Alright then mate lets look at it from another angle shal we.
France stay in only to get through to the semi-final where due to injury to Ribery, Nasri is in for the whole game looks amazing but then and Eduardo type horror tackle comes in and breaks his leg, now we have no Nasri!
I am happy the French are out from a English and Arsenal point of view. and if anyone is wondering I am all behind the Dutch to win. Does anyone else agree that they look like the international Arsenal???
Actually you have to say Arsenal resembles the Dutch team. They are the inventors of total football (4-3-3). Arsene just uses different tactics but the principle is the same. Attack together, defend together, a lot of movement, a lot of wing play with the attacking full backs, passing football. The difference with Arsene’s tactics is that they don’t use real wingers. Anyway I like both tactics and the 4-2-3-1 tactic that is now used could work for Arsenal as well. I would love to see Portugal – Netherlands in the final… that would be the best final I think…
I agree Moushin, I think 4-2-3-1 with the degree of fluency that Arsenal plays with is a very interesting prospect.
Can’t wait for next season.
Seriously the way we play football is getting recognised and is improving the clubs stature in the world without having to have a Beckham or Ronaldinho.
Although Cesc has stepped up to the plate as our new talisman. Nasri would be a great addition to what is an already remarkable and talented team. I honestly believe no-one can touch us when we play to our full potential!
Sniff. Yesterday van Persie played behind the striker in a more supporting role. He used to play on the right wing for the Dutch which I think he was not his ideal position even though he can play anywere in the front and do well. But I think with the 4-2-3-1 With Walcott as a wingman on the right and RVP behind the striker and Nasri in the same role as Sneijder from the left we would have a dangerous attacking force… The problem would be when we have to defend, Nasri and Walcott would be playing more up front and with Sagna and Clichy already going forward a lot I think we would be more exposed on the wings. Maybe it’s a good tactic to use against the lower sides like Hull City.
Moushin, clearly a 4-2-3-1 formation depends upon players being versatile. That is true of the Dutch team and the total football principle. Obviously the tactic is foolish if midfield attackers are incapable of tracking back and helping defend. As I said above there is a fluency to Arsenal’s play where defenders are capable of contributing to the attack and vice versa. Walcott and Nasri for example would need to learn how to defend properly before such a system could be implemented. Besides, how many teams really attack Arsenal when playing at the Grove?
I agree last season a lot of teams feared us and played defensivly but I think certain teams still have to be watched out for. We need to give them respect because the EPL is a very tough league, we can’t dominate the league by just playing very attacking football. But I think an option would be if we are controlling the game but lacking attacking force, we could use substitutes earlier in the game and change a 4-4-2 into a 4-2-3-1 and try to disturb the oppositions organisation. We should be more unpredictable I think…
I’m convinced it’s a matter of time before we officially sign Nasri and thus can concentrate on other targets. Also does anybody think that we’ll still end up signing a defender? Wenger came out about Kompany and said he wasn’t interested in him and then the papers write about Albiol so he’s agent denies that story. BUT nobody refused the Zapata story when that came out. Could it be that Wenger is quietly closing in on him. It sounds like something he would do and i realise that Setanta said he wasn’t going for a defender but at the end of the season he said he needed a defender to deal with high balls. I think Zapata would be a very good signing, much better than Mertesacker who has no pace and is only good at defending deep which Arsenal don’t do.
What do you think J. any possible sense to what i’m saying?
why is Flamini’s ugly boat still on arsenal.com (see first team squad)
Nasri update added
http://youngguns.wordpress.com/2008/06/18/nasri-expected-to-complete-arsenal-move-in-next-days/
JP its because he is still our player, untill July 1st :)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/7462281.stm
Just rmeber who brought u the nod on aljazeera first :P
FINALLY WE CAN WRAP IT UP, HE LOOKS A TOP PLAYER
ON OTHER PLAYERS THAT HAVE IMPRESSED ME IN THE EUROS
BORUC/ALBIOL/INLER WOULD BE GREAT SIGNINGS IN THE POSITIONS WHERE WE NEED THEM
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