Although the announcement of his signing was low key, Francis Coquelin has made sure all the fans are talking about him with two stunning substitute performances as the 17 year old begins his Arsenal career in emphatic style.
The deal to bring the Stade Lavallois youngster to London was completed in May, but as with many youth transfers, the club delayed in announcing his arrival. Francis initially came on trial after being scouted by Gilles Grimandi, and despite being injured, the Gunners threw their hat in the ring for the highly rated prospect with the offer of a contract.
Several of the top sides from France were also keen on Coquelin, but the lure of Arsène Wenger and his coaching staff saw the transfer sewn up quickly. After “Sisco” returned to his home land to undertake “Le Bac” exams, he arrived In North London for his new adventure.
It would seem daunting for any 17 year old alone in a foreign country, but once training began, he started to show just why he was just so sought after. His call up to the first team for the Barnet friendly was quite an achievement in itself, but after being granted 45 minutes to show what he was about against The Bees, he did not disappoint.
Whilst there was a language barrier with Mark Randall, the pair formed a solid core in central midfield which saw Arsenal establish the base to forge the come-back. His role of sitting in front of the back four reassured the young Gunners that they would not be stung on the break, and as the confidence flowed, so did the movement and eventually, goals.
Francis may only be 178cm tall, but his raw energy and physical prowess saw him hustle and annoy the tired Barnet midfield into submission. His willingness to go crunching in on players twice his age and size was remarkable, and it seems the club have another exciting young starlet.
Coquelin honed his tackling ability during next fixture against Szombathelyi Haladás, and once more his niggling approach saw him help turn around the fortunes of the team. Even though he was playing alongside more established players, the young Frenchman did not look lost or even slightly out of place, a testament to his hard work and talent.
It is not known in which capacity the boss will use him in during the coming season, but one thing is for sure, Francis is proving an exciting and promising addition.
Not bad for a free transfer.
Article By – J.Sanderson
To be honest, Coquelin is the type of midfielder we need playing alongside Cesc. I’m not saying that he’s the direct replacement of Flamini and/or Gilberto but Arsenal’s current style needs this kind of player.
Coquelin has been doing all the dirty stuff for the team. Tackling, pestering attackers and of course doing the rare ocassional surge into attacking positions. Just like what Flamini did.
If he is developed properly, he might not even have to buy a new DM in the future. As for now, we still need a good midfielder, especially a defensive one to recover the loss of Flamini and Gilberto.
he could be our new paddy v
I believe he could be something special. He is rugged and strong, but not like Dunne who goes around smashing people for the sake of it. He has a balanace and control.
irishgunner – Let’s hope so mate
Who cares if he looks promising and we got him for free? He’s too young to make an impact RIGHT NOW, so what’s the point in having him at Arsenal? ;)
Hope he settles in, and want to see he can do against some lower league sh*tkickers in the Coca-Cola Cup this season.
what does this mean for lansbury j ?
I think it’s too early to suggest Lansbury has no future, but his performances so far have been average. Sure they are only friendlies, but he has had more time than Coquelin and not shown his worth.
He just needs games.
Great update…knew next to nothing about him…but another great addition it seems. As Wenger says…it’s not the passport but the quality that counts!
1 things for sure its gonna be tough for lansbury and co. the cm positions are overloaded, the positive is that 2nd spot next to cesc is wide open as no one has really set a case for themselves above anyone else.
why dont arsenal get some youths who are pacey wide players? always centre mids every season.
like i have said to ppl many a time, i see arsene playin a 4-3-3 this season. we just dont have the strength in midfield unless we add a recruit a highly experienced midfielder, to accomodate playing 4-4-2. I see adebayor up top, with van persie on the left side, nasri or walcott on the right with diaby, cesc and an unknown in midfield! the back four would speak for itself! Maybe when rosicky and eduardo comes back we may revert to that 4-4-2 again.
on the subject of coquelin, he seems an outstanding talent, needs to bulk up a bit or be stronger got out muscled a bit but he is only 17 and he reminds me of essien when he first arrived at chelsea, (rattling crunchin tackles in and chasing down). Buts lets not over hype him, lets see how it goes!
Grimandi is showing himself to be a good scout. Coquelin is going to be at least as good as Flamini and its what we need. I wish he was a year or two older as then we could hope for him to be in the team but alas he is a bit too young for that. I hope he gets a few games to show what he can do though.
I have high hopes in Coquelin he does look to be the direct replacement for Flamini but I am scared for whole team as the manager does not seem concern about our defenc and Goalkeeping department which are in my own opinion not too good
http://soccerfanbase.com
Who cares if he looks promising and we got him for free? He’s too young to make an impact RIGHT NOW, so what’s the point in having him at Arsenal?
Hope he settles in, and want to see he can do against some lower league sh*tkickers in the Coca-Cola Cup this season.
Big Al said this on July 24, 2008 at 8:46 am
And i guess you said the same when Fabregas made his debut???
How the hell do you know if he is too young, fab was 16 when he made his debut, if coquelin proves himself through the pre season and even against the likes of Real and Inter in the tournaments then why not put him into the team? If he can cope with them and hopefully we will see if he can then i am pretty certain that he would cope with the prem.
I say if he can prove consistently in pre-season that he is good enough then why not put him in! If he doesn’t then i am sure we will have someone ready to step in or even a new signing coming in?!
Has anyone think about who will be the substitute for Cesc?
Even if Cesc never gets injured, the guy needs some rest once in a while, so that he can be fresh and performs consistently well. He played almost every game last season. I believe if we’d had some one subs for him when we play against weak teams, he would have been even stronger and better in the important matches.
That’s why ppl say our team is thin.
Have Arsene ever thought about it? :-/
ere we go again,FFS this kid has ONLY played 2 games. BOTH coming on a sub vs poor poor POOR teams. How can we judge him? Some people are even saying that he should push for a first team starting place next to Cesc? WFT!! OK he has looked decent but why do we always big up the new kids only to watch them fall. Lupoli, Ryan Smith…The list can go on and on. Leave the kids alone, All this talk about them just makes it harder for them to live up to the hype we give them.
Lansbury will come good, he is the future engine room.
This guy looks like a fantastic buy. The performances he’s put in are hopefully a wake-up call to some other youth players.
Excellent article as usual Jay.
Well done the Grimster for pointing the lad in the right direction.
Sorry Clacko, I was being ironic. I wasn’t trying to stir up trouble, just poke fun at the fans that criticise Wenger’s transfer policy – the kind that want Veloso, Arshavin, Zapata and Huntelaar and – by that logic – bankruptcy.
I don’t think much can be proved by a couple of pre-season games and I’m quite sure the plan was always to bed him in as we always do (reserves, league cup etc). Maybe if there are injuries we could see him sooner. Let’s not get carried away because he doesn’t look ready just yet, but is certainly another exciting prospect. That’s the route Cesc took, isn’t it?
I will admit i have said why not put him in the team but seriously why not?!?! We always hear people say that we need to sign experience, then that player comes in and will stay for around 3 seasons minimum, maybe more if he does well and doesn’t get greedy! Then by the time he would actually get a chance he would be 21, that is 4 years from now at least! Would he really want 4 years to wait???!! Then you will moan because he will leave and then all the people will come out and say why can’t we keep our young players!
Rooney was 15 when he made his debut for Everton, Fab 16 at Arsenal, Giggs was even around 17 i believe when he made his debut.
If they are good enough they are old enough, and in my first bit i did say that if he consistently performs and if he can perform against the big teams. If he does play well against them then give me some reasons why we shouldn’t put him in the team?!
Lansbury is certainly not in the engine room.
The point of the article is that however brief his appearances or the quality of the opposition, Coquelin has still come in and shown good energy, good positioning and quality on the ball.
The problem is that I see similarities to Denilson when he first made his debut, he certainly looked good and comfortable but recently he has dropped in performances. The thing is that these guys are still learning, from the Master Wenger, so they have the quality now just need to learn the art!
he can be compared to the style of makelele
Clacko, a few reasons.
1. Physical burn-out. You risk effing-up a player’s physical development if he’s put through the rigours of first-team football twice a week. Injuries can stack up and often a once promising player’s career can trail off.
2. Mental burn-out. Success at a young age, and the hype that comes with it, can go to a player’s head. Witness Anelka, Ade, even Bentley to a certain extent, who believed he deserved first team spot ahead of Freddie, Bobby or Dennis. Walcott’s inclusion in the England squad threw him off course and may even have put his development back.
3. Overall experience in the team. It’s vital to keep a balance in the first team between young’uns and older players. All the young players need someone to look up to, and with a team as inexperienced as ours is now I’d say it’d be foolhardy to put a 17 year old, straight out of the French 3rd Division into a central midfield berth. Cesc had seasoned pros to learn from and we don’t have too many of those around right now.
That’s for starters, but, the brief glimpses so far suggest a decent future for him.
I think Lansbury and Randall haven’t done themselves any favours. Wilshere and Coquelin turned up for the friendlies and instantly looked the part. They were up for it, and they showed Arsene that they were proper pros. Randall and Lansbury looked disinterested, played at walking pace, had no vim or drive. They showed Wenger that they are cruising.
All 4 players got the same chance in the last 2 friendlies. 2 showed that it meant the world to them to be playing in the Arsenal XI, if only for 1 day. 2 others showed that they weren’t really that bothered. The only way to get more games is to show in every game you get that you deserve more games. Randall and Lansbury were hugely disappointing from an attitude perspective and in terms of the technical quality of their performances. Randall’s two-footer on the Barnet guy was also disgusting.
Frichie – Bang on mate.
I’m not saying this boy has made it or become a superstar overnight, but in the early stages of his Arsenal career he is impressing.
Gidster – Yep Randall’s tackle was shocking, especially for a friendly.
It’s a bit weird but i had a dream about this guy a couple of months ago, he was Flam’s direct replacement and we won the league. I thought at the time that he hadn’t signed for us and was too young but you never know…
I agree totally. This guy is simply incredible. I’ve written about him on my blog.
J how long til the .com?
any news when the bischoff tribunal will be?
might sound abit stupid here i dont know much about bischoff but could he be the midfielder wenger was on about? (thats if he is a midfielder)
Big Al, Burn out? Giggs isn’t burnt out, he started at 17. if players are looked after properly they wont burn out. I agree playing a 17 every game for a whole season would be a bad idea – thats something totally different. I happen to think cesc is played too much but not because of his age. I just dont any player can be at their peak when they are knackered.
If coquelin is good enough he should play some part in the first team. its hard to say he is good enough from 2 games, but he looks good on first impressions.
You-re doing excellent work, J.
This is one of the very Arsenal sites worth reading.
Thanks and regards
Guys you think Wenger is going to judge Randall and Lansbury on two performances in a friendly?!! We’re the only ones doing that because we haven’t seen more of them.
Le Coq really looked great, and what strikes me the most about him is not his football ability but his mental strenght. He looks fearless, detirmined and he probably has a lot of stamina already. We’ll see what happens with him just give him time lads. He is not our answer to Flamini (yet).
@VforGunners
Think thats why Nasri came instead of Ben Arfa. If Hleb had not gone have a feeling Ben Arfa would have come instead. Besides Fab 4 has 5 stand ins in Nasri (emergency), Randall, Denilson, Merida, Lansbury 1 hopefully more will come good.
On Lansbury have only watched one game of his an him an playing him on the wing is like playing Carrick or Xabi Alonso they lack the speed or dribbling ability to play there but any kind of central midfield position and the can ran a game with there passing he’ll come good but he’ll have to add other things to his game to be guarranteed a place in any future Arsenal team Merida and Ramsey are ahead in development and Ramsey’s the same age Thankr for the website J
For someone who’s just arrived to England on the back of an injury he looks a great talent. Clichy and Cesc looked first team material even at 17 and this guy has the same look about him. Actually I think at the moment he’s the only proper defensive midfeilder we have(Thats how short we are!) thats why he is in Austria and if he continues to produce the same level of play he will likely be the understudy to whoever is bought to play alongside Cesc
Gazzap, I’m just putting it out there as one reason a talented player might be held back. And I think you risk causing problems with too much top-level football, too soon. I guess Giggs might be an exception.
I’m not a physiologist, but my reasoning is based on the fact that guys don’t officially leave puberty until they’re 20. There are plenty of exceptions and some players can be physically ready earlier on, but it must be a danger in general to play too many top, top matches when you’re still growing.
Like I said, I’m just speculating – someone more clued up can come out and prove me wrong.
No, I doubt very much that Wenger will make a final decision on the future of Randall and Lansbury on the basis of 2 friendlies. But their performance and overall general lack of effort, compared to Wilshere and Coquelin, wont do them any good. Its about seizing chances from small opportunities at their level, and Randall and Lansbury didnt take theirs. If they took the attitude that the games were only friendlies so not that important (and their performances suggested this was the case) then thats poor. R and L have been at the club for years, but in the space of a week Coq has jumped ahead of them both just by showing a better attitude and a willingness to get his hands dirty.
Only thing i am sayin is that i understand all the burn out points but you will never actually know unless you take that gamble. I hope that we get an established player in but on the other hand i don’t cos he would stunt growth. This is where i couldn’t be a manager, it is Wenger that could potentially be caught between a rock and a hard place. Hopefully summit will work out and we will see more of this guy in the future!
Gidsters who says he jumped ahead of them?!! He can also get bad games in the coming fictures, and maybe he won’t progress as people are thinking now. I think people are jumping to conclusions. Yeah he is exciting but you can’t judge if he is ahead of Lasbury and Randall. Don’t write them of because of someone else’s better performances. The ideal scenario would be if Randall, Lansbury, Le Coq and Wilshire will all be good players for Arsenal soon. So let’s wait and see… :D
I did not see the games so I can not judge him at all, but remember that he is the same age as Cesc was when he blew played over 40 games for Arsenal (spit at Ballack for example).
I am not saying that he will be close to the first team this season but if can do as good as he looks to have done in those games, who knows. I know that Wenger will never hesitate to give him a chance if he thinks he is good enough, just like he did with Cesc and Clichy. I sure hope that he can play some games this season, that would be a fantastic achievement. Also, Francis is less than 5 months younger than Ramsey, for example.
really typical wenger, he like to buy center midfielder. at the moment it seems our reserve full of them but consider that wenger likes to play them out of position, i’m sure landsbury, gibbs, merida and maybe even randall would be play on wide position. this is arsenal style now, we don’t usually play with out and out winger that only give one dimensional run but attacking midfielder that like to cut inside, run down the flank and make movement all over the place.
Moushin, i aint writing them off, im stating that over the 2 friendlies Wilshere and Coq played their nuts off and upped their reputations, and Lansbury and Randall jogged around and didnt do anything for theirs. Can you disagree? Randall also showed very questionable restraint and discipline with that horrendous tackle.
On a lighter note… is Randall the owner of the worst haircut in the entire history of the game?
The bottom line of all this is that you have to keep hoping. The joy of football is the same as playing the Lotto (except your odds are better) – you hope for the possibility. The ones that come marching around here moping on about buying experience and sacking Wenger and all that, are seriously wasting their time following football at all.
Coquelin may disappoint, but I’m sure enjoying the thought that maybe we’ve got the next Vieira or better on our hands. I’m excited for the new season and for the future at the same time!
I agree Clacko…i would start him with Cesc against Madrid and/or Juve. If he performs like he has in the last two games then give him a chance in the league. It really, really isn’t about age! However, he is bound to get tired so swap him around with Alex Song every now and then and keep whoever is performing better in the side. If none of them are available then give DJ a chance there. I didnt like the idea of him throwing his name into the hat for that DCM role at first but i’m thinking about it and its growing on me and i feel more confident about that than i was at first – except not as first choice. However, Coquelin looks much better equipped than anyone else to play the holding role apart from maybe Song right now (only because of his extra experience and i fell in love with the way he protected the Cameroonian defence in the ANC – also, i keep remembering the way we went down to 10 men against Blackburn in the CC last year for him to intercept a pass, cut past a player or two and slip a delightful little through-ball for Dudu to run onto and snatch the win..even though i think he was playing CB at the time..it was a moment of sheer class). But he is off to the Olympics so will be missing from the beginning of the season. This competition for places in the middle of the park is GREAT for the youngsters. For example, last year Flamini knew Gilberto would be wanting his place back when he returned so stepped his game up and made that spot his own. The same with Almunia, he had the chance to stake his claim and took his chance. That’s the attitude Coquelin has right now. He knows there is a spot up for grabs in the middle of the park and seems hungrier than the rest to make it his. I personally would NOT be surprised if he continues to have a good pre-season and AW throws him straight into the mix against WBA – he is a TIGER. LOL. I can see AW saying that about him some time soon. Also, the fact that he is doing/recently completed the Le Bac exams (which are apparently the equivalent/better than A-Levels) shows me he is an intelligent guy, and not some uneducated SHMUK!(Not mentioning any names – ADE-BYE-WHORE). When we went 49 games unbeaten we had a vast amount of quality in the squad…PV4, DB10, TH14, FL8, RP7 etc. BUT….to win the league you need a team that works their socks off….ESPECIALLY in the engine-room! That’s what the “Invisincibles” were very good at. IMHO i loved Ray Parlour. A lot of my Gooner cousins and friends didnt so much. But you need a player that is gonna hassle and hurry the opposition into making mistakes….you CANNOT just rely on ur technical quality/ability to win games. EVERYONE needs to work. (Thats why i dont want players like Arshavin). I wouldn’t dislike players like Eboue as much as i do if he never stopped running like Ray Parlour and Flamini would but he seems as though he cant be bothered sometimes (plus i HATE the way he always fakes being hurt or dives – NOT the Arsenal way). Coquelin has amazing work-rate, great tenacity and is more technical than Flamini and Ray Parlour ever were from what i have seen so far (could be wrong – it is, after all, only two games). Randall and Denilson are far too lacklustre for a starting berth. We would get eaten alive with any of them in there. I have only seen Lansbury play a little part in two games (our two pre-season friendlies) and i have taken into account he has played out of position (on the right) AND that he has been out for the past 6 months with glandular fever. I have arrived at the conclusion that he is better than Randall (who i have seen play about 10 times or so now). How can i judge already you ask? Easy…i’m like Gilles Grimandi – LOL. Seriously though…i can see he is better than Randall. He is a physical looking lad and seems good in the air too. Also seems all right foot but looks a ball player (giving him the benefit of the doubt). He definitely has the POTENTIAL to become a valuable Arsenal squad player. Much more so than Randall.
Also, Bischoff (or Bitchslap according to the Grovers – lol) sounds more of an attacking creative player than a defensive mid. And, in case anyone hasnt thought about this, Cesc’s fitness levels will improve as well as will his all-round game as he is still a KID. Just a very experienced, World Class one at that. (Get in there my son). It’s easy to forget that. Plus he works his socks off for the cause and isnt afraid to get stuck in (something playing in England brought to his game and makes him a superior player to people like Xavi and Iniesta who are also class players)….sorry this is so long guys just thought i’d let u guys know that even if we dont sign a DCM its not all doom and gloom like the rags might have you believe….even though we probably will….i’m really excited….for Coquelin and our chances this year! COME ON THE ARSENAL!!!!!
Gidster, it’s an abomination. Just like our away kit, I think he’s commemorating the 88/89 League title with that style.
despite being only 17, if he continues to play like this, i think it will be hard for wenger not to pick him- the exact same way flamini made his way through the first team. flamini was 5th choice behind gilberto, diarra, diaby and denilson but he was way too impressive for wenger to even think about dropping him. wilshere has been impressive too but you can feel that something is missing from his game. he goes disappearred like walcott every now and then but coquelin, he is always there trying to win the ball back and usher it through to the attacking players. i think he will get quite a bit of starting role this season. one or two seasons down the road, he will be another indispensable player for us.
sanderson can u do a article talking about all the young players you think are gonna make it and aint and talk about what you think arsenes plans are for dem this season,
i keep hearin that this season is make or break for players like diaby denilson djorou senderos other than djorou n senderos i rate denilson n diaby quite high they jus have fucked injurys when they get into form
Gidster, i don’t think randall hsa ever had a good haircut haha!
*has
Big Al, there is 3 different haircuts going on on 1 head, and none of them are any good. I mean, a multi rat-tailed mullet? Come on, son… sort your head out…
I love the new away kit!!! I am looking forward to getting it!
mmm, ur all right. RANDALL HAS TERRIBLE HAIR. So Wenger needs to get that sorted out asap (and im not even being sarcastic, expect for the Wenger bit slightly perhaps).
Landsbury and Randall did let themselves down a bit over the last 2 games but ny1 whos seen them before knows they are better than that, including Wenger.
Coquelin did very well, looks like a very reliable player. Quick into a tackle, good tackling (Randall should take note on the technique), didnt give the ball away and worked very hard. If he can keep that up, and keep steadily improving over the next season then he could very quickly find a route to the first team.
I think people are forgetting that Wilshire needs to be taken out of the equation. Wilshire is an attacking player that can play central mid, on the wings and as a second striker. Landsbury and Randall are both box to box mids with Landsbury being slightly more defencive than Randall, and Randall slightly more attacking. Coquelin looks like a holding player atm but its only been 2 games so he hasnt really had a massive hance to show what he can do going forward.
Atm the central mid players that are competeing in the Reserves are Randall, Landsbury, Merida and Jay Thomas. Coquelin is now one of their competitors aswell, and probably only as much as two can break into the first team.
Wenger sees Wilshire as special, im pretty certain of that, and he will find it much easier to get first team football due to the early ability hes shown, his good work rate and his versatility meaning Wenger could use him in a variety of positions.
he definitely looks promising but he didnt look good enough in possession, that may just be nerves in his first games but he needs to improve thats side before he going to be able to play premier league football
“I love the new away kit!!! I am looking forward to getting it!”
Its ok but i loved the white one, i thought it was exquisite, cnt believe the bastards only gave it one season :(
Great post J!
I think from first impressions Coquelin seems VERY promising, and I myself was praising him during the Szombathelyi Haladas (WHO?!) match, putting in some good tackles and always looking lively. Not sure about the whole first team argument but i think if he continues to impress he does deserve at least a few starts next year, carling cup, small profile fa cup and prem matches ect…
I’m just very intrigued to see what will happen in the coming friendly cups, would be very interesting to see how he copes against the big teams if he gets a chance (which i hope he does!)
Good luck to the ad and i hope he can be very successful and does well for arsenal in the future!
Cheers Mitch :)
arsenal fan – It is impossible to create that article with accuracy. Not even Arsene Wenger knows who will make it, football can change in a flash.
other teams should try and lure jack wilshire on proffesional terms cus hes one of the best 16 year olds in england in my opinion aint noone better i think ina couple years he will have the same effect messi does for barca he is better than fabregas at 16 progress wise in my opinion
also i wouldnt b surprised if he goes to 2010 world cup
Johnny M. – White is nice but too ordinary for me! Wait till you see them play in it, I think of all the away kits i’ve seen we’ve got the best one. A lot of clubs have the classic “one colour” look, I might get Atletico Madrid’s away kit too, I love the colout of that one.
dont worry we know where you are from, you tramp shit guy. saddo no man utd site so he comes to ours. hhahahaha
arsenal fan – They cannot. We have an agreement which means he will sign professional when he turns 17.
Aye, Wilshire is ours and Wenger wont let him go anywhere. I dont think he’ll be a Messi in any way other than in the way Messi is a unique entity in Football, he can and i very much hope will be aswell.
Coquelin did okay; however, we need to take calibre of opposition into account. Till Coquelin plays against, say, in Emirates Cup and performs, we can’t say he looks the part.
Similar argument applies to Randall and Landsbury. If they still perform like they did in the past 2 friendies, they are giving up their chances to be included.
READ THISS!!!!!
im a arsenal fan im only 18, but im worried about arsenal to be honest….
ok, coquelin had a few impressive performance’s. but to say he should be partnering cesc in midfield in the league is over the top. number one he is only 17 and number 2 can he really go against the likes of essien and others.
what we need to do is bring back the winning mentality in the squad. i did not like the way the arsenal young ones gave up in the 5-1 thrashing against spurs and when we got heavily beat against man utd in the cup. ok ramsey might be a huge talent, but can he handle himself in champions league matche against a team like madrid or milan. i doubt it. we need players who have been there and done it, or atleast played at the highest level. i think tortesnt frings would be a ok signing.
so is this the arsenal team that everyone thinks would challenge this season??
almunia
sagna toure gallas clichy
walcott diaby/song fabregas nasri << Rosicky when fit
van persie
adebayor
hmmm can this team challenge for champtions leage, premiership, f.a cup and carling cup?? hmmm i dont kno really
its a ok team, i just dont kno is walcot will bring in much assist that hleb used to provide us with. and wheather nasri will gel with the team soo fast….and if diaby can defend and track oppents down aswell as flamini used to. we all know he’s got a eye for goal which is good. but he does need to get stuck in.
im still predicting a 3rd place finish as i think liverpool will struggle again this season regardless of torres. but i dont think arsenal will win as many games
Well Phader wenger has said we will make atleast 1 more signing and most likely 2 before the end of the transfer window and a midfielder will be 1. Even if he doesnt im not particualy worried to be honest. My prediction is that the first team star line-up next season will be:
Almunia
Sagna Toure Gallas Clichy
Nasri Fabregas Diaby Rosicky
Van Persie Adebayor
Maybe im wrong but i think thats a good side, Nasri is similar to Hleb, good on the ball, very much a link player between the midfield and attack but with more end-product that Hleb gave us aswell, both in goals and assists. Diaby is a bit worrying cuz he doesnt seem very composed when he plays, but if he can relax into the position he can make it his own, hes strong, and hungry for the ball, even when playing left mid he tracks back and goes looking for it. Hes better going forward aswell which is a bonus over Flamini, so aslong as he does his defencive duties which i think he is able to do, he can really fill the gap Flamini left. Song can also play there but Wenger seems convinced hes a CB now…
liverpool signed David Ngog, does anybody know if hes is any good ?
Phader – Hleb (or ssshoooooot as he is now known to the Gooner faithful) had a sh** assists record mate. I aint French but i’ve seen enough of Nasri to know that he will be a better player for us than Hleb. I agree fully with the way they gave up against the Spuds and the Mancs though. I hated them for that. Ol Donkey would have kicked the shit out of them if he had been there!
J – How sure are u about the Wilshere deal? They can still nick him off us if he proves to be a money-grabber right? Please elaborate cos that will be the worst thing ever!
Fantastic article.
Sisco has really impressed me since his performance against Barnet. Not only is he committed to the cause, but gets stuck in when the going gets tough – he’s exactly what we need.
Regarding cover for Cesc, I think and am sure that Wenger will use Rosicky for that when needed. He’s the playmaker of the Czech national team and normally would play attacking central midfield.
“liverpool signed David Ngog, does anybody know if hes is any good?”
Never seen him play but based on the fact hes a forward player and his poor goals to games ratio it doesnt look like it. There again, u have to feel if Liverpool have signed him at 19 he must have summin about him (although if u look at Sebastian Leto u can be forgiven for thinking otherwise).
Ngog played in the Emirates Cup last year, a tricky player who can leave players for dead with his blistering pace – one to look our for in the future.
Couquelin, he’s not one for the future he’s for now. As a holding DM he looks to have no equal in the reserve squad and as was previously stated on this blog, Song is the only other player of this type at the club, pity Arsene thinks he’s a defender as it would have been intresting to see the two of them in direct competion for the spot, any way we have JD who think’s he’s midfielder and as wierd as this may sound he actually looks good in the reserves as a midfielder, as to wether or not he could do it in the first team remains to be seen.
I’ve also noted that there are gooners out there who are still worried about the coming season and the players we will field come August all I c an say to you is wait and see, we have the makings of a very very good team, only one player has left who made a difference and that was Flamonie, Pleb was a waste of space and we all knew it so I’m glad he’s gone he just needs to shut his gob, the other players like Lehmann he was a hinderence at times but we all forgave him because he was our mad german keeper, Gilberto I’m glad he’s gone as well because he played carp for about two seasons, can’t tackle, can’t pass the ball more thyan 5 yards he was a another waste of space and jsut like Pleb contributed very little to the team as a whole.
Just compare those guys with the ones we have bought in
Lehmann – Fabianski
Flamomie – Couquelin
Gilberto – Nasri
Now tell me we look like a team going places, good players have been bought in by Le Boss to take the place of those he could see where either past it or did not see their future at the club, add these players to the players currenlty at the club and we have a dam good team and I look foreward to seeing them all play at the Emirates Cup on August 3rd
Keep the faith people the future looks very bright for the Arsenal.
Missed Ramsey and Vella from the players that have come in this season, it just gets better and better!!!!!!!
I talked with him after yesterday, he’s got a great mentality.
He only wants to work, to improve with all those great players.
I’m not sure he’s an option for the first team this season, but for the future he’s a real prospect.
He seems a bit like Rio Mavuba this Coquelin. Good passer and strong but I think it’ll take him a while to settle. But it was good that in his first game he showed alot of desire. He stood out.
Coquelin wont be a starter next season, i dont say that cuz i wouldent like to see it or even because i believe its impossible but its highly, highly improbable he will even get a league game, let alone become a starter. He is one for the future and Carlin Cup experiance next season is a realistic possibility, but even here, its certainly not definate.
I think Song can fill Flaminis gap as hes a similar player, better on the ball than Flamini, not such a good passer but not far off, perhaps will take time to become as affective as Flamini was. But again, Wenger seems to have his heart set on him being a CB, so that looks unlikely.
The only conclusion im left with is Diaby, Denilson or Ramsey. Personally i dont believe Ramsey is ready to be a starter, hes physically not upto regular premier league football yet, and i think thats something Wenger also believes after hearing him comment on how tired he thought Ramsey looked against Barnet. Denilson isnt good enough yet, im starting to worry about him a bit but its still relativley early for him, cnt make any final judgements for atleast another two seasons.
So its either Diaby or bring some1 in the way i see it. I believe Diaby can do a job there and make the position his own, Wenger has said he’ll bring in a player. So we’ll just have to wait and see who he brings in, and depending on who it is i recon it’ll be Diaby or the newcomer that takes the central role.
Lansbury in the engine room? You must be havin a larf !!
Diaby will defo partner Cesc this season, about time to. He can be a PV4 Mk II.
Lansbury in the engine room? You must be havin a larf !!
Diaby will defo partner Cesc this season, about time to. He can be a PV4 Mk II.
Champagne Charlie said this on July 25, 2008 at 12:28 am
Diaby’s first touch, vision, passing accuracy and bravery is nowhere near PV4’s (in his prime). The only thing i like about Diaby is he can go on some surging runs like PV4 from time to time. Also, he has a better shot and is more of a goal threat. However, if he partners Cesc this season then our poor defence will have to work overtime trying to prevent goals against. If he had Coquelin’s tenacity and he was more defence-minded then he would be the perfect partner for Cesc but he hasn’t.
coquelin has great potential and i think with a bit more experience he could easily take the postion the flamini left , diarra left ( no patience) and gilberto left
he has got the hunger as you’ve all seen and great determenation i think he was great buy.. well done AW another one in the bag
I think song should start the season as our defensive midfielder
average age of first team 19-20 years, sounds like fun, just don’t expect trophies. barren years have consequences on player recruitment and finances, see cesc’s comments today?
i think in our heads we all know that one day cesc will return to spain at some stage in his career so the comments today dont change anything.I dont think he will leave for a few more years yet though and this ofcourse depends on the progress of our club.
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