Arsenal have offered a trial to I.K. Start’s Ghanaian midfielder Anthony Annan, after the all action holding midfielder completed a 7 day stint at Premiership outfit Blackburn Rovers.
Annan spent last season on loan at Stabæk following Start’s relegation, and has previously attracted interest from Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund. After starting out at prestigious Ghanaian club Accra Hearts of Oak, he earned a move to Norway in January 2007, where he established himself in the team during pre-season.
Injury and an illness prevented him from showing his true potential as Start were relegated, but in the fixtures which he did participate, he showed immense ability. Last season at Stabæk he lost the fitness issues and was a key part of the squad as they went through the first half of the season completely unbeaten, with Anthony’s rugged and physical nature helping boss the midfield.
As the campaign drew to a close Stabæk admitted they were desperate to retain his services, but Annan – now in the Ghana National Team – signalled his intent to move into Europe.
Marseille were regularly in attendance during the Nordic Cup fixtures, but a solid offer never arrived. Blackburn offered him a trial last week, and the player himself confirmed he was relishing the prospect of playing in the Premiership should the Lancashire side decide to snap him up.
However, reports in today’s Norwegian media claim Arsenal have offered the 22 year old a chance to be put through his paces at London Colney, where he would be working with the Reserve side due to Arsène Wenger’s commitments to getting the team ready for the new season.
Many on lookers have praised Annan’s energetic and powerful approach, and made strong comparisons with Lassana Diarra and Michael Essien – although he is nicknamed Pablo Aimar for his flamboyant passing style.
Article By – J.Sanderson – With Thanks To ‘Norway Gunner’
dont know much about him
never heard about him.. but it sounds like those Tawrick…
Thank u J.S
J – any update on Djibril? Also anything on these Inler reports??
load of nonsense
isn’t he the 1 that played and impressed in the african cup of nations?
The Dutchmaster – Not sure mate, i think so check his wikipedia.
arsgunner – No problem :)
Well i am a Stabæk fan and from Norway, so i have seen him play a lot.
He has similarities with Essien, regarding his work effort and tackles. He is still young and has allready played alongside Essien in the African championship. I hope he can finish this season in Norway and Stabæk, but as an Arsenal fan, i welcome him there! :-)
Anthony Annan, was my school mate in college, and i would like to assure all gunner that should he make the mark at arsenal, he would be a fantastic addition…..he is even tipped in Ghana to cause problems for essien in his position……cheers J
I’ve seen him in Norway(on TV) a couple of times, played pretty… pretty… prettyy good. A good player, but he’s sometimes a little bitch on the pitch! Took a “Dida” in one match.
An opponent player talked to him or something and barely touched his face, and Annan dived to ground like he just got sniped. Was pathetic.
But have no idea if he’s good enough for Arsenal, lets just say wouldn’t bet cash on it happening.
I am a Stabæk fan and he is the main reason why Stabæk is leading the league today. Perfect passing, very good work rate, good understanding and creative. I am also an Arsenal fan. He is a perfect replacement for Flamini
I was doing Larry btw
He is like 5 ft tall, not the ideal signing for an already weak Arsenal squad in terms of aerial prowess. He plays well in Norway, but I doubt that he has a strong enough frame to really make it in the premiership as a defensive midfielder. I am from Norway by the way, and I follow the league here.
it looks like another big lie. if he has such quality like essien wenger would have snaped him up cos he needs one like essien.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OBCW_yM4CI
looks pretty good.
I saw this player turn out for Ghana in the African Cup of Nations in January earlier this year. He performed reasonably well for his country but – in my humble opinion – is in no way equal to or better than the players that we already have.
Yes Dutchmaster he’s the one that did very well at the africa cup of nations. So much so that essien told chelsea to ign him. He has loads of energy and is seen to be the great new hope in ghana along with Ayew. Should be a great signing if we do get him.
Based in Norway as I am, a little correction to the post is needed. “Last” season is in fact the ongoing season, since the Norwegian season starts in march/april and ends in november. That means that Annan is still on loan at PL-frontrunners Stabaek, while under contract with IK Start in the division below.
Annan has been by far the best defensive midfielder in Norway this season. A great tackler, but also a shielding midfielder much in the same mould as Gilberto who just left Arsenal.
In janauary’s African Cup of Nations, Annan played in central midfield beside Chelsea’s Essien in all of Ghana’s matches. Annan’s play was of such quality, that at least Norwegian paper’s wrote that Essien recommended Annan to Chelsea’s then manager Avram Grant.
I think Annan would be a great prospect for Arsenal, although his experience at the highest level suggests that he can’t carry Arsenal on his shoulders alone. At least not this season.
Asyd – Wow thats great, do you still keep contact with him?
PeteE – Haha, sounds like another Eboue!.
If he’s similar to essien I think we should sign him. I know Arsene is probably looking for a age 30+ midfielder to play sparingly but looks like there aren’t many of those available. Also buying one will also not hamper the development and progression of Arsenal’s youngsters however if we find someone better then I think it’s only best if we sign him. Exciting though seems injury prone which we don’t need. Hopefully he comes good.
“I was doing Larry btw
PeteE said this on August 8, 2008 at 2:04 pm”
You what Pete?!
J I used to when i was back home in Ghana, when he used to play for Accra Hearts of Oak…..He helped them win the Afican Confederations cup, the african version of UEFA cup..so i know him very wll…like u said we called him Anthony ‘pablo aimar’ annan. cos of similarities to their size and ability
so hes not a blackburn player…i thought that was confirmedd
according to the sports director of IK Start (the club that owns him), no bids have been tabled at all.
Fuk J, you been busy today haha!
Never heard of this guy so no doubt we will sign him lol!
By the way guys it’s only just over a week now, i can’t fukin wait for the season to begin!
Sounds like if we’re guna get a replacement for Flamini he could be it. Looks like hes got pace, strength, flair and is confidant on the ball.
Ajax today, cnt wait :D
I watched him at africa cup,and he was good.arsenal should sign him,as he will be a great defensive player.
j.sanderson this off topic but do you know if conor henderson has chosen to play for ireland or england
Ireland i believe.
cheers j.
I used to go to the same illegal bare knuckle fights as Annan. We would normally bet on the same bruiser. Oh how we’d larf as we watched yet another punch drunk fella get his teeth knocked out.
Happy days
i`m from norway and i love both stabæk and arsenal. i wouldn`t say Annan is the reason alone for their success this season, but he is one hell of a defensive midfielder. he rarely or never makes any mistakes with the ball, he is energetic and if arsenal don`t buy him, i`m sure some other PL club will, because he got what it takes to make it in the PL. his biggest flaw though is that he has got a temper, but if he learns to control it i believe he will fight for the place with song and denilson if he`s bought..
and i love this site J.Sanderson, thanks for much good reading
http://www.premiershiplatest.com/news/arsenal-take-ghanaian-international-anna-5512847.html
According to recent reports in Norway he’s unable to make the proposed trial since he’s in Stabæk’s squad for a match on sunday. Being from Norway, I’ve also followed Annan this season and he has impressed. Good tackler, lots of stamina, his vision and passing is impressive. However, I feel that his height could pose a problem.
Will be interesting to see how this developes, I believe he could become a useful player for Arsenal.
ive watched that guyf or a season now,he plays in norwegian league,he is good,kinda flaminish,but there must be better players to get :)
I don’t know. Perhaps we should kerb our enthusiasm about this guy.
JS are we still likely to get that other younger Ghanian guy? Tarrick wasnt it?
Annan is rated as the new Essien so if we can get him why not?
Is it for sue that he is having a trial?
http://theworldsmostbeautifulgame.wordpress.com
* Nordic Cup = Royal League
Hi im in spain at the moment does anyone know how to find out what channel the arsenal game is on in spain? i can only find a guide for the main 5 channels.
now he is in arsenal ….. arsenal got him
I believe a certain Alexandre Song impressed more than he did in the ACN and helped Cameroon knock Ghana out of the tournament.
The player is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying: “It is true I had offers from Arsenal, Juventus and Fenerbahce following the Euros, but I just want to stay at Villarreal where I am happiest. I hope this season we can fight for the Spanish title and I believe I can contribute to a team that is getting better and better.”
Too bad I would have loves to have seen him partner Cesc in midfield for a few seasons and than Denilson can take over.
About Annan I’d rather see Denilson play alongside Cesc!
By the way the quote above is from Marcos Senna…
Denilson is a great player but he an Cesc in midfield isnt a good idea purely because they are to similar. Alongside Cesc i’d love to see a Powerful ball winning midfielder and this Annan guy sounds like he could be just that and at 22 hes not exactly rele young either.
JohnV – Denilson is winning more balls every game he plays, I really believe he can do it. But I wonder if he can do it on the big occaisions. I’d rather see a more experienced midfielder. Not only because it’s better but also because we have to take in account than we have a lot of future stars in that department. And getting someone who’s 22 might disturb that. Or if he’s really that great get him for 5 to 10 mil and sell him for 25 in 3 years…
I think we will see that signing that Arsene was thinking about as Diaby is injured AGAIN. Denilson to be fair to him has played great and alongside Diaby at Emirates played more defensive so i guess he could do it and do a good job.
senna would have been perfect so we could get a couple of good years out of him without him being a long term replacement which could disillusion our other possible centremids
Fucking typical eh.
Anyone know where theres text updates of the Arsenal/Ajax match? I’m at work and can’t stream the videos, but would like to read text updates. Thanks
Don’t know if its only me but some of the ex arsenal pros piss me off but mainly Paul merson always moaning
Annan is a good player, but got an attitude problem, which often leads him to get serveral cards. I can think of about 2 red cards this season he got in a total unessasary way…
plse can u guys tell me where can i see the game plsssssssssssssssse
well that can change you know….its called the wenger magic
Annan wouldn’t be a bad addition at all.
Lorik Cana would be great too. We need a bruiser in there, exactly what we are missing.
JSanderson, do you know what Arsene Wenger meant when he said sometime in June that he will be looking to strengthen in defence.
I’m asking maybe he has got someone in mind and doesn’t need to strengthen anymore. Do you know anything?
Thanks
wtf is wrng wid arsenal wer losing 2-0
Fab4 looks rusty, same with Toure. Bring on Wilshere for Eboue, and ut Theo on the right.
oo walcott and van.persie arguing :S
fantastic cross from Eboue. 1-2 Adebayor
Walcott and Robin argued, and then whilst an Ajax player was injured they were at it again. Theo is now off
2-2 bendtner
should have been disallowed. The ball was out, but I couldn’t care less…
Yea I noticed that but theo decision making isn’t good anough
brilliant goal. Denilson created it
3-2 ade
Adebayor the don!
Denilson was great! exhausted but still managed to create the winner :D
How long is nasri out for?
apparently he should be back for wednesday.
http://theworldsmostbeautifulgame.wordpress.com
thanks mate
http://theworldsmostbeautifulgame.wordpress.com
thanks mate
http://theworldsmostbeautifulgame.wordpress.com
great second half adebayor proved again how important he is to us denilson gave him self a good chance to be picked next week and i think eboue showed tonight why he still gets in over theo. Theo is going to be class but still struggles with some basic things like his crossing plus basic things like if he stood over the free kick and stopped it being played early then the second goal wouldn’t have happened
why are people givin eboue rating after one performance today kmt he is at arsenal fc not readings he cant make that much couple mistakes he is a SHIT winger but a sick full back, no way eboue over theo for RM plus theo was playin in LM so dont criticise THEO
I saw randall there with gibbs thought he wasn’t going to be there but yea i agree with randall86
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A little late but can sum1 please tell me the circumstances surrounding the V. Persie and Walcott argument today. And was RVP good at all today? I’ve read a few reports and his name didn’t pop up once, whats up with that?
How do you do?, I hope arsenal could get him because all of players in Arsenal is young.Go……arsenal
forget about the incident, it really wasnt a big deal and id hate to see it drawn into too much speculation. rvp tried to give theo advice and he petulantly screamed at him. it was just verbal and nothing serious. and rvp didnt have the most effective game but his link up play was decent at least.
thanx m8.
no problem. id like to also add that some of theo’s approach play was first rate, only his final ball selection wasnt of the same quality. he looks sharp and hungry and raring to go in my opinion. also its a bit unfair to compare denilson to flamini as this is his first game this season playing with cesc so its expected that they will step on each others toes until they get a proper understanding established, however denilson’s regular appearance in the final third showed he can possibly be that box to box replacement we need.
For those of you who couldn’t watch todays game agaisnt Ajax you can watch tomorrows game against Sevilla on this link~
http://livefooty.doctor-serv.com/
Look for the Arsenal game…you might have to DL some plug ins to watch the game…but the streaming is clear!!
Lets all unite GOONERS!!
Denilson is so way, way better than Diaby. Denilson was our best player in the Emirates Cup and, although not having the best first half, was definately the man of the second half. Given that we won´t buy another DM, I want Denilson with Cesc against Twente and WBA. He still has to work on his defensive side, but he is bound to be great. He is a good tackler, works hard, excellent passes and positions himself well. I think he just lacks a little bit of experience in this position, just to learn all the tricks. I see a great partnership in Cesc and Denilson.
Btw. Cesc better get match fit quick, we really need him against Twente. I can´t wait to get Nasri back also, he is quality. Eboue and Walcott were highly uneffective as a winger pair. It´s funny that the only good thing Eboue did (the assist) came in a play were he did what he always did in right back. That is to run to the corner and cross. I think Eboue is a really good right back and by far better than Hoyte. But as a winger he is totally rubbish, good decision making is not in his vocabulary.
I was a little dissapointed in not seeing Wilshere earlier as we really needed a winger that can dribble. I wonder if Wenger will use Vela on the left flank at all. I personally would rather want to have Vela-Nasri than Nasri-Walcott
Ps. Does anybody know if the squad will fly home tomorrow or just stay in the Netherlands for until Wednesday?
i second your post mate although i’ll stick my neck out and add that i think eboue is a headache right now but i do think he will come good. his athletic ability is second to none and he gets in great positions but his execution lets him down and when he and wenger get this corrected i do think he will be highly effective.
Adebayor better get used to his hair being tall. If he gets it cut in midseason again so help me GOD I WILL……………….
well at least this is another bloke for the midfield. We got gokan inler coming soon *fingers crossed* and if we’re lucky, we will grab vincent kompany from hamburg sv. That would solve some of our defensive woes.
Stone excellent comments and good question about if their staying or flying back to England. But I think they will, it’s not a long flight and they have to pick up Nasri ofcourse ;)
But I don’t want to see Vela on the wing he’s defintly a striker! Walcott will be more effective when he get’s more assists and gains confidence but Eboué is a good attacking rightback nothing more. But I am preparing for a season with him playing a lot on the right wing when we have injuries etc.
fran merida should be given no 23…pls wenger,
Its not a coincidence that we have gone behind in most of our pre-season friendlies. As long as that symptom is there, you know there is a problem. Arsenal I love. A great side, manufactured for one purpose: to play beautiful attacking football. The whole world knows that. At times I wish this team can be so water-tight in defence! Arsenal were very solid in defence in the Champions League 2006 when we got to the final, the defensive record then speaks for itself. Then you had Toure and Campbell. They were by no means similar defenders and their roles were different. The spine was solid. The anchor role and central defence was better than it is now. I’m complaining because going into a season without solving an achilles heel problem that dogged us so much last season, is not the way to win titles and trophies. We can’t just assume and carry on as if the problem has disappeared. I’m confident of Arsenal attacking-wise this season, but I can’t say the same about the defensive department. It’s very worrying if we really and truly intend to win the title!
I agree with daymee, we cant’ just ignore our most obvious problem, i think AW is hoping toure improves with fitness and his pairing with gallas he can hold out until work out a solution.
And on merida, i want to see him play i dont see how he can still be on holiday, surly he should be picked ahead of the likes of ramsey?
He played with essien for Ghana in the africa cup!
He is a class palyer!
I lives in norway and have seen many Stabæk matches!
He wil be a good signing
Adebayor on his best is a massive player no doubt, pace, strength, technique, hight, he got i all!
I think he has looked better these last pre-season matches, than most of last year, better decisions and better in the build up play.
Congrats for having your piece published on the GBC, Ghana Broadcasting.
http://gbcghana.com/news/21814detail.html
According to club sources in Molde, Norway, there was an agent from Arsenal present between Molde and Aalesund in the Norwegian Premier League. The article does not say who they might be watching, in case any in particular
Tottenham have been interested in central 20 year old defender Vegard Forren, just awarded Premier League Young Player of the month. Also Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf has been created interest by Feyenoord and West Bromwich
http://www.rbnett.no/article/20080804/MFK01/73286720
Annan will become another Eboue tragedy! He might be a talented player, but still his dirty style is not something I want in Arsenal.
One instance during his lone move from IK Start to Stabæk he played some of his old friends in IK Start in a Stabæk vs. Lillestrøm match. He dived without any contact resulting in a red card for the unfortunate ex pal and lillestrøm player. In the same match he could easily have ended the career of another ex IK Start player in wild and uncontrolled tackle. During the African’s cup it was Annan that almost blinded Essien, seeing the episode it “almost look” like it was done on purpose. Besides he have no love for the club, he is ONLY, I repeat ONLY in this for the money. Club whore!
Annan better keep his dirty feet far away from Arsenal and the PL. This is one player we don’t want any contact with.