A UEFA tribunal is set to decide how much La Liga outfit Atlético Madrid will pay Arsenal if they complete a deal to sign Fran Mérida. The 19-year-old has rejected the offer of a new two-year development based contract with the Gunners in favour of a reported five-year deal at the Estadio Vicente Calderón.
Arsene Wenger has constantly spoken of his desire to keep the Spanish Under 21 international but warned that others were trying to destabilise the prospect and convince him his future lies away from the Emirates. Agent Joseba Diaz appears to be the man who Wenger was talking about, as he’s been in touch with several clubs and issued comments in the media that Fran was unhappy and keen for a return to his homeland.
Sevilla and former loan club Real Sociedad have both made advances but Mérida has met with senior Atlético officials and thrashed out a deal, which would see him remain with Arsenal until the summer when his contract expires. As the player is under 24, Madrid would be forced to pay compensation and the early signs are that the Gunners will struggle to agree a deal, meaning a tribunal would decide how much will change hands. A figure of around £3 milllion has been touted.
Many will no doubt be disappointed that Mérida has quit the club especially after he has become an increasing fixture in the Arsenal side, including featuring in the F.A Cup on Sunday. Confirmation is expected shortly.
Article By – J.Sanderson
im not that disapointed to be honest…he seemed a bit of luxury
@ Davi, we agree to disgree.
KC
I have to disagree about JET being better prospect than Henri Lansbury, also the fact that JET has never got a sniff of international football at any level yet Henri Lansbury does should tell that he is not that highly rated outside of Arsenal and also JET did not exactly pull up any trees while on loan to Blackpool eather.
————————————————————–
While i think Lansbury is slightly the better player, opinions of England national youth coaches cannot be relied on [poor coaches]. They always pick certain type of players in most cases in order to win rather than develop players
Ive kept hearing Wenger building Merida up but then have always been disappointed everrytime hes had a chance.So for me no great loss.
Traore is (or potentiaaly is )the best left back at the club.
Without a shadow of a doubt and its not even an argument,Fabianski is the best goalkeeper at the club by a country mile.Why Wenger persists with Almunia is totally and utterly beyond understanding.
BTW heres an interview with Henri lansbury intresting read:
http://betting.betfair.com/football/ben-herd/bens-banter-watfords-henri-lansbury-050110.html
Without a shadow of a doubt and its not even an argument,Fabianski is the best goalkeeper at the club by a country mile.Why Wenger persists with Almunia is totally and utterly beyond understanding.
——————————————————————–
Fans like AW has a benefit of watching performances in matches however AW has a benefit of see training unlike fans.
John,
Stop hying Lansbury.
“HES PROBABLY THE BEST TECHNICAL ENGLISH PLAYER WE HAVE GOT.”
^
JET has better technical ability than Lansbury.
Lansbury isn’t the next coming for god’s sake. He’s a good youth player, but is still far away from the current Arsenal first time and will not play ahead of players like Walcott, Song, or Denilson. He may make the occasional cameo. Aside, I don’t think he is that much better than JET.
john all the grafters you mentioned were british…hmm is there something there?it is funny this belief cos british have not won much recently .forget graft , quality wins games but all graft and no quality that was arsenal last for most of time cesc was injured or against aston villa for example or against west ham until diaby came on and merida certainly did not hide that game at all. i guess you would say that if he was staying.
actually a player has to watch out for himself that is what merida at atleti there are not so many playmakers so he has made a wise choice there
brian – szczesny has always looked better to me. Fabianski has looked really good recently tho
Ramsey is our best Britishplayer, or Gibbs
Sorry, Gbbs is our best English player, Ramsey our British
JET is certainly not the best English technical player we have. He’s a very good player but not a technical one. Technically Wilshire is on another level.
i HAVENT BEEN TO IMPRESSED BY THEO
Yay, past 100 comments:)
JET is not better than henri lansbury lol
JET cant even handle the championship hes not ready for the premier league yet and where is he going to play? I cant see him playin in midfield maybe he could become a centre back or a striker.
PPL forgte about the youth cup last season yh jay thomas was sublime but i think its more to do with his physique and power at that level.
Jay thomas needs to start doing the dirty work in league 1 and the championship that will teach him alot mentally and physically and he will become a much better player.
What I’d like to know, and i hope some tells me is why Eastmond is getting a run in the first team ahead of Francis Coqulin, it just don’t make any sense, Couqulin is a far far better player than Eastmond.
jazbo
Francis Coquelin is not playing very well at this present moment in time, where as Craig Eastmond is so that is why he is getting more first team opportunitys at this moment in time IMO.
I’ve never really been a big Walcott fan, but I don’t think Arsene playing him and Gibbs more than others is because they’re English. Arsene knows Theo has a long way to go, but I think his belief in him is genuine. Before this season Diaby was just as frustrating as Walcott but Arsene persisted in playing him, and it seems he is now coming good. Like Walcott, Diaby is an unusual breed of player and thus will probably struggle until he really knows his specific role in the team and values himself for the strengths he has. Diaby has really grown into his position in the 4-3-3, and I’m sure Wenger will be hoping that Theo can begin to utilise his strengths in the same formation.
As for the Gibbs vs Traore argument, they’re both very promising, but I’d have to agree with whoever it was above who said that Gibbs is better when it comes to positioning himself and man-marking. Traore’s pace sometimes bails him out of trouble if he lets his man go, but when he comes up against a real world-class winger he’ll be punished. Even for the recent goal we conceded against portsmout he showed real naivity in getting sucked into the middle and leaving Vanden Borre free. I feel sorry for him, as he’s quickly dropped from being our next big thing to 3rd choice, with the two ahead not looking like leaving anytime soon, and he’s still a very good prospect, but, for me, Gibbs looks the most likely to succeed in the long run.
Jazbo, I too rate Coquelin over Eastmond generally, but Francis’ reserve team performances of late haven’t been up to scratch, and Eastmond has been making rapid improvements, so it’s better to reward him than Le Coq, who needs to make the team on merit – and I’m sure he will within a couple of years. Arsene certainly knows what he’s doing here, having brought them both to train with the 1st team on many occaisions.
As for Lansbury, I haven’t got a clue what all the hype’s about. It’s not that he’s not a good player, but he hasn’t shown any sign that he’s really an Arsenal-quality player. Maybe he will do in the future, but for now let’s just keep calm about him because he’s got huge amounts of improvement to make. Tom Cleverly has been Watford’s stand-out player so far, and he doesn’t look Man U quality either.
i thnk letn fran go is a huge mistake cz dis boy is a pure playmake wit enuf quality 2play in d 1st d reason y hz perfomances hv bin below par is because he wants 2play in d 1st team nt jst bein a carling cup n a cesc back n i thnk he dservs d recognition n shud b gtn games jst lyk ramsey n wilshire
As for Lansbury, I haven’t got a clue what all the hype’s about. It’s not that he’s not a good player, but he hasn’t shown any sign that he’s really an Arsenal-quality player. Maybe he will do in the future, but for now let’s just keep calm about him because he’s got huge amounts of improvement to make. Tom Cleverly has been Watford’s stand-out player so far, and he doesn’t look Man U quality either.
Mate how many times have u seen LANSBURY PLAY CENTRAL MIDFIELD FOR ARSENAL?
First of all I can describe Merida’s future in one word: Lupoli
He is skilled but really:
– too weak to be a midfielder
– lacking the speed/strength play the role of a Kaka or Bergkamp/Arshavin in Arsenal terms
– lacking the speed/dynamism to play the wing roles like Nasri, Walcott, Eduardo, Eboue etc
The same is true of Wilshere as well, although he has a bit more acceleraton than Merida. Still not enough yet.
What differentiates Ramsey is that
a) he is stronger physically
b) quicker to make the pass than the above two
c) a much quicker learner
Which is why he is getting playing time.
People compare Ramsey to Fabregas but for me, Ramsey is a more robust Edu with some dribbling skill added on.
If I were Merida looking at Cesc at 22 the best playmaker in the Premiership and STILL getting better PLUS Ramsey in waiting at age 18 already a SURE THING to be a superstar, yeah I would take Atleticos 5 yr contract. The Spanish league is much softer and more able to accomodate those types of players, I mean does anyone think the likes of Riquelme would ever survive the premiership for even one week? No.
Good move on Merida’s part – he just wasnt cut out for this. He knew it at Arsenal had an idea too – otherwise they would have offered him more than a developmental contract. Arsenal – post Cashley at least – is quite good about paying up if young players get better see Song, Denilson, Diaby and co all getting generous contract upgrades the minite the progress. In fact the likes of Walcott are probably overpaid. So Merida would have gotten paid if he performed. But he knew he couldnt.
I dont see the point of abusing the guy. What would YOU do if you were offered a performance based contract and you knew in your heart you were not going to outperform the players you had to compete with.
In a competetive 1st team (not CC) game? Never. How may times have you seen Richard Hughes play central midfield for Arsenal?
Some you win, some you lose. Merida is just not quite good enough to play for Arsenal and is running down his contract. Simple. We’ve had a few of these young lads we’ve brought up or brought in over the years and that didn’t have it in the end (Reyes, Bentley, Jeffers) and there’ll be more to come (Walcott?). So what. It happens to every club. And let’s not forget that Merida running his contract down is hardly news to Wenger. Giving him the handful of games recently has raised his stock by putting him in the shop window for when the tribunal kicks in. Arsene ALWAYS Knows.
The Turk? The fucking Turk? You name all those players and then…..the Turk? How insolent is that? FYI, that Turk will probaly turn out to have the most successful career out of all those players you just named.
For the guy who said that Traore is our best left-back……..errr……no. But i agree with the point you made about Fabianski and how he should start ahead of Almunia.
John – Lansbury, is a very good talent, and like AW, i believe he will be a big player for us someday, but don’t dismiss JET as having failed in the Championship as it simply isn’t the case. Blackpool already extended his loan once and are unable to do that again, that’s why he’s back at Arsenal.
Good luck to Fran but i have to agree with John and say that he never looked up for the fight – a quality i absolutely love about Ramsey, and something our midfield has lacked for quite a while now.
Sam – riquelme would have been the best player in the league hands down if he came to the prem. Particularly if he joined arsenal. His passing and control are too good. Him playing in midfield behind with henry up front would have been insane. Hes nt weak either, not at all. He was just an amazing player who lacked the ambition to be the best. I rate him for that as well because he was more concerned with living a happy life and making his family and people in his home country happy than chasing fame and money
its funny you’d mention riquleme as well because merida is very similar in style.
To say he couldnt make it in the prem is ridiculous. He always had enough time on the ball whenever he played, he made the right decisions, and hes only 19. fabregas was never that quick or strong, or didnt use his pace, he is just too smart. he moves into the right positions, he knows instantly where the ball needs to go, and merida has some of that to his game.
Wenger always said merida would be a late bloomer physically and Ive never understood what he meant. The only thing i can think of is that he meant in terms of stamina. Hes not weak, hes not quick though, although that isnt an absolute necesity if you’re clever.
First of all I can describe Merida’s future in one word: Lupoli
He is skilled but really:
– too weak to be a midfielder
– lacking the speed/strength play the role of a Kaka or Bergkamp/Arshavin in Arsenal terms
– lacking the speed/dynamism to play the wing roles like Nasri, Walcott, Eduardo, Eboue etc
The same is true of Wilshere as well, although he has a bit more acceleraton than Merida. Still not enough yet.
———————————————————————–
I agree with the rest of your post, but not this. He’s not too weak to be a midfielder. He isn’t weaker than Cesc was when he came into the side, he just doesn’t have the speed of thought to compensate for it. With the protection from the ref that players get now, if you can use your body well to stay balanced, shield the ball and turn, having great strength doesn’t matter all that much in midfield.
As for Wilshire, he’s a completely different type of player to Merida. His low centre of gravity and use of the body compensate for his small stature, in a similar way to Arshavin.
Ramsey developed more quickly than the other two, and is such a rare (Arsenal fans forget how rare this is with the likes of Fabregas etc) talent that he shouldn’t really be compared with them. To send in players as inexperienced as Wilshere and Merida in that game at West Ham, which seems to be all people can remember at the moment, is a massive ask. I’d be willing to bet C.Ronaldo would’ve been clueless coming into that game with the amount of experience that they had. The biggest thing that these types of talents have to learn is how to maximise their strengths and minimise their weaknesses in a match-situation. Nasri is the classic example. He’s not particularly strong physically, and people may think he’d get bullied off the ball, but as one who grew up in a gang playing street-football on the streets of Marseilles he knows how to hold his own by manipulating his body and using his quick feet, which he utilizes when tracking back to make quick interceptions. He’s not naturally a defender but he knows how to use what he’s got. Merida and Wilshere are still settling into themselves.
And like Davi says, saying Riquelme wouldn’t survive in the EPL is just a joke. Or in terms of his ability it is anyway (a manager of a top English team may not be so patient with his whinging as South-American manager would…)
And sam, the performance-related contract simply shows that they dont have faith in him like they do the others. Maybe theyr right, but i dont see it personally and i really think we’ll regret it in some way in the future. As everyone has pointed out, hes one out of several really promising midfielders. But I do think merida will go on to be top drawer.
I think its a shame that we’ve forced him out like this; all-the-while wenger was saying we want him to sign.
It was similar with flamini i think. He was our most important player, but because we werent willing to give him the upgrade he deserved, he chose to find somewhere that (he thought) would appreciate him more.
Imagine if we had flamini now. Our midfield could be song, flamini and cesc. Now to me that is unbelieveably good. That’s as good as anyone in europe can put out at the moment.
he is sp crap why did arsenal bother for him?
he is only good enough for the english reserve league
im so happy it lets the likes of randall eastmond coquelin and lansbury a chance
And sam, the performance-related contract simply shows that they dont have faith in him like they do the others. Maybe theyr right, but i dont see it personally and i really think we’ll regret it in some way in the future. As everyone has pointed out, hes one out of several really promising midfielders. But I do think merida will go on to be top drawer.
I think its a shame that we’ve forced him out like this; all-the-while wenger was saying we want him to sign.
It was similar with flamini i think. He was our most important player, but because we werent willing to give him the upgrade he deserved, he chose to find somewhere that (he thought) would appreciate him more.
Imagine if we had flamini now. Our midfield could be song, flamini and cesc. Now to me that is unbelieveably good. That’s as good as anyone in europe can put out at the moment.
Davi said this on January 5, 2010 at 9:06 pm
He’s a decent player, but I don’t think Merida has shown the mentality to be ‘top drawer’. And we didn’t ‘force’ him out. We made him an offer which we deemed the best possible compromise for him and the club, and he obviously didn’t want it, so it was right to let him go. If we hadn’t we’d show a weakness to other players and would undermine our wages structure.
As for Flamini, while we could’ve used him last season, I think it’s all turned out for the best in the end. I doubt that either Song or Denilson would be the players they are today if Flamini had stayed, and I don’t think Flamini and Song in the same team would be as effective as Song and Denilson, although we could use Flam now that the ACN is on.
“If we hadn’t we’d show a weakness to other players and would undermine our wages structure.”
They made better offers to the other players tho. I dont think that’s the issue. I think you’re right that they must have decided there was some weakness in him not to offer the longer contract. I disagree based on what Ive seen, but I guess theyd know better than me.
I disagree bout flam/denilson. I think flamini alongside song would just bully everyone. Both players have some attacking ability and close down and defend really well. Hopefully denilson can reach flaminis level, but not right now imo. Hes shown signs but is a little inconsistent still. It is a little hard to judge den because of his style as well though.
“They made better offers to the other players tho”. Not ones who’d only performed well in a couple of 1st team games. He showed signs of real quality, and so, like you, I’m dissapointed to see it end, but with the competition he’s got it would be wrong to give him a consistent (not performance-related) wage boost having shown few signs of improvement.
Having Flam and Song would mean that one would play in Den’s position, and that doesn’t really suit either of them. Flamini wouldn’t be able to utilize his immense stamina as he’d wish, and Song would be less effective linking up on the overlap and not being as able to make his driving runs from deep, taking forcing his man back with him. As you mention, Denilson is very difficult to appreciate, but when you look at the amount of interceptions he makes and options he blocks off for the opposition it’s truely staggering. For confirmation just look at our results with and without him playing over the past couple of seasons. It’s really amazing.
Lilt, there u go talking crap again, flamini was no way our most important player.
Lilt, there u go talking crap again, flamini was no way our most important player.
TheCritic said this on January 5, 2010 at 9:35 pm
I’m sorry, where did I say that?
Flamini was brilliant for us he was good on the pitch and off the pitch.
I wouldny mind getting flamini on loan from Milan
Sorry Lilt I just read your comment again and realised your were quoting Davi, so i apologise.
Anyway to DAVI , flamini got the hump because he couldnt earn twice the average yearly wage a week, so of course we understnad y he left.
Again my apologies to Lilt,
Just to let people know who are in uproar over Theo’s wages. He gets paid that much despite being so young because he is already a recognised International footballer and makes the club a whole load of money through marketing. It’s pretty much the same reason why Real Madrid pay such obscene wages to CR, because he generates so much money on the commercial front.
“Not ones who’d only performed well in a couple of 1st team games.” He played well by all accounts when on loan in spain. Where else was he going to play well besides that and those couple of 1st team games.
Flamini wouldnt be able to utilise his stamini in denilson’s position? Why on earth not?
Its the not-quite defensive, not-quite attacking position. He could run as much as he wanted. I duno it sounds like you’re assuming hed play it exactly the same way that denilson does.
TheCritic – flamini was our most important player, along with adebayor who saved us many many times. He played nearly every game, and never stopped running. Fabregas did well at the start of the year, but when the going got tough, flamini was the one who always played well. He was the true captain of that side.
TJ – that’s a good point, but it doesnt send a good message to the other players, or to theo. Id have offered him a standard contract and told him he can go if he doesnt want it frankly. He was not a good player when they gave him that contract, and hes only starting to look anything like good now. Although he’s still yet to do it regularly.
““Not ones who’d only performed well in a couple of 1st team games.” He played well by all accounts when on loan in spain. Where else was he going to play well besides that and those couple of 1st team games.” Well that’s exactly my point. It’s not his fault, it’s just that he had very few opportunities and didn’t quite do enough to earn a new, improved long-term contract, hence the deal we offered him would’ve given him more time to prove himself.
“Flamini wouldnt be able to utilise his stamini in denilson’s position? Why on earth not? Its the not-quite defensive, not-quite attacking position. He could run as much as he wanted. I duno it sounds like you’re assuming hed play it exactly the same way that denilson does.” He could run as much as that, but it would leave massive gaps in midfield. With Song behind him to cover one man when he’s forward, all it would take would be for Flamini to go on one ill-judged run and we’d be left very exposed. Denilson’s ability to restrain himself from leaving his position too exposed, but still offer attacking players options through his interplay ensures that gaps are plugged and he provides a good basis for the likes of Nasri, Cesc etc whilst also being able to aid and oover for Song. Anyway, it’s entirely academic, and can be argued both ways, I just personally think that the understanding that Song and Denilson have of each others games wouldn’t be replicated with Flam.
“flamini was our most important player”. He certainly was bloody good, but if you took him away you have Diarra, Gilberto, Song and Denilson. If you took away Fabregas, who would step up. Adebayor has a case, as much of a (unt though he is, but I think we’d be able to cope well with the fit RvP of that season, the pre-injury Eduardo and Bendtner.
WHO IS FAGAN AND IFFIEL?
“He was not a good player when they gave him that contract, and hes only starting to look anything like good now”. – Sounds like it worked well then. I agree with your principle though.
I found Ben Khalifa on Facebook, and Frimpong, WIlshere ,
Sead Hajrovic is really nice,
And vela and walcott, it only took bout 30 seconds whilst i waited for another page to load lol
Lilt – apologies on the 1st point, I must have misread your post.
I disagree that any of those mentioned could have stepped up in place of flamini at that time. Certainly song and denilson werent ready. Flamini started the season well and got better, den or song could have improved significantly that season, but it took them almost a year After flamini had left to reach the levels they are at now. That was the season that gilbero really fell away and appeared to have lost it. He has since put in some good performances for brazil. Cant explain it really, maybe he was carrying an injury at the time? Perhaps hes only performing well now for brazil cos hes got it easy in greece the rest of the time
Diarra was a quality player, but not in flaminis league as a DM. Much more skillful but flamini is a much more intelligent midfielder imo. He could cover the midfield defensively but was ready to attack at just the right moments. The 2 of them together with fabregas in this 4-3-3 system would have been something to behold tho imo.
The season van persie stays fit for a season is the season that we win the league again btw. He always goes just when hes starting to look amazing.
mmmm, I dont think bendtner could hav covered. We’d have won the league if eduardo hadnt got injured, but only cos hed have been up front WITH ade.
when i first him on that Youtube vid I got so excited, he looked like a world beater! But come one, lets be honest, he lost his desire for the club ages ago, Its no loss, he’s just another prospect in my eyes
The season van Persie stays fit for a season was the season where Flamini shone. I agree re Song and Denilson, but Diarra had looked great in the games he did play, and Gilberto, although tired from the Confed Cup and not at his best, would’ve made decent cover as well. I’m not saying he wasn’t important, but I don’t agree that he was the most important, because he was very replacable. The likes of Fabregas and Gallas were, and arguably still are, our most important, because we didn’t have the resources to replace them.
Im talking to Sead Hajrovic on Facebook, he is really nice.
hey gud news that he is finally goin home on sunday he showed that he cant cut it at arsenal he must b ashamed wif himself
lets not worry he is no cesc not even gud enuf to play 4 wolves
Slighlty dissapointing as he really impressed me in the League Cup games this season, but I suppose we’re not exactly short of young versatile players like Fran.
Also, we don’t know if the guy has found it hard to settle in this country, but I’ll wish him good luck anyway and I look forward to seeing how he develops at Atletico.
Pingback: Top Posts — WordPress.com
Ok, fair enough. Good points.
I thought at the time diarra was an excellent player and was really annoyed that he left, but since he went to madrid Ive been less impressed. Hes so talented, but I think something is missing with him. Still, HE got forced out a bit because gilberto was crap that season but whenever cesc or flamini was unavailable wenger would always go back to him. Its understandable but must have been frustrating for lassana
Will Wenger now play him until the summer, or will he push him out to the reserves oe even a short loan deal?
JS any news on Johan Djorou its been 6months now i thought he was out for 6-7months?
Djorou could actually play this season which will be a big boost hes a brilliant player and a defender we need
Yeah, Diarra was being expected to do too much at Madrid and for France last season, being a creator as well as a destroyer, which isn’t really his game. This season, when he plays, he’s done better, clearly finding it easier with Kaka and/or Alonso along side him. I can see why he left, with the Euros coming up and all, but if he was going to be constructive about it he could’ve asked for a loan deal, which I’m sure Pompey would’ve been happy with, rather than just whinging his way out. It’s a shame, but, we may not even have had one Song if he hadn’t left, so I suppose worked out well.
And John you are an idiot. Wilshere was even worse than Merida. Do you think the same about him?
I hope this isn’t true. Merida will be a supreme talent and I think it’s a shame if he leaves. You lot saying good riddance to him because of one poor performance are idiots.
fran merida is promising youngster, I would love to see him stay with us, how ever if he decides to leave he has every reason to do so.
This is the first sign that Academies have to be managed a little better so that we don’t lose on our scouting and development investment
OTOH We have no choice we simply can’t keep all midfielders if you look at our Academy it’ll soon be badly congested .
agree about better academy management – the club’s put too much into these young players to lose the better ones at the beginning of their career proper. n contract renewal management. timing’s always off! plus gazidis needs to start churning that pr machine to counter those rogue agents that always seem to spring up to transfer our players to other clubs.
Leaving a proven star maker like Wenger for the circus that is Atletico -a club with a staggering array of underperforming talent -is bordering on crazy. I am sorry that he has made such a bad decision. He would have been far better off going to Atletico in a few years time as a genuine star.
It’s also worth noting that Joseba Diaz is also the wanker who used to be Cesc’s agent and consequently made sure there were rumours about him going back to Barca or even Real Madrid at every opportunity he got. Cesc did the greatest thing and fired the c*** and hired David Dein’s son as his agent.
awh, Merida, why do you let agents trick with your brain? You cannot expect (even as a huge talent) to have lots of firs team football in a great club as Arsenal as only 19. Look around you, how many 19 year olds do you see flourish in the biggest clubs? They are few and when they do they are very very very special. You may be good but you are not the best in the arsenal academy. In United i could see him get equal play time as wellbeck, in chelsea equal to Kakuta which is a major talent and in Liverpool you would probably rot in the reserves(benitez is blind remember). I really do not see how moving to atletico can be a huge boost neither. They are out of the cl and do not exactly look like strong contenders this year. The only reason to go there must bet to play first team footy for then to move again. Reyes became such a hit after he left…
You know what they say, if things seem to good to be true( huge wages,great contracts and lots of first team play at At.M cos you are such a great player) it usually is….
Denilson wasnt ready to step in for Flamini? News flash, in Denilson first year, he looked a great talent. Thierry Henry even said that he had never seen a player adjust to the premier league as fast as Denilson did. In his 2nd year he had injuries and Flamini was the man the in his 3rd year he became the starter. Denilson actually looked a much bigger talent than he has turned out to be. He is a good player but really a role player.
Also, to the people that seem to doubt Theo Walcott…hear are some interesting facts. Thierry Henry only scored 23 goals in his first 6 years as a pro player. It wasnt until 22 and his transformation to an out an out striker when he turned into the player we know him as. So atleast give Walcott until his 23rd birthday to cal it a failure.
Wasn’t Joseba Diaz fabregas’ agent whom he got rid of for refusing to rule out a move to barca????
I;ve seen him play several times. Once when he played well and many many other times when he has been easily the worst player on the field. Even when surrounded by the other no hopers in the reserve squad. I for one will be pleased that he’s leaving. It means we can either progress someone else in the reserves to the bench when we’re shott handed or buy someone with some ability. Bye bye Fran I hope you’re as crap at AM as you were for us!
Also, to the people that seem to doubt Theo Walcott…hear are some interesting facts. Thierry Henry only scored 23 goals in his first 6 years as a pro player. It wasnt until 22 and his transformation to an out an out striker when he turned into the player we know him as. So atleast give Walcott until his 23rd birthday to cal it a failure.
shane said this on January 6, 2010 at 9:19 am
I’m not calling Walcott a failure, but he is given massive leniency by the ‘fans’. If Bendtner had the same performances he’d be booed off the pitch. It’s sad. Theo at the moment doesn’t have the adequate technical ability or footballing inteligence to merit his place in the side. I’m not saying we should get rid of him, but there are players who merit the playing time more than he does at the moment. Also, Thierry was a good player at Monaco. Playing mostly as a left winger of course he didn’t score all that many goals but he still played well. I mean he started every game except the final at the World Cup in ’98 and got 3 goals. When you looked at him on the pitch in his earlier years you could see talent, just not the knowledge and self-belief to really use it, similarly to Diaby – you knew he was there for something, you just couldn’t see what it was, until now. When you look at Walcott playing all you can see is pace, predictable dribbling and rough edges. He may end up being a great player, but he will need to become greatly more technically competent innovative within the next couple of years if he is going to get there.
Denilson wasnt ready to step in for Flamini? News flash, in Denilson first year, he looked a great talent. Thierry Henry even said that he had never seen a player adjust to the premier league as fast as Denilson did. In his 2nd year he had injuries and Flamini was the man the in his 3rd year he became the starter. Denilson actually looked a much bigger talent than he has turned out to be. He is a good player but really a role player.
shane said this on January 6, 2010 at 8:29 am
He was impressive for his first year, but do you honestly think he would’ve been up to the task in a 4-4-2 surrounded only by attacking players in midfield against, let’s say, AC Milan that year? I’m a big Denilson fan, but he wasn’t ready.
the same people who are on theos back are the smae peolpe who went after song bendtner dennilson diaby ebeou
i trusted wenger with them so why not with theo
and what a fan to think theo gets off without being booed lol
boo who
I’ve never ‘gone after’ any Arsenal player. I’ve always really liked Song, Bendtner, Denilson and Eboue. Diaby less so, but I could see that he was talented, I just didn’t think he’d fulfill that talent, which he now has. Honestly, I just don’t see much potential for improvement in Theo. I will support him anyhow, of course. He’s a good kid and he has his moments, I just don’t think he’ll ever be conistent at this level.
I will agree that Walcott is very frusterating to watch because he is so random. One game he looks amazing and the next game he looks like the worst player in the world. I agree with the booing thing. Lets face it, he doesnt get booed because he is british but hey I’m not so yes at the moment he would be at the top of my boo list and really is the only Arsenal player that frusterates me other than Sylvestre,senderous and Eboue (only when he is a winger).
Am i alone in thinking this is bad news. We may all have different views as to whether he was first team material or had the potential. But its irrelevant this was his decision not the clubs and moreover wanted to keep him.
that is just poor management. Its a flamini.
With smaller budgets than many, AWs reluctance to sign and long injury list what we dont need is players not being retained when the club wanted them to.
Wake up AFC mgmt.
“…others were trying to destabilise the prospect and convince him his future lies away from the Emirates.”
Yeah, just like Wenger destabilised him and hid him for several months in Spain from Barcelona. Wenger, you hypocrite vulture. What goes around, comes around. :P
Good luck to him but i doubt that he would get THAT much more game time at Atletico. Anyway, he could’ve been apart of something special in the future, what with the likes of Song, Fabregas, Ramsey, Djourou, Wilshere, Vela and Bendtner, although he instead decided to play in a league where it will remain a two horse race for many more years to come.. Good luck to Atleti trying to make it into Europe League next year.
I would like to say I am surprised by this departure BUT actually I am not, and I think this was the best decision. Merida just had to look around him and notice how much talent we’ve got in the reserve and youth teams, and realise that he was just not up to scratch to make it with us in the long run. Players like Lansbury, JET etc have gone to lower league clubs and learnt how to cope with the English way of playing, furthermore I personally don’t think that Merida would have gone to these teams and made any impact like how most of the loanees mentioned above have. Goodbye Fran…like many before you enjoy we wish you success and many moments of bench warming.
I will agree that Walcott is very frusterating to watch because he is so random. One game he looks amazing and the next game he looks like the worst player in the world. I agree with the booing thing. Lets face it, he doesnt get booed because he is british but hey I’m not so yes at the moment he would be at the top of my boo list and really is the only Arsenal player that frusterates me other than Sylvestre,senderous and Eboue (only when he is a winger).
shane said this on January 6, 2010 at 1:55 pm
I hope you don’t mean that. Booing is just rediculous. How does it help anyone? And booing a 20-year-old trying to make an impression is even more crazy. People who boo Silvestre are also being idiotic. I accept that he doesn’t inspire a great deal of confidence, but he’s not as bad as people make him out to be, and he certainly tries his hardest in every game. If you’re dissapointed with his performances blame Arsene (although you would still look stupid) because he’s the one who signed him and put him in the side. Same goes for Eboue, who is actually a very good player. He may not be the best winger in the world but again he tries very hard, is one of the best crossers and plays the Arsenal way. Besides, everyone at the club loves him. He’s a great character and for that a great asset to the club. Senderos is very frustrating at times, especially because he has shown in the past that he can be extremely good, but mentally has some issues. Remember the run to the CL final in ’06? He was immense at the back with Kolo, and was a huge asset to the back 5 who went 10 CL games without conceding.
I will agree that Walcott is very frusterating to watch because he is so random. One game he looks amazing and the next game he looks like the worst player in the world. I agree with the booing thing. Lets face it, he doesnt get booed because he is british but hey I’m not so yes at the moment he would be at the top of my boo list and really is the only Arsenal player that frusterates me other than Sylvestre,senderous and Eboue (only when he is a winger).
shane said this on January 6, 2010 at 1:55 pm
I hope you don’t mean that. Booing is just rediculous. How does it help anyone? And booing a 20-year-old trying to make an impression is even more crazy. People who boo Silvestre are also being idiotic. I accept that he doesn’t inspire a great deal of confidence, but he’s not as bad as people make him out to be, and he certainly tries his hardest in every game. If you’re dissapointed with his performances blame Arsene (although you would still look stupid) because he’s the one who signed him and put him in the side. Same goes for Eboue, who is actually a very good player. He may not be the best winger in the world but again he tries very hard, is one of the best crossers in the squad and plays the Arsenal way. Besides, everyone at the club loves him. He’s a great character and for that a great asset to the club. Senderos is very frustrating at times, especially because he has shown in the past that he can be extremely good, but mentally has some issues. Remember the run to the CL final in ’06? He was immense at the back with Kolo, and was a huge asset to the back 5 who went 10 CL games without conceding.
No I didnt meen I would boo because I agree it helps no one. Like when Bendter misses a shot, it isnt like booing him will help him make the next shot. Pretty much I was just saying that Walcott is the most frusterating Arsenal player to watch.
On this Fran Merida situation…. I believe that sometimes these borderline players hold our team back because we all know Wenger is not the person that wants to have to many players in fear that they would stop a young player from progressing. So when these borderline players stay around, I feel it keeps Wenger from choosing to sign a player. Example Angel Di Maria. Look at what he has turned into now and only would have cost a couple million.
OK, but careful what you say: “Lets face it, he doesnt get booed because he is british but hey I’m not so yes at the moment he would be at the top of my boo list”…
It meens if I was a booer, because I am not british, he would be at the top of my boo list.
have a look at that video
it shows the barcelona chairman at work and what goes on in the boardroom
i’d say cesc has to go back the passion is something else
http://www.ninjavideo.net/video/26455
and athletic madrid say they have no deal with fran and wenger doesn’t know of any deal
i think wenger will be first to know when fran signs with anyone
his agent is now saying to skysports that they are still prioritizing to agree a contract with Arsenal, so we might all have jumped the gun for a conclusion there
“16.48 Atletico Madrid have confirmed an interest in signing Fran Merida, but the midfielder’s agent says the priority is to agree a new contract with Arsenal.”
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/10/01/06/SOCCER_Merida.html
great link, arsenal4ever. Then all seems like yet again untrue speculation on Arsenals spanish players from the Spanish media
If he stays he stays , if he goes he goes…The club will go on regardless.
No way shane. If he goes the club will go into administration because of lack of revenue on ‘Merida’ shirt sales, be relegated four times in succession and probably be liquidized due to inablity to pay back the stadium loans in Blue Square Conference North.
Holocaust or whatever your name is. I can assure you i’m nuff hard brother but u went a tad overboard with that Turk comment. I know i’m the only guy that’s pulled you up on it but that’s because others don’t realise it’s like naming all those players and then referring to someone as ‘The Jew’, or better still, naming all those kids and then referring to Frimpong as ‘The African’. It’s out of line and downright ignorant.
Shane – I agree with most things you say but your comment at 8.29am, i have to disagree with. Simply put, Denilson is about 6 years away from the player he turns out to be.
Regarding Thierry Henry at Monaco – I remember watching them play Newcastle in the CL and this tall, dreadlock-having speed merchant of a left-winger with brilliant technique give Warren Barton (i think it was him at the time, anyway) a torrid time. Then the commentator mentioned he was only 17 years old and from that moment i always wanted Arsenal to buy him……who would have known huh? :)
Booing your own players during a match is one of the most idiotic things a fan can do because all it does is destroy a players confidence, sure after the match it is fine but during the match it is not, and it is knowonder that Theo Walcott’s confidence seems shot half the time because of the ammount of douchebags who constantly boo him if he puts the slightest step wrong on the football pitch.
THIS IS WHAT MERIDA’S AGENT SAID ON SKY SPORTS. Merida’s representative, Joseba Diaz, says nothing has been signed with Atletico despite reports of a five-year deal being finalised.
Diaz insists the youngster’s priority is to stay at Emirates Stadium and that negotiations with other clubs will begin if talks with the Gunners fail to bear fruit.
“We haven’t signed anything with Atletico because, simply, the only club with whom we are negotiating is Arsenal,” said Diaz.
“The absolute priority of the lad is to renew with them. I repeat: There has been no agreement with anybody.
“Only if we don’t renew with Arsenal will it be the moment to talk with other clubs. There’s been interest from four clubs in Spain but I’ve not sat down to negotiate with any of them.
“Arsenal have the priority. Moreover, as always, they are acting like gentlemen.”
SAID LIKE HE WILL STAY AT THE GUNNERS FOR ME.
Yh wilshere was poor like merida but u can see wilshere putting tackles in, battling, gpoin for 50/50s
Merida doesnt like that sort of stuff when u play in midfield u have to graft and grind even if u have quality cause the premier league is about battling and winning those battles
Some players just dont suit the premiership merida is one of them. Yh hes brilliant at the emirates wheres theres a great pitch, playin ion front of home crowd and playin in great condiitons
Everyone should stop being so mean to Fran. He’s never said anything bad or given less than 100%. He’s not had that many chances and he’s allowed to move on. Doesn’t mean we have denounce his ability. It’s always a shame that we lose talents. But we can’t hang on to all of them…. He’s a young player
I think it’s shocking that people have said Merida is not good enough for us. Some you are absolutely deluded and would make poor scouts in the game. Merida is one of the best technical young players in Europe. It is unfair to judge if he can play in the premier league without him being given a fair run in the first team. He should be at least given 10 games on the trot before you make your comments stating he’s not good enough. Remember alot of you said Song wasnt good enough and now your all kissing his arse. You will also be kissing both Denilson’s and Diaby’s in the future too.
People, Fran Merida is good enough to make it at Arsenal but do I think he is the best option…no. As a wide midfielder, I would much rather bring in Hazard. In on of the 2 center more attacking midfielders, he will be behind Diaby,Ramsey and of course Fabregas plus Wenger has said that Wilsheres future is in the middle not too mention Denilson. These players are all young so I dont see how Merida will get much playing time anytime soon and if you see how, please let me know. I assume that we will let Rosicky go after next year and Merida would be his replacement but once again we need Hazard.
Merida is going nowhere
just think he has not lived up to the huge reputation he has in the matches I have seen. Based on this his passing which is said to be his strength is in my perception good, but not exceptional. His vision is good and he is a calm player and seems level headed. He does not try the exceptional, but seems more the balancing passer…I have only seen him in the CC though
Does anyone really know what the hell is going on here?? With Fran that is?? lol. The number of times I have seen Merida play he has been really good in about 3 or 4 and anonymous or there abouts the rest. Basically 50/50 kinda. I still think he is very talented and he can be a star. I actually think he could do really well at Atletico because they don’t really have a player in his mould. He’s a bit more attack minded than Raul Garcia and can play wide. But I think he should play in the middle because of his lack of pace. Yeah, he’ll definately end up playing in the middle of the park somewhere I think.
Hazard and Aleksic , maybe Ljajic now Manu have pulled out, should be brought in I think.