Wahey!

But seriously, folks...

24 million on a player who has had one injury free season out of the eight he spent at Arsenal. Wenger must be pissing himself laughing.

Another way of putting it is that Wenger has effectively exchanged the player who scored 40% of his team's goals last season for £14 million and Lukas Podolski.

I don't think it makes much sense as a signing but United are going to rip a lot of middling teams apart next season, as opposed to just beating them. Perhaps Ferguson has become fixated on the goal-difference thing and decreed that it must never happen again.

I wonder if the Glazers are financing it by selling Nani.

Analogue Bubblebath II wrote:


I hope not. Nani's a better player than Young at the minute and is more than capable of troubling good teams when he's in the right form (I know, I know).

Sean of the Shed wrote:


£24 million if everything comes in. In which case it's a decent deal for United.

I doubt Wenger is laughing considering his best player and captain has fucked him off for the second season in a row.

Rumours circulating that tomorrow will see the announcement of the Old Trafford naming rights being sold.

Good lord.

Might all be bullshit, of course.

Not true, appaz. Phew.

Vurnon Anita has been photographed holding up a Newcastle shirt at our training ground.

That's nice, although it does make the paranoiac voice in the back of my mind start shouting about Cheik Tiote being on his way out.

A full-back and a back-up striker, and I think we'll be set for the season.

stonelephant wrote:


Has looked impressive in pre season and can play as both an attacking midfielder or striker, if he clicks as looks likely from pre-season, then expect a comfortable mid season placing for Swansea.

Pablo Hernandez to Swansea from Valencia for 5 million, a straight replacement for Scott Sinclair or an addition to the squad?

You'd have to assume he's a replacement. He's in the last year of his contract, and isn't signing a new one. You should expect a lot more of this kind of deal. Swansea's tv deal is bigger than valencia's. There's going to be a lot of clubs like swansea looting the spanish league.

So, Oussama Assaidi then. Anyone have any idea whether he's any good? I'm afraid I've never heard of him.

Reportedly the Bayern Board of Directors has approved the transfer of Javi Martínez from Athletic. Terms had previously been agreed between Bayern and Martínez.

The fee is likely to be at least €30m and could rise to €40m - Hoeneß has stated that Bilbao basically refused to budge on price, and "because Bayern has high aims, we can afford to pay."

This is probably a record transfer for the Bundesliga, exceeding Gómez to Bayern three years ago for €30-35m. Martínez will play instead of Tymoshchuk or Gustavo in the "6" role, alongside Schweinsteiger (or filling in for him).

hobbes wrote:


I've enjoyed what bits of I've seen of him - these are highlights of his most famous performance, running the show in a 6-2 smashing of Twente.

Without wanting to be Billy Badmind, I'd be interested to see how he adapts, as I thought he'd be more likely to move to Ajax/PSV before heading abroad.

I believe Ajax were in for him but couldn't agree terms.
Looks like £2.4m and a million quid a year wages, which if he plays well could be a bargain.
He can't possibly be worse than SFD.

Van Persie may not be the last big departure from Arsenal. Bayern taking Martinez has apparently prompted Barcelona to move for their second option Alex Song.

The Song to Barcelona story is very strange. He's reasonable but that's all he is, and certainly a long way behind their usual standard of central midfielder.

In all but one of Arsenal's numerous meetings with Barca in recent seasons, he's spent pretty much the entire game chasing shadows (albeit he had to fill in at centre-back in one of them).

I've got no idea if Stéphane Mbia is any good (but he's a centre back, which we need.) More importantly he's coming to us from Marseilles in a trade for Joey Barton according to SSN.

Let the bells ring out if it's true.