Chris Coleman had an interesting line yesterday, saying he didn’t know what formation Arsenal were playing [such was the fluidity of their game.] He certainly didn’t know where Thierry Henry was playing, popping up everywhere.
Journalist Martin Samuel, made a point that Arsenal now are the classic ‘Southern Softy’ team – losing at Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Bolton, Everton, Liverpool and Blackburn – but in the Spring sunshine of London – stroll around and win 4-0.
He added, on their day Arsenal are the most exciting to watch and best attacking team in England. But that Real and Fulham both gave Arsenal time and space to play and didn’t press the midfield, and challenge physically. [Next season, why not draft in a hard Northern midfield player, like Nolan, who will battle for the right to play the ball on the floor. After all, over a third of the Premiership games will be against North West or North East opposition.]
According to the People, Arsenal want an English defender in the summer – and top of the list is Joleon Lescott,22, who has signed a one year extension at Wolves.
[Lescott has fought his way back from a long term injury.]
The paper also says Arsenal made an enquiry about Aaron Lennon, who moved from Leeds to Spurs in the summer.
[When Spurs were chasing Walcott, Jol said: ‘we have our own Walcott in Aaron Lennon’.]
According to the Mirror, O2 agreed a deal give handsets to all of the Arsenal playing staff and, naturally, pick up the bills.
And several of them regularly notch up £5,000- worth of calls each month.
…so long as Cesc doesn’t phone Real’s new President Martin who blatantly broadcast on Marca Radio, which is Real Madrid’s mouthpiece, that he is so taken by Francesc Fabregas, the 18-year-old playmaker of Arsenal, that he wants to buy him.
Wenger said in the Straits Times: “Well, he can like what he wants. I can say I would like a few players from Madrid. It is not classy to talk like this between the two games of the Champions League. Personally, I regret Perez leaving because, on the contacts I had with him, he was a very classy man.”
“It is a low level. In fact, there is nothing less classy in my opinion.”
In other papers, Wenger says Cesc is not leaving Arsenal.