By Myles Palmer
Francis Jeffers is the new drill-bit in Arsene Wenger’s
goal-machine.
If this talented kid fits in as quickly as I expect, Arsenal will be be scoring the second goal more often, and more quickly, than ever before.
The deal was sorted out on Tuesday night between Everton’s Bill Kenwright and David Dein, who are big mates.
I think Jeffers is a masterstroke!
And it proves, once again, that great minds think alike. I love it when AW says things I’ve said the day before, and I love it even more when he signs players I rate.
( It seems he’s made a £6.8 million bid for Geremi, who is wasting his time at Real Madrid, where he rarely gets a game.Geremi is a skilful powerhouse right back and another player Arsenal signed in my dreams 18 months ago).
Why do I think this kid from Everton is the perfect striker for Arsenal right now?
Because Francis Jeffers is the only available striker who fulfills the four criteria required at this moment in the team’s evolution :he’s young, fast, left-footed and English.
Jeffers is a cute, razor-sharp fox in the box who will score lots of goals. Being left footed, he can work the near post, where Henry, Pires, Cole and Silvinho can supply him with chance after chance.
Jeffers was 20 last January. He missed most of 2000/2001 with an ankle injury. Then he came back and dislocated his shoulder against Manchester City in early April.
He scored six Premiership goals in ten games, plus two subappearances.
He made two cup appearances, scoring one goal.He got three yellow cards, no reds.
Yes, Jeffers has been injury-prone. But he will not have to take so many kicks playing for Arsenal because he will be getting the right passes at the right moments.
He is a natural striker with good movement.He’s much smarter than Anelka or Wiltord off the ball and he can play one-touch football.
Wenger needs that : Arsenal play a style which is very fast, direct and penetrating and Jeffers is an instinctive player whose rapier thrusts into the box caught the manager’s eye a long time ago.He is Wenger’s type of striker, a type he has needed for three years.
Having scored an own-goal with Wiltord, Wenger knows his
next striker had to fit in with Henry and Pires. He had to be young, fast, English, left footed, bright off the ball – and already playing in the Premiership.
Jeffers may not be a once-in-30-years freak talent like Robbie Fowler, but he can become a world class striker.
Wenger will make him fitter, stronger and faster, and Gary Lewin to look after the boy and make sure he gets exactly the right treatment and rehab work if he is injured again.
Jeffers will love it at Arsenal because he has never played football with players as skilful as Vieira, Henry and Pires.
He has never played for a well-organised club or a brilliant manager. He has never played for a senior team that wins most of its games.
Clearly, most of the first teamers are older than Jeffers and not the kind of guys he will be able to relate to immediately off the field. Only Ashley Cole is his age in the first team, although there are many other young players at the club
But Jeffers has pedigree. He did not drop out of the sky. He was at Lilleshall, played for England Under-16s, and was a prolific goalscorer for Everton under-19s.
Interestingly, he is a good footballer as well as a good finisher.He has vision, good awareness, bright movement.
Jeffers has only started 37 Premiership games. And made 12 sub appearances.
But he has scored 18 Premiership goals. For a kid that is a helluva strike rate, especially in a poor team. He is an exciting player.
Jeffers scored five goals in the first six games for Everton last season. He did not score in the first game at Leeds where Everton lost 2-0.
But he then scored in consecutive games against Manchester Utd(3-0),Derby (2-2),Spurs (2-3)and twice at Middlesbrough (2-1)
Arsenal is a far more creative team than Everton, so he should score more goals than he has ever done before.
If Jeffers had been playing for Arsenal at Sunderland on the first day of last season they would have won 4-1 and Patrick Vieira would not have been sent off.
Suddenly, it’s all looking pretty good.
Sol Campbell has a medical tomorrow. A London boy, he
will not go to Barcelona. Vieira would never sign for Man Utd, despite what The Express would have you believe. Toldo is going to Barca, so Dudek won’t.
Last week I hated the month of June, but now I’m enjoying it.
14th June 2001.