From Mark Redfern:
Hello Myles,
Hope you are well.
The events over the weekend have certainly put many things into perspective and though following Arsenal is as close as I ever come to having a religion, in reality, it’s obvious football is far from being more important than life and death!
(If true , it’s a small mercy that the security at the Stade de France refused entry to the suicide bombers.)
I’m still regularly reading yours and your readers work, I find it gives me a balanced over view on all things Arsenal that very few other publications can consistently offer.
The reason for contacting you is, perhaps, a little left field ‘footballistically’ speaking but it’s in regards to Messi.
I happen to run a private football debate room on Facebook. Just a bit of fun for friends, a haven away from the aggravation that can be found in many other forums of the same subject.
One of the members of the group, a Manchester United fan as it happens, posted a thread suggesting that Messi is interested in joining Arsenal but he wants 600k a week.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/11997791/Arsenal-transfer-news-and-rumours-Lionel-Messi-open-to-move-to-the-Emirates.html
My first thoughts PAY HIM!
He’s one of the very few football players who are worthy of the sums they command! Perhaps Flamini could bank roll the deal?, or even buy Arsenal? I hear his off the field ventures potentially could send his already healthy mountain of cash stratospheric!)
https://m.dreamteamfc.com/c/arsenal-star-set-to-become-billionaire-through-secret-fuel-business/
Initially, the chances of Messi joining Arsenal sound ludicrous, about as remote as United being in talks to sign Sanchez!
Sorry, I digress, If you are still with me, I will get to the point.
One of your more memorable posts that sticks in my mind at least was from when you described how Sanchez happened to become an Arsenal player.
I’m not sure who your sources were or if there was even an element of truth to it but it read very well and actually, given the circumstances at the time made a hell of a lot sense.
Messi was intrinsically linked in the story as the implication was that Barca were caught in check , like a great move in chess where a piece has to be sacrificed to protect the King.
Seeing as Messi is King, the Rook, Knight or Bishop in this case was Sanchez.
I tried trawling through the archives to find it but to no avail. I wondered given that these headlines have surfaced whether you could publish that post again?
Myles says:
Good luck to Flamini.
He would never have met Pasquale in Milan if Wenger had agreed to play him £4m a year for 4 seasons, as his agent demanded.
My neighbour won’t play me at chess. He says I need to play some practice games before I take him on. But I don’t know anyone else who plays, so we will never have a game. He’s foreign but supports Arsenal.
I remember my world exclusive about Messi in August 2014