Do you fancy Yaya Toure or Thomas Hitzlsperger ?
In the summer of 2005, when Yaya Toure was on trial at Arsenal, Wenger was impressed with his talent but not his personality.
His attitude was not as good as Kolo’s attitude. That’s why the older bother was signed and the younger one wasn’t.
However, there was another important issue at the time : his work permit. He had not yet played enough games for the Ivory Coast to qualify for a work permit.
Kolo always said his brother was a far better player, more skilful and creative. Kolo’s qualities were hard work, honesty and determination. Kolo has started 295 games for Arsenal in the last seven years.
Obviously, I would love to see Yaya Toure at the Emirates.
He was a powerhouse at Olympiakos and the only half-back who has ever reminded me of Frank Rijkaard in his prime. He’s just won La Liga and the Champions League with Barcelona. And the Cup ! A historic treble, never achieved by any Spanish team until now. He played centreback in the CL semi and marked Drogba out of the game.
But I’m sure Yaya Toure, 26, will never play for Arsenal. As Almunia revealed, Wenger wants a team of nice guys.
Thomas Hitzlsperger is 27 and available for £5 million.
He has one year left on his contract with VfB Stuttgart, where he has played for four years and is captain. He previously played for Aston Villa for four years and speaks good English.
Hitzlsperger has something that is missing from the Arsenal midfield : the ability to score from distance. His left foot is a hammer. He hits thunderbolts from 25 and 30 yards. He scored 13 goals for Villa and has scored 6 goals in 45 for Germany, mostly against San Marino, Cyprus and Liechtenstein.
Since 1996, Wenger has never had a midfielder who could score regularly from distance. His teams have only scored that type of goal once in a blue moon. Vieira, Flamini and Gilberto could not score from outside the box. Yes, Fabregas got one at the San Siro and Parlour smacked in his famous cannonball against Valencia to make it 2-1.
Most of Arsenal’s goals from distance were by Henry or Bergkamp. Some were curled into the top corner, like the Robbie Pires goal at Lazio.
So there you have it : Thomas Hitzlsperger would be a useful acquisition.
A safe signing, not a risky one. He fits the bill : experienced, cheap, won’t talk back to the manager