"Facebook ma intreaba la ce ma gandesc.
Incerc sa nu ma gandesc. Incerc sa-mi spun ca meciul ala va fi peste aproape doua zile la vreo 5.000 km de locul in care eu acum stau si beau un vin pentru ca whiskey nu mai am de mult. Sa mor io daca pot sa nu ma gandesc! Treaba e ca Arsenal nu merita niciodata sa fie invinsa de Tottenham! Niciodata! Pentru ca niciodata in viata vietilor lor spurs n-au adus in fotbal ce-a adus echipa lui Wenger. OK, duelul asta din nordul Londrei n-a inceput in 96. Care 96? asta e o intrebare pe bune cand vorbesti de Arsenal, echipa infiintata pe la 1886. Primul meci al lui Arsene Wenger pe Highbury impotriva mizerabililor (incomparabil mai murdar cartierul Tottenham decat Islington!) de la doua statii de metrou de Highbury&Islington, a fost pe 22 noiembrie 96 (da, de 96 asta ziceam). Mai erau doua minute pana la final cand Tony Adams si Dennis Bergkamp au lamurit treaba: 3-1. Bun venit in era Wenger! De-atunci si pana azi, 15 victorii Arsenal, 14 egaluri si...4 victorii Tottenham! Daca citesti ziarele, Tottenham sunt mai buni ca noi. Uite si de-asta ziarele-si merita soarta de hartii aruncate pe strada in Tottenham, batute de vantul rece din Londra. Deci, de ce sunt astia vazuti mai buni ca noi? Nu ne comparam cu ei la titluri domestice, iar in Europa - hai noroc si la mai mare! - noi jucam in Champions League de vreo 16 ani, ei au trecut o data mai an’ pe strada aia, au vazut lumina si au urcat, dar a dracu’ bogatanii Europei: aveau usa pentru servitori inchisa! Urmatorul meci cu ei e duminica. Azi e vineri. Peste zi am avut multa treaba, dar din cand in cand ma lua cate-un frison. Cum dracu’ sa nu-i bati pe spurs? Pai, in afara de Bale, pe care Jack - my brilliant son! Doamne, eu n-am baiat, dar asta parca-i fi-miu, zici ca eu l-am facut, la ce forta si devotament are pentru Arsenal! – Wilshere o sa-l faca uitat in cativa ani, astia sunt nime’n drum! Pai, de cand am ajuns sa comparam fotbalul jucat de Arsenal – coregrafie, bai nene! – cu mingile alea de 2 lei si 3 pase cu care Tottenham inscrie fara sa joace nimic? Hai sictir! - a se traduce in engleza pentru baietii de la statia de metrou „Sapte surori” din nordul Londrei. Eu nu stau deocamdata in Londra pentru ca nu pot. Dar ceva foarte important din mine e acolo. Acolo, in nord. Acolo, in tribuna din Clock End. Intre toti aia care se ridica-n picioare cand incep sa cante cat ii tin plamanii: If you hate Tottenham, stand up!"

There has been some very interesting rumours emerge which could interest Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger as Fichajes. Net have suggested Real Madrid defender Raul Albiol is leaving the Bernabeu in the summer so he has the chance to go to the 2014 World Cup.

The player knows his stay at Real Madrid comes to an end and you will have to find a new destination where you have minutes, if you do not want to miss the next World Cup in Brazil 2014. (Fichajes.net, in Spanish)

The defender has not been part of Jose Mourinho’s plans for a while now and is dropping further and further down the pecking order. So although he has failed to make the impact at the Bernabeu, he is still a top player and the Gunners could land him for as little as £8 million at the end of the season.

The Gunners have recently announced cash reserves of over £123 million and Wenger has been pressurized to spend big this summer with a view to finally capturing some silverware and challenging for the Premier League trophy again.
However, Wenger believes that spending big on players does not always equate into success on the pitch and cited the example of Chelsea who finished 6th in the Premier League last season.
He said, “If it was just sorted out by the numbers, you would always have Chelsea or Manchester City champions every year. Chelsea finished sixth last year, and that is the real value of the team for me. There is only one trophy and that is the championship. The real value of the team is where you finish in the championship. Let’s see where we finish and then let’s see how we can strengthen the team.”
The Frenchman feels Arsenal have the squad to challenge for top honours and hinted he may not spend big in the summer. He said, “I think we have the basis. If you are really interested in deep analysis of the team’s potential, I can sit down with you and show you why we have the potential to do it and then we can have another discussion again.”

According to some leaked wages (unlikely to be completely true, but probably close to the mark), these are the figures these players are earning, and leaving could free up a lot of wage room for new players. Over £500,000 per week.


Andrei Arshavin - £78,000
Andre Santos - £60,000
Marouane Chamakh - £60,000
Denilson - £50,000
Park CY - £50,000
Lukasz Fabianski - £50,000
Sebastian Squillaci - £50,000
Niklas Bendtner - £50,000
Johan Djourou - £50,000
Vito Mannone - £30,000
Emmanuel Frimpong - £15,000

These are all players likely to leave, this exludes the likes of Gervinho (£60,000), Rosicky (£70,000) etc. who could leave also.

Some shocking figures there. I'd sell them all, plus Gervinho and Vermaelen, that'd have us about £700,000 per week lighter. That's 4 or 5 £100,000+ per week players, exactly what we need.

According to The Telegraph, Arsenal could be subject to a massive £1.5bn takeover bid from a “Middle Eastern consortium in the next few weeks.”

The group refuse to have their identities revealed just yet, but they are rumored to be from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Their bid of £1.5bn nearly doubles the £800m the Glazer family paid for Manchester United.

Rumored to be a cash offer, the takeover bid would be for 100 percent of the club and would wipe out the £250m debts the Club have according to last year’s financial results. The group aim to reduce ticket prices at the Emirates and provide a massive transfer kitty that would perhaps push Arsenal back amongst Europe’s elite.

According to The Telegraph, “The deal would provide [Stan Kroenke] with an approximate profit of £400 million given the majority owner is believed to have paid around £430 million to build his stake in the club since he first became involved in 2007. When Kroenke made his mandatory cash offer for Arsenal in April 2011, buying up the stakes owned by Danny Fiszman and Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith, it valued the club at £731 million.”

The bidders are also said to be fans of Arsene Wenger and would look to keep him in charge at the Emirates. With the financial backing similar to Manchester City and Paris St-Germain, Arsenal could once again compete for the Premier League trophy and possibly the Champions League.

What makes the offer so interesting, however, is the fact that Wenger has been fighting for Financial Fair Play for so long and has a economic strategy that differs greatly from clubs with super wealthy owners like Chelsea, Manchester City, and Paris St-Germain. Would a bottomless checkbook perhaps change the way he approaches his transfer policy?

There are still many hurdles this group has to face before completing any sort of takeover, but the valuation of the club as it stands currently would make for a very interesting deal for its current American owner. Having failed to win a trophy in nearly a decade, the club will have to entertain an offer of such gravity.

Arsenal fans, how do you feel about the rumored takeover? Would financial freedom be enough to elevate the club back to the status of the early 2000′s? Is money the answer, or do you think the club have enough resources currently to get back to the top of England and Europe?