The Dawn Of Silly Season Is Upon Us

Every year, before the end of the premier league, rumors start to circulate about what player is moving where and what teams have secret deals with players and/or agents. The silly season as I like to call it, usually comes a week before the last game of the premier league then continues all summer, but it seems this year it has come earlier.

There have been reports of Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood making comments, about a secret meeting that took place between Barcelona and Arsenal over the future of Cesc Fabregas, with the Spanish club stating they would honor a gentleman’s agreement not to sign Cesc this summer.

However, Barcelona sporting director Txiki Begiristain quickly hit back with comments about how Barcelona never said they would honor any such agreement, but instead would deal directly with Arsenal instead of Cesc’s agent, Joseba Diaz incidentally the same agent for Fran Merida. He also added that if Barcelona wanted Cesc, they would bid for Cesc to make their team better. Then came reports yesterday that chairman, Peter Hill-Wood had made comments about how Fabregas won’t even fit into Barcelona’s current set up. I tend to agree with him, i don’t see how they would utilize him with Iniesta and Xavi at their peak and the current crop of youngsters coming through. Fans of both clubs are divided on this issue.

Arsene Wenger held a press conference today and was asked about the secret meetings and chairman Hill-Wood’s comments and this is what he had to say.

Wenger said: “We have not been in touch with Barcelona over the future (of Fabregas). We have an official dinner before every European Cup game and of course there is a lot of talk but there is no official meeting about Cesc Fabregas.”

“There is no secret meeting because we do not want to sell our players and anyway I cannot see anybody who has a competitive edge going to Spain.”

“They have two good teams (Barcelona and Real Madrid), I confess that. The number three (Valencia) is 24 points behind. This weekend the players (planned to) go on strike because they are not paid.”

“It is a league that is in complete disarray. I don’t know why you want absolutely the best players who play in England to go to Spain. If you are really competitive, you stay in England.”

I have said before and I think every arsenal fan knows this, Cesc will go back to Spain one day, but I don’t foresee him leaving this year or the next either. Personally as good as la liga is, it is still a duopoly for me. A league that claims it’s that good shouldn’t have the first 2 teams 24 points over the 3rd place team. Where is the competition in that? Of course a lot of things are not better in England either, bad pitches, poor referees, but the competition in the league is very strong and no games are easy games.”

In the next few weeks and continuing through the summer, expect to hear transfer rumors, some credible some will make you scratch your head, but this story of Cesc to barca will not go away until Fabregas himself states publicly he is staying at Arsenal. So be prepared to hear “Cesc has secret meeting with Pep”, or “Cesc has purchased a house in Barcelona”, or “Cesc has Barca DNA” or…. I won’t continue because by now you get the point. What bothers me is the constant attempt of journalists to try to destabilize the player. If English journalists want to go on and on about how good the premier league is, why are they constantly trying to unsettle the best players by linking them away from their respective clubs?

So my fellow gooners, enjoy this silly season where every possible tom, dick or harry defender or goalkeeper would be linked to the club or vice-versa. Silly season is surely upon us now and I would do my best to follow it for it provides me with great amusement. As I end this post, mirror football is reporting Gael Clichy has been linked with Barcelona, enough said. Wigan preview to come tomorrow.

COYG!

Colneyblog