Laurent Koscielny Joins Arsenal
The arrival of centre-half Koscielny goes some way (albeit not all the way) to offsetting the departures we have already seen and seem likely to see from our defence in the near future. By reportedly paying a fee not far off the one Arsene Wenger agreed for Thomas Vermaelen, the manager has set the bar pretty high for the new addition.
Before Koscielny has even kicked a ball for Arsenal, several fans have questioned his quality and what it says about Arsenal's ambition that the club has signed him. I would suggest there can only be a small number of Arsenal fans that have watched Koscielny as much as the club's scouts, and I am inclined to trust the manager if he rates Koscielny highly enough to pay a good fee for him.
After all, his last two additions in central defence, Sol Campbell and Thomas Vermaelen have turned out pretty well.
Vermaelen was the subject of some similar questions last summer, and if that's not a case for giving Koscielny the benefit of the doubt I don't know what is. He's progressed rapidly in recent seasons from playing second tier football in France, and if Arsene Wenger thinks now is the right time to bring him to a top level club then I think our fans should probably trust him.
The man himself is understandably delighted with the move. In his first comments as an Arsenal player, he said, "It wasn't a difficult decision to make. It is exceptional to have a club like Arsenal wanting to sign you..."
"I don't believe any French player would have refused to come and play for Arsenal. It is a very big club that plays in the Champions League and it is always near the top of the Premier League."
"Arsenal is a reference for football and we all know the quality of their game. The decision was quickly taken - I took the decision the day after hearing about their interest in me."
"I know the club have the means and the ambition to get that Premier League title and to go as far as possible in the Champions League."
He goes on to talk about the strong French contingent at the club, saying ""It is nice for French players to come and join a team like Arsenal where there are so many other French players,"
"It will help me to integrate easily in the team. Arsenal is a club where many young players get the chance to play in the Premier League and that is one of the reasons I chose Arsenal. They have a lot of young players full of quality and there are plenty of French players too."
"I have great respect for Arsene Wenger. He has proved that he is capable of doing an excellent job. He uses lots of young players and he allows them to play."
"It is going to be a great pleasure to be trained by Arsene Wenger."
So all in all, it's what you'd expect to hear from a new signing, lots of enthusiasm and praise for the club. There's no doubt Koscielny has a big task ahead of him establishing himself in the Premier League, and it could well be he'll be thrown in at the deep end. In the Premiere League the pool doesn't come much deeper than Liverpool away on the opening day of the season.
Good luck to him, I'm sure most fans will be right behind him, and let's hope he can find his feet quickly, because a central defender is integral to the team having a solid base to go forward on. He will be in direct competition with Johan Djourou for his place from day one you would have thought, so that should be plenty of inspiration for him to adapt quickly.
In other news, it emerged yesterday that Barcelona have had to take out an emergency 150 million euro loan to make sure they can fulfill their wage commitments. Absolutely staggeringly, Barcelona president Sandro Rosell claims this is no impediment to further transfer spending . Rosell claims they are still in for Cesc Fabregas despite their massive over-expenditure, as long as "Arsenal do not go crazy".
It's obvious that their hang-up is that they can't afford Cesc at the sort of price they'd have to pay, and they are, unusually faced with a club that has no massive financial concerns of it's own and thus cannot be bullied into selling. This is the value of having as strong a business as Arsenal has. It amazes me that some fans think of a club's finances as a trifling detail, and there should be no limit to transfer spending.
It amazes me yet further that Barcelona have had to take out an emergency loan to fulfill their necessary commitments, and are talking about using some of that loan to purchase what is essentially a luxury for them at the moment.
Arsenal are in a very strong position in this deal, and there's no way they should settle for a fee because it's all Barelona can afford. If they can't pay, then they won't get the player, and they'll just have to go off in a big sulk like a spoilt child that doesn't hear the word "no" often enough.
Cesc himself will be pleased with Spain reaching the World Cup final last night, although he again played no role in the proceedings. I found the game quite disappointing to be honest. Although it did eventually get going, I was expecting a higher standard from an early stage.
The occasion proved too much for Germany who were always second best to Spain, who have now reached the World Cup final without hitting anything like their brilliant best. We are guaranteed to have a first time world champion on Sunday, and though my hopes are for a Dutch win, I must say I think the Spanish are going to take it. They're just that strong an outfit, I feel they can beat anyone. Obviously Van Persie & co. will have a bit to say about it, but I do fancy the Spanish to come out on top in the end. More on that game in the days ahead.
Finally for today, youngster Luke Freeman is pretty pleased with his loan to Yeovil. It may not be the most glamarous, but I'm sure it will form a big part of deciding how much of an Arsenal future he has. Everything I've heard about him says he's an exciting young prospect, now is the time for him to show it.
Right then, massively long day at work ahead, talk to you tomorrow.
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