First things first, apologies for my absence over the past three days. It was an impromptu break (life gets like that sometimes!) but I’m happy to be back and blogging about Arsenal.
Surprisingly there’s been quite a bit going on lately with most of it revolving around Fiorentina’s Felipe Melo. When last I spoke to you the Brazilian had signed a new contract which put a rather hefty £20 million exit clause in place and appeared to confirm his future with the Italian club.
Since then, however, things have changed. Not only did Fiorentina officially admit that Arsenal are interested in Melo and are in fact the only club to have come close to the clause price, but they’ve also revealed that they are looking to obtain Emmanuel Eboue as part of a swap plus money deal. This all happened over the weekend and understandably had the blogs and websites in something of a tizzy, whatever the heck that means.
Interestingly the latest comment from Melo is that he is more than happy to stay at Fiorentina if he’s wanted, but would be equally happy to go if the club chose to sell him. In his own words he said:
“My intention is to return to Florence the moment my summer holiday is over. I had been promised that if I had a good season my contract would be renewed. Fiorentina kept their word and this made me both happy and proud. I am very happy in Florence. I can say that only God knows what my future holds if the club decides to sell me elsewhere.”
I have to say that, personally, I find his final comment quite exciting. While it’s clear that he’s happy at Fiorentina I also think it’s telling that he is putting his future in the hands of the club who are seriously consider selling him if another club is willing to pay his buyout clause. Indeed, the fact that Arsenal have obviously bid something very close to the clause figure and Fiorentina are willing to negotiate for Eboue shows that there is a genuine chance that we will sign him.
Of course, the club might not want to release Eboue or pay the price that Fiorentina want it does nevertheless indicate that we are in the market for a new defensive midfielder. And that, my friends, is a very encouraging sign.
Aside from the Melo stuff there’s been some more “will he, won’t he?” speculation surrounding Emmanuel Adebayor and an apparent admission from Arsene Wenger that Maroune Chamakh is a target in the even that the Togolese striker. However, there is something about the way that these comments from Wenger have been written that suggest to me the Chamakh interest may be fabricated. Perhaps it’s the fact that Wenger never actually mentions his name, heh heh.
Finally today is the news that both Kieran Gibbs (officially) and Robin van Persie (reportedly) have signed new deals. I don’t think anyone would argue that it’s very, very good news.
And that’s that. Tune in tomorrow for another Tuesday Guest Post and whatever Arsenal news pops up over the next 24 hours.
Adios!
Have your say on Arsenal’s interest in Melo by leaving a comment.
We’ve been after Melo for quite a while, and Eboue has admitted he may have to leave Arsenal to get first team action, so why not do a part exchange, I don’t know how much Eboue would be worth in the swap but why not try and go for it.
We missed ya, mate. Hope everything is OK. 🙂
Regarding the Melo deal, frankly, I’m of the opinion that if we are to buy him we should go with a Senderos + cash offer instead of Eboue + cash.
Oh, and if the rumor about Flamini + cash for Ade is true (.0001% chance of that), we should snap Milan’s hand off at the wrist and run back home to the Ems as quick as we can with Flamini in tow.
Aww man, I never knew he was priced in the 20m region. Signing a player for 20m isn’t really the Arsenal way. 10m + Eboue would be easier to digest. Would Melo still be worth 20 million if we snapped him up before the confederations cup? It seems like Arsene has missed a trick here.
If your not arsenal at heart then leave the club, that obviously was way flamini left and i refuse to accept him back. One person who has been faithful to arsenal is eboue and this guy is 25, he should be at his peak of his career, loosing him would be a huge loss. By the way ade finally saying he wants to stay at the club.
@ TheSKA – Maybe we could just give them Eboue, Senderos, Silvestre – all the players we don’t need…
@enemyairships – I totally agree that Melo is overpriced. His value seems to have risen by close to fourteen million in one season. But then again this is par for the course in football. Roque Santa Cruz has just been bought for ten times what Blackburn paid, and off the back of a very poor season. Man City is another league though I suppose.
Fiorentina had huge financial problems a few years ago and had to drop down two divisions as a result (bit like Leeds) and they have been a selling club until the last couple of years. They did remarkably well to rebuild the side on a shoestring and reach the Champions League – this made them more money and now they wouldn’t have to sell Melo if they didn’t want to.
But It sounds as though they would like to cash in. I think Arsene will be reluctant to include Eboue in the deal as he will probably need to sign a back-up right back to compensate. But then hasn’t Eboue expressed his displeasure at being on the bench?
I dont think eboue would go to a club that doesnt play champions league football.
he defnently performs better in europe than in the domestic league….
would be a great deal if we could get eboue to agree though…
If Eboue left we have both Gallas and Toure who can play right back in the event that Sagna is injured.
I can’t see the deal ever happening but even 14m plus Eboue would be fine with me.
WELCOME BACK,PERSONALLY I DONT THINK EXCHAGING EBOUE FOR ANY PLAYER WHATSOEVER WILL BE A GOOD IDEA.LET SEE HOW TO GO ABOUT IT IN A BETER WAY THAN TO SWAP ANY OF OUR BOYS JUST LIKE THAT.PLEASE CAN YOU UPDATE US ABOUT THE INJURIES NEWS THANKS.
SKA,
Unfortunately they are not interested in a deal involving Senderos, they have stated that Eboue is their choice and for me he would not be greatly missed.
@leroux – Fiorentina are in the Champions League. They came 4th in Serie A last season.
If we sign melo dt wil b good.but if flamini cums dt means 2 defnc .is okay.some of d news are fake keeping d fan on d side line.
Better the devil you know, and Eboue is one devil I am very familiar with.
Melo ! Who the hell is he ? Occassional glimpses in a Brazil shirt playing alongside Kaka – difficult that – and in the recent Confed Cup he looked no better than Gilberto – you must remember Gilberto lads ?
Would he sink withiout trace in the PL ? Well Melo does remind me bit of Kleberson ……
I read a lovely bit today in the paper – “sources inside the the club ( Arsenal) have told the Sun that a £40 million price tag has been placed on Fabergas’ head to deter any bids from potebntial suitors”
Why would anyone inside any club say a word to the Sun when everyone knows they only publish fiction?
And £40 million ……… for Cesc ???
Nearer £50 million I think !
Now I KNOW we are not interested in signing a striker this Summer in spite of Ade packing and unpacking his bags every five minutes
But Obefami Martins is a player I have long admired and lets face it – Toon just can’t afford him – very experienced, a bit of explosive pace and a wicked shot
Perhaps we could swap Ade 🙂 I am sure he would learn to like Tyneside and the Coca Cola Chamionship trips to Scunthorpe and Barnsley
It’s great news Arsenal are looking for midfielders but then, must Eboue go? Cant agree with the swap. Emmanuel’s great and has potential. Is there a way we could secure this Melo fellow without an actual swap?
Let’s do it! A great deal I think since Eboué is now second to Walcott and to Sagna. Touré plays well at right-back and in that case Djourou should be centre-back which is the long-term solution anyways. Melo is at least equal to Song I say, anyone who plays for Brazil is a great player and I thought he did well at Conf Cup, and could do better when trained by Wenger and his team.
Joakim – “anyone who plays for Brazil is a great player”
Does the name “Rocque Junior” ring any bells ?
I personally prefer Eboue over Walcot on the right flank, def wouldn’t wanna see him go. I think song will do just fine in the DM role this season…there’s no need to spend so much on a DM
Pls arsene dont sell eboue.please please
I disagree yes we are on the look for an CDM. Personally Melo for 10-12 M would be fair price to me. He still is one season sensation.
I think we should look in for an replacement. Why people are not specking about Veloso he is I think available for less than 16 M. I probably think he is an better package than Melo as CDM. We scores goal for Free kicks which we are missing since henry. Please don’t swap Eboue cash in on him Atmadrid want him just sell him to in good price and buy Martin from Ncastle. If we can afford i think we should enter the market for an RWM. Bcz Rosicky will still be out this season i think.
Ithink it would be better if melo comes and the same time Eboue stays. Melo can replace the gap in our central midfield since Gilberto’s departure.
About the Eboué – Walcott choice: we will probably be playing 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 next season mostly and then Eduardo is a better second choice for a winger/forward. Wenger himself stated that if you play with Walcott you’re tempted to play with 3 midfielders, in an interview.
About Brazil: I mean with Dunga as captain, he’s not a fool and I’m sure Brazil will do well in the World Cup. I don’t mean Melo is the best in the world in his position, in fact, I could name 10 better player (Mascherano, Essien, Senna, Y.Touré, Alonso etc etc), but we don’t have that kind of $$$. We have enough quality in the team as it is now, so with addition of a decent defensive midfielder we can compete for every title.
@Johno –
I know Fiorentina don’t want Big Phil. But I would rather send him to Italy than Eboue.
So, it’s just my preference to ship out Senderos.
🙂
Would love to see martins as a gooner and could really push the strikers into a good place as competition is a good thing but would love to see flamster back instead of melo.
I for one would accept Flamini back with open arms, he thought the grass was greener on the other side and he has found out it wasnt. But he has never said a bad word about Arsenal (unlike Hleb) and we all know the partnership with Flamini and Cesc works. My mind has changed about Melo now because I would prefer Flamini.
I would say no deal,i would love to see eboue next season,alot of fans agree that song was the most improved player,but what about eboue? Since the sending off against spuds,he has really been playing well,considering the fact that he has not been a starter,even scoring a few and setting up some,IMO,every good team needs a utility player,manu´s got o´shea,chelski´s got essien,etc,and honestly,wallcot looked preety ordinary in the euro junior championship,and rosiscky,no one knows when he will be fit, hence there is still need for him,and moreover there is no deputy at that position,gallas doesn´t like playing there,and toure, will he still be there? If we really think denilson and song will be no better than this(which i doubt) then sell ade to milan for cash and flamini,then we replace ade with martins,good deal eh?
I think melo is totally overpriced and we should find other CDMs, there should be other good ones to sign. Besides, AW is known for his shrewdness in the transfer market.
Patience ppl.
On the other note, Im really happy to see fans starting to value Eboue. Isnt it ironic that when his committed to arsenal, we hate him but when his supposedly about to leave. we embrace him ( for some ppl)
great post.i dont thnk i’d want anyone exiting the emirates door but pple frm outsyd r welcome.Eboue should stay.
What about this cana guy, he is mad aggressive and will add a bit more substance to the team. What does anyone else think about this guy compared to melo?
Pls, let us make that decision NOW…Release Eboue and buy Melo before more time elapses!!!
i thinnk cana has leadership qualities but his future contributions for us are doubtful, i reckon he will get more red cards than appearances for arsenal
eboue should stay.anybody can come in and nobody should go
Nice post ,i disagree with eboue leaving as his is a versatile midfielder, if ade is to go martins or chamakh is to come .it will be a gre8 cnmbinatn of rvp wth either of d above players . Gogogogogo! Gunners
we should buy melo for eboue add 12m and hangeland from fulham for sendros add 10m and a striker like huntlaar chamkha or david villa and we will be sorted for the new season
20m?? sorry Melo is not worth that much. I’d rather stick with Deni & Song. i don’t understand why ppl want Flamini back after he left leave the club……i’m not sure whos worse between Ade and Flamini.
Nice comments guys. I think it’s going to take some time before this one gets sorted, if it gets sorted, and I’m certainly not holding my breath that we’ll get Melo. However, as I said, it is encouraging that we are after a defensive midfielder because it’s a virtual admission from the manager that we are light on in that area. Positive signs, especially after he was so quick to bring in Vermaelen.
@ Rooiseun – The difference between Ade and Flamini was that Flamini’s attitude on the pitch never changed and he never flirted with the media. He was out of contract, had no obligation to stay, and was well within his rights to leave. Ade on the other hand has constantly flirted with the media, his effort has dropped on the pitch and he’s under contract. Not that I necessarily want him to go…
well said spanish!
I saw an interview with flamini just before his final season with us and he was just pissed as we tied up cesc for another 3 years and he had 2 years remaining. flamini was on his final year and not offered another contract so he felt overshadowed/not wanted so it wasn’t like ca$hley who just wanted money. I think he left just because he wasn’t getting his dues and he was getting used as a bit player competing with silva. Don’t forget this guy got us to the cl final playing at lb and then got thrown into the team only when someone else was injured but still he never complained in the media like a lot of others to get a start but chose to put his head down and graft and I for one would welcome him back as what is the point in getting another player and trying to gel him into the team and teach them the arsenal way when flamster will just fit right in and we will see the cesc of old again and more than likley win something.
I THINK MELO IS OVERPRICED AND I DONT SUBSCRIBE TO EBOUE LEAVING WITH OR WITHOUT CASH FOR ANY PLAYER. I THINK EBOUE IS A GOOD PLAYER AND HAS IMPROVED OVER THE YEARS AND WE ARE YET TO SEE HIS BEST.