Written by Mean Lean on Monday, 11 July 2011 13:19

That's what I'm talking about. A bright and sunny start to the day, the Lean kids actually behaving themselves for once without fighting with each other. I sat on my train and flicked on twitter via the trusty mobile phone and I was greeted to news of Wenger saying that Nasri and Cesc will stay at Arsenal this year as well as the confirmation of Gervinho which was hardly news but it certainly is better than a smack in the face. Judging by all the Arsenal in crisis stories coming out in recent weeks, I get the impression that they would like to smack us all in the face, so this was a pleasant surprise.

I have been trying to make a conscious effort to ignore the rumours and focus on the players we have. Who leaves will leave and those that stay will have my full support next season. That said, it isn't easy to wean  yourself off habits of a lifetime. Instead of forgetting about the Nasri and Cesc situations, I have found myself swatting away the thoughts from my mind.

While the obvious questions still remain, i.e. will Nasri walk away on a free and shouldn't we just sell now? I just cannot bring myself to think that far ahead now. This coming season is very important to our club, given the insane amount of pressure fuelled by the media and subsequently the Arsenal fan base. It is vitally important that we improve from last season and hopefully win trophies and to do that we need the best players and the best combination of players.

Losing Nasri and Cesc would mean part of a team rebuilding job. Even if we signed talent such as Mata to replace either player, he would still have to adjust to a whole new life, a new league, a new team.

Whatever happens in the future will happen but currently, it is all about now. I am sure Wenger will get criticised for not offloading Nasri now and getting a fee but if he went the other way, I am sure he would get beaten by the same stick for not holding onto him.

While hearing Wenger speak like this is great, it cannot be ignored that the word 'hopefully' found its way into his sentence, so nothing is certain by any means.

Those who read Arsenal Vision regularly will know that I always believe that we have the quality to win trophies but I recently said that if our creative duo left then it would be difficult to go through a transitional period and end up top of the pile, but I also said that if we manage to keep Cesc and Nasri as well as strengthen the squad in other areas then we will have a very good chance of improving from last season.

One area of the team that will not be strengthened will be at left back, according to manager Arsene Wenger.

"The plan for left back is that we have Kieran Gibbs, Armand Traore and Thomas Vermaelen can play there too. So we have what we need,"

I must say, that is a little bit of a surprise and somewhat of a risk considering his injury record in recent seasons. I have no doubt that Gibbs can take that position in the longer term and by longer term I mean getting through the campaign without serious injury. With a run of games under his belt Gibbs can be the best left back in the country but from now until that inevitable time, I wonder how we are going to cope if Gibbs continues to get set backs and not play long enough to regain his best form. Armand Traore was on loan at Juventus last season and had a bit part role. During his last run in the team at Arsenal he had positional sense issues, it remains to be seen if those issues have been rectified during his time in Italy. Offensively Traore has it all. Very quick, powerful and a quality final ball but at full back having good offensive qualities is not enough.

Arsene also confirmed that both Bendtner and Almunia have been left behind to sort out their futures with other clubs, I imagine that it should happen pretty soon which will open up some more space in the squad for potential new signings.

Arsenal.com finally caught up with the Gervinho deal and have stuck something up on the player but the interviews and shots with Arsenal shirt are yet to be put on the site. He has been left behind in London because he hasn't done any fitness work as yet. I bet Emmanuel Eboue is taking good care of him and showing him around the facilities and probably fighting over the number 27 shirt that Eboue currently wears while Gervinho owned that number at Lille.

I am looking forward to seeing him in the Emirates cup, I always find it a good indication of how the player will fit in and how the team adjust to having that player.

I would love to know what Wenger's pecking order will be, should all our attacking wide players (Walcott, Arshavin, Nasri, Gervinho) stay at the club. I would also like to see what side Wenger wants Gervinho to play and what he will bring to the table that the others do not.

Anyway, it is great to have a little positive news which makes a pleasant change. The great thing is that the media have to report on this now and it spreads. 'Cesc and Nasri to stay' blurting around the Talksport, Sky Sports News, the newspapers. One bit of good news can make such a difference in how we are perceived. A fact that the media know all too well. For now, it is great. Until the next fabricated story comes our way of course.

Right, time to go and do something else.

Back tomorrow.

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Comments (20)

• 11-Jul-2011 13:48 | | gunner forever  - Good news indeed....
  

  Finally Gervinho has arrived after having had atleast five medicals!!!
  Also heartening to hear about the impending exits of Bendtner & Almunia. Surprised Denilson too was not left behind......may be there are no takers for him after all.
  
  And about who Arsene will play in the wide position should all four of Nasri, Arshavin, Walcott, & Gervinho being fit - I guess either Gervinho or Walcott might be pushed in the middle just behind RVP.....That would be a welcome move indeed.

• 11-Jul-2011 13:56 | | angelic beardy
  

  Great attack is sorted now for the ever problem defensive area. We really need a solid defender and i really hope Wenger gets one in.
  
  Setplays has been our weakness now for the last two or more seasons if we are to win anything this coming season it really needs to be rectified.
  
  I had a feeling TV will play left back as he does for Belgium and Wenger will bring in a new CB.
  
  What are your views ML

• 11-Jul-2011 14:17 | | mark  - a new cb
  

  think with vermaleen on d left a new cb will arrive. wish it cld b either of d 3 cahil,samba or mertersaker

• 11-Jul-2011 14:39 | | Vuja De
  

  It'll certainly be interesting to see how both Gibbs and Traore get on if they are to now become Arsenal's first & second choice left backs respectively, with Vermaelen providing auxilary backup as and when.
  
  The only way that both Gibbs and Traore can improve - just like many other Arsenal players before them, including Fabianski - is by getting a meaningful run in the team.
  
  Yes, they'll make mistakes along the way, but they're still learning their trade, so patience - a quality in thin supply amongst the wingnut section of Arsenal "fans" - will be required.
  
  Gervinho - according to Johan Djourou - can apparently play anywhere across the forward line, as well as in the deep lying second striker role, so his versatility will certainly be an asset to the Arsenal next season.
  
  Arsene has talked about including Ryo M in the first team squad for next season...that'll be exciting to see if it happens, but that will no doubt be subject to the player being granted a UK workpermit. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if that happens, or not.

• 11-Jul-2011 14:49 | | Omglol
  

  Great news maby Gervinho is not the big name that fans ask for but he is good winger with good speed control and delivery he will be great for us and the depth we miss when first team cant deliver results. And i realy hope Wenger manage to hold Fabre and Nasri. I realy like that he will give chance to Gibbs. People judge him wrongly, he was injured never got more then 1 game or short sub time to get in ritam. He is maby error prone on back line and he can corect that, but his attack is fantastic + if he faild Verminator can take his place. He lost some weight and got speed so i think he can deliver good on Left side. And maby Wenger will get back on getting Vertonghen he can fill lot of rolls. Hope die last

• 11-Jul-2011 14:53 | | freesholly  - arsene rigidity
  

  what concern me most is arsene shuld sort things out with nasri & fab and let us knw what is going on with the other transfers.

• 11-Jul-2011 14:55 | | Podge
  

  The most likely pecking order is Nasri on the right and Gervinho on the left with Walcott and Arshavin as back up. I'm not overly worried about left back becoming a problem it has been a problem for the last 3 years and Gibbs will with a decent run in the side be better than Clichy I expected him to have moved ahead of Clichy last season but injury stopped that . If Vermaelen is going to be covering left back I think we will be bringing in a new centre back unlikely to be Samba or Cahill the new centre back will be back up for when Vermaelen isn't playing centre back. Gibbs is pretty tall for a full back so he should be a help at set pieces Clichy wasn't able to compete in the air and our small midfielders Fabregas and Wilshere should be the men on the line.

• 11-Jul-2011 15:12 | | richie  - realistically
  

  Sorry but he (AW) can't let anyone know about transfers, because as soon as we become interested in anyone so does the Chav's and the price naturally jumps, we've had several players lined up in passed seasons only for them to get wind step in and offer bigger bucks and snatch them from under our noses.

• 11-Jul-2011 15:13 | | Andy Mack
  

  Are we going to play the same 4-2-3-1 system?
  
  Traore as left MF ahead of Gibbs could work.

• 11-Jul-2011 15:18 | | Domhuaille  - A step forward
  

  Gervinho's ability to play behind RVP and on either wing is a great asset. He will start ahead of Arshavin but will be substituted IF we need a high impact player like Arshavin to come in. Nasri will start on the right and If Miyachi can get a work permit, will be substituted by the Japanese kid. Walcott will always start on the left and be substituted by Gervinho if the Frenchman is on the bench. It is an excellent plan as RVP has a backup in Chamakh,Gervinho and Walcott. It is possible that we'll see Walcott play centrally behind RVP, but only in the CL or Cups I think.
  Midfield has Nasri, Arshavin, Wilshere,Cesc,Ramsey and Song which is another first class alignment. Diaby can substitute for Song as well.
  The back 4 have Sagna,Vermaelen,Djourou,Koscielny,Gibbs,Traore, and possibly Jenkinson as he develops under Wenger. I see the starting 4 as Sagna,Kos,Vermaelen, Gibbs backed up by Djourou and Traore. Vermaelen can substitute for Gibbs as well so this is a solid back line. I'd like to see Vertonghen come in to partner Vermaelen...that would be among the best back 4 in the EPL.

• 11-Jul-2011 15:44 | | brian
  

  Although you have anticipated this reaction in your blog I have got to insist that keeping Nasri for a final year and then getting nothing for him is plain stupid.
  The rumoured 20 odd million for a player who is very occasionally excellent;mostly quite good and occasionally dis-interested must be taken immediately and the money spent on a replacement{shouldn't be too difficult as mid-field is the one area that Wenger appears to know what he is doing apart perhaps from Denilson}.
  Also it seems to me that Gibbs will never be of sufficient quality to become our left back as he is just another off the production line of young Gunners with good ball playing skills but without the true defensive qualities needed and provided by say Leighton Baines and Jose Enrique.

• 11-Jul-2011 15:48 | | richie  - Not so
  

  RvP plays best where Holland play him. He is best as 2nd striker! He links mid with attack brilliantly plus he takes his own chances. Gervinho from what I've seen makes good forward runs which we need to stretch defences. Like everyone I'm intrigued to see what our our formation will be!

• 11-Jul-2011 17:11 | | jack  - Muppets
  

  And who would they be then? stop making excuses for The deluded french pratt. You and Bala go well together. Bala said that winning trophies is secondary , he just likes watching Arsenal play football. Do you feel the same then?

• 11-Jul-2011 19:08 | | MeanLean
  

  Please can people talk about football and not just throw insults around. This is an Arsenal site to talk about the club and not how deluded you think other people are. I will have to start banning people if this continues.

• 12-Jul-2011 01:41 | | richie  - Who are you & what do you know?
  

  When our top scout Daimien Comolli left Arsenal in 03 before he joined the tiny totts in 05 in those 2 interveining years all those we were targeting like the Lyon players Essien and Malouda were suddenly big money buys, the rumours in France back then was they were almost Arsenal players. Don't get me wrong Arsene made some big mistakes he turned down both Cech and Drogba.
  
  Definatley my motivation is to see Arsenal play well. I watched my team play badly for years (In the 60's we were awful). Around 70 we won our first silverwear in 18 years the following year we won our 1st double. But (We quickly returned to playing crap) even though we won the FA cup in 79. When GG came in 86 he slung out loads of players and promoted some kids and if memory serves we finished 4th our highest in a while.
  
  The following year after a 10 year gap we nicked the league cup. I loved the way we played for the next few years not because we played great football we didn't! But we mugged the better footballing teams. And guess what we never spent big money on players. We were boring boring Arsenal back then and most of us loved it, like Bolton fans under Alydice or Stoke under Pulis. We didn't have much choice in how we played we didn't have the flair players.
  
  Long ball up to Smudger he'd latch on to it hold it up play in Wrighty 1 nil often our only chance of the game. Then we'd defend. It wasn't pretty but it worked and most of us got a really perverse thrill from playing like shit and nicking a game against the run of play. I'm telling you this from a die hard Gooner who began watching this team still in short trousers, cut me I bleed red & white.
  
  What we have become in 15 years of CL qualification is nothing short of a miracle. We are now recognized as one of the top footballing sides in Europe and we've never even won the CL. What we've become has nothing to do with the team I started supporting.
  
  So yes I love watching the sumptuious football we now play. I love the fact we are always in Europe. And if we win a bit of silver wear I want us to do it (our way) without spending big money and playing great attacking football. I know I want a lot and I don't want us to compromise at all, especially not for the sake of a few johnny or jack come lately glory hunters.

• 12-Jul-2011 02:24 | | richie  - lots of possibilitys............but
  

  Can't ever imagine Walcott being able to play behind RvP I think thats a bridge too far! The reason many of us want to see him play centrally is for his pace it would be lost if he wasn't up front. We've lacked pace recently and its showed badly with our ever so slow build up, keep ball possession game. I've said before AA goal against Barca was how we should look to play. A fast one touch accurate passing movement box to box. Back to the future. Gervinho should help with this. Pre-season should be spent on clinical finishing!

• 12-Jul-2011 10:27 | | feeno
  

  hey guys mean lean in particular, was wondering of any of you could point me in the direction of stats for Song and Djourou, relating to a discussion/argument on these two and their worth to the team. I remember readin that songs stats where far better than anyother defensive mid in the league and we have won more games when djourou played than when he hasnt. I need to show this fool up cos im just going round in circles with them, trying to tell me we shuld ditch song for parker and hangelaand for djourou. I need these to shut this fool up!!!!

• 12-Jul-2011 13:15 | | Andy Mack
  

  will this help;
  http://players.bettorlogic.com/Arsenal.aspx

• 14-Jul-2011 14:24 | | marvin  - lolz
  

  good story.

• 20-Jul-2011 10:25 | | strawbmeieal
  

  i love arsenal's players

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