Arsenal man to complete £12m Barca move: midfield looking bare
by jakepjohnson on July 16th, 2008
| 263 words |
Arsenal are set to lose yet another midfielder this summer, as Barcelona confirm they have agreed a £12million deal with the Gunners to bring one of their key players to La Liga.
Alexander Hleb is set to arrive in Spain on Wednesday to complete a medical at the Camp Nou and conclude his long-running saga to leave the Emirates Stadium. The deal will not represent a significant profit for Arsenal, who spent £11.2 million to bring Hleb to London in 2005.
Barca’s official website broke the news:
The player Alexander Hleb, who has spent the past three seasons at Arsenal, arrives today in Barcelona to undergo a medical prior to his incorporation in FC Barcelona.
On the assumption that he passes these tests satisfactorily, Alexander Hleb could sign a contract tomorrow and be presented as a new player at FC Barcelona.
The move will bring the spending spree of new Barca manager, Pep Guardiola, to an incredible £76 million, around €95 million, having already spent £6m on Manchester United’s Gerard Pique, £8m on Palmeiras’ Henrique, £13m on Villareal’s Martin Caceres and £34.5m on Sevilla duo Seydou Keita and Daniel Alves.
The Belarussian’s departure leaves Arsene Wenger’s midfield looking light after the transfers of Matthieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva. Granted, Samir Nasri and Amaury Bischoff are set to arrive, but Arsenal are also losing valuable experience with the leaving senior players. Perhaps it could push Wenger to spend big on luring £18 million-valued Gareth Barry away from Villa Park.
What are fans thoughts on the mini-midfield exodus from Arsenal? Is there anyone you’d like to replace Flamini, Gilberto and now, Hleb?
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Tagged Under: alexander hleb, arsene wenger, barcelona, Belarus, Camp Nou, Emirates Stadium, gilberto silva, gunners, La Liga, Mattheiu Flamini, Pep Guardiola
arsenal 4evr - July 16th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
old n stale news… tell us something new…
Gareth - July 16th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I’m one of the ones that really rates Hleb - he is magnificant on the ball and will be missed for his football abilities. It’s a shame he is being greedy.
I have rated him from day one - if anyone knows anything about football they would realise he wil be sorely missed as he plays the ‘Arsenal Way’ - tight, neat footy…….
Greg - July 16th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Gareth: I agree that Hleb in many ways embodied the Arsenal Way… smooth one touch passing, pace, and vision.
Unfortunately that includes the most frustrating part of our game- slicing beautifully through any midfield on the planet, then getting to the 18-yard box and passing in circles.
Hleb was a decent player for us, but he is replaceable. Nasri will quickly fill his boots, and hopefully have a better scoring and assists record (Hleb’s numbers are pretty dreadful)
OLD NEWS..... - July 16th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Can’t u say something new??? same old news!!
Smudger - July 16th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Hleb, although an incredible player on his day, was far too inconsistent and replacing him with Samir Nasri is absolutely fine. Gilberto Silva was awful for the majority of last season, and although he improved towards the end, it is not great loss to see him go to Greece. As for Flamini, this is the player we will miss most if our transfer activity has ended. But even if we don’t sign another player to replace him, don’t be surprised to see Wenger rely more heavily on Diaby and Denilson in the defensive midfield role.
So all in all, “mini exodus”? I think not, more a case of moving the deadwood on and freshening things up. Back in your cupboard, doom merchants.