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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?
Another member of Arsenal’s decreasing midfield is set to leave after agreeing a deal to move to Greece and link up with an ex-Chelsea employee. [Read the rest of this entry »]
Arsenal go into Sunday’s game against Manchester United, still licking their wound’s from a nasty three game stint against Liverpool. They are out of Europe, have frittered away their five point lead, and now have to go to Old Trafford without Mathieu Flamini, who has a gammy ankle.
Brazil captain Gilberto Silva will step into the Frenchman’s shoes, but their is a growing stream of criticism that Gilberto is fading fast, slows down the game, and is a poor replacement for Flamini. Gilberto’s talent hasn’t so much faded, as utterly imploded, and although he should be applauded for taking his drop down the pecking order like a man (unlike moanmeister Jens Lehmann) , he will be a big ladder in the tights of Arsenal’s midfield.
Arsenal’s influential French midfielder Mathieu Flamini could be out for the latest in a long line of ultra important games for the North London club. Flamini limped out of Arsenal’s Anfield jamboree and now he is a serious doubt for the Man Utd Premier League punchup at Old Trafford.
Without Flamini, Arsenal will have to rely on Brazilian midfielder Gilberto, who just so happened to offer up a tailor made quote for this slightly short, and very craptastic piece. Gilberto said:
“We cannot lose our belief now – let’s not forget we played a very good game at Anfield.
“Sometimes you learn more through the pain of defeat, although nobody likes losing the chance of making a Champions League final.
“And if there is a lesson, it must be that we have to concentrate to the very end.”
And in an utterly random and off piste point, have you ever realized how all Brazilian’s have cool names, but remove the vowel from their name and they turn into a motley crew of wierdo’s: Gilbert, Ronald, Dung, Edmund, the list goes on and on.
The Brazilian midfielder has certainly been used sparingly for the Gunners this season, despite Arsenal not having a squad anywhere near the same size as Manchester United or Chelsea. With only one league start to his name all year, the Daily Mail report that Gilberto is anxious to get on the pitch and help resurrect Arsenal’s season – can he make any difference now that they’ve lost momentum?
“I have not been selected recently but I am ready and waiting to play,” said Gilberto. “I haven’t played much but I feel fit and we will see what happens. There are not many games to go with Arsenal but it was nice to be playing.”
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger described Gilberto in last night’s match programme as “intelligent and efficient” and that was exactly the display he produced, anchoring an otherwise youthful Brazilian side.
With a tricky game at Bolton taking place on Saturday, it’s entirely possible that the 31-year-old will be pitched into action, especially as the game is likely to be physical and the congested fixture schedule over the next few weeks. It’s clear that the Arsenal number 19 would easily get into most Premier League teams and that he’s considering a future away from the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal are reported to be on their way to losing star midfielder Mathieu Flamini in the summer according to recent reports. The French midfielder’s contract with the London club runs out at the end of the season and speculations suggest that he might as well have signed a pre-contract agreement with Italian giants Juventus.
This season Flamini has played regularly for Arsenal and is one of the key reasons for the Gunners’s sole occupation of the pole position in the Premier League. He reportedly offered a five-year, £40,000-a-week contract before Christmas but no development has been made since.
Of course the departure of Flamini in the summer would be a massive loss to Arsene Wenger but no half as much to Gilberto Silva, the player whom Flamini displaced in the midfield slot. Gilberto too has been making noise about not getting enough chances this season and is already looking to move out of Emirates. But maybe Flamini’s departure in the summer would coax him to stay with Arsenal for at least one more season.
Troubles brewing at Arsenal these days. Gilberto Silva is reported to be unhappy at his exclusion from regular first team football under manager Arsene Wenger and wants an explanation. He is quoted as saying:
To this day I’m waiting for an explanation as to this change. The truth is I found out about it through the newspapers.
Any plans to move, Gilberto?
I thought I had a good season last year and I saw no reason for what has happened. If I continue not to play, then leaving Arsenal is inevitable. I could not cope with another season like this one when Wenger has made me feel totally useless. A player must be able to smile. A sad Brazilian is no good, especially on a football pitch. Right now I really am struggling to battle on.
So the Brazilian international defensive midfield could be on his way out of the Emirates at the end of the season. That could come back to haunt Arsenal and Arsene Wenger later.
We’re into February and it’s clear that Gilberto Silva will have to look elsewhere if he wants to play first-team football for the rest of his career. The Brazilian has been limited to a handful of starts for Arsenal this campaign, with Sky Sports reporting that the midfielder is starting to become disillusioned with life in North London.
“Of course it has been hard for me, everybody knows that and it is no surprise given the position I am in,” he told Sky Sports News.
“But I try to manage the situation; I am calm and am professional as I have always been.
“But we will see at the end of the season.”
Arsene Wenger has an elegance of riches in midfield and, although Gilberto has been a fantastic servant to the club, Mathieu Flamini has made the defensive central midfield position very much his own this term. With three months of congested fixtures ahead, it’s entirely possible that the Brazilian could make his mark on the Gunners’ season.
But is the Brazil captain fighting a losing battle at the Emirates Stadium? After all, the form of Flamini and Fabregas has kept Gilberto Silva out of the team for most of the season, despite playing a key role in Arsenal’s success in recent seasons. The Daily Telegraph report that the midfielder is not looking to leave the club in the January transfer window.
“At the moment, I prefer not to think about moving and to fight for my position,” the Brazilian said.
“This is what I have in mind, to get back in the team and hope I can achieve that as soon as possible,” said the South American.
“But I know the team is playing well and so are the guys in my position, especially Mathieu. I will do my job, and I did that again against Tottenham which was another good opportunity for me to show that I am capable to come back into the team.”
Flamini better watch out for some hefty challenges on the Arsenal training ground in the coming weeks! Nevertheless, with Arsenal fighting on four different fronts, there will be no shortage of opportunities for Gilberto to shine.
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