I can almost imagine it now. I wish I was there to see it. A fly on the wall in that one second when Joan Laporta read the following excerpt from a statement on Arsenal.com;
"We have followed recent speculation linking Cesc with a move away from the Club but as there has never been any official approach for him, only two informal exchanges, in which we made it abundantly clear that we have no interest in transferring Cesc, we have refrained from publicly passing comment. However, yesterday evening we received an offer from Barcelona for Cesc and in response, we immediately and resolutely told them once again that we have no intention of selling our captain.
To be clear, we will not make any kind of counterproposal or enter into any discussion. Barcelona have publicly stated that they will respect our position and we expect that they will keep their word."
I would imagine its something like watching a cartoon character turn red before steam escapes from their ears with much vigor.
The idea of which makes me grin like an idiot. I like it. I like it a whole lot.
Cole-eriffic.....been a while since I thought that ... If rumours be true (and largely they are not) Joe Cole has been talking to us about a Free Transfer. Wenger has said that he's an "interesting target" and I wholeheartedly agree. He fits Wengerball and he has another important characteristic which in the current UEFA climate is critical. He's English. The new home-grown players rules will shape the way all teams do business.
'Home-grown players' are defined by UEFA as players who, regardless of their nationality or age, have been trained by their club or by another club in the national association for at least three years between the age of 15 and 21. The UEFA rule does not contain any nationality conditions. It also applies in the same way to all players and all clubs participating in competitions organised by UEFA
From the start of the 2010/2011 season all teams will have to register a squad of 25 players, with at least 8 'home grown' players registered. A 'home-grown' player is one who has spent three years between the ages of 16-21 registered at a club in England and Wales. Clubs can supplement this squad with a B list of unlimited players under the age of 21.
So, Project Yoof might not be dead and buried, but we might see a change in the make up of the first team squad, with more experienced players being backed up by younger, talented under-21s.
Hmm...not so much different from now I guess, with one exception, Home-Grown talent will become even more expensive. Yes, more clubs will have to rely upon those players so they should get more game-time and the really good ones will be snapped up by the big clubs at a premium. I wonder how much Ramsey would have cost in 5 years time?
Musings worth considering indeed. For now fellow Gooners, Good day!
