We’ve all been frightfully worried, but we Arsenal fans can, at last, rest easy. Manuel Almunia has been found alive and well…and even better than that he’s going to be Sam Allardyce’s headache for the next month.
Arsenal have confirmed today that the Spanish goalkeeper will join West Ham United on an emergency one month loan deal after Hammers number one, Rob Green, underwent surgery.
In an interview on the West Ham United website Almunia revealed his joy at sealing the opportunity to play first team football:
“Everything has been very quick and very fast, but in football you have to be ready for everything. I was not playing at Arsenal. I was hoping to leave the club and try to play for another team and have minutes.
“Most important is feeling well again and playing football and feeling the ball again, because I haven’t played since last season and it’s been a hard time for me recently. I’m happy that West Ham gave me the call and I’m very pleased to be here.”
Explaining how the deal came about, Sam Allardyce (completely our of character it must be said) thanked Arsene Wenger for his cooperation in facilitating the switch:
“We’ve been hot on the phone and secured an excellent signing in the short-term in Manuel Almunia from Arsenal.
“It’s a big ‘Thank you’ again to Arsene Wenger and Arsenal for allowing us to get such a high-class and experienced goalkeeper to come in and fill-in for Robert for the time being.
“I think he hasn’t had as many games at Arsenal as he would have liked so he wants to play first-team football at the end of the day.
“We hope that huge amount of experience he has had at Arsenal and the football he has played on a regular basis will stand us in good stead here at West Ham and more and more clean sheets will come from his presence in goal. That will obviously help us to secure more victories while Robert is out.”
Arseblog News news would like to wish Manuel all the best at Upton Park. After all, despite being out of the Arsenal starting line-up for over a year he has quietly kept his head down and been nothing but dignified about his slip down Arsene Wenger’s pecking order. In a world of jumped-up, self-important, loathsome footballers, that at least deserves some respect.
GOOD RIDDANCE
I’ll remember him for the 2nd leg Vs Barca
I’ll remember him for the 1st half of the 1st leg when he single-handedly kept us in the tie..
what about first leg at the Emirates against Mancs 2 seasons go?!
I’m trying. I really am trying to remember all those good things. Honestly.
But it’s all being stomped on in my brain by the image of him mincing down the road with that dog/rat thing on a lead, wearing a pink jacket….
Let’s hope he makes a BiG impression and West Ham decides to take him on a fully time contract. I know! And pigs could fly!
They should make “Welcome to Westham Almunia” video with a compilation of his blunders
Spot on about the last part blogs!
I too agree with the last para… He has been a true professional..
Best of Luck, Almunia…
Yeh absolutely agree with the last paragraph too, nice one Mr Allen. All the abuse handed out to Almunia is well over the top. For all the cock ups, yeh admittedly there were plenty in his later days, there were plenty of times when he got us right out of the shit (remember the penalty save at home to that lot?) If you’re a true fan then wish him well and take notice of the last paragraph above, miserable bastards. Again, nice one Mr Allen!
No doubt, I only came to comment here because of how commendable, respectful, sensible and plain right the last paragraph was.
It was a paragraph that made me proud to have such a place for Arsenal news coverage, while the first comment of this article deserves to rot and die.
This is proof that Arsenal are a nice club. We look after our own.
Almunia wanted to play and we have found him a way to do it.
I hope he is properly grateful.
We could help him more by offering to have our medical team take a look at Robert Green. Just a quick glance at him should get Almunia regular football right through ton the end of the season.
All the abuse to Almunia is unwarranted, he played the best he could, it was Wenger’s fault for playing him. A genuinely nice guy, best of luck at West Ham
If people could up posts, this one would definitely be on the very top.
You have given me an idea, thanks
I’m not amused. He’s a player who don’t deserve 50k a week. Why don’t he wants to leave? No club is prepared to take him because he’s too expensive and is not prepared to go because he can’t get that anywhere and wants to run down his contract.
And who caused it? Arsene Wenger paying so much money to average players.
Our players are not average, he is just not as good as The Pole in Goal, which qualities are very hard to find. Yes he is being paid large sum of money… but in the 20 odd teams in the EPL… how many world class keepers are there. Besides we had to live through Manual to enable us to find and warm to The Pole in Goal. Every misadventure has a fortune cookie
Damn it. If everybody keeps calling Chesney the Pole in the Goal then when he gets injured then they will be calling it the Hole in the Pole in the Goal. I don’t think I can face that.
Arsene Wenger is highly unlikely to actually set the wages of any Arsenal player. He once suggested that it would be folly to lose a player by quibbling over a “measly” five thousand pounds, but as you should remember the board ignored him and refused to pay that extra money. The player left. That suggests that the board makes the wage decisions. You’re beating the wrong person with that stick. I’m not so sure that Almunia has refused to move on to another club. Arsenal have never said so. He has never said so. The press suggested it, but they… Read more »
Well said mate. Its high time people starting regarding the tittle tattle in the press as exactly that, a great majority of what is printed is either completely made up, wrong, or portrayed so out of context so as to be a complete mirror image of the actual story. The media are in an Arsenal bashing vein, because for some reason its the fashionable thing to do and its not just Arsenal fans noticing this, mates and colleagues of mine who support other clubs are starting to think its getting a bit old and going too far now. Read with… Read more »
Great reaction saves but absolutely terrible positional sense from set pieces. I wish you all the best Almunia!
True enough, but even with Szczęsny in the goal, we look pretty poor covering set pieces, now don’t we?
Good Luck Almunia. Thanks for your help… please help mY father’s supported team TO come up in the EPL. No miss positioning, no lapse in concentration.. and save your career by improving during the short time you have WEST HAM.
good luck manuel. had some great games, had some shockers, but always looked proud to be wearing the shirt and always tried his hardest for the club. seems to be a kind and dignified man, we like that sort at arsenal, so all the best for the future.
Among the disparaging and shameless comments around here, ones like this make me feel proud being an Arsenal supporter. The rest of you should be ashamed of yourselves. So Almunia has shockers, but he’s genuinely tried his best.
It’s as George Washington said best (or was it someone else),”When a man has done his best, what else is there to do?”
Has nobody considered that if Almunia is not as bad as the press say then he could just return to Arsenal in a month’s time as a hero with a catalogue of great saves and matchwinning performances, and then he would rise through the ranks to challenge Chesney. This would be great for him, and in the long term great for Arsenal (Increased competition makes players better, and if he has resurrected his reputation he might be able to get a valuable (to him and us) move to another club if we choose to allow him to leave). Therefore even… Read more »
I dont want to be rude or disrespectful, but this guy is 1 of the biggest reasons we have failed miserably for the last 6 years.
I remember the 1st time i ever saw him was in the Carling cup 04(i think) Vs Man Utd (at OT)and he was the captain, He let Bellion score with a lame shot that was straight at him and from that moment i knew he was useless!
You don’t want to be rude or disrespectful, but you already are. Make up your mind already. If that’s your opinions then yes, your opinions are disrespectful, but you can choose to be truly disrespectful by picking your words carefully. Your complete disregard for measured expressions and the feelings of readers as well as Mr. Almunia means you are already rude and disrespectful. If you don’t want to be either, then DO SOMETHING, don’t just say shit. It’s like those useless fb campaigns to stop child abuse by posting up an avatar of a childhood cartoon. If I abused children… Read more »
Typo, “Your opinions are negative to Almunia but no, it does not mean that your opinion alone is disrespectful (there is constructive and useless criticism)”
Well he didn’t call him a cunt or anything did he?
Almunia must have been shit to have been “1 of the biggest reasons” we failed miserably (to win shiny things, I assume) over the last 6 years even when he wasn’t playing in the majority of games between 2005 and 2007 when Lehmann was first choice keeper, and last season when he didn’t play at all after September that I can remember.
2005 and 2007, in 2006 when Lehman got himself sent off, Alumina came in and we know the rest. 2007, Arsene dropped Jens for Almunia and the rest is history, Almunia was so good we are to bring Jens out of retirement instead of playing the spanaird. Last season, he started as our number 1, a few dodgy performences and he was ousted! Szcz & Fabianski get injured, Alumina makes a return against WBA and we all know what happened. Like i said i have nothing against the lad, good professional etc, but from the 1st time i saw him… Read more »
A consumate professional, good luck to him at West Ham.
Do you think this is Arsene’s revenge on Allardyce for all the digs and those shitty tackles over the years? lol
I am surprised that Wenger hasn’t yet publicly thanked Allardyce for this.
We’re in danger of doing ourselves a mischief here with all this aren’t we lads?
Good luck to him and all that, but he’s back in a month…..
With a bit of luck squire, he’ll have a couple of blinders and they’ll want him full time……..
All the best almunia, nice guy, your confidence was gone before most games because the stick you took off so called fans
And now they’re doing the same to Djourou.
There should be a Fit and Proper test for becoming a fan. They can damage a team’s morale worse than any owner.
Holy fuck. It’s Britain’s Got The Arseblog News X Factor!
Please ‘Like’ this post what with me having been on a journey and all that to be here and me nan’s cat having jumped in the foodmixer only last week..
Oops. Red Thumb Bombs dropping on you from every direction.
Is it the naughty swear, the thoughtless insertion of X Factor into our previously happy day, the blatant begging for Likes, or are people upset by your dead (presumably) cat story?
Pah. Hearts of stone you lot.
My last hope is a post from Fatgooner to make me look popular.
I wish him only the best. Although he wasn’t the best keeper we’ve ever seen, he was an excellent servant to the club who carried himself with dignity in respect while swimming in a sea of urchins( uhum mr na$ri).
Don’t think I’ve hated an Arsenal play more than Almunia lol. Even over the usual suspects. Strange but true.
HATE… WOW..
So far this season we have had every form of bad luck possible other than death and bad karma. You have really done it now. We may have to play Arshavin in goal to tide us over until Almunia returns now that you have woken the karma Gods with your goalie-related hate vibes.
If we fail to win anything this season Arsene Wenger will be able to explain it away as “It’s Louie’s fault”. 🙂
He he, karma is a bitch. But bring that bitch on. Arshavin will be back to his glorious best as a keeper. Might struggle a bit on the high ball though and a tiny bit on comunication…… But the reflexes will be great!
West Ham. Are. Screwed
[…] forgotten man, Almunia has finally found a new club, albeit on loan. West Ham have signed the Spaniard for one month as back up after Rob Green got himself injured. The keeper is reportedly on a 90 000 […]
Well, it’s been a blast…. into an uncovered near post.
I jest. I wish him all the best. It’s sad to see players frozen out when it’s not because they’ve been acting like a common Tevez/Adebayor/other Man City prima dona.
Good luck to you Almunia! You deserve a bit of success and games. You have behaved like a true professional!
Top bloke, shite player should never of been bought by Arsenal while l admire he didnt moan and carried on being professional, it speaks volumes nobody wanted him should of got rid years ago, might of won the league if we had somebody else, cant remember him having a good game ever good luck but thank fuck hes gone
Good luck Alumunia,
One of the best shot stopper around…
RESPECT for his attitude…
I know west ham are favourites to come back up, but getting almunia is just getting over confident!!
I joke! Always believed in almunia, like all players wearing the arsenal shirt, he just always seemed to let me down as I would be telling a pal that he is looking more solid and he is back in form.
He is never gonna be first choice so hope he impreses and moves on.
Good luck almunia good luck with west ham and I hope the hammers can offer him a full time deal and come back up to the premier league should not have been relegated in the first place
What has Wenger got against West Ham?
I’m sure he never let 8 past him!!!!!