Abou Diaby says he’s hoping to start playing with the ball again soon ahead of a possible return to action in March.
The French midfielder, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee eight months ago during training, was forced to undergo a further surgical procedure in October and is facing a race against time if he’s to make an impact for the Gunners before his contract ends in the summer.
“I hope to start playing with the ball soon, I’m taking my time,” he told Sport.fr.
Diaby, 27, has made only 92 starts for Arsenal since signing from Auxerre nearly eight years ago but despite earning plaudits for a purple patch at the start of last term has struggled to overcome the knock-on effects of a terible ankle injury inflicted on him by Sunderland’s Dan Smith in May 2006.
Upbeat despite his situation, Diaby admitted that playing for France at the upcoming World Cup would be a dream although he’s well aware his main focus is getting back on the pitch for the Gunners.
“If I can be the surprise of 2014, why not? A World Cup in Brazil is the type of thing you dream about.
“For now, I have to come back with my club and normally that would be late February or early March.”
All the best to Abou as he continues along the winding road to fitness. Arguably the most unlucky footballer to pull on an Arsenal jersey – in the Wenger era at least – he faces an uncertain future with a new deal at the Emirates looking very unlikely. That’s not to say he doesn’t have a role to play this year though. We’re going to need all the players we’ve got to maintain a title challenge.
If he stays healthy for a couple of months it’ll be a surprise already.
I’m actually expecting to hear he has been injured whilst recovering from his latest injury. Really have to feel for him, but in all seriousness, if he could get playing again by end of March and we were still around the top at that time his inclusion could be a massive LANS boost for last 5-7 games that no other club fighting for title could hope for.
no I really don’t think it would be overly beneficial. The guy has been out a year. He would come back rusty. If we are going to try and win the thing( actually win the thing) then we would need all our players performing together. If Wenger plays him though, I’ll be fully behind him. Just don’t want him to bear the expectation of being a fantastic player immediately after he comes back. Would be a shame if he pushed himself and got injured again.
Good luck to the guy. He’s got his work cut out mind, our midfield is the Jewell of the league, earning a place won’t be an easy task.
I felt like he was the type of player we lacked against Everton yesterday. Someone who could cover ground with the ball, break forward with pace and power, add some serious physical bite in the midfield. A fit Diaby is a force to be reckoned with.
If he would accept some reduced terms (as I assume his potential was rewarded on his last extension), I wouldn’t mind seeing him extend for another year, or two if we’re feeling kind. When fit and on form, Diaby is the kind of player team dread to face. In my opinion, he wouldn’t be far off Yaya Toure right now, if it wasn’t for the setback caused by Dan “Call Centre” Smith.
Everyone always makes the easy jokes to dismiss Diaby which to me is a shame. Yes hes injury prone now. We all know this. I know this is a big ‘when’, but when hes fit he can be one of the funnest midfielders to watch because of his great ball control, turns, and shielding abilities. And its not his fault some fucking wanker doesnt know how to tackle. Real shame his promising career was taken from him. He could have started for us and France. Diaby, Im still a big fan of yours mate! Even if its been frustrating for… Read more »
Sincerely hope you didn’t mean that our midfield is the fat, relegated ex-manager of Wigan/Derby/Ipswich of the league. What a comedown.
Such a shame, would please me greatly to have him come back to his best.
I don’t think we ever seen his best and never will but at least he is staying positive poor chap.
If this isn’t Diaby at his best, then someone fix him goddammit for the sake of the beautiful game http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6khpoTY6oQ
He be like a new signing, 😉 hope he gets back to full fitness
MUCH ABOU ABOUT NOTHING?
So long as he doesn’t fuck off to United in 2015.
Why would he got to a mid table club? Heh
Torquay are always looking for good players
Get well soon Diaby.
Always a welcome option. Hopefully he gets a good string back on return.
If he comes back and performs ably and stays fit, I’d be up for giving him a one year contract extension. Massive Ifs obviously, but would love to see him do well in an Arsenal shirt!
What’s the prize for the first comedian to stroll in with a *Diaby’s always injured* joke? (Seriously, I expect you to have a prize and deliver it.)
It would be amazing to see him come back next year and at least play some part in Arsenal’s season. Hard to see much of a future for him at the club, but then Arsene does have his favourites. I wouldn’t be blown away if he got a one year extension.
If he can come back in March and stay healthy, I’d be quite happy if he were to be offered a short-term contract or pay-as-you play deal.
If fit I think he is the closest thing to Yaya Toure that we have. A beast from one box to the other.
If fit, he’s better than Yaya Toure.
If he added goals to his game then sure but tbh Yaya is better. come on
If fit, he’s different to Yaya Toure.
Played Yaya off the park in one of his few games last season!
and Newcastle beat MU, who beat us, which means we’re worse than Newcastle!!!
Seriously, not many payers are better midfielders than Yaya, Diaby simply has not played enough games for anyone to pass judgment.
I have always rated Diaby hugely. He’s still young. If he can finally get and stay fit, then he’s the Vieira replacement we’ve been looking for for ages.
Good luck Abou. Hope you get well soon. Really unlucky he is tbh.
Would it be a reasonable expectation to ask Diaby to sign a pay per play deal for a year or 2?
When he’s fit, he’s a very decent squad option. No dependancy on him, just keep him as a bonus player in the squad.
How is he going to scrape together enough money to survive? Granted, maybe right now he has saved money from not being able to take holidays and shit, but a pay-per-play is kinda harsh. He might even make rash decisions during games to keep his place in check, so terribly bad idea.
A decent base wage with a high play match bonus?
Pepi Le Puke (dutch skunk) 8 years, when it gets to 8 years i may agree we should let him go. Least he never gives up and im sure i read somewhere he is refusing pay until he can play
good luck to the fella. really feel for him
What’s his footballing age? I reckon about 21, which leaves him plenty of time to build a career.
Seriously though, it must take a huge amount of the famous ‘mental strength’ to keep rebuilding your fitness after each setback. I really hope he makes it somewhere. Maybe we could offer him a year in the reserves / on loan and see if he makes it?
I wish for him to come back fit, but do we have any guarantee that he’d not go back for another long spell on the sidelines?
United made a rather large bet on RVP staying fit. Teams do that for players with the right skills. We know Diaby has the right skills. We don’t need to insult him with some feeble deal, we can afford a decent one for him, or we can help him find a new one somewhere else, but we should never offer him peanuts “just in case”. He’s always given everything he’s got for us. It would be churlish to treat him like a casual labourer in return.
This is fucking sad. I rate Diaby over any of our midfielders. He truly is the new Vieira when fit. If that cunt Dan “may I take your order” Smith hadn´t put his cuntiness all over Diabys ankle he would be regarded as the top midfielder in the world right now.
All the best Diaby, I hope you will make your comeback this is season, get a full pre-season and a full 2014-2015 season. And now I will fly my unicorn to the magical cloud city and win one million fairy tale dollars!
It’s all I. The name 😉
I’d happily keep him on a pay-as-you play deal. Not like it’s an issue for us footing the physio and training costs if Bobby, Titi and David bloomin Beckham can use our facilities.
Why are people talking about an extension at this stage?
He has a contract until 2015. Let’s see how that goes first shall we?
I’d be delighted if, by that stage, we’re mooting the idea of giving him another contract as it’ll mean he’s played a full season without problems.
I even forgot him 🙁 poor diaby
HAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAhAHAHHAHAHAhahahAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA .. wait he’s serious ?
I hope once he’s deemed ‘fit’, they still give him an extra 2 months of muscle strengthening exercises, the type of work physios make you do when you have weak muscles. If that fails then I don’t know if his body is cut out for professional football. Gotta feel for him.
Id be up for giving him a one year extension if he can keep fit so he has a chance to prove himself. Risking an additional year after 8 – unfortunately – wasted years is one I think we can afford.
Good luck Abou!
Of course he will sign a new deal, just on reduced wages.
People bang on about his wages but i’d imagine we have some sort of player insurance that covers a hefty % of a players salary if injured long term.
We do. All clubs do.
Come on Gibbs reveal your secret healer. Diaby needs it.
Crocodile placenta.
Crocodiles do not have placenta, Jacky boy
Horse eggs then.
I want nothing more than to see this guy succeed. But his body is always going to let him down. It would be nice if he could at least get a PL winners medal around his neck before his time is up.
Last game of the season….
Diaby……bursting through the midfield….Diaby….it’s up for grabs now!….Diaby!!…..right at the end!!!
Come on son.
We all hope that . But i would ensure there is no Geoff shreeves around. He will throw some negativity that cunt.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhinlzXWQqg
No matter what happens I think he gets released at the end of the season.
A change of scenery is precisely what he needs.
Wenger loves him, so if he’s fit for the last two months, that allows him to get a new club. If not fit, he’ll continue to get treatment at the club (but with no contract).
I hope things work out for him.
Two things: 1. Dan Smith I believe now works for a call centre and isn’t even a fucking professional footballer anymore. This for some reason makes all of this more tragic – so much wasted potential in Diaby from such a useless footballer as Smith. 2. Ramsey’s ridiculous ascendancy this season as our first choice B2B means Diaby’s route back to a first 11 spot is doubly difficult – but rotation is needed and that is a good first target for Abou. Right so I’m of the mind that Diaby is the definition of a decent guy and deserves a… Read more »
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, without all his injury troubles, he would be a world class midfielder and one of the first names on the team sheet week in and week out. Hopefully he gets better and still has his best years in front of him. Stay strong Abou!!
The guy was fucking awesome away at Liverpool last year.
How I wish to see him on the pitch again.
i was at that game and he totally bossed the midfield. was so excited to see him that day. there is still hopefully time for him to make a decent career. he could play on well into his thirties with his style of play. i hope we can sort out some sort of deal to keep him at the club for another year.
Strange but true. 2 points in our next two premier league matches are better than 3 but 4 would be better than both 2 and 3.
BUT 6 WOULD BE FUCKING BRILLIANT
COME ON YOU GUNNERS !!!
A thought just occurred to me…Diaby should try out the horse placenta woman who treated RVP. RVP played a full season and a half after seeing her. She could work miracles on Diaby.
But the placenta left it’s cuntiness on Van Pussy.Would hate for that to happen again with Abou.
Didn’t Wenger say he had 18 months on his contract earlier in the season ?
When fit, Diaby is a massive asset for us. not many people remember clearly the circumstances behind our 4-4 draw with Newcastle (which they celebrated like they won the league). One of our key Cbacks was injured and Diaby saw the red mist leaving us down to 10 men. Yes we had a four goal advantage but with the Cbs shuffled (and a weak pairing and Diaby gone, we were left woefully exposed. Diaby’s defensive game was beginning to come good for us 2 seasons ago. Sadly he is again hampered by injury. Fit? I’ll believe it when I see… Read more »
I will forever hate joey barton for his play acting that day, and subsequent ‘hard man’ act that he puts on. what an utterly despicable human being.
so so sad for diaby’s rotten luck with injuries.
one more item, thank you blogs for removing the anti-Islamic post earlier today!!! that has no place here.
Don’t mean to burst his bubble, but Diaby will never be fit. He’s nearly 28, and his entire career has been littered with injuries, way before he even joined Arsenal. Wenger must have had it off with his mum or something because he’s been a complete charity case and a hideous waste of about £20m in salary and fees. Never has a footballer been paid so much for doing so little and fuck knows how he earned his last contract.
I honestly think diaby without his injuries would have been at least cesc’ s equal. An absolute gem of a player. Which probably means he would’ve been sold about 4 years ago, but hey ho……
“I hope to start playing with the ball soon”. Poor Abou misses his toy..
Best of luck to him. Wouldn’t it be nice to see him come back in March and channel his inner Tomas Rosicky from the last 2 seasons?
A fit and on form Diaby walks into our team. People forget how excited the French national team got when he seemed to be stringing some games together. Diaby with Flamini gives the base to Ozil, Wilshere, Cazorla that would be seriously ridiculous. Diaby is an unbelievable footballer. We always knew the Dutch Skunk was outstanding. If he gets a season of fuil fitness suddenly Abou would be in the top 5 players in the country. There is no way Wenger gets rid of Diaby at the end of this season…
He could have been as good as Vieira
This guy is owed some luck. Big time.
Imagine he came back, destroyed the premier league, won it for the Arsenal. And earned a ticket to Brazil.
I can imagine can’t I? Poor fella 🙁
I seen Diaby play in the 2005 u19 euros. I remember thinking its Vieira mark II. He was running box to box and looked a cut above anyone else in the tournament. I even travelled 60 miles to watch the semi against Germany just so I cud watch him again. The following January he joined Arsenal and I was sure he was a future captain for us. Alas his serious injuries have totally killed his potential. If only things could have been different.
Ill back up that earlier comment. Diaby would have been world class. Totally unique player. Have u ever seen such a tall player be so nimble on his feet. Strength, eye for the pass, great engine and a powerful acurate shot. Real pity eh
The interview was done to lequipe last week, not sport.fr (who are far worst than daily mirror and other metro kind of sh*t)
Bon rétablissement à Abou. Le meilleur de tous.
he has a glass body which is a real shame because he is a quality talent
i’d still hate to see him go somewhere else and thrive. maybe we can offer him a lower basic salary and more money for pay as you play? still hoping we might see the best of him in an arsenal shirt in next few years – when fit he’s twice the player fellaini is!
Your being too kind. The moment Fellaini put on a Manure shirt… he became a trophy hunting money grabbing scum. Like the rest of them really.
IF diaby gets fit for a sustained period of time, he could easily be one of the best midfielders in the league. Lets hope he becomes just that in an arsenal shirt, or another team will surely reap the benefits. Good luck to him. Class player thats walked under too many ladders.
I would love to see Abou at the club, but i do think a Pay as you Play for a year should be on the table, with a one year renew to a full contract if he starts something like 25+ games that season. He has had bad luck with injuries, and for some reason people think he is an awful player because of it. But he could be our xfactor, a box to box, in the final1/3 of a game, to go and make some kind of impact…
diaby is charlie brown.