It’s being widely reported this evening that we’re going to offer Mathieu Flamini a contract.
The French midfielder has been training with us for the last few weeks as he kept his fitness up after being released by Milan at the end of last season and it seems like he’s got himself in the right place at the right time when it comes to Arsenal.
The injury to Mikel Arteta has robbed the team of its only defensive midfielder. meaning Arsenal need midfield cover very badly.
Coupled with the fact that he’d cost Arsene Wenger an attractive £0.00p, it couldn’t have lined any better for the player who left on a free transfer in 2008.
On the plus side, he’s a player and we need players and on his day he’s not bad at all. In fact, we very much advocated giving him a new deal back in the day.
However, it doesn’t do anything to quell the suggestions that Arsenal are just kinda making it up as they go along this summer.
If this does happen, Flamini would need to be signed and registered before midday tomorrow in order to play against Fulham on Saturday.
We shall see.
F L A M I N I
RETRO BOSS
Wenger looking for top top quality.
Wenger logic: Flamini >Gustavo
hmmmmmmmm….
gustavo didnt want to compete for a place or try to adjust to a new league in a WC year…
Im no big fan of Wenger’s but be honest about things
Gustavo, I heard, wanted to stay at least one more year in germany to gain citizenship.
We’re 1 – 0 up against Chelsea/Swansea/some cunts, into the final 10 minutes, on comes Flamini for Theo Walcott and we see the game out.
Well he hates spurs and that’s good enough for me
I was a big fan of Flamini, he worked very hard for the team. I’d rather he be in our squad than have no one.
big shame we missed out on gustavo though
Im not saying Wenger has got it all right, but i do think the Arsenal Fan Base has taken this one too far. (the frustation is understanding, and i feel it too, but still). The Transfer window is still open, and to be honest, we can scheme and argue all we want, but we dont actually know how the business is done, what the plans are/were, why things have taken so long – and – we cant judge how arsenal will act in the Transfer Market with all this new cash until its closed. And, guaranteed Wenger and his cronies… Read more »
True. “The season just ended.” I mean, “It’s only June and the transfer window doesn’t *officially* open until July.” Well…”They’ll be in before the preseason tour.” Then, “It’s not even August yet!” How about, “There’s surely no way there won’t be any signings before the first ball is kicked.” And of course, “Hey guys, there’s still 12 days left in the window!”
Yeah, I’m sick of the excuses…
BTW, you know that season ending points tally surely would be higher if our summer business had gone better, don’t you think?
Chips have fallen so low that, people seem content even with Flamini. At one side we say that “something is better than nothing” and on other side it’s AFC. Is that what our beloved club value now? Mediocrity?
I have not been able to fathom the concept of ‘looking for TOP TOP quality’. What does that mean? Is Wenger looking for Messi, CR7 or the likes… But after saying all that he goes and gets Sanogo, Flamini etc. Very confusing 🙁
and he’s off to napoli!
I kid. *remember to remind the mail guys I am not his agent nor close to him after the Exclusive tomorrow *
did you just say your his agent and his brother? Breaking news…
Former player who can play multiple positions AND he’s still 29? Better than Frimpong on the bench or using Ramsey (or insert any other midfielder here) every single game until he gets injured. Plus, if this means Arsene does not have to spend money to sign a defensive midfielder (and as a result, have more money to sign those rumored players from Real Madrid), I can live with this. When I read yesterday that we are looking at double bid for K Benzema + Di Maria/Ozil, I was thinking: 1) i will believe it when I see it 2) Better… Read more »
Come now — you’d be a little upset if we bought Benzema and Di Maria or Ozil? Seriously? I think they’re all long shots at this point, but, man, any of them would be stellar options
Ozil? Is that even possible?
http://havearsenalspentanymoneyyet.com
He’s available for nothing – in terms of a fee.
He’s a ‘Stan Signing” – par excellence !
Two year contract and Stan can even make some dough selling him after he has a great season.
I AM THE RETRO BOSS! NOT YOU!!!
Poor arseblog clearly has amnesia. Can’t he remember how he wrote in mathieu’s last 2 arseyears NDPFFS? Flamini has the ability to force himself into Cazorla play every game territory. Or at least be a frequent starter and subs bench ever present. And at least while with us, his injury record was good.
I’d like to force myself into Cazorla too
FLAMINI = FREE AGENT
70M = GO SOMEWHERE??????
this hurts my mind.
Whelp, he’s a player.
It’s like sticking some dog shite on the end of a branch and waving it about until a bit flicks off and hits you in the eye and then you go blind.
Make of that what you want but reminds me of this transfer season… Total shit that will come back with revenge. 🙁
Explain how that simile bears any relevance to this transfer story.
To me, one of the priorities this season should be to offer Sagna a good contract. If he declines, that’s up to him, but the grit and determination he’s shown is remarkable. Meh on Flamini, but we need bodies and he’s still an okay player.
Wish Cesc was still here..
Cesc and Flamini are still good friends. May be Flamini can influence Cesc’s return to Arsenal
We’re getting the band back together!
plus rosicky and you have all three musketeers together again, dressing room morale goes up 100%
Could do worse I guess
Yes, we could have gotten Silvestre again.
Or we could have given Bendtner an extension and a raise.
I think that ringing endorsement about sums up our reaction.
take it easy i say…he hasnt signed yet, and seeing how this summer has gone so far, i’d we still only have eggs
It is a chance missed to improve on the position.
Arteta was in the top 5 in Europe for that position last year. Seems like people think we don’t have a player in that mould because he isn’t listed as a DM on Fifa.
we have improved the depth and the quality of the position. flamini provides both depth and quality.
did anyone watch in 07-08 when a flamini/cesc midfield led the league for 3/4ths of the year? cesc wasn’t doing the defending…
07-08? Oh yeah… I remember that season. It’s the season when we didn’t win anything right? Yup. Flamini was at his best then. I’m sure he’s even better now that Milan has released him because he’s not good enough for them. *sigh*
It’s the season that we were winning the league and beating anyone we wanted until Martin Taylor committed the one memorable act of his career by ruining Eduardo’s.
best chance we’ve had of winning the league since the invincibles. spud troll
1st place until the Eduardo leg break and ensuing Gallas meltdown at St andrews, Sagna and Flamini went down injured in a 4 day span at Chelsea and against Liverpool in the UCL and the season ended in about a week after that.
and milan did offer him a contract which he rejected so *sigh* all you want but you dont have any idea what you are talking about
In a way, I feel sorry for Flamini here. Had we signed him at the end of a nice, fat, juicy transfer window, we’d be welcoming him cheerfully as a useful squad addition, someone who would back up full-back positions, and also the marquee defensive midfielder who preceded him in incoming transfers. As it is, however, there will be inevitable grumblings and anxieties about this, especially in terms of how this impacts our decision to buy a top defensive midfielder this window (methinks that ship has now officially sailed). Anyway, I will cheer for Flamini if he signs, and I… Read more »
Flamini was still playing for a top club last season that wanted to resign him. Had plenty of interest from other clubs but wanted to earn a place back here. If he’s done that then more power to him, he covers 3 positions of need and is still in his 20’s.
I hadn’t realized Milan were going to offer him a new contract, which bodes well for us, I suppose, though I wonder what kind of contract was on offer. Not a good one, probably, which may mean they didn’t think he was anything more than a squad player. That may be the same for us–I don’t know–but there’s no way he’ll be “only” a squad player here. We’ll need to use him. A lot. And that worries me for two reasons: 1) What if he isn’t that good anymore? 2) What if this means Wenger has ended his interest in… Read more »
i’m with you mate
its a world cup year and all of those players didn’t want to take the risk to fight for a place on a new team. wenger is right to point out that the player has to want to join too. and those players, gustavo most clearly, didn’t want to join us for a reason.
don’t let that discourage you because flamini provides depth and quality to the midfield and he loves the club. he said as much when he left and he wouldn’t have come back if he didn’t.
at some point beggars can’t be choosers
agreed 100%
“its a world cup year and all of those players didn’t want to take the risk to fight for a place on a new team.” === That’s an interesting theory that, unfortunately, doesn’t work to explain anything at all. Other clubs–bar United (who, arguably, don’t need to strengthen their already title-winning squad)–have not found it difficult to get business done this summer. Worse, I’m tired of hearing people make excuses for the club that aren’t based on reality. We couldn’t buy the right players? Oh, it’s because it’s a World Cup year! Oh, it’s because we haven’t yet qualified for… Read more »
Arteta is our first-choice DM, what we are in dire need of is cover. Flamini could be (neither of us can honestly say we have any idea whether he WILL be) a good squad option. A very talented player for us back in the day, experienced, versatile, gritty – if he’s been training with us and Wenger thinks he’s up to it, I trust him. On a free, I don’t see a reason not to sign him up.
chelsea isn’t exactly throwing their money everywhere either, but I think most of the signings that have taken place haven’t had the prospect of competition for places like there is at Arsenal. only city’s new strikers face that. and that’s because theyre competing with themselves. fernandinho, navas, soldado, willian, paulinho, wanyama, osvaldo — all these guys are walking into the first team. a fit wilshere, arteta and ramsey means fellaini, bender, flamini or gustavo probably isn’t doing that. more than anything i’m glad we are finally signing someone at this position! anyone! we’ve needed it…since flamini left! something is most… Read more »
Bottom line for me, is that Flamini is a player who I didn’t want to leave in the first place, can still do a job for us, and be part of the squad. Not a big name signing, but useful. Comparisons are interesting, but in context. United have spent more than us, but only because they paid for their unknown 20 year old. Spurs have been spending to a WTF level since the window began, but selling Bale takes them back to square one, even ignoring that they have also sold other first-teamers as well — Including the great Tom… Read more »
He played but not that much, friend of mine wasn’t really impressed nor he said he is sh*t because he is not.
That’s a good signing just to make numbers and I think he is a direct replacement of Coquelin. Cost nothing so it can turn out to be a very good signing if he can replicate the form of 2007/8 season when he was just great. I think we will still sign proper defensive midfielder we wait for so long.
I think we will still sign proper defensive midfielder we wait for so long.
===
I hope so, but based on how Wenger likes to operate, I have a rather bad feeling that Flamini concludes our DM business this summer.
Flamini is a proper DM. Dont forget that Arteta will return soon. That will give us two really good DM players and a great competition. If this ends our chance for DM signing ( others) I will be happy. Look, we are not just collecting players. And for those still hurt by Gustavo, he never liked a good competition for the position. May be. I also doubt whether his that battle hardened – watch him play. He comes off as runner, forcing people back etc ( Ramsey style when he plays with Arteta). I dont think that what we need… Read more »
could be a stop-gap until we can sign Bender
Do you watch football or just play football games? eriously Flamini is exactly what we need in the centre of our midfield u foolish plastic
Flamini would give us time. 2-3 seasons where we were not dependent totally on Arteta, could try out the double pivot with Jack and Aaron (like Wed) and see if it will work full time.
Alternatively, a couple of years to bring in and train his replacement for when he (invariably) leaves again at the end of his contract.
flamini is a proper defensive midfielder.
did anyone watch us 6 years ago?
6 yrs ago, he is not that same player anymore.
I’m sure he’ll bring something to the team but don’t expect the same player.
you realize he is 3 years younger than arteta right?
He spent a year out with a serious injury, so he will not b the same player
Of course he is a defensive midfielder and one who can score a goal, newcastle at home anyone? Dont remember if it was PL or FACup 3-0 scoreline, what a beauty he scored! But most expect DM with physical presence, right? Maybe that concern them. Probably it is true that no one really wants to change club before the WCup so we may not buy anyone else until next summer. So that is not ours fault nor Wengers. Number wise looks like we could do with another DM, as Arteta, Flamini & Diaby – who is expected to be fit… Read more »
He spent a year out with a serious injury — you mean like the entire midfield we played on Wednesday.
Good cover for Arteta and should we be in for someone young like Geoffrey Kondogbia he and Mikel could prove useful as an experienced influence on the kid.
verb: resign
voluntarily leave a job or other position.
Re-sign
Sorry to be a language Nazi but this one has bothered me before, it has the opposite meaning. If Milan wanted to resign him, they wanted him to leave, if they wanted to re-sign him, they wanted him to sign a new contract.
Seriously, why bother with language issues.
A lot of people who post here use English as a 2nd language.
To learn?
now at the real risk of being a pedant myself, you do not resign someone…rather someone resigns…and I do intend to get out more, since you ask, as soon as I complete this course of antibiotics…
Well, in the context of the sentence and in football language the word resign will never be used to indicate that AC Milan want Flamini to quit. “AC Milan want to resign Flamini” is a grammatically incorrect sentence, the correct grammatical sentence would be “AC Milan want Flamini to resign” . Also football players never resign.
What I don’t get is that he apparently wanted assurances that he’d play when asked to re-sign for Milan? He surly hasn’t got that with us?
They wanted to resign him or re-sign? Very different things. From what I’ve heard he was no longer starting material.
Meh, better than nothing.
Just meh no more no less
I don’t know how to feel about this.. But its better than nothing at the moment.. I hope he does well
I said the same thing but got almost as many dislikes as likes. Am I one of the villains now? 🙁
No, you’re just a like-whore.
It’s your opinion, you phrased it, people reacted to it. If you got an equal number of likes and dislikes it reflects the quality of your post in luring people into reading it and then convincing them it’s valid. Stop moaning about it.
Haha easy mate. I wasn’t serious.
If AC Milan were willing to let him go it suggests that he is not as good as he once was or thought he was. I would like us to sign players but the adjective ‘quality’ needs to be applied. I haven’t seen him play for ages; if he does sign for us I just hope that he is at least as good as what we already have
It’s rumoured he actually turned down an offer of a contract extension.
milan only wanted to offer him a 1 year extension and he wanted more security than that so he decided to test the waters as a free agent. its possible he ran out his contract because he thought wenger might give him another chance, we don’t know.
point is flamini joined us on a free from marseille and left us on a free for milan. now he’s joining for free again. he obviously drives a hard bargain in contract negotiations but that isn’t a reason not to get behind this.
You know how Ibrahimovic has the highest combined transfer fee of any player (having surpassed Anelka when moving to PSG) – surely Flamini wins for the lowest – 4 free transfers out of 4 must be a unique achievement.
I remember a certain Cantonna coming to this country as a free agent…he had burnt his bridges with pretty much everyone in France…Sheffield Wed wanted him to take a trial so he went to Leeds instead (excuse me while I clear some phlegm) and they won the league that year for the first time since 1066…real shame he didn’t come to Arsenal…
As much as I do think he’ll be a helpful addition to the SQUAD in terms of numbers.. Looking at it from Arsene’s brain it means the any interest in an actual proper defensive midfielder is off i.e. Pogba/Kondogbia who we seemed to be have been linked with most recently. Arsene might believe he’s in the same class as Gustavo/Bender etc.. but let’s be honest.. he’s not. What a mess.
Why should Arsene believe he is better than Gustavo/Bender? Even if Arsene was plane stupid, the prize should give him a hint that Flamini is not top class.
However Flamini does look like a useful squad player. And at the moment the squad really needs a couple of decent utility players.
Bender’s club refused to sell (they have cash already), and Gustavo chose not to join us.
The great thing about a Flamini deal is we may only need to give him a 6-month or one year deal, while the other mids heal up.
He also knows our style of play.
We have those already. If we want to win titles we need more world-class. This signing is positive because he is a good player and free (wages aside) but it’s not what we need to win titles.
More than world-class, we need a few decent players on short contracts to add to the stellar, top, top, top quality Arsene and Mr. Law are working on.
No, we don’t have those players. Take a look at our bench during the next match – there’s no one there who can do what Flamini can do…
But you are rigth that Flamini will not win us any titles. But we won’t win any titles with the current squad either.
Even if its not the top top quality we’ve heard so much about its a player in who can do a job and when Arteta is fit can be a decent squad player. Not bad news anyway.
Flamini is quality and he knows the arsenal way. He knows the spirit of the winning ways! Welcome back!
This is a good move. I view Ramsey and Flamini in the same light: tell them to do a job and they will do it to the best of their ability and without complaints. This is highlighted by Flamini’s extended run as left back in the CL. Some people are whining again about the lack of price tag and that Flamini is not a Bender or Gustavo or whatever. They refuse to look at the fact that Arsenal had the second best defence last season despite all the unforced individual errors. They wilfully ignore the stats that suggest Arteta was… Read more »
i take a bit of an issue with the arteta point… i think you are correct when we have the ball. arteta is a fantastic passer and a classy, technical player who doesnt lose possession easily. but i dont think the statistical argument does enough to show arteta’s effectiveness (or lackthereof) when we don’t have the ball. and i view his interceptions as a result of ramsey’s consistent, tireless pressing more than anything. but i think flamini will prove to be a much stronger, tougher tackler than arteta is. if this is true flamini is a great addition not just… Read more »
Flamini was this player when he and cesc ran the premier league for 6 months and i think he can be again
===
You mean, you “hope he can be,” because, let’s face it, that’s asking an awful lot, isn’t it? Would love to be proven wrong, but for me it’s very, very hard to imagine that Flamini is the same player he was “when he and cesc ran the premier league.” Not just age, but injuries and lack of playing time, will surely have taken their toll?
@Bun You are a pessimist and obviously have not supported arsenal for long mate! Why do you hate Flamini? He was core to us playing quality football when he was at the club, exactly what we are missing a hard working ball winner with good distribution. Your just mad because we have not blown are full transfer budget on Fellaini (sp?) or some other player whored by the tabloids….
@ Arsecrew get a grip
I guess age and numerous injuries didn’t have that effect on arteta when he joined so I don’t think it automatically will hurt flamini either.
and the system has changed, we’ve added another midfielder, so he doesn’t need to cover as much ground as he did in the 4-4-2 with cesc.
I never thought flamini’s game suited Italy. He was never a tactical player. He works his ass off and players who do that do best in England. So yes I do think (as well as hope) he’ll do really well if this is true
@Atheist, Interesting logic, that. So, anybody who is pessimistic hasn’t supported Arsenal very long? How do you work that out, exactly? Besides, your claim begs the question. Am I pessimistic? From your point of view, maybe, but for others I may be realistic. If you think it’s strange to be concerned that Flamini won’t return the same player, then I might question your sense of how age, injury, and playing time affect a player’s career. I might also question your grasp of Serie A, for the people I know who have watched Milan for years say that Flamini’s ability has… Read more »
Quality? Yeah right, keep deluding yourselfs. Have you even seen him play the last 3-4 years? I have and all I can say, he is not quality, he is quantity. More deadwood added if this is true but a great Wenger signing. He is free!
*face palm*
Injury prone, and not forgetting he completely mugged us off over his contract 5 years ago….
At least he didn’t go to Manure, $hitty, or chel$ki…and that means alot these days.
he’s mugged every club he played for off. its not like he’s a long term investment.
whats the point? just that we should still be bitter about it?
No that we should do better.
yeah…but we need bodies, and it hopefully will be a short-term contract.
How exactly did he mug us? By honouring his contract, but not signing a new one? That’s ridiculous.
Panic signing? If only we had planned well. Decent player but which Flamini are we signing? The one in the last year of his contract or the shitty one?
Shitty one I guess… Bloody hate the guy
If its a panic buy, why has he been training with us for at least a fortnight? Wenger does allow outsiders to train with the squad, but not often and usually with good reason. The most obvious ones are Henry (to be honest could we ever turn him down? — and we got the Leeds goal as an unexpected bonus), and Beckham, where it made sense for him as a Londoner (and the other logical option was with Walrus Face), we got good PR, and our English kids got to train with him for a few weeks. In that context,… Read more »
As good as Flamini was for us the first time, can’t help but feel a bit disappointed after being strongly linked with Bender and Gustavo. Oh well, at least we have some Premierleague proven cover for Arteta now.
Just any player will do at this point except John Terry!!!
FFS.
I just hope it’s a pay as you play contract and 2 years maximum, because I can see him becoming “deadwood” in 12 months or less.
Less for sure
I don’t think anyone is on a play as you pay contract. Just wouldn’t happen at Premier League level. He will be a good squad player and if he does, then can’t be classed as deadwood as those were players that didn’t play.
Wouldn’t be a bad squad Player, knows the club well and he’s French. And free. Can’t go wrong surely
I wouldn’t read too much into Milan not keeping him, Flamini has obsessive compulsive let-my-contract-run-down disorder.
He also had “just spent a year out with an injury, came back, and was deemed surplus to goods by the club” disorder.
I have nothing against Flamini (I’m over the whole Flamoney thing), but I don’t like this move. It’s impossible that he is the player he once was, this looks desperate, and I worry it will prevent another addition in midfield.
EDIT: Just learned that Milan did in fact offer him another contract, so, uh, never mind. Still, I think there are legitimate worries here for us, particularly in terms of what his signing would mean for our interest in other midfield targets.
But that was just so they could get a sell on price
Say it with me, people: “Stop. Gap. Stopgap.” If we’re going to go big on a DM then it doesn’t make sense to do it now, while Arteta is still so effective. If we could have gotten one of our top first-choice DM targets, a true replacement for Arteta, then maybe it makes sense to get him this summer. But only maybe. Because it still means that you’ve got to put one of either Arteta or Bender (or whomever) on the bench in every single game. And that’s a waste of our limited resources. But, beyond that, it’s DEFINITELY a… Read more »
Personally I have no problem with Flamini coming back as a squad player. He’ll bring energy and grit.
But, it would be nice if, you know……..Arsenal actually spent some money this summer.
his salary wont be cheap. this is spending money. it doesnt have to be on a transfer fee…
And why is it important to spend money? Its funny that, perhaps due to Chelsea effect, unless a player costs loads of money, he’s not good. Really?
What happened to bargains? Flamini might be one…. arriving at the perfect time when we most need him and he needs a contract.
I like the move. He’s got plenty of experience and he plays in a spot that were short. What’s not to like about this? He’s also not a pussy. He was never shy to put a boot in on some twat trying to kick cesc. Plus, he’s free, if he sits on the bench, no big deal.
Ok so we don’t pay wages then?
There’s always going to be players on the bench who get wages. That’s the nature of the game.
And I think he hates Spurs.
And I think he hates Tottenham.
We all knew this was going to happen the minute we heard he was training with us. The other thing we all know is that Wenger will use this as an excuse not to buy a more established defensive midfielder in his prime.
Oh well. At least Dick Law should be able to manage to track Flamini down for the contract-signing? I like that we’re making it easy on poor old Dick.
Why all this talk of excuses? If Wenger didn’t think he was up to scratch, he wouldn’t bring him in. We know we were in for Bender. We know we were in for Gustavo. It’s not as if Wenger doesn’t want to bring in quality in midfield. If Flamini can get back to a level even near where he was in 07-08, then we have a quality, experienced player on our hands, for free, to fight it out with Arteta and provide cover and competition. Where’s the negative?
Sensible post Sir. Except it’s apparent to me that folks here would rather we spend a minimum of 25 Million pounds to get a player they’ve heard of on FIFA / Football Manager, or watched him play a game or two or scouted him on a kickass Youtube clip and think he’s awesome.
Yeesh.
Oh I had forgotten about Dick! He will cock the deal up and Flamini will end up at Spuds where he belong. good news.
*all together now* [to the tune of The Sweeney]: “Flamini…Flamini….na-na na-na-na na-na na-na….Flamini…Flamini”. And so forth.
Who on earth gave the Sweeney theme tune the thumbs down. Idiot.
Hopefully they’re confident about his injury problems, he has only started 15 league games last two years.
“…injury problems, he has only started 15 league games last two years.”
===
Actually, I would think this is almost a prerequisite for a Wenger transfer.
Hahahahaha!!! Well done.
Yep, that’s how you use statistics to prove a point. Use the bit you want and ignore the rest.
He started 22 games last season
No he played in 22.
He started 15 times for AC Milan last year in the league and 4 cup games, with 3 more appearances as sub.
Not a first choice, but not reserve team either, and thats the season after a year out injured.
Not sure what to think of this. He was a decent enough player for us last time.
Is he another injury prone signing?
Does he fit the ‘top, top, top quality’ criteria that Wenger harps on about when looking at potential transfer deals?
Squad player – fine. Back up to Lego hair – meh. Not going to fire us higher up the table and get us nearer to getting some much wished for silverware.
Wonder what his salary would be?
Well… Wenger already said, no quality can compare to what he has in the squad already.
BREAKING NEWS:: Sales. Quantity.
Interesting.He would be a good utility player but there are questions marks over if he still has the quality he showed in his last year.I just hope that he’s not the only midfield signing, we need an attacking mid to round out our midfield due to Jack and Rosicky fitness issues and Ox now on the treatment table. And for all gooners feeling negative about him:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/8010235.stm
For whatever reason he may have left, he never bad-mouthed the club and always gave his all, unlike all those other cunts who left.
Another free transfer good business arsenal touch of sarcasm in that one
This guy thought he was too good for Arsenal back then like Hleb and they piss me off, screw this guy.
I’m wondering what Frimpong is doing there….
Boosting his grime career
Not too unhappy with this. He can definitely do a job in the squad when needed, whether he costs nothing or not.
Enduring image of him first time round was sleeves rolled up on his long sleeve shirt, and he’s that sort of player.
Will get stuck in.
Don’t think you can get any more LANS than that
New signing; same as the old signing perhaps?
LAOS
Like An Old Signing
At this stage I would take anything with two legs and two arms to boost the squad. With expectations that low this is marvelous news!
I thought Mathieu was a decent player when he last played for us. If he wants to sign for us and give his all, as in 100%, then why not. He’s not past it, shouldn’t of left the club really, to be honest, but people want new. Welcome home Monsieur Flamini!
Well he did try and kill a spurs player.
Flamini brings a few qualities you can’t complain about
– Knows the club & wont need a settling in period
– Quite a nasty b******* when required, god knows we need that
– Considering he left on a free, getting him back for nothing means there shouldn’t be bad blood. Justice served
– Versatile
– Can actually play unlike Frimpong & to a lesser extent, Coquelin
I’m trying not to be cynical here. But this looks like a desperate attempt by both Flamini and Arsene to recreate what worked 5 years ago. Me thinks that ship sailed. To be positive, he does add depth.
Sigh … What’s next Bob Wilson as the back up keeper to Chesney
Flamini (NDP) finally comes to fruition!
How desperate is wenger getting? Who next? Hleb, Lehman and Anelka…
Maybe that is why Anelka has retired.
Cool. But if its flamini instead of gustavo/bender quality player I’ll be disappointed. Still – this would alleviate any worries about us ending up with Gareth Barry
I suspect he will be the DM signing, with Flamini on board we will have three DM’s, i.e. Arteta, Flamini and Frimpong and to be honest I don’t see us buying another one.
THINK OF THE ROLLED UP SLEEVES!!!!!!
So according to Wenger we are scouting every player in the world 24/7 and so far none of them have had enough quality to come to Arsenal….except Flamini and Sanogo.
FFS!
How much is he costing? Fuck all? A bit steep if you ask me. Besides he needs to be a bit more in jury prone to be in the current squad. Is Harry Kewell still playing?
I read that Milan wanted him to stay but he let his contract expire so to say “not good enough for Milan” isn’t strictly accurate.
He would add much needed depth to the squad and knows “the Arsenal way”.
On a free and maybe on a pay as you play basis, in my opinion, this makes good business and football sense.
Milan offered him a contract, but he was not happy with the length of it, so Milan let him go. If he was good enough for Milan they would have tried harder to keep him. Also the Milan midfield is not exactly the envy of Europe, and he struggled to into that midfield with the likes of De Jong and Boateng ahead of him, both of whom if we’d signed few of us would have been impressed. In short if Milan wanted to keep him, he wouldn’t be at his former club keeping fit. Finally, as for knowing the Arsenal… Read more »
It’s taken Arsenal five years to replace Flamini, but they have finally done it…. by signing Flamini.
No we haven’t Flamini is not good enough to replace Flamini.
Will he really add quality and improve our squad as suggested by Wenger??? Some people never change and Wenger is one of them. Always out there looking for bargain signings. I believe desperate times call for desperate measures. By signing him we are simply saying that we are happy to fight for 4th place. I thought this seasons would be different but I was wrong. Still hoping for a miracle marquee signing.
Well, perhaps we should be happy to fight for the 4th place. The problem is that there are probably at least 10 clubs in Europe which are more attractive to play for than Arsenal at the moment. The Premier League isn’t automatically the preferred place to be for the marquee players at the moment. So our chance to attract a “galactico” is pretty slim. And even if miracles do happen and we sign a marquee player, we will still have use for an experience utility player like Flamini to fill up the squad. At the moment we are at least… Read more »
Same old wenger, getting other teams rejects. World class players my ass.
Better than nothing, yet how can we forgive him leaving us like that, right after 1 good season. Is he good enough to be forgiven or maybe we’ve fallen so far we dont care about our pride…
Another deal done from the bargain bucket…..