Alex Song has completed his move to Barcelona. The Cameroon midfielder underwent a medical this morning and Arsenal confirmed the deal was complete this afternoon.
He’ll be presented later this evening at the traditional Joan Gamper game as Barcelona take on Sampdoria, 20 years after the Catalans won their first ever European Cup against the Italians.
He has gone down a well worn path in recent seasons, following players like Cesc Fabregas, Thierry Henry and Marc Overmars to the Camp Nou. Song’s versatility will endear him to the Barcelona manager, playing in midfield or centre-half will increase his options of playing time, and he’ll be hoping his move turns out better than the last Alex we sold them.
Arsenal said, “Everyone at Arsenal would like to thank Alex for his contribution to the Club and wish him the best of luck for the future.”
Bye.
I thought we should get more than the reportedly €19 million. He provides an option as an emergency CB when the team needs a tactical switch or at times of injury crisis and i feel we should get a bonus fee on this alone.
Blatant hijacking of top comment here. 😉
If rumours are true about song being lazy, then I suppose a move to the Spanish league is exactly what he is after…. Seeing as though they have 2 competitive matches per season, should fit in well with songs hair appointments
Song is a good player, but not really top class player and around 15 mil rising to 17 mil is great business. He is not Jack, Sahin or EVEN Diaby. Don’t get me wrong, Song is has a talent the only problem with him, he reminds me of kids football in the play ground with no awareness or no sense of position and just run to where the ball is. Technically rubbish. Hopefully Theo next out of the door as that headless sprinter doesn’t seem to want to sign a new contract. We could see him move and that would… Read more »
Apparently footage from Song’s leaving part has been leaked as Wenger confronted Darren Dein.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcFlp6kl508&feature=player_embedded
Strangely, my hand just did this without me trying to:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Fingers_and_thumb_in_circle_downward_motion.jpg
Time to steel one of there kids again, Muhahahahaha!
They paid Chamakh more than him.
It was money, again.
Anyway no big loss.
Chamakh’s basis is skewed because he’s a Bosman transfer and that signing on fee is paid over the course of his contract.
Also worth noting that most player deals, especially long-term ones like Song, have built in increases and performance related increases/bonuses. This is spin.
Which isn’t to say some players aren’t earning too much, but still.
all players are earning too much.
We are quick to point out player/agent spin yet promote club spin.
Equal spin please …
Let the fans have ALL the info.
I think club spin is equally addressed, if not more so.
Honestly, I could care less about either club spin or agent spin. What I know is that Song was a much improved player and was a bargain at 50,000 per year. I can’t understand why if a player does right by you and improves and plays a lot and surpasses expectations you can’t kick extra money in and keep him happy and stable? It’s not like we were dealing with deadwood in his case, right? Having said that, I also think that Song handled all of this rather poorly. He could have said “Barcelona has a real interest in me… Read more »
When he signed his contract about 2 years ago he was an unproven and unknown (to many) 22yr old so why compare his wages to Chamakh who signed a contract under very different circumstances?
And if rumours are to be believed, the difference in their wages is about £5000/wk.
people complain that either we are paying players too much, or complain that we are paying them too little ….
can i have a list of the players who are being paid exactly the right amount?
Of course it’s often the same people who think that we should have paid players with potential more if they turn out to fulifill or exceed that potential, that think we’re overpaying the ones who turn out to never live up to their potential.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing eh?
LOL
Was song a traitor…. I am a debater…. At first everyone was a song hater….. Most thought he should just be a waiter…. When he ran he moved the equator…. When he fell there was a huge crater…. Even his body actions needed a translator… But though Wenger’s guidance he became straighter.. Then we loved him, Wenger was the vindicator…. Time passed and he thought he was greater… He started to do as he wanted, became a dictator… So Wenger got shot of him, as should be the fate of a traitor… If someone stabs you in the back, get… Read more »
Oh Ice, I do declare…
We’ll have none of that, icy tea or Scoppy Scoppy Dog Dog!
Here’s a little story about a boy called song
with bad dress sense and hair like a mong
he was a bit shit but wenger had a punt
but as it turn out ,he was a bit of a cunt
he tried to challenge Arsene , the wise old goat
now he warms the bench for Barca, and i’ll get my coat.
MEOW!
Good luck song and punch busquets in the face for me will you?.
Will he be able to do the keepy-ups for the camera, though?
We don’t need players who cry about only getting 55k a week, good riddance.
Song’s representative slammed Arsenal for not discussing a new contract till September 1. That is the end of the window. I don’t see anything wrong in that. He had three years to go. His deal was not priority. I don’t understand the outrage there. Am I being too thick?
Anyway, Song was a good player. It seems success was a very heady drink for this Cameroonian.
He(Dein) singled out a top level ex (Gazidis). Sits in nicely with the agenda in Usmanov’s letter.
Sorry to see Song go, always liked him as a player. I will be very surprised if he makes any kind of impact at Barcelona though – this looks like long term career suicide for very short term gain, I think. Alex should choose his advisors more carefully.
Not sorry to see an end of the Dein mischief making at the club’s expense though. Any chance you can fuck off now Darren? And stay there?
Song was an over-rated cuntbutler whose biggest injury risk for the duration of his barca contract will be spraining his ludicrous hair or getting splinters in his backside from the barca bench.
I realise that not everyone agrees with me but frankly I’m glad he’s gone.
Adios amigo!
Don’t let the door hit you and Darren Dein’s ass on you’r way out!!
So as I said from the start arsenal never really
offered song a new contract just made excuses
for his sale with their ‘laziness accusations’.
Turns out song was dying for a new contract
but come rain, come shine he was never gonna
get it. Arsenals B.O.D as I said is full of shit.
‘Buy one or two players….then……….we just
lost money on that deal, let’s sell a team player
and get that money back asap!.’
——> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/
football/teams/arsenal/9487891/.html
If you can’t see through that article for the bullshit it is …
Give over Arseblog – when you find a piece of unsubstantiated information from a tabloid rag that supports your view you claim it’s true, when you find one that doesn’t they’re a bunch of lying pricks. I can’t be the only one to notice that ever since your site went into money mode, there’s been less and less truth and more Wenger/club tongue licking. You’re like a little puppy dog led by your hardcore readers, afraid to have an unpopulist view. That’s why Arseblog is becoming more worthless by the day. The club is slowly sinking and you’re supporting that… Read more »
Please tell us more about this conspiracy of Wenger is trying to ruin this club. You sound so rationale and level-minded. Just like all the lovely Le Grove readers.
Ok Punha, name a blog or news site that is right all the time. There’s a certain amount of a bullshit-o-meter needed when reading the press and, funnily enough, a lot of them write a lot of it. There is clearly a certain Uzbek with an agenda and a slimey little shitter of an agent too.
I would suggest that Arseblog tends to look on the brighter side of things but is generally more balanced in it’s opinions than most, and certainly more than the dour, miserable and pissypants Le Grove.
Punha – nobody is forcing you to read it. This blog has always encouraged everyone’s right to an opinion, no matter how contrary it is. Often it’s how that view is expressed that causes the problem.
Anyway, there are lots of other Arsenal blogs and sites out there. I hope you find one that supports your view of the ‘truth’, seeing as you know so much about it.
is it the weather that triggers such heated opinions? it’s still incredibly hot where I’m just pretending to work, but that usb fan works wonders!
And doing the pretending thing only read stuff I like. Sure, without discussions and differing opinions it would be sort of boring, but I don’t understand people who try tell others that all they believe is right is wrong. too much hassle, especially with that wheather…
funny Punha, you posted on Arseblog, 130 + read the crap you posted, just how does that make a blog worthless, oh wise one??
so you base your opinion on that transfer on what his agent told a newspaper, am I right?
Nope, nothing to add then.
Why was he “dying” for a new contract when he already had three years left on his current one? It’s hardly like he was left in uncertainty. The best bit about the article is that Arsenal apparently said they’d discuss a contract on September 1st. Good on them.
Yep it contains some actual quotes from his agents and you blogs can’t tell me whether it bullshit or not……
Arsenal made some allegations about song…..um, are you most certain that they were true?. I just brought it up, make of it what you wish. Like I fucking did!
Arsenal didn’t say anything about Song other than wish him well. Other people connected to the club, who certainly have no agenda or need to defend Wenger or the club, are the ones who have made his behaviour an issue.
Oh blogs how many times do we the fans have to sit back and accept anything that the club feeds us. Just because something goes against wenger In some way, we’ll brush it aside and call it b/s when it may often be not. If wenger says this! then that’s that – case closed, we never care to look behind the scenes. I try to look at the other side (every story has two sides) and all I get is “wenger knows best”……no doubt he does, but does every decision pertaining player sales have to be his? The board maybe… Read more »
3 years left to go on his contract, already getting paid a bloody fortune
so in 6/9 months time he could have negotiated a new contract, before it came to ‘the 2 years to go’ point we would either pay him more because he did a good job, or he could think about leaving.
1 more year to go on ‘only’ £55,000 a week isnt such a hardship is it?
i dont believe a word that snake dein says, its very very rare for arsenal to come out with bad stuff about ex players
The one thing he is right about how the Barca train is hard to resist. Shame yer man will be kicked out of that train next season.
Ha! The one thing Arseblog is not is balanced. Since it became his day job it’s become less and less balanced. Everyone that leaves the club is a cunt, and everyone that joins is the new messiah. He probably can’t see it because he’s up to his neck in bias. He’ snow just another AKB – probably gets his cues from Untold Arsenal whose mantra is “supporting the Lord Wenger, coach of the decade”. And don’t pretend you accept other people’s views, you regularly ban Arsenal fans just because they post anti-Wenger comments. And just because a comment is unpopular… Read more »
er, things get ‘hidden’ automatically if they get overwhelmingly negative comments. its a comment board script, not human intervention
i’m not exactly sure what your problem is but i dont see that bias that you do
people can disagree about things, but its more about the ‘tone’ of some comments than then content
I wondered exactly what you were talking about but now I realise that clearly you don’t even read arseblog. If you did, for one, you would know it most certainly is not biased and two that stupid divisive term ‘AKB’ is burned here. We do not entertain divisive rubbish, express yourself and move along.
*banned…. Arghhhhh….
I don’t get the problem. Every player who forces his way out of our club is a cunt. And every new signing we all hope will be the new bergkamp. Why should it be different? This is an arsenal blog, we care about arsenal, not about players who for one reason or another don’t care about Arsenal. I aint interested in a balanced view of Songs new life. Is he a gooner? no? Then fuck him, and lets talk about someone who is!
The only people who get banned are those who consistently break the comment policy or are aggressive or abusive to other commentators.
People are never banned because they hold an opinion contrary to mine or other people’s.
As I said earlier, this blog clearly doesn’t suit the way you think and you’d probably be better off elsewhere. By all means keep telling us how much you disagree with me or make spurious accusations about me but it’s rather a waste of everyone’s time, don’t you think?
I’ll read what I like thanks. Just try to be more objective. There are A LOT of very unhappy Arsenal supporters, you don’t speak for them – all that comes out is this fake positivity. Excuses, excuses, excuses. You can’t write a post anymore without hard wiring excuses into it. Why is the club bleeding players, why is our form so absymal, why are Wenger’s tactics shite, why is the defence so shit, why are the fans spending the earth to watch mediocre shite, why does Kroenke say fuck all, why are board letting contracts run down, what future is… Read more »
You have no idea who I regularly ban. I very rarely ban anyone as it happens but they are banned for their behaviour, not their views. It’s interesting that you call people “aggressive pro-Arsenal” supporters. They’re just Arsenal supporters. The people who are aggressive are people like you, you’re here for a fight. As you say, you can read what you like but when you make groundless accusations and belittle fans who disagree with you then no wonder people react poorly to you. Finally:Why for example don’t you have Arsenal fans on your audio blog that are anti-Arsenal or anti-Wenger,… Read more »
“pro Arsenal supporters” <— this made me chuckle
the affront of it all, hey
personally i'm looking forward to receiving my paperback copy of so paddy got up with the chinese made key ring or whatever other tat the arsenal send us this year. then we'll be able to get terribly upset about selling out, being in the pay of the club, etc etc
I mean before the internet, and blogs about football, clubs had no way of being evil, manipulative or controlling.
it's all the fault of blogs.
Punha go and try an lick your own balls it would be a better use of your time, Tired of your jealous lack of knowledge based on bulshit comments,You had an opportunity to express yourself and you made a balls of it.
Poor career choice, Alex. Trust me.
Seems to me that Song just found his way to the world’s best bench
But as it’s Barcelona, it must be ‘Mas Que Banco’ (More Than a Bench)
More than a bench would be “Más que un banco”. “Mas que banco” means “what a bench!”. But it’s good to know he’ll be sitting comfortably while watching Barça pass the ball!
I disagree!
It’s not about the career, it’s about the fucking money, don’t you get it?.
Plus the obvious privilledge to be among cunts!
Poor player choice Barca. Trust me.
Nah i kid. Hope things work out well for him..
They’ll be after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain next…
Meh.
If a player who tells the man who basically made him he doesn’t want to play for him any longer then that player does not deserve to wear the Arsenal shirt. We won’t miss you Song!
Seeya Song.
I am already over it. He did throw some amazing assists out there but how many times at the end of games when we had 3 or 4 minutes left and could get a chance to tie or win Song would grab the ball in midfield and try a chip and it would go out for a goal kick. We would work get the ball back and get it to him and he would chip again, or lose control of the ball. I will not miss that one bit. Also if Barcelona think he is a new Yaya Toure all… Read more »
Sad to see him go and I think we should have kept him for sake of continuity. However, he isn’t impossible to replace and we can definitely improve on him. Sahin is a far better passer and much more tactically disciplined. I grew fond of Song and hoped his improvement continued but I won’t miss his wandering up the field without caring about shielding the back four (this is a problem of his attitude as well as our playing style under Wenger) or his Hollywood passes and reluctance to shoot. We have lost a physical presence though. Sahin is excellent… Read more »
My guess is Coquelin and Frimpong will be his direct replacements.
And you can accuse Frimpong for a lot of things but not for lack of psysicality. He is my favorite cannonball.
So basically every player who leaves a club tries to defend that they did not leave for money and they left for trophy reason and so on, but Darren Dein is saying Arsenal were paying less and hence Song is leaving. So he’s admitting that Song left for money?
To be honest, im more upset that I wont be seeing the ridiculous hair-dos and dancing around in ballet skirts anymore!
too right, song (and eboue) often cheered up the doom and gloom surrounding the club by their antics. Now the team is lacking designated jokers 🙁
and i don’t see Arteta turning up to training in weird clothes and a radical haircut…
Hey gays
Hahaha, Arteta will show up next week with a bleached mohawk and sunglasses with spikes on them.
(I think he’d rather die than mess with his perfect hair!)
This isn’t one to get upset about. He’s not exactly inspiring is he. Don’t get me wrong, he’s good, I just think he’s Liverpool good, or spurs good, not arsenal good. Wish him all the best not doing much at all at Barcelona. Wenger knows best, when he’s let a player go when he didn’t have to, how often has he been wrong? Can’t think of many times myself.
He was our best player last season apart from RVP, along with Arteta and Kos. He was/is Arsenal good, make no mistake about that.
Not too upset by this one, to be honest. Would’ve been nice to have him around, but as long as we find a suitable replacement we’ll be fine. I like Song, even if he did kind of betray Wenger at least he wasn’t as public about it as van Quisling. Good bye and good luck, mr Alex Dimitri Song Billong.
I will enjoy reading my Twitter timeline the first time Song fails to track a midfielder who swoops in for a goal. Happened far to much here for my expectation of a “defensive midfielder”.
Arteta’s a much better defensive player. Won five tackles last game.
Song’s rep: “We tried six times to renegotiate his contract. They kept saying it has three years to run. They’re covering themselves because they’re being killed by the fans. I know it’s [a senior Arsenal exec] covering his a***.”
Fucking ridiculous how he’s trying to place the blame on the club. He had THREE YEARS on his contract. The club has every right to choose when they want to re-negotiate his contract. You don’t tell the board what to do, Song.
Fuck player power. Glad he’s gone.
Should clarify that I might be overreacting and these might not be his actual quotes. Got this info from Twitter from what I consider to be a reliable source.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/9487891/Arsenal-did-not-sell-Alex-Song-to-Barcelona-because-of-his-unprofessional-attitude.html
He doesn’t billong to us anymore.
Sooooong, he doesn’t billong to us anymore.
He billongs to barca now, the cunts.
Song Billagone.
Wenger needs to listen to mr. cazorla now and spend to replace!
In an idea world, we could certainly use Sahin, M’villa but i’m unsure if we need another striker… not unless we offload the rest of them, do we? I mean Podolski, Giroud and it looks like we’re keeping the little Russian who can also play there (as cover).
Critical 10 days for Wenger to shape our squad for what could be rather exciting season!
I agree with the general sentiment, but not because Cazorla says so. It’s not a player’s place to tell Arsene what he should or shouldn’t do in the transfer market (*coughRVPcough*).
I wonder what odds you could get on him being back in the prem next season on loan to Birmingham or some such?
Anyway. Now we don’t ‘only got one Song’. Thanks for the all the dink passes last season. See you in the Champs Lg when Santi will run rings round you!
In the Champions League? There is no way that Alex Song will be playing in any Barcelona Champions League team. He will be lucky to make the bench. The indulgence that he was treated with at Arsenal will not be repeated at Barcelona, no mistake.
Fucking Champions League, are you joking? Oh, Darren didn’t tell you that part, did he not Alex…?. Well its like this…Arsenal made you, not the other way round. And now you are on your own.
I think the Club put it best: Thanks for your contributions, Mr Song, and good luck.
I’m so completely gutted that RVP and in particular Alex Song have left us. We have become a feeder club for talent. Something’s gotta change at Arsenal or there is very real danger that we could end up in the bottom three this season. Shocking state of affairs.
relegation?
heh. i mean, there’s being negative and angry and all that, but surely you’d actually have to be insane to believe that there is even the slightest possibility of arsenal being relegated this year
blimey
Eeeerm… Bottom 3? You’re taking this a little hard, JJ. Everything OK?
i agree about the feeder bit but as for bottom 3 get real m8
Yea you’re right we are def relegation candidates. Get a grip man.
You’re either Piers Morgan or ‘Arry twitchface, or Kenny Dalglish. All who are completely out of touch with reality.
Obvious trolling.
Bottom 3 haha, great stuff.
55K a week, how did he survive???
The guy was average/good at times but cant throw this type of demand.
Nonetheless its another departure for money issues… I hope we dont let it ride or will it take a Wilshere to be enticed away?
Somethings wrong, it aint working.
Congratzz Song0….some beautiful moments to relish between U and RVP….just hoping U haven’t Alex Hlebed Ur football career….just wishing U and VP regret @ the end of the season
The smoke screen that was Song’s assists masked the apparent inconsistencies in his defensive discipline and ability to shield the back four. Good riddance it must be while hoping that Wenger properly fills up the gaping hollow left.
The trouble with Arsenal’s old system is that the players were first team regulars at such an early age that they were all desperate to get some bench action by their mid twenties. Good to see that Flamini, Hleb and Adebayor are all now getting some hard-earned rest. Now it’s Song’s turn.
Good luck, Song.
Shame you had to go, but then again, life goes on. Let’s just hope you don’t prove to be a massive cunt and start slagging off Arsenal by the end of the week.
Up the Arsenal!
We’ll miss you, and we’ll miss your weekly tonsorial surprise. Good luck!
has anyone mentioned that john terry is a cunt in this thread yet?
I think you need to mention Luis Suarez as well.
Oh….oh you’ve forgot terry.
It’s been said?. But still…..john terry is ultimate of cunts.
Went for the same price as Jack Rodwell. Shows how much the market is fucked.
Will be easily replaced he was not a DM, he a was half decent utility player who could play centre back. He was here now he is gone, end of.
No doubt we will offer 10 million for M’Vila but the mongs up the road will outbid us by 3-5 million and sign him, its the Arsenal way.
Alex Hleb / Mathieu Flamini Mk2. He will realise later. But I like this revolution that’s going on. I’m glad to see Wenger’s ruthlessness with backstabbers who jump ship after being spoon fed for so long. Kindergarten time is over. Now let’s hope all this “because I want to win trophies” bullshit comes to an end, as we’re cutting loose a failed generation. Because these players who are moving on, they have failed too. When they talk the trophy draught, they’re not sharing the burden, almost pinning it all on Wenger. But Wenger is a winner, he’s done it before… Read more »
Arsenes bottle of water you are spot on. These are players who have won nothing in 7 years and we are worrying about selling them. Cazorla looks world class already – jack will be back, get some players in who want to play for us.
Well said fuck him, he could’ent hold the club to ransom because he had 3 years left on his contract so he just acted the cunt instead and joined a bunch of fellow cunts
Song!!!..Should have thought about another Alexandre who went from Arsenal to Barca a few years ago.
i think you misquoted the statement from arsenal. it should have been:
“Everyone at Arsenal would like to thank Alex for his contribution to the Club and wish him the best of luck for the future…. the c*nt!”
Well so we have finally sold the whole of darren dein to barca.
Best of luck you idiots.
COYG.
The full picture (was in some other source, don’t remember which), includes his wallet sticking out of the pocket. Meh.
Just saw comments from Barstardlona’s manager who’s name i am too drunk to spell, but he said in an interview Song is backup DM for Basquets.
Congratulations Song, you have gone from a starting player who would have gotten a bigger contract in a year or two’s time, to squad depth in Spain. Enjoy.
Chan-Song d’amour, ra da da da da
Chan-Song, Chan-Song d’amour
Arsenal have conceded 170 goals in the last 4 seasons where Song was DM.
So fucking what?
I bet if I told you that when he was still here would have brushed me away with the same old speech “cut him some slack, it’s a collective responsibility, the whole team has to contribute’.
Stop bashing a player just coz he’s left. Leave him.
Was a big fan of Song. I don’t care about the reason he left. What matters is The Arsenal will go on well after all these players are long gone. What scares me is the fact that we will always be a selling club (not by choice) with this self sustaining model as long as we make/have great/decent players. If JW10 developes as we all hope and by good luck we have upped our wage ceiling to 180k per week, there will always be a ‘new everton’ or caen tapping him up with new highs of 650k per week. I… Read more »
+ dont get me wrong. I am no fan of the sugar daddy model.
Can’t imagine kneeling and sucking Usmanov’s cash cow.
I’m not glad that he’s gone but its a position that we can certainly improve on. Disparaging rumours about his conduct remain just that, rumours. I refuse to slag off a player who’s given us good service untill Wenger releases a tell all auto biography confirming his treachery. IMHO, the only world class players that we’ve ever sold were Henry, Cashley and Cesc. Players who do their biz consistently for 5-plus years, not 29yr olds with a 1 and a half year great ssn and certainly not a player we’ve basically Frankenstined into a decent biscuit back up.
Bye then Mr Song. I thought you were more of an Arsenal man than you are. Oh well.
Hope you have a great time on loan at Stuttgart or some other shit next season, and the one after that…
How many pages do you think Arsene’s “Tell-All” Autobiography be?
I’ll get the ball rolling and say 10 thousand, give or take an Anelka story.
Just one or two but they will have to be of super super quality.
Another plus is we won’t have to worry about losing him to ACN ever again.
There’s a couple of fans out there that obviously dont like the truth to be said about the ACN but I agreed with the Merlin bloke. It’s not anti-Africa, is just that the ACN happens in the middle of the EPL season.
I feel the same about International friendlies. I hate when an Arsenal player gets injuries or fatigued when not playing for the Arsenal in the middle of the season.
There! I’ve said it. It had to be said.
yep that’s the long and the short of it.
A decent player, but on a par with Edu I would say. In 2002-2005 he’d have been a sub, which probably says more about the drop in our standard than Songs ability.
I was very positive for the season, but if we don’t re invest the RVP and song fees I don’t see the point in selling them. I disagree it has already been spent because last transfer year we had a 40m surplus on transfers. I’m all for self sustainability but I would like a little excitement and ambition.
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