Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas proudly paraded a Euro 2008 winners medal tonight in the Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna! The final score, as if you didn't know, was Spain 1 Germany 0. Personally, I'm delighted for the young Spaniard. Not only does Fabregas posess maturity beyond his years on the football pitch, but also off it. Since joining Arsenal in 2003 at the tender ago of 16, Cesc has been a classy player and a very classy young man - and it appears likely to be in his character to stay that way.

You would have to think that Spain will also be strong favourites to win the 2010 World Cup - and Fabregas a key component of that team. Like France circa 1998, it's a young, super-talented squad that's certainly yet to reach its peak.

Fabregas has much to thank his manager Arsene Wenger for. Not many are brave enough to give such a young player such an important role at such a big club. Playing for any other top European team it seems inconceivable that Fabregas would have been thrust into the limelight so soon and therefore as advanced a player as he is now. It would be ridiculous to assert it's all down to the manager's influence of course, but nevertheless Wenger is a key reason that Fabregas is a European Championship winner tonight, and a player who also played a major role in that success.

My sympathy extends to Jens Lehmann. To be honest, he didn't have a great tournament and was perhaps lucky to make the final with such a poor German team - but in Oliver Kahn's shadow for so long, this was a great opportunity to bow out on a career high. Apart from his obvious character flaws, Lehmann is probably my favourite Arsenal keeper and I would certainly not have begrudged him a winners medal. Lehmann is a goalkeeper with incredible mental strength and absurd self-confidence. He was always entertaining to watch, and certainly at his peak just as good, if not better, than former Arsenal greats such as Seaman, Jennings, Wilson or Lukic.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum we have Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor, who is swiftly turning into the new Ashley Anelka. Press reports claim via some fairly hefty quotes that Adebayor wants a massive pay rise otherwise he fully intends to leave Arsenal Football Club. Again, speculation is rife and supposition spreading like wildfire, but it seems pretty obvious that this is turning into a highly flammable state of affairs and one that Adebayor, and no doubt his agent, have been instrumental in sparking.

Personally, assuming it's true that Adebayor will only stay at the club if offered a double-wage-busting deal, I certainly don't believe Arsenal should cave in to such demands. This is a player who has won precisely zero in his career and is certainly NOT the finished article - it's still highly questionable as to whether the player is even capable of reproducing his form of last season let alone being paid the sort of mammoth wages commanded by proven club legends such as Adams, Overmars, Bergkamp, Vieira or Henry etc.

One has to wonder what sort of reception Adebayor can expect from Arsenal fans next season presuming he suceeds in his quest for a double-my-wages deal. For example, it's unlikely they will react graciously if he has a munter in the first few months of the season. You therefore have to conclude that the player has already has put himself in a delicate, if not foolhardy situation - heaping pressure on himself whatever the circumstances.

If someone's prepared to pay anything over £20m Arsenal should get rid. Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz has long been touted as a possible replacement, and although there's probably not much truth to that rumour, he is at least living proof that a player can come directly into the Premiership and have a big impact (19 goals in 36 games). In other words, Adebayor is certainly replaceable, no doubt about it - and that's not sour grapes talking. Quite a few Arsenal fans already have reservations regarding Adebayor's ability - and mental stability - regardless of this puerile drama.

Sorry about the headline, I had a Caught Offside moment - you know, one of those frequent lapses of judgment when some dumb blogger writes a ludicrous and unsavoury headline just to attract web hits.

In fact, it appears nothing could be further from the truth as only this afternoon newspapers across the land have leapt into action, quoting Adebayor eulagising on how "football is more important than money". The quotes certainly suggest that the Togolese striker is more than happy to stay at Arsenal for at least another week. You can read said quotes on the Sky Sports website.

In other news, Cesc Fabregas - the star of Euro 2008 (not Andrei Arshavin - the 27 year old Russian who plays for the mighty Zenit St. Petersburg and disappears out of matches quicker than Ashley Cole  from a revolving door) suggests that Barcelona are very naughty for tapping up Arsenal players in public.

Fabregas mentions 7 players have been verbally and psychologically abused thus far, leading me to the conclusion that Barcelona are without doubt the sado-masochists of the footballing world. They "tap" up players, "foister" their history as a phallic incentive, then "grease" palms with lucrative contracts. If that wasn't bad enough, with their targets metaphorically handcuffed and frothing at the mouth for some hot Catalan action, Barca hunt new virgin prey, leaving their previous captors in a state of premature ejaculatory angst.

Ask yourself? Would you like to be tapped, foistered, greased - then dumped on - by a chairman called Joan?

So here we are, in late June. And when all is said and done, only the contract-less Jens Lehmann and Matthieu Flamini have departed Arsenal Football club, whilst the pre-pubescent Aaron Ramsey and approximately half of Samir Nasri have joined. At half time it's Arsenal 1½ Irresponsible Greedy Agents, Players and Lying Websites 2. Come on Arsene, you can do better!

The reports of Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor joining numerous clubs this summer continues to grow credence. Most transfer stories are a spark in the either, sometimes they're a fire easily dowsed by a bucket of water from the manager, but in Adebayor's case, the speculation has turned into a great big raging bonfire that nobody can extinguish - and more importantly, few are attempting to.

Since joining Arsenal on January 13th 2006, Adebayor's attempt at winning the affection of the Arsenal fans has been a successful one - but most supporters would be lying if they did not admit to a nagging doubt. Generally, his mountainous work ethic is appreciated if nothing else and everybody would have to agree that the striker gives Arsenal a more physical dimension than your usual Wenger team. Then there's the goals, 4 in his first half-season, 12 the season after, and 30 last year, progress is being made - although one might argue that any striker worth his salt would score 30 goals a season playing up front for such a goal-creating machine as Arsenal - last season Bendtner scored nine coming off the bench and Eduardo 12 in less than half of his first full season.

But back to that nagging doubt. Let's be honest, Adebayor does not fit the Wenger mold of pass and move football. His ball control is more often than not a miscontroland I don't believe I've ever seen a player so frequently blown offside - it has become infuriating to watch at times. Wengerball does not usually find accommodation for a player of Adebayor's technique; too many attacking moves break down when the ball lands at the big man's feet, and he is also a player who scores in flourishes, he'll bag 10 in 7, then won't score for 6 weeks. With Adebayor comes a manager's worst fear of a stiker, unpredictability

It is possible that Wenger feels Adebayor's last season at Arsenal was a one-off, a season of good fortune unable to be repeated. And if he gets it right, bagging a massive £22m transfer fee for another future failure would be his best piece of business since Nicolas Anelka's move to Real Madrid for a similar amount. One thing's for sure, there are some legs on this transfer story and Wenger could well feel that Arsenal would be a more effective team without Emmanuel Adebayor.

How would I feel if the player left? Well, like most fans - I have mixed opinions of the front man. Of his 30 goals last season - 16 were scored away from home; this is not a striker who only scores in the comfort zone of his own stadium. Adebayor scored at the old foe Tottenham (3 times during 07/08), AC Milan, Liverpool and Man Utd - so coming up trumps against the big clubs does not appear to be a problem for him. What else do I admire about Adebayor? He never gives up does he? He'll miss 2, 3, 4 chances in a game, but crucially it never seems to affect him - a good attribute to have.

To be honest, I would be happy for the player to stay - his touch and technique can certainly be improved on the pitch and on the training ground, Adebayor is only 24 after all - not many strikers peak at that age. However, if Wenger is prepared to sell, I can certainly understand the reasoning behind it. My biggest reservation is that with the prospect of Adebayor and Alexandr Hleb both leaving the club along with the already departed Matthieu Flamini and Jens Lehmann - there will be a requirement for plenty of new arrivals - and new arrivals take time to adapt.

One thing's for sure, when all is said and done it will be very interesting to see who has come and gone by 31st August, and the level of control Arsene Wenger will have had.

Ok, I know it's only June and I've published time and again that there's plenty of time for new recruitments by le boss. However, I just can't help but be alarmed by recent quotes from Arsene Wenger. They appeared last week, but I ignored them as the usual fanciful paper talk, but since more-detailed quotes cropped up again yesterday I feel the uncontrollable urge to pass comment.

So what am I fretting about? Well, these quotes printed in The Sun newspaper - that bastion of intelligesia - where Wenger admits: "I have been interested in Vincent Kompany ever since he was 16, but I am not interested in him this year... There is nobody I need for my team's defensive department."

Yes, it's the second, bolded part of that sentence that most alarms me, draining my head of red plasma. Since the second half of last season, it's become as obvious as day that Arsenal's big problem lies in the heart of the defence. In fact, I am pretty confident that had Wenger bolstered the defence in January, however problematic that may have been, Arsenal could well have been walking away with at least one major trophy last season.

There is no doubting that Kolo Toure and William Gallas are generally both fine players, everybody is assured of that, but it appears that they ceased to be fine players for about 3 months of the season - the most crucical part, the part where strength of character, composure and nerve is undoubtedly tested the most. It's all well and good displaying neat and tidy defensive characteristics in the first half of the season - and I'm not belittling how important that is, but it's really not so good if all the hard work is going to be thrown out the window come February, when the title race takes full shape and the Champions League knockout rounds begin.

Between 12th August and 11th February (over 6 months), Arsenal conceded 30 goals in all competitions - that includes a 5-0 hammering from arch rivals Tottenham in the Carling Cup semi-final, but when the pressure was really on towards the end of the season, Arsenal conceded 20 goals in less than eight weeks, winning just 2 matches in 13 and getting slowly but surely (or in fact quickly) taken out of every major competition partaken in. Liverpool put 6 past Arsenal in 6 days, Chelsea breached the defence twice in 15 crucial minutes, and Man Utd banged another 6 past the back line in during the 4-0 FA cup rout and league game combined.

Chief protagonists in Arsenal's downfall were Philippe Senderos and Kolo Toure - the former proving for the 5th season running that he is incapable of keeping his composure in pressurised situations, and the latter having a fair nightmare second half to the season. 

One would think that Kolo Toure would be a shoe-in for club captain - enthusisatic, loyal and very popular amongst the fans, yet that Wenger has never considered the Ivorian for the role full time tells you enough about what the manager thinks about placing added responsibility on the player's shoulders. Only Gallas seems suitable captaincy material, yet even he has let the club down at times with some questionably bizarre antics, whilst the player tend to have an annoying habit of talking more to the players during pre-match warm ups than when we really need it, on the pitch during the game.

Much as though I admire the player, Toure has major aerial weaknesses that have been cruelly exposed since the departure of Sol Campbell - and to some extent Patrick Vieira on set pieces. Unfortunately, Gallas does not seem capable enough in the air to compensate for Toure's continual 'miscalculations' in this department, and it seems fanciful that - short of emplying Tony Adams as defensive coach - further improvement can be coached into the Toure/Gallas partnership at the ages of 27 and 30 respectively.

As far as back-up for these positions is concerned, my opinion of Philippe Senderos is pretty much set in stone - not good enough, has never been good enough and will never be good enough. He is too slow, lacks concentration, and in pressurised situations is prone to completely losing his bearings. Johanne Djourou has not particularly impressed whilst on loan at relegated Birmingham, whilst Alex Song, meanwhile, performed reasonably well at the tail end of the season as Wenger toyed with playing Toure at right back instead of the untrustworthy Eboue, but again, you would have to emphasise that Song has not yet shown he can perform in the pressure cooker of a big, crucial game.

Arsenal players past and present littered the squads of both Holland and France during tonight's Euro 2008 Group C match held in the Wankdorf Stadium - Bern, Switzerland.

For France, old(ish) boys Nicolas Anelka, Thierry Henry, and Patrick Vieira featured in the squad alongside William Gallas and prospective new signing Samir Nasri. For the Dutch, former Arsenal left-back Giovanni Van Bronckhorst started whilst Robin Van Persie was named on the bench.

Holland started in first gear; the disgusting Claude Makelele lucky to only collect a booking after shoulder charging Dirk Kuyt in the face then later violently swinging an arm in the direction of Rafael Van Der Vaart's head.

On 10 minutes Kuyt headed the opener for Holland after poor marking by Malouda from a corner, although France came back into things as the half progressed - both Govou and Ribery looking dangerous. In the first half, Henry looked dreadfully static playing centrally as the lone front man, just as Anelka had in the 0-0 draw against Romania the previous Monday.

Disappointingly, Holland began timewasting from the start of the second half as France increased the tempo and started to take charge of the game. Henry, now drifting into his favoured left forward position, perked up considerably and was unlucky not to score when his close range strike was handballed (albeit accidentally) by Andre Ooijer. On the 52nd minute, Henry fluffed a great opportunity to beat Van Der Sar, lobbing the ball over the bar unapposed from 20 yards.

Robin Van Persie entered play on the 54th minute in exchange for Kuyt, with Holland switching to a 4-3-3 formation. Within 4 minutes the Dutchman blasted left-footed past Gregory Coupe, having arrived late into the box from a great counter-attacking cross from Arjen Robben. 2-0 Holland and Gallas none to happy. The Dutch fans sung Van Persie's name on 66 as the forward cruised through the French defence and squared, although no midfield runners showed for him as he had done 8 minutes earlier.

On the 70th minute, Henry rolled back the years with a fantastic left foot flick past Van Der Saar from Sagnol's overlapping cross, yet within one minute Robben put Holland 3-1 up within an incredible strike into the roof of the net from a seemingly impossible angle. On 75, Henry cynically hacked down Van Persie; an incident sure to bring a wry smile from Arsenal fans the world over, later Anelka dived in the box following a clever one two with Henry - but alas there was nothing the French could do to turn the tide as Wesley Sneijder sealed the result with an excellent strike in injury time - assist Van Persie.

Overall, a highly entertaining game - Van Basten's second half introduction of Robben and Van Persie undoubtedly making the difference as the Dutch cruised through to the quarter finals. Although not principally to blame for the goals conceded, Gallas was given a torrid time - the ageing Thuram often making life more difficult for him.

Arsenal midfielder Alexandr Hleb appears concerned about all the fuss surrounding his speculated move, initially from Arsenal to Inter, then Barcelona, and now Bayern Munich.

It appears that Hleb just wants to sit down with his beloved agent Niki Spilevski in peace and quite to consider his future, a future that seemed all but made up less than 2 months ago when Spilevski announced: "I can officially confirm that a short time ago Alexander decided that he will leave Arsenal and join another club. Of course, Arsenal and Arsène wanted him to stay but they have accepted the player's choice."

Having gone for an ice cream in Milan with Inter representatives back in March, it appears Hleb and Spilevski were over-confident of sealing a move to the San Siro at the end of the season. Subsequently of course, ex-Chelsea loudmouth Jose Mourinho has been appointed manager of the Italian club and appears far more intent on raping his former employer of players than appointing Hleb as Inter's new playmaker.

Do Barcelona want Hleb? That's mere speculation - there's nothing to stop them bidding for a player who is currently on holiday - not at Euro 2008, and surely if they felt there was competition for his signature they would have made a swift move. Alas, it appears they are none too bothered, and neither are they likely to be with a midfield hosting Xavi, Iniesta, Toure, Giovanni, Deco and Edmilson, with Ronaldinho, Henry and Messi playing out wide. Something else for Hleb to think about.

And what of Bayern Munich? Well, let's be honest, why would Hleb want to play in a league where the weather is bad and the second place team can only muster a feeble 64 points? Bayern have won 8 of the last 12 Bundesliga titles yet have only won the European Cup once in the last 32 years. A clear sign of an admittedly big club struggling to step up to the plate in the face of lowly domestic competition.

Of course, with the Inter door slammed in his face, it's little wonder that Hleb is angered at the prospect of having to return to Arsenal for pre-season with his tail swinging between his legs like a great big plastic dildo. You would think that from Wenger's perspective Rosicky and Walcott are now ahead of Hleb in the pecking order, and with the exciting, albeit very young, Aaron Ramsey joining the club and the possible addition of French midfielder Samir Nasri too, competition for a wide place will be strong. Heaven forbid, Hleb could become the next Gilberto Silva.

Yes, Hleb has every right to be angered, but perhaps he should direct that anger towards himself and his ill-advising agent, because as of now, Spilevski's farcical media campaign to find his client a new club has been a complete balls up.