Julio Baptista arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2006 - a year too late, but still able to excite the fans. Along with the signing of Gallas, he helped to snowball the fans' expectations to gargantuan proportions that would quickly dissipate into disappointment. Gallas was mostly injured and under-par, and Baptista was an almighty, almighty flop.

He arrived with this tag and reputation of being "The Beast" - a goal-scoring powerhouse that could barge past anyone and thump in the goals. Well. He wasn't.

Apart from one storming performance against Liverpool where he scored 4 goals in our 6-3 Carling Cup win at Anfield, he was awful. And to be honest, that game was such an anomaly that I can't believe it even happened. Not only did we go to Anfield and score 6 goals, but Baptista scored 4 (and missed a penalty, which isn't surprising), Aliadiere scored the first and setup 3 more, and ALEX SONG SCORED. Freakish.

He really did seem like a nice earnest lad who gave his best, and to his credit he ended the season with 10 goals (although 6 of those were in 2 Carling Cup games), but he was rubbish - a big lumbering cow more than any sort of fearsome beast, his missed chances deprived us of so many wins.

And why am I suddenly bringing up "The Beast" all of a sudden? Because a quote I came across today from Ryan Babel only serves to confirm what we all suspected... that despite his bulk, incredible muscle percentage and density, and ninja-turtle like exterior, he was just a great big softie:

"A big body doesn't mean you're strong. I understand from Robin van Persie at Arsenal that Julio Baptista isn't strong at all, even though he's a massive guy." - Ryan Babel

Not strong at all... hilarious stuff really, considering that his size and strenth were one of the few things still going in his favour. But I think we all knew what the real deal was when PSV's frail looking Chinese left-back Sun Xiang comprehensively barged Baptista to the ground in a soft little shoulder-to-shoulder encounter.

Not to say that he's a bad player though, he isn't - his performances for Sevilla were oustanding, and he showed in flashes at the Copa America how good he can be. The problem is that he's just very limited. He's not mobile, not that quick or strong, and needs too much time and space. He was found out in fast pace of the Premiership, and especially so in Arsenal's quick passing-and-moving system.

The other problem with Baptista, is that he thinks he's better than he is. We've all heard the stories about how clumsy he was in his Sao Paulo days, and how the fans used to laugh and call him a clown, but did you know that they also used to call him "Zidane"? Not out of any recognition of his oustanding abilities, but rather the lack thereof, and his continual attempts to try tricks and skills that he was so far from mastering, that they often ended in complete embarassment.

Good luck to him, and here's some highlights from his one "good game" for Arsenal:

Well, good riddance to bad Reyes.

He's cried and moaned and whinged like a little baby for years now, and really needs to grow up and act like a professional. Arsenal paid a lot of money for him, and he basically put them in a position where they had absolutely no bargaining power and every club in the world knew this.

He's signed for Atletico for about €9 million, which is pitiful considering his talent and ability, and that he was valued at almost £14 million (approximately €20 million) when he went on loan to Real last season.

He always gave 100% on the pitch for Arsenal, even though he played like shit for a lot of it, and although he's never said anything bad about the club, his acting like a sissy has cost them in the transfer market. He's nearly 25 now, and needs to stop behaving like a lost, little boy. After crying all year round about the weather and how he wouldn't play in England again, he's gotten his wish, but at the expense of Arsenal. It's sad, especially when Arsene Wenger showed so much faith in him and gave him so much support.

Anyways, good luck to you Reyes. Hopefully he can make use of his incredible talent and stop crying in the media every other day.

And of course we have some leaked photos for you: 

  

Judging by the rumours going around, Julio Baptista might will be here next season. Myles Palmer over at ANR seems to think that Arsene Wenger is in love with the big Brazilian (does this count as bestiality? ok, yuck), and wants him to stay.

Baptista himself has said that he has no clue.

As for Arsenal fans, I don't think any of them want to see any money spent on Baptista, a player who has looked SO inept that some even want to see the prolific Jeremie Aliadiere ahead of him on the team sheet.

I think he might settle in time, and have a lot to offer, but he has looked like a clumsy clown this season, offering up shades of what fans thought of him at Sao Paulo where they laughed at his clumsiness.

Well, closest to home, Arsenal lost 1-0 to PSV in Eindhoven and have it all to do now. They dominated the first half, probably should have scored at least one, if not two, and then started to get sloppy in the second half and Edison Mendez fired a longe range shot in. It was very shabby all in all, the defence just let him have a go and Lehmann didn't react at all. The shot wasn't the greatest, but it did the job. The Arse tried to forward, and PSV looked very threatening on the counter-attack. That worries me for the second leg, because PSV are very clever and adept, and they will probably adopt the same strategy of trying to hit Arsenal on the break, and being very stubborn to break down. One away goal and, in my mind, the tie is over. Arsenal look a bit tired, bereft of attacking threat, and most importanly Thierry Henry is in his worst patch of form since joining the club. He doesn't look confident, he can't outrun people, can't beat them, is showing a very sloppy touch, and generally doesn't look like threatening or brilliant. It doesn't help that he seems petulant, disaffected and a bit disinterested. Maybe he needs a rest, maybe he needs to be tripped off the armband, maybe he needs a good telling off, but realistically none of those are going to happen because with Robin Van Persie out, and Julio Baptista showing all the touch and composure of a boxer, he has to play. But quite honestly this season, we have played some of our best stuff without him, and he really hampers the team on days like this. Last season, and at several points over his Arsenal career, he has carried the team, but right now the team has to carry him, and the weight seems to be too much to bear. Hopefully he can reach into that moody mind of his and bring out that fire that seems to be lacking.

At Parkhead, Celtic played out a 0-0 draw at home to AC Milan, and I think that's a great result for them. Milan are having a terrible season domestically, and are under pressure to do well in the Champions League. Wee Gordon Strachan has got his team playing decently, and with committment, physicality and Shunsuke Nakamura, Celtic have every chance of making it through. The Scots play very "British" football - they will fight for everything, never give up, and with Nakamura there is always the danger of them scoring from a free-kick, or having the Japan international create chances for Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink or Jiri Jarosik. If they score first, they will fight unbelievably to try and hold on, and if Milan score first you can be sure they'll sweat blood trying to equalise. Either way that away goal will be important, and I see Milan having to score at least 2 to go through.

In Madrid, two ailing European giants squared up against each other. Real Madrid beat Bayern Munich 3-2, but those two away goals are crucial for the Germans. Both teams are former European champions, and stalwarts in the Champions League, but they are struggling badly in their respective leagues. Real have always been known for patches of comedy and inconsistency, but Bayern have always had a reputation for consistency and toughness. This year both are hovering around the top of their leagues, but unable to seriously challenge for anything. The Real circus has proved very difficult to stop, and Bayern have attempted to rectify things by bringing back the legendary Ottmar Hitzeld, their former coach and man who has won two Champions League titles. Raul scored 2 and Ruud van Horsefacerooij the other as Real went up 3-1 in the first half, Lucio had briefly answered for the Bavarians. But if Bayern were sloppy in the first, then Real were in the second, and they conceded a very late goal, Mark van Bommel scoring to make it 3-2. That's a significant away goal advantage, and I think Bayern can pinch the goal they need. Real are on the way down - Capello has been unpopular and not too effective, and has allegedly tried to hand in his resignation, but Hitzfeld has only just arrived in Munich and is still working his magic. By the time March 7 rolls around I expect Bayern will be in much better shape.

And lastly to Lille, and the most controversial game of the round so far. Man United won 1-0 right at the death with a quickly-taken free-kick that Lille were very unhappy about. The Lille players walked off the pitch in protest, and there was chaos everywhere. The fans were enraged and throwing things on the field, and it was not just Giggs' goal that made them unhappy, but the fact that Peter Odemwingie had had what seemed like a perfectly good header disallowed for a foul earlier in the match. It was a game that Lille had been brightest in, driving forward and attacking United's goal, but eventually United had more experience and solidity. You can't really blame them for taking a quick free-kick because the referee allowed them too, but at the same time the referee did not do a particularly good job. I still think it's not over for Lille, and the second leg will be interesting because Lille are a very, very feisty side. Having conceded an away goal, they will have nothing to lose, so the second leg in Manchester looks like it will be a very, very exciting game.

Following on from my own views on David Beckham joining the MLS, here is what the rest of the bloggers at OleOle had to say:

Mike T	When I read this morning that David Beckham had signed for the Los Angeles Galaxy, my first thought was: why not Urawa Reds? There had been some rumours - mainly concocted by Beckham and his agents in order to procure a super-rich new contract, no doubt, that Beckham would consider plying his trade in the J-League. Yet when I read of the amounts of money being offered by LA Galaxy for his signature, I suddenly realised there was no chance of any club in Japan matching that kind of offer. So what sort of player are the Galaxy getting for their wads of cash? An under-appreciated one at Real Madrid, in my opinion. But Beckham was as much a victim of politics at the Madrid giants, as he was a player dropped for poor form. That's why I was surprised by his decision to play in the MLS. In some way, I think there'll be parallels with Dwight Yorke's signing for Sydney FC in the A-League. Yorke proved good value in getting fans through the turnstiles, but found his value diminishing on the pitch. There's no doubt that Beckham is a supremely gifted player. But he relies a lot on the ability of the players around him. So will he raise the profile of the MLS and get more fans through the gates? Probably. Will he single-handedly lift the standard of football in the US? I doubt it.
Footie Girl	Beckham's decision to move to the MLS is a tacit admission that he can't hack it at the top level any more. I've never been a huge fan of his, but still, you have to feel for the guy. Just a bit, because after all he's getting $250 million to dry his tears. So, instead of sliding into obscurity at Bolton or wherever, he gets a hefty paycheque, a cushy lifestyle in Los Angeles, and an opportunity to reinvent himself as a sort of ambassador of football. In return, Major League Soccer is getting the most marketable footballer in the world. The deal made front-page news when it was announced, but the question is whether it's going to have enough of a long-term impact to repay their rather sizeable investment. Now they've got Becks to bend in a few free kicks and smile pretty for the cameras, but if they really want to sell their product, they're going to have to improve the league from the ground up, rather than just bringing in more aging galacticos.
Oz	"David, what are you doing?" Probably the words of every football fan across the length of the UK upon hearing month-old rumours substantiated yesterday. All and sundry know that he has at least 3-4 years left of playing at the highest level and the quality of his suitors makes the decision even more baffling (Says the Englishman, predictably! -SM). $55 million/year goes some way to explaining it but most will hope that the US league takes off properly following this coup, to ensure that DB's final few years were not wasted away in a backwater league....
Gabriele	The real winner in Beckham’s transfer to LA Galaxy is Victoria. In my opinion, this is her choice, for her career as an actress. Of course, Becks made a very good deal, earning an incredibly high amount of money, especially compared to the insubstantial toughness of MLS, but I think he would have preferred to keep on playing in Europe. MLS executives think this is a big business for them, I'm sure there will be a great interest around Beckham at the beginning, but we don't know what will be in the next future. To make MLS grow, one single top player is not enough, and I am afraid they don't have money left to "invite" other top players to join the league. Beckham is the best footballer they could sign in terms of image: the Becks will certainly feed all gossip media in Hollywood and generally in the US, but technically speaking a talented player, even a juggler (not necessarily Ronaldinho) would have been better. Americans think about sport as a show, what kind of show a player like Beckham can give them? Crosses and free kicks? I'm not so sure…
Mauricio	US 250 million dollars? I bet Pele is wondering at home: Why don’t I play nowadays???? I think Beckham is absolutely right. In the first place, Real Madrid have already been half way to Hollywood in the last four seasons. Media players like Ronaldo and Becks, after all they won, have to hit the road and try other things in their careers. Although everybody will be saying Beckham is finished, I think playing in the MLS is definitely a better move than playing in Saudi Arabia or other of these great money making countries. And if I were in charge of CONMEBOL, I would straight away invite MLS teams to play in the Copa Libertadores, and get a share of the Becks money too.

Well, today it was announced that David Beckham will join the Los Angeles Galaxy to play in the Massive Lump of Shite (MLS) that is Major League Soccer (MLS). The deal is completely ridiculous, because the right-footed one will be earning £128 million over 5 years, which amounts to just under £26 million per season, which translates to about half a million pounds per week, which amounts finally to just under £3000 per hour (!!). This is atrociously ridiculous, because David Beckham, at 32, playing in an absolute joke of a league, has become the highest paid player in football to date (a record which will probably not be broken for a very long time). We all thought the inflated wages that Chelsea paid were bad, but Beckham will now probably earn more than John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba combined. Like I said... ridiculous.

I feel bad for Becks, because he's only 32, and still had a fair amount to offer top-level football teams. Perhaps he didn't want to play for a smaller team than Real Madrid or Manchester United, but was the LA Galaxy the solution? I keep feeling like it was Steve McLaren dropping him that made up his mind, but to be honest I think McLaren would have eventually bungled around with the England team and then called up David Beckham in an attempt to solve everything. He was 6 caps short of the 100 mark, and i'm quite sure he would have ended up getting there.

Becks has basically decided to retire. That's all this is. He is being paid a massive, massive amount of money to go and play in a rubbish league. Dennis Bergkamp played at the top level for Arsenal till he was lamost 38. Zidane almost conquered a second World Cup final at the age of 34. Teddy Sheringham has been playing comfortably at the top level for smaller clubs for the last 2-3 years, and he's 40 now. Big Alan Shearer was banging in the goals until the age of 35. And crucially, Becks has never had any major injury problems.

I say this equates to retirement, because nobody goes to the MLS and comes out bigger, especially not at 32. He has gone to enjoy the sunshine, the money, and the American celebrity lifestyle that he has professed his love for, for so long. He's said goodbye to European football, said goodbye to the Champions League, said goodbye to England, and said goodbye to ever winning a major trophy again (he's won nothing since his last league title at Man United in 2002/2003)... so let's all just say goodbye to Becks now.

As for the whole aspect of improving the MLS... this is a joke as well. Granted, Beckham is probably the youngest of all the old heads they had brought in (Stoichkov, Limpar, Valderrama, Djorkaeff, etc)... but is probably amongst the least talented of this "superstar bunch". Do Americans not watch football? (No, they are probably too busy watching soccer). Yes, Beckham is a great player, but if you knew anything, you'd know that the reason why he is so famous is because of his looks and celebrity, not his football. Beckham was never a particularly naturally-talented footballer, but he was an incredible professional, and dedicated team lad, and a good guy. Alex Ferguson said he would spend hours and hours on the training ground developing his incredible ability to strike the ball, and working on his free-kicks and set pieces, and that is how he got to where he is. He was never particularly quick (less so now), and was never particularly tricky or exceptionally skilful, but he was frightfully hard-working, consistent and able to maximise his abilities (especially at United). So what are Californians and fans around the USA going to expect?

Are they expecting to go see the world famous David Beckham, and see a guy lighting up stadiums with exceptional skill and dribbling and loads of goals? I hope not. They're going to get a footballing icon for sure, but one who's already slow legs are on the wane, one who can provide exceptional service but relies on having good players around him who can provide the requisite end product. He will score a fair amount of goals from free kicks, and i'm sure the team will score more from his set pieces, but what they basically have is a player who mentally is in retirement mode. This is not to say that Becks will not try hard, but what is his motivation really? He will have his new lifestyle, and his football academy to distract him as well. I don't doubt for one minute that he will hugely raise the profile of football in the states, but I hope that people will not be disappointed by him. ESPN ran a survey on their site, and apparently 72.7% of the visitors said they were going to be more interested in the MLS because of his arrival. So let's see...

And lastly, another mention about the amount of money spent. Would it not have been better to sign 10 players instead for that money? They have in no way improved the quality of the football with an ageing superstar, but for the money paid they could have signed 10 good players and paid them more than what they would have earned in Europe or South America. And what about the other, existing players in the MLS, the most lowly paid of all American sports? How do they feel about David Beckham coming in and earning more in one week than they earn in 5 years? As it is the boisterously capitalist USA somehow manages to run the most controlled and communist-like sports federations, where the MLS controls the transfers and wages and signings and owns the players... this anomaly makes things even more bizarre.

But enough ranting and raving. Good luck to Becks, and I hope he can win something with Real before he leaves for his nice sunny retirement experience.