As mentioned last week and reported on by us Arsenal Ladies are looking to start off the season with a depleted squad after losing three key players, two of them Lianne Sanderson and Anita Asante catching the tube over to Chelski reported on UEFA.com. Ackers is understandably cocked off by the situation.


I saw a very nice report on the Arsenal Ladies on Arsenal TV which followed them over to a game in Bristol. I don't know if many of you follow ladies football, but the whole pre-match trip and preparation was amazing for me. Dare I say it, but was pretty similar to League 2. But what I wasn't aware of is that those girls aren't on permanent contracts. All of them have day jobs.


The BBC reports today that Milan have coughed at our valuation of Adebayor. I would say it’s a shame the Italian economy is in free-fall (but the British one looks like it is heading for a burton too). We say tomato they say tomato (you were supposed to say those two words differently just then, ah, nevermind...). We say £36m and they spat coffee across the desk. I don't know how much they were expecting us to say, but I reckon they weren't expecting us to give him away.


Now if this story is true and accurate, it indicates a move in the Arsenal offices. We have had all sorts of "he said she said" from Adebayor and his shadow puppet agent over the last month or so. But this appears to show that someone has opened dialogue with the club and we have conversed back. Our valuation of the striker would be a combination of things [1. We don't want him to go, 2. If he does want to go - we won't force an unhappy player to stay so we will listen to offers but set a high opening gambit, 3. The current value of a 30 goal per season goal scorer in the Premiership]. Of course, Adebayor has only completed this goal tally once and the ability of a player to put ball across the line a 30 times a season depends to a large degree on service. A quick aside, Andy Cole at Newcastle. That boy couldn't miss. But the reason he was such a prolific goal scorer then was the fact that Keegan designed a team the could put the ball within 8 inches of Andy Coles’ foot at any given point in a game. Whilst not taking anything away from the fella - for a striker being in that situation in most of your games is heaven. What happened after that ? He went to ManUre and his tally and performance dropped. He had to work to get the ball and then to score. A completely different game all together. So, Adebayor at Milan ? It’s a slower game, the strategy is different and his work rate doesn't have to be 100%. He can now become one of those languid strikers that walk around the 3rd quarter of the pitch moaning and gesturlating like a mime-artiste in Covent Garden when the ball isn't played to within 5mm of their monogrammed bootlaces. With the attitude displayed in this close season. He should fit right in.

Bentley sell-on fee - according to Goal.com we are expecting a sell-on fee from Blackburn for Bentley. Apparently we have picked up around £3m for him already since his time there. Not a bad ploy. Bentley always had promise, but was the clubs' sell-on clause decision based purely on our assessment of his ability and knowing that if he ever got a regular 1st team break he wouldn't be far off England selection - or was there an element of knowing his mouth would land him in trouble with most potential employers and we could cash in twice when he falls out of favour ? Interesting aspect I hadn't thought of before until I read about a possible knock-on line placed in his "bill of sale" from Arsenal. *ponders*


On our “interest” Huntelaar ?

I dunno. Goal.com again report on this - but their report starts off saying the News of the World report today… Well… It's Tuesday today and that paper only comes out on a Sunday. Anyway, the basics of the story is Ajax don't want him to go, they haven't had any contact with Arsenal and the player fancies himself in a ManUre shirt. A load of smoke-up-arse cut & pasting to fill column inches.

Bis Später Gooners !