Allow me to dust the cobwebs off this corner of the Interwebs and remind folks that, yes, I am still alive and kicking.  Sorry for the long absence, but let's face it: unless you were an American rooting for Team USA or a South African rooting for the Bafana Bafana, there's been very little to get excited about in the world of football.

All of the recent news regarding Arsenal have been of us extending or signing to new deals our current players.  Kieran Gibbs, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Robin Van Persie have each signed on the dotted line that will keep them at Ashburton Grove for the foreseeable future.  And while such dealings often will lack the kind of attraction that a new transfer purchase will bring, let's face it: it's a good sign.  By putting pen to paper, the club ensures that their hard work in developing talent doesn't just walk away after preparing and training said talent for the upper levels of club football.  It also provides a level of stability that says to any prospective transfer target that this is a club looking ahead towards titles and glory -- do you want to be a part?  

Of course, the transfer talk has surrounded our failed attempt at landing former Fiorentina midfielder Felipe Melo.  Thanks to a really solid Confederations Cup performance, Melo's name grew and grew.  Arsenal were the first club mentioned as interested, but I was not surprised when others entered into the equation.  The rumored offer from Arsenal was Philippe Senderos, Emmanuel Eboue and 5 million pounds.  Juventus threw Marco Marchionni along with 21 million euros and managed to outbid us. 

Say what you will about a player who last year went for 7 million euros now being valuated at more than three times that price -- and how that's a reflection of today's transfer market.  The fact is that he was a real target that seemed unwilling to leave Serie A for the Premiership and found a way to move up in terms of club and in terms of pay packet without really having to pack his bags.  

Where does that leave Arsenal?  Still looking for that central midfield partner for Cesc Fabregas.  The names bandied about include St. Etienne's Blaise Matuidi, Marseille's Lorik Cana, Atletico Madrid's Ever Vanega, Sporting's Miguel Veloso and, by the time summer is over, I'm sure that ten more names will surface.  Arsene Wenger has made landing that central midfielder a priority and it looks like he's not necessarily going to shop where we all think he is.  

The other piece of news centers around Real Madrid and Barcelona either being interested or not interested in Cesc Fabregas and Andrei Arshavin.  Both players have come out and said they are not interested in moving, but given the crazy cash thrown all over the market, it's no surprise the media is throwing their names about without care for facts or truth.  

The good news is that, with players reporting back to training this week, such rumors will likely pass.  

Maybe.

Isn't it nice when a transfer happens quietly and quickly?

By now you're likely to have seen that Arsenal have completed the transfer for central/left defender Thomas Vermaelen.  The Belgian was the current Ajax defender and comes with a good reputation.  And outside of Vermaelen or his agent mentioning to everyone under the sun that he was moving to Arsenal, no other word was heard about it for weeks.  Definitely not from the club, who didn't even deign to have Arsene Wenger come out and deny it like they usually do.  Maybe they felt that, in a summer where everyone is focusing on the goings on at Madrid and where David Villa, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sergio Aguero, Samuel Eto'o, David Silva and so many other talented forwards and midfielders could all end up elsewhere, that no one would really be interested in where one defender went.

But as anyone who saw Arsenal last season can attest to, a quality back line is mandatory to mount any sort of assault on the various competitions available.  

The question arises though: who will Vermaelen partner in central defense?  And that's where debate will start.

William Gallas had about as poor a run as you can have in the first half of last season and still find yourself in a team.  It's a testament to how he turned his form around post-December that he was not tossed on his butt when the transfer window started.  Then there's Kolo Toure actually handed a transfer request back in January, as he was fed up with being dropped from the Starting XI in favor of Gallas.  Not to mention that Kolo's feelings for Billy Gallas lie somewhere between"dislike" and "drop him in a volcano."  Oh and Manchester City has been hot on his trail and could offer up a rather impressive transfer fee for his services if they so want him.  And finally we got Mickael Silvestre....Good bye and good luck in France.

Meanwhile, with his loan spell at Milan ended, Phil Senderos is back in town.  And while I think he still has room to grow and become a quality defender -- was it so long ago he was an anchor for both the Arsenal and Swiss National Team defenses?  -- it's unlikely we'll hang onto him with Vermaelen and Djourou capable of filling his role.  

The rumor mill has already begun spinning tales of Senderos (and even Eboue) as part of a a cash + player deal with Fiorentina with Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo.  Take a look at Melo as he plays with the Brazilian NT during the Confederations Cup and tell me you wouldn't want him.  I'm actually in favor for it for all involved.  Fiorentina needs depth to battle in both Serie A and the Champions League.  Hopefully that deal can be completed by the end of the Confederations Cup and we can unveil Cesc's new midfield partner.

I just hope we don't hear about it until the unveiling.

Rather than starting with the Arsenal part of this story, let's start elsewhere.  Madrid to be exact.

By now, everyone knows of the sums spent and the players purchased by Florentino Perez as he appears deadset on continuing on his trend of bringing the biggest names in football to El Santiago Bernabeu.  

56 million pounds for Kaka' on Monday.  80 million pounds for Cristiano Ronaldo on Thursday.  136 million pounds.   That's a quarter of a billion dollars that was just spent to unite the reigning and former World Players of the Year under the white flag of Madrid.  

And the rumors are that this is just the beginning of a massive spending spree that could see them bring in coveted striker David Villa, the even more coveted winger Franck Ribery, right back Maicon and midfielder Xabi Alonso before the window closes in August.  

Oh and they're also apparently targeting Gael Clichy to take over the LB spot once ruled by Roberto Carlos.  Let me get back to that in just a second.

To no one's surprise, this seems to have kickstarted an arms race across the top clubs in Europe.   Barcelona -- not content to sit on a team that was scoring for fun last season -- are now supposedly after Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Karim Benzema along with Nemanja Vidic while Daniel Alves wants them to bring Robinho over.  Manchester United, flush with the millions from the sale of Ronaldo, are also after Ribery and are eyeing Benzema and are making a move to bring Antonio Valencia over from Wigan.  Chelsea have set their sights on Alexandre Pato and/or Sergio "El Kun" Aguero to partner with Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka and there's rumors of their interest in Andrea Pirlo and Yuri Zhirkov.  Meanwhile AC Milan, having lost Kaka and looking apparently set to lose Pato, Pirlo and even Gattuso, have already made signing Edin Dzeko their top priority and the rumor mill has them after various starlets across Europe.    

And that's just Week 1 of the transfer window.  

Now, let's get to the part where all of this furor applies to Arsenal.

Obviously, we are going to have players with targets on their backs from these big game hunters in designer suits.  As I said above, Gael Clichy is already a rumored target of Perez to help solve some of the left back issues Real has had (namely that Gabriel Heinze is done and Royston Drenthe looks like a lost puppy out there).  Most of me does not want to see that happen.  I like Gael and think he still can improve and become a world-class LB.  That said, if Real offer something in the 25M pound range...could you turn it down?

Meanwhile the annual "Barcelona is Coming for Cesc Fabregas" rumors have already started.  These are a bit more annoying and ridiculous.  One, Cesc shoots them down everytime and says his future is tied to Arsene's continued tenure with the club.  Two, this season will be his first as team captain for the entire year and he's not likely to walk away from that.  Three, he's likely looking to break into the Spanish Starting XI for next year's World Cup and that's not going to happen if he's riding the pine as a supersub for Barca while Xavi and Iniesta continue to rule the midfield there.

Regardless of the realities though, expect to hear many of our players as potential targets for other clubs now even more.  

The other way it applies is in the crazy fee department.  Now traditionally Arsene Wenger has not been one to splash the cash around Europe for his purchases.  I mean, he just broke his own transfer record in January for Andrei Arshavin -- and that was 15M pounds or 1/5 what Real just paid for Ronaldo!  

But as we saw when Chelsea started snapping up players for 25M quid each, there's a knock-on effect throughout the market.  Players who might be worth 5-7M are valuated at 10M.  A rising starlet could cost you between 10-14M quid.  And an actual star...well, you're now talking over 20M easily.   And making things worse is that if Real continue to splash such crazy money around, they're going to be flooding the market with cheap cash for teams to get into bidding wars over players.

I mean, are United and Valencia going to actually pay down their debts?  Why?  When what fans want are those new summer signings!

So does that mean we wont get into the transfer market?  Obviously not.  I just think that if Arsene was secretive before, then I expect him to become The Shadow now to get his deals done.  Don't expect to hear about our signings until they've passed their physicals and are at Emirates with their shirts in their hands.  I also think we should expect him to follow on what his stated plan is -- two or three impact signings.  Don't expect us to overhaul the team.  Not that it was needed, but the idea of buying 4 or 5 players in this market is unlikely.  I mean, there you're talking anywhere between 50 and 70 million pounds easily!

In this brave new world, when even clubs like Barcelona (which pride themselves on bringing up their stars through their ranks) are setting such lofty proclamations aside and getting into the dirty part of business, it's good to see that Arsenal are not one of the clubs desperately racing to hand millions it doesn't have to a player it might not need.  It's easy to fall in love with the new headline of a brand new player joining the club.  Who doesn't love the spotlight?

Just remember that there's always a flip side.   For every mega-signing, there's a player being tossed to the side whose arrival was once heralded as the answer to all the problems (see: Van der Vaart; Sneijder).  And that those players arrived for real money...money that most clubs cannot afford to just dole out like candy.

Real Madrid can miss on a 10M pound signing and not miss a beat.  Most clubs can't afford to be so reckless.   Or to say it simpler, Arsenal cannot afford to be that reckless.

...and less than 48 hours later, I'm apparently proven wrong.

There's now strong links suggesting that Thomas Vermaelen, central defender and captain of Ajax is on the verge of a 10 million pound move to Arsenal.

The source?  Vermaelen himself, quoted from a Dutch newspaper as saying that the "move to Arsenal"
is the right move for his career.

So I guess we're either getting us some Dutch defending OR the man himself (the player and not his agent) is not being honest.

Which one do I believe?

Does that make the rumors of bids for Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko or Marseille's central defensive midfielder Lorik Cana any more true?

Or what of the rumored swap between us and Man City with Kolo Toure heading to Eastlands while we get...Micah Richards?

My head's spinning.

Silly season is in full swing and we haven't even had a full week!

Well the season ended and the real news dried up in a hurry.  No surprise on either case.  Of course, it being the silly season, rumors abound of arrivals, departures, hijackings and enough money being thrown around to build your own harem of supermodels. 

But if you've noticed that I've been absent, it's not by choice.  Life gets in the way.  And the rumors that are going around are not necessarily that exciting.  Let's look at them:

1. Arsenal will sell Emmanuel Adebayor to Milan: well, Ade's agent has come out and said no one's called him yet.  To be fair, Milan right now are too busy with the Kaka' deal, which is rumored to bring in anywhere between 50 and 70 million pounds. 

BUT the problem is that having just appointed Leonardo to take over Carlo Ancelotti, it's unlikely that the Milan braintrust has gotten together to determine how they're going to rebuild their side.  On top of that, with clubs like Chelsea after Pato, I think they're more worried about hanging onto their players than buying at the moment.

It could still happen, but not right now.

2. Arsenal will buy Christian Zapata, Thomas Vermaelen and/or Edin Dzeko.

On the outside, they look like the buys we need.  Zapata and Vermaelen are good defenders for Udinese and Ajax respectively.  Meanwhile Dzeko is the big, tough, score-crazy striker that Adebayor was two years ago.  

Except for one simple fact: Arsene Wenger is in China, scouting out there.  That doesn't mean they're not on our radar, but the simple fact is that players like Dzeko and Zapata are on EVERYBODY's radar.

Plus saying we're targeting a central defender "X" or "Y" just takes what everyone knows is our top transfer priority and tossing some young, heralded player's name out there and see what sticks.

So in short, as the silly season goes, remember that the majority of the "breaking news" are unlikely to come to fruition.  

FT. Arsenal 4 - Stoke City 1.

In the annals of Arsenal lore, it's unlikely that yesterday's game will live in memory.  Unlike the first time we encountered the Potters, there was no surprise to be had.  This time we worked to minimize the effects of Rory Delap's well-known throws.  This time the attack was focused and the finishing precise -- because no one took the game for granted.  

In reality the game boiled down to the first 18 minutes.  That's when we established a 3-0 lead through a James Beattie own goal, a Robin Van Persie penalty and an Abou Diaby header.  Though Ricardo Fuller pulled Stoke back one via his own penalty shot, Van Persie re-established that three goal lead before the first half ended.  It has to be said that, through all the ups and downs of 2008-09, our Player of the Season has to be RVP (or as I like to call him "the whole f'ing show" after former wrestler Rob Van Dam.)  He has become the complete striker this season and one of the focal points for this team going forward.  

The double side of 01-02 belonged to Adams, Keown and Bergkamp.  The Invincibles side belonged to Vieira, Pires and Henry.  This current squad appears to have at its anchors Cesc and RVP.  I hope we can keep him and find a defensive stalwart to add to the mix.  But that's a talk for later dates.

One conspicuous absence from the match was Emmanuel Adebayor.   All signs are pointing to his eventual departure this summer.  Again, talk for later dates.

For now, let's just be thankful the season ends with no more major injuries to the squad and that the work can now begin to get us back to the top of the table.

Just wanted to post a few, brief thoughts on yesterday's debacle against Chelsea.

- We have major issues at the back.  No surprises there.  Are they the kind to be fixed with one new purchase OR do we need to invest in a new coach for the defenders?  Someone who can get them organized?

- Poor, poor Lukasz.  He's had one bad game after another in the last few weeks.  He has the talent to be a #1 keeper, but it's clear that the odd FA Cup/Carling Cup game just won't cut it.  Loan him out and give him the chance to learn how to organize and work with a backline week-in and week-out.

- Diaby out wide.  RVP alone up top.  Then Bendter on the wing?  What, we couldn't put Eboue in as a striker?

- Chin up, Kieran Gibbs.  There'll be better weeks than the one you just had.  But don't forget how this one felt.  Let it become your motivator to get better and better.

-  Samir Nasri started the year rather well, but he's been M.I.A. for the past few weeks.  If I were him, I'd be trying to make sure I didn't lose my midfield spot to Arshavin...oops, too late.

- Meanwhile Emmanuel Adebayor entered the game to a rousing ovation.  No, wait.  The exact opposite of rousing ovation.  It's clear his flirtations with Beyonce combined with his poor outings in the biggest games of this season are turning the supporters against him.  And doesn't he know Beyonce's married to Jay-Z?!  Ade, you're rich, but you ain't Jay-Z rich!

-  Theo signed that nice new contract then proceeded to tantalize us more with his qualities.  Theo, now that you got the big payday, spend some of it on a trainer who can work with you on your finishing.  It's the major aspect of your game that's missing.

- This one's to the lads as a whole: if Frank Lampard or Didier Drogba or Joey Barton steps up to your captain, do the right thing and support him.  All for one, remember?  (BTW, be careful with Joey Barton, he might be carrying a shiv).

- And lastly, for the supporters,  there are two games left: out to Old Trafford for what will more than likely be Man United's coronation ceremony and the home closer against (should be safe from relegation by then) Stoke City.  If you make it to either game, cheer on the boys.  Root your heart out.  Sing, sing about the red nose of Manchester being shiny and Ronaldo being a c--t.  Enjoy the last 180 minutes of live Arsenal football for this season.  Leave the worries of future purchases, transfer requests and boardroom antics aside for those glorious 180 minutes we have left.  

OK, so I finally got to digest the 3-1 drubbing we got against Manchester United...and am enjoying our 4-1 drubbing we're getting from Chelsea...

...great week we're having, huh?

So allow me then to surprise you with my first conclusion:

We were not as awful against Manchester United as we remember.

Go back and watch the tape, but remove the emotion of the moment.  Our lads started by attacking and pressuring United's goal.  There were crosses and shots on goals.  There was even a weird karoming ball that went off Vidic, off of Ferdinand and got past Van der Sar -- but wasn't on target.  

How different a game if that mental error had been the one to bring us the first goal?

Even after poor Kieran Gibbs' error, Arsenal kept pressing.  They kept looking for the chance to get back in.  Then Ronaldo thundered a shot past Almunia.  Game. Set. Match.

To be fair, there were still 79 minutes on the board.  79 minutes in which to claw back and try to put at least some of the 4 needed goals past Van der Sar.  

Only we really didn't look like getting back into it.  It felt as if the weight of the task at hand proved too much for the lads and too much for the people watching it unfold.  

Same thing as happened today, I should add.  Down 2-0 to Chelsea, the air seemed to leave Emirates as everyone felt the weight of the task at hand.   The lads managed to pick themselves up and give an effort to get back into it, but 3-1 and then 4-1, it was back to the same results.

The questions, of course, arose the moment the game ended: Will Arsene change his ways?  Are the "kids" going to be good enough?  Who should stay and who should go?  Will Arsenal open up its purse strings and go on a spending spree like United, Chelsea or Liverpool?  Or will they continue with the "youngster" policy?

Some of these questions should be answered only until after the season is entirely ended.  I have my opinion, but I (like all other Arsenal fans too) should allow the season to end and the cold reality of statistics and performances over the course of a season as a whole to stand alone.

That said, one thing we clearly lack is strong leadership.  I know that's surprising to think given the kind of captains Arsenal have traditionally been blessed with, both in the past and in recent years.  But when Gibbs made his mistake and Ronaldo scored that goal, we needed someone to step up and force the team onwards.  

Cesc can be that kind of leader, but he's not there yet.  And whereas we used to have a team with Denis Bergkamp, Gilberto Silva and Robert Pires -- guys who'd know just how to pick the team up from its straps and get it going again -- we now find ourselves lacking those people who can stand behind the captain and make sure everyone's back in the game.

Regardless of what the summer brings, we need to regain that mental toughness that says "I don't care how down we are or how far we need to climb. We are going to win this game or raise hell trying!"

But that takes time...and patience...and the right kind of leadership....

Anyone remember that old George C Scott movie, "Hardcore"?  The one where he goes searching for his missing daughter and finds her starring in 8 MM porn?  There's a rather famous scene where he watches his little girl starring in a very descriptive scene.  As he struggles to watch his daughter getting railed in the most disgusting form available, he begins to utter "Turn it off...Turn it off..." before finally exploding "TURN IT OFF!"

That's kinda what watching that Champions League tape has been like for me.

So it's going to take me another day or so to get through it.

Meanwhile consider this: as horrible as we felt about losing our game, at least it was all down to us.  Chelsea have no one but the referee to their game to blame for what had to be the worst Champions League calls since last year at Emirates/Anfield.  Talk about heartwrenching loss.

So be glad you're not Chelsea supporters...for many reasons to be sure, but that one for right now.

There'll be more analysis tomorrow.  A fairer, clearer and more honest appraisal of today's game and of the two-leg tie with United.

For today though, drown your sorrows.