Questions raised by Adebayor saga
Arsenal Addict has noted the mixed feelings from fans following Emmanuel Adebayor’s announcement that he is to sign a new contract at the club.
On balance, more fans seem to be relieved that he is staying than disappointed – and as our headline on Friday suggested, we were in two minds as well.
On reflection, based on his strikerate last season and in order not to cause too much upheaval to the squad, it is a good thing that the Togo striker is staying.
After losing Alex Hleb and Mathieu Flamini, Adebayor is, essentially, one of the elder statesmen of our young side and to lose him and replace him with an equally effective forward, who could have fitted into the side instantly, would have been a challenge.
Who can blame him for asking for a pay rise after three years at the club and having what was indisputably a prolific season last time around?
But having watched the interview with Adebayor again and reflected on the saga, a few questions come to mind that remain to be answered:
* Adebayor denies asking for a move, which may well be the case, but didn't this saga gathered pace when he gave an interview where he raised doubts about staying at Arsenal? The interview was filmed and on Sky Sports and we haven't located it again - but here were some of Adebayor's comments as reported in the Mirror:
"If Arsenal sell me, they are going to get £40m, maybe £47m and they bought me for £7m. So everyone is getting the benefits. They have to make a good decision and I have to make a good decision as well. Now I have a lot of big clubs trying to buy me. It's up to me and my agent Stephane Courbis to sit down next week and find a good solution, to do what's right for my career.
"I'm in a position that I don't know where to play but that's normal. If you told me seven years ago when I was playing in Togo without a pair of football boots that I'd have a choice of playing in Spain or Italy it would seem crazy. Arsenal need to tell me what they want as well. I have a promise from Arsene that they will call me next week. I'm waiting for their answer and then I'll decide. I need to know before I come back to train on July 21. I need to know by then."
* If Adebayor was waiting for a call from Arsene Wenger to tell him what they were planning on doing, how did he expect to be contacted, seeing as he claimed on Friday that he had his phone off the entire time he was away?
"When I was on holiday I never went on to the internet I never read the newspapers so to be honest I was with my family so my phone was off so I didn’t know what was happening." No, we didn’t believe him either.
* If there was no truth in reports of Adebayor's future being in doubt, why did Arsenal not issue a statement or article on Arsenal.com denying the stories about Adebayor’s possible departure, as they have done with Cesc Fabregas and others in the past?
* Why did Adriano Galliani claim to have a fax from Arsenal stating that they were willing to sell Adebayor to AC Milan if this was not the case? Notably, Wenger stated on Friday that he would tell Galliani that Ade was not for sale but did not go so far as to suggest Milan’s claims were fabricated.
It seems to me that Arsenal may well have contributed to this saga, baulking at Adebayor's initial wage demands and then coming to a agreement when they realised no club was willing to pay their valuation of the player.
It's all academic now, and if Adebayor gets another 20+ goals this season, whatever payrise he has been given will be small change compared to the "selling club" label or transition we would otherwise have to endure.
As some have said, it's time to get behind him and help him score the goals that lead us to silverware.
DA
Reader Comments (8)
I agree.
Its time all these blogs stop sh*t-stirring.
What good is going to come from booing one of our players?
I agree he has been stupid and needs to win back the fans, and I wouldn't want to see him cup his hand to his ear any time soon. But he has said he is staying and he played pretty well against Madrid so lets stop hating our own players and direct that ill feeling towards our rivals... and the Spuds!!!
The team has a good spirit and togetherness as Arsene always says so lets not destroy that by booing one of the family!!
FORGIVE and FORGET!!!!!
It's actually scary that the club were willing to sell him because he's clearly a very important player. I'm not doubting that Wenger wouldn't be able to replace him but it would set us back and make the other senior players question our ambition, not to mention that finding an Arsenal player isn't easy because he must have a high level of technique and usually needs to be young so he can learn the 'Arsenal way'.
To be honest I couldn't give a crap about what he said because the fact is that he's staying and so we should get behind him.
He's just another stupid footballer looking for more money, who can blame him when there're so many of them?
Ade went a good length to winning the fans over on Sunday with his display.
I think Wenger knew what he was doing all along. He used the high valuation to test the resolve of clubs like Milan and Barca to show them up for what they are 'wankers' in the case that they paid up then he would have sold, but I don't think his intention was to sell in the first place.
i think the press fabricated most of the stuff,the only interviews i believe were the ones ade gave on tv ,why would ade tell the press how much money he wanted ?
Adebayo is agood striker though he needs more chances to convert.However that said and the fact that we seem not to be selling him,my proposal would be to get him aworld class partner to compliment him as we seem to be heading to only rely on him next season remember much as he is "young" injuries will soon creep in.My choice would be DAVID villa though iam not sure whether they would combine well,his adaptation to the english game and ofcourse the willingness and selling price by the club.
I hate this idea of david villa.Its utter crap!!! we have top strikers at the club already.You talk of bringing david villa because injuries will creep in...who doesnt get injured??the new striker will get injured, and if u add one to the 6 we have thats more money.....some of u neeed some bit of sense.....enough said
Arsenal don't comment on transfer sagas usually. But Peter Hill-Wood did come out and say Adebayor wasn't leaving, but Hleb had decided to leave.
Anyway, he never did say he wanted to leave the club. That quote you put up there is a good one, but he never said he was leaving. And you don't know what the question was that he was responding to.