Another week and a lot of rumours. So
let’s get this started. The obvious place to start is at the beginning. Lukas Podolski
won’t leave this summer.
There
has been speculation that Borussia Dortmund are trying to get him back to the
Bundesliga with an offer £1m short of what we have paid for him last year. That
alone is poor journalism. Poldi himself turned to Twitter in recent weeks to
deny any transfer speculation. So please simply turn the page in case you come
across another bulls*** rumour of that kind.
With
that topic out of the way, we can focus on real transfer business. Arsenal are going a good way to get rid of all the deadwood.
Top of the list is Nicklas Bendtner.
A
fee in principle has been agreed with five clubs. Why hasn’t he been sold you
ask? Pretty simple, wage demands. As it stands the only German club still
involved is Eintracht Frankfurt who are keen to sign the Danish forward. The
big question is if they are able to pay what he asks for. Frankfurt is not
known for being a financially strong club. As it’s rumoured Besiktas and two
other Premier League clubs are after his service as well. The Bundesliga is a
top league with high level football being played. There’s no doubt about that. But
personally I think that he won’t end up at Frankfurt as he is just too money
focused. Not sure which PL teams are seriously bidding for him, but I’ve got my
money on a transfer to Besiktas. That’s the kind of transfer you would expect.
Pretty much like the Wesley Sneijder one last year; not based on league quality
only on bank account potential. In the end I’m fine with it so long as we free
some payroll space. Money we could invest to get players like Marouane Fellaini on board. But with Besiktas banned from international football for the
next years Frankfurt’s chances could rise again.
Another
player we’re trying to offload is Johan Djourou. The Swiss international has
been on loan at German side Hannover since January and the 96’ers are keen to
retain his service for the upcoming years. JD himself enjoyed his time in the
Bundesliga and wants his future sorted out quickly. The only remaining problem
is still Arsenal’s asking price. Hannover would probably pay €3-4m I guess. A
deal we should agree on if no other team comes in for him. That other team
could be Hamburg who are searching for a central defender. Having sold Son to Bayer
Leverkusen, they have cash available and could match the €3-4m. New Hamburg
sporting director Oliver Kreuzer knows JD well from his time in Switzerland
which could be a decisive factor to lure him to Hamburg. But Hamburg are also
interested in Dortmund defender Lasse Sobiech. The U21 international was on
loan at St. Pauli and Fürth for the last two seasons so Dortmund probably won’t
stand in his way. But even if Hamburg struck a deal for Sobiech which seems to
be close if German media is to believed they are still looking for another
central defender as they are a bit short in that department. All in all I’m
convinced JD will play Bundesliga footy next year. Either in Hannover or
Hamburg.
A
few days ago the Mirror spread the rumour that Arsenal are interested in
signing Kyriakos Papadopoulos from Schalke. The Greek international central
defender impressed during last season. Arsene Wenger was keen to bring him to
North London about two years ago. As all reports about a possible interest lead
back to the Mirror, I tried to get some info on that case myself. Is there any
truth in it or is it just another rumour spread? Some calls later I got to the
conclusion that Arsenal are not interested. They haven’t made a bid. They haven’t
even been in contact. No news on any front. Schalke sport director Horst Held
also confirmed last week that Papadopoulos will be back in training next week
after his injury. Schake are in a good way in this summer’s transfer window and
they do not intend to sell any “top” players. As it’s transfer
madness until the end of August you’ll never know. But I highly doubt we are in
for him. So don’t get too excited if the Mirror spreads another rumour.
That’s
it for this week.
Cheers,
Chris Mader
Mad, Jens-like, thirty-something German. Waving the Arsenal flag in Münster, Germany. Red member. Visiting Arsenal matches for more than 10 years now. Still fussed EasyJet won’t get me free flights. Always down N5 with my dad. Worked in London for about half a year. Started my own German Arsenal blog about two years ago. Expert on Bundesliga issues. BVB my local club.
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