I've seen and heard rumours that Gael Clichy could be on his last legs at Arsenal.
Now whether you believe that Arsene Wenger is ready to cash in on our number one left-back or not, I think that many Gooners are split on what Wenger should do.
The fee that I've seen bandied about is £16m. Now don't get me wrong, that is a lot of money, especially for a full-back but would that tempt you to let Clichy go?
About 18 months ago I would have said jog on. These days I have to admit that I would be tempted, especially when you know that Kieron Gibbs seems pretty capable of filling Gael's boots.
Clichy seems to have had a rough time in the last 18 months. He has been injured a lot and that has affected his form. He almost seems to have at least one clanger a game and the days of saying that he is better than Ashley Cole appear long gone.
To even compare him to Ashley Cole is a tribute to Gael Clichy. Without doubt (I have/hate to say it) Cole is the best left-back in the world. I still feel to this day he could have gone on to become an Arsenal legend and would probably even be our captain. As we all know he fucked that up.
I, and many others, said that Clichy made it an easy decision for Wenger to let Cole go. Gael was that good. Having said that, it appears that Gael has gone backwards over the last 12-18 months. I think it was the mistake against Tottenham in the 4-4 draw that begun his 'apparent' decline.
There is a saying; 'Form is temporary, class is permanent' and I would hope that this applied to Gael Clichy. We didn't say that Clichy was better than Cole for nothing.
Despite being tempted I wouldn't sell Clichy. Not even for £16m. Somewhere inside Gael Clichy is still that player who I believed would overtake Cole and become the best left-back in the world.
It could be a matter of belief. If Clichy regained that belief in himself I'm sure that he could become the player we wanted him to be.
I would hate to see Gael at another club. We talk a lot about loyalty to a club in football and when I see Clichy I see a player who loves Arsenal and is extremely loyal to us. Look at his interviews, he always conducts himself well.
In Kieron Gibbs we have a player for the future, Clichy is a player for now. I have no doubt that one day Gibbs will be Arsenal and England's number one left-back but I'd still give Clichy a chance to fulfill that promise he showed and get back on track.
Keep it Goonerish............
Now whether you believe that Arsene Wenger is ready to cash in on our number one left-back or not, I think that many Gooners are split on what Wenger should do.
The fee that I've seen bandied about is £16m. Now don't get me wrong, that is a lot of money, especially for a full-back but would that tempt you to let Clichy go?
About 18 months ago I would have said jog on. These days I have to admit that I would be tempted, especially when you know that Kieron Gibbs seems pretty capable of filling Gael's boots.
Clichy seems to have had a rough time in the last 18 months. He has been injured a lot and that has affected his form. He almost seems to have at least one clanger a game and the days of saying that he is better than Ashley Cole appear long gone.
To even compare him to Ashley Cole is a tribute to Gael Clichy. Without doubt (I have/hate to say it) Cole is the best left-back in the world. I still feel to this day he could have gone on to become an Arsenal legend and would probably even be our captain. As we all know he fucked that up.
I, and many others, said that Clichy made it an easy decision for Wenger to let Cole go. Gael was that good. Having said that, it appears that Gael has gone backwards over the last 12-18 months. I think it was the mistake against Tottenham in the 4-4 draw that begun his 'apparent' decline.
There is a saying; 'Form is temporary, class is permanent' and I would hope that this applied to Gael Clichy. We didn't say that Clichy was better than Cole for nothing.
Despite being tempted I wouldn't sell Clichy. Not even for £16m. Somewhere inside Gael Clichy is still that player who I believed would overtake Cole and become the best left-back in the world.
It could be a matter of belief. If Clichy regained that belief in himself I'm sure that he could become the player we wanted him to be.
I would hate to see Gael at another club. We talk a lot about loyalty to a club in football and when I see Clichy I see a player who loves Arsenal and is extremely loyal to us. Look at his interviews, he always conducts himself well.
In Kieron Gibbs we have a player for the future, Clichy is a player for now. I have no doubt that one day Gibbs will be Arsenal and England's number one left-back but I'd still give Clichy a chance to fulfill that promise he showed and get back on track.
Keep it Goonerish............