Thursday, July 31, 2008

Arsenal & Wenger's New Kid "Bischoff"...


Transfer rumours are all well and good, but fans like to see real signings and Arsene Wenger has just made one for Arsenal. Many Gooners are worried by the lack of midfielders currently at the club, although the Frenchman has moved to allay those fears by signing a young player from Werder Bremen.
Amaury Bischoff has arrived at Emirates Stadium, Ashburton Grove for an undisclosed fee, with relatively little known about the player (quite typical of a Wenger signing many would say). Apparently, he has played only one game for Werder in the past three seasons, and that was a 17-minute cameo appearance against Celta Vigo last season!

Despite his having made minimal impact at senior level with Werder, their technical director Klaus Allofs tried hard to persuade Bischoff to stay at the club but he rejected the new deals offered to him. The Portuguese Football Federation had called him up to play in the Under-20 World Cup in Canada last year but injury prevented him from playing. They were suspicious that Werder discouraged the player because they were concerned about him being scouted by bigger European clubs.

Few escape the eye of Wenger and his scouts, however, and Bischoff, who can play in the centre of midfield or on the right, has a good chance of figuring this season with Gilberto Silva and Mathieu Flamini already departed. His age means that he can no longer be considered one of the kids, certainly not by Arsenal’s standards – he is 35 days older than Cesc Fabregas.

Gooners, are you happy to see another arrival at the club, or is this one random even by Wenger’s standards? Many have argued that the Frenchman needs to bring in some experienced players if the club are to challenge for silverware next season, but you just wouldn’t be surprised if the likes of Bischoff and Ramsey make a positive impact over the coming campaign.

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