Ljungberg sale is great business for Arsenal

If Arsenal have really managed to sell Freddie Ljungberg for the reported £3million to West Ham, then that's incredible business.

£3million and 70 grand a week off the wage bill for a player with constant injuries and almost nothing to offer to any team on a football pitch might just be one of Arsène Wenger's best moves of the summer.

Maybe the boss' words the other day about Freddie being important to Arsenal got his fee up a bit. It did surprise me that Wenger saw anything in Freddie anymore.

It is, however, sad to see him go after nine seasons, of which two were great, two were terrible and five were decent.

The memories the Swede brought to the 01/02 season will of course live on in gooners' memories for a long, long time as stunning goals at Anfield and the Milenium Stadium, as well as many others in a great scoring run, saw Arsenal win the Double.

The midfielder was also prolific and probably had his best overall season in 2004/05 when he looked like hitting his peak with lots of goals, assists and general running and hard work.

But sadly his last two seasons at Arsenal were surprisingly bad, scoring only four goals in that period, Freddie looked nothing like his old self as he seemed unable to do...well, anything, if I'm going to be blunt; he lost his pace, he lost his scoring touch, he looked lost every time he got on the ball and he contributed absolutely nothing to the team anymore.

I'm interested to see how he does at West Ham. Maybe a fresh start is all he needs, but I can't see it happening for him. As a player who relied so much on the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry to help him look good over the years, I think he'll find life a tad tricky and uninspiring at Upton Park.

But still, all the best to a minor Gunners legend, and thanks for nine years of very solid service.

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Gunners indonesia

Posted on 2 Mar, 2008 at 01:49 PM - Reply

I am very sad because eduardo injury, he is good player for arsenal. i hope arsenal can win primer league in this season. Glory Arsenal forever.

shahruardo

Posted on 26 Jul, 2007 at 06:31 PM - Reply

this is what exactly my mind is thinking about ljungberg. very nice post, i agree 110%.

Highbury_Gooner

Posted on 25 Jul, 2007 at 11:31 AM - Reply

Great...so who is going to replace Freddie with 3 weeks to go until the new season? Reminds me of when we sold Vieira/Edu/Pennant and loaned out Bentley in 2005 and then stumbled on until the Xmas break, playing the ineffective Flamini and Hleb in a lightweight midfield. As that summer now marks the beginning of the end regarding our title ambitions, what does the sale of Freddie and the lack of quality replacements for him, Campbell, Henry, Vieira or Pennant mean? The fight for 6th place? I love Wenger but if it carries on like this, next summer will see other good players leave and we will slip further behind.

Rombosia

Posted on 25 Jul, 2007 at 07:14 AM - Reply

I don't get fans. One day you're all saying Freddie is over the hill, next we're saying we needed his experience. Which is which? He did good for us, and had he stayed, he'd still have made important contributions had he stayed fit. I loved him wen he had that wacky hairstyle of his!

All the same, it is business. 3 M pounds for him isn't bad. So why not? Those that talk about Vieira, Pires, Henry.. The coach didn't want them to leave, but they all were desperate to go. You can't force someone to stay. We made a mistake twice with Vieira n Henry. When they shud have gone for much higher prices but we desperately tried to cling on them. A year later, same issues n they go for much less.

I think they forget that they weren't world class before Wenger, so he lets them go so that he can show them (n all you fickle fans) that he can do it again!

Good luck Freddie, You're still my man!! (watever the press may say)

mickey dread

Posted on 24 Jul, 2007 at 11:21 PM - Reply

i think you are right mate the best business in years. This guy scored one goal for us and i think he got exposed when other senior players left . he fell down a lot man

charlesthegooner

Posted on 24 Jul, 2007 at 10:49 PM - Reply

very harsh on a good player done great for the club

delboy

Posted on 24 Jul, 2007 at 03:28 PM - Reply

a class player in his time, but definitely on the way down, so west ahm is perfect for him. was'nt impressed by his comments. What happened to the 'i'll never play for another english team'. The truth is freddie you knew you'd be a bit player at arsenal these days and decided to go to the arsenal retirement home like wright, suker, winterburn etc.

Simon

Posted on 24 Jul, 2007 at 03:00 PM - Reply

You are right. On the pitch he has lost all his capabilities (and his red hair) but off the pitch we have lost another experience player who can teach and lead the younger player.

But what I will miss most is before every game in the tunnel he goes and shakes everyone Arsenal player's hand (inspecting the troops before a battle)

We love you freddie..........

No doubt the Next number 8 will be as good.

Simon

Andrew

Posted on 24 Jul, 2007 at 02:00 PM - Reply

.....I think your judgements are...unfair to put it mildly.
I'm devastated that he's left. Not because of his personlity, but because he's been legendary.

cardiff_gooner

Posted on 24 Jul, 2007 at 01:37 PM - Reply

I'm more sad to see Freddy go than to see Thierry Henry...... He was cool as F**k!

Gavster82

Posted on 24 Jul, 2007 at 10:08 AM - Reply

Shame to see Freddie get put down like this after all he has given to the club. I agree 100% that freddie is no longer good enough to play for us but neither is Henry, but dont here anyone saying the same about him, probably because he is Henry, the greatest player Arsenal have had. In my opinion he has gone been sold because he is no longer good enough not becuase he is crap. Otherwise he would not have been with us for so long.

Bye Bye Freddie, thanks alot mate, wish you all the best with the hammers, but if you put one past us, you gonna get it! LOL

Clockend Lloydie

Posted on 24 Jul, 2007 at 09:58 AM - Reply

Freddie is no 'minor' legend to me, but he certainly made me smart a bit with his unhelpful comments about Arsenal's ambition. These players nowadays ought to earn their money and keep the management of the team to the manager.

Yazz

Posted on 24 Jul, 2007 at 06:49 AM - Reply

Goodbye and good luck for Freddie, i'm so sad for his departed, buth his cicle are concluded in the gunner's ground and maybe he it needed a new opportunity in the epl.

so very stranger see him in the hammer's shirt

Keats

Posted on 24 Jul, 2007 at 04:00 AM - Reply

Sometimes I think Wenger is a bit too quick to offload players (e.g. Paddy, Bobby) and I have to question those decisions, but we all must admit that Freddie does seem past it, and regardles of what he does for West Ham, he probably wasn't going to do it at Arsenal.
However, I just can't shake the comparison to United---What if Fergie moved Scholes and Giggs on like he did horseface, like Wenger did with Boby and Paddy? Short answer, they probably wouldn't have won the league last season for one.
I don't know why I brought it up, probably because all the old guard are gone now and I'm feeling a bit nostalgic. Odious emotion I suppose.

metalclown

Posted on 24 Jul, 2007 at 02:49 AM - Reply

Thank you Freddie for the 10 years of memories. Now who's gonna score against Man Utd i wonder....?

IrishGunner

Posted on 24 Jul, 2007 at 02:09 AM - Reply

I'll miss Ljungberg, he's always been one of my favourite players at the club. I was hoping he'd leave with a bit more dignity than he seems to be, after everything he gave to the club and vice-versa.

ugachaka

Posted on 24 Jul, 2007 at 12:30 AM - Reply

he was a legend and we need a replacement...how about Luka Modric

TD

Posted on 23 Jul, 2007 at 11:38 PM - Reply

think you are being a bit harsh on Fred in the article, although his comments to the media have done him no favours in my eyes. He was a match winner in his own right and i wish him all the best at West Ham. I still reckon he has something to offer them

Adams n Begkamp

Posted on 23 Jul, 2007 at 11:10 PM - Reply

a while back, arsenal had several players who defined arsenal. these were names like Tony Adams, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry - though i wont miss HIm the slightest, with his arrogance. But lately, the ones that have become Mr. Arsenal are Arsene Wenger, though that is only natural, but also Fabregas and so on. Lungberg, will forever be Mr Arsenal to me, together with Pires, Bergkamp, and TOny Adams, because their contribution to arsenal alwas meant the most to me. The sale is a huge loss for arsenal, a great player he is. Given time, to enter without the deperate need of crumbling arsenal, i think he would step in, as he has done countless of times, run the opposition tired and muddy, for our promisng oungsters to finish the job. Players like Freddie are needed in a team like Arsenal, where dirty work lately, is often left undone.

dennis-fred

Posted on 23 Jul, 2007 at 10:45 PM - Reply

I think your comments are a little harsh, Freddie is an experienced top flight player, with plenty to offer to a team like west ham, he has had a good stay at the arsenal. and i wish him well al-be-it at upton park. bye bye freddie

AC

Posted on 23 Jul, 2007 at 10:28 PM - Reply

Ljungberg used to be one of my favourite players but these last two seasons it has been frustrating seeing him in the team. The great thing about Freddie WAS his ability to score goals. He seemed to have lost his eye for goals recently. Hopefully, Hleb, Fabregas and Rosicky will follow Gilberto's lead and bring in the much needed goals from midfield this season.

Gareth

Posted on 23 Jul, 2007 at 10:04 PM - Reply

It's a bit harsh to say that we'll be better off without him this season. Yes certainly, his best years are behind him, but his experience and commitment, cannot be questioned.
I too find it disturbing that some so called fans are so quick to write off great Arsenal players.

Chapman

Posted on 23 Jul, 2007 at 08:43 PM - Reply

Many supporters fail to remember that from the time he scored against man u in his first game, he has been instrumental to our success, bar the last season and a half (he was one of the top performers in the end of the CL run including the final). From the incredible contribution he made in the 01-02 double season, he alongside Pires, were the two most feared wingers in the pl. The season after 03-04 he was one of the best players at the club and scored 10 goals, while assissting as many. Unfortunately his injuries held him back in the last seasons, but to claim that he only had 2 good seasons is an insult to the man.

Freddie you are a true Arsenal legend and will always be remembered and missed!!

However I do believe that it was the right time for Arsenal to sell him, but we must remember what these players contributed to the success that we have had over the years since Wenger became manager. It´s quite disturbing to see supporters slagging players off, who spent their best years at the club and gave 110% to help Arsenal reach the status it has today.

samik

Posted on 23 Jul, 2007 at 08:32 PM - Reply

A bit rough no? I mean he has had injuries but he made fantastic runs and had an eye for goal. Yes he relied on bergkamp for the service BUT he was the only one who made those runs and could score. A wonderful wonderful player and sad to see him go though it was the right time. I expect he'll score and create many goals for the hammers since he is a quality player since I remember how at palace(?), ray houghton showed he could also be playmaker/creater, a role where liverpool say had beardsley or barnes and arsenal had bergkamp/pires. At most other clubs he would have had that role. He was quality at international level and it was after he caused all kinds of problems to england that adams et al recommended him to wenger.

I would not pay him 70k a week at the moment, but if it were not for injury concerns he would be good to have in the squad.

Bitter N Twisted

Posted on 23 Jul, 2007 at 08:29 PM - Reply

spot on about everything really.

now we just need to sign a winger.

Hypo

Posted on 23 Jul, 2007 at 08:00 PM - Reply

I agree that it was time for Freddie to go to another club. However I'm not as negative as you about his contribution to the team, regardless of his last two seasons I feel that Ljungberg has contributed alot to the team both on and off the pitch. Nowadays he is a little slower and not as reliable as he used to but he was one of the last few in the team that acctually had any experience and that will be a huge loss for the Arsenal team!

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