We've still got Cesc Fabregas

"We will play the manager's media briefing on a loop until it is available on demand, meaning Arsenal TV Online is the first place to see the press conference in its entirety."

I don't know if I'm being thick here (I do have a slightly thick head this morning)- sit down at the back there! But I can't access Arsène's Emirates Cup press conference for love nor money this morning. It doesn't seem to be on a loop and I can't see where it is available "on demand". Which is a bit of a bummer as I'm told it's a bit of a must watch. Before you ask, yes, I do have access to ATVO...

Nonetheless, I think it's fair to say that the quotes that Arsène came out with yesterday evening as it turned out- so maybe the meeting the Spanish press were reporting did happen yesterday although the way Arsène said "I have spoken to him directly" suggests to me that he wasn't referring to a conversation just held. The best quote that I have seen come out though is a slice of Wenger fried gold. He said,

"We do not negotiate. If I want to buy your house and you don't want to sell, you don't negotiate with me, that's completely normal."

I'm not sure how Cesc will like being compared to a house, but I think that's by the by. The position has been made abundantly clear; there is nothing, no-one, for sale here. Move along Barca, nothing to see. With Spain's Sport suggesting that Arsenal are the bad guys- they've built up quite an impressive list of reasons why- for holding a player to his (lucrative) contract and Barca players suggesting Cesc will join them next summer, Arsène pointed out that that contract has five or six years to run. And it isn't a contract that anyone put in front of Fabregas before putting a gun to his head, Godfather style, demanding he signed it. Not that Arsène pointed that out, that part is me.

Definitively putting the kibosh on transfer talk- with even Barcelona's directors accepting the intransigence of Arsenal's position- the manager has set his captain the task of proving that he is a champion by leading the club to Premier League glory. Which I think, in the here and now with the squad we have, is a colossal ask- certainly a factor in Fabregas' thinking, you'd have to say. Yes, I think we were desperately unlucky to lose the spine of our side for the title run in, but just because we were that unlucky once doesn't mean it won't happen again. On our day with everyone fit, we can beat anyone but last season we lost to everyone around us- even Spurs and it was only our general consistency against sides in the bottom half of the table that kept us where we were. Only a stupid person would argue that the squad we have today is stronger than the one we had at the beginning of last season and that squad was saved, in a way, by the addition of Sol Campbell in January.

So, to hear Arsène say,

"We are not a team that is at the end of a cycle, we are at the start of a cycle. So our future will be decided not by who we buy or need but as well by how much we improve."

is a little bit worrying. Although, having heard him talk already of the need for defensive reinforcements, I think this is more a holding position than a definitive "we won't buy anyone" statement. After all, it's probably not very good business practice to run around as if your pants are on fire screaming, "WE NEED A CENTRE BACK! AND A GOALKEEPER!!!" is it? Let me answer that for you; no, it's not. I guess he's right in a way, his young team should keep improving. But for a squad that was short of experience two seasons ago, despite the fact the nucleus of the squad obviously ageing two years, it seems that we keeping stripping the really experienced guys out. Odd.

The Emirates Cup begins a few hours, Celtic kicking it off with Lyon. The later game sees Arsenal taking on a Ronaldinho less Milan. Milan do, of course, have Mathieu "the Mercenary" Flamini within their ranks. I hope he gets a similar reception to that of José Reyes last summer, "es decir" I hope he gets booed. Roundly. At least we got a transfer fee for Reyes, the way Flamini left us high and dry and on a free makes me glad to see him rotting in Milan. Not surprisingly, for someone who stitched Arsenal up like the proverbial kipper, he has backed Cesc to do what he feels- even if that means breaking his, I'll say it again, lucrative contract. Remember that when you read Flamini guffing on about how he had some amazing times with us and what a special place the Grove is. And, if you're going today, boo him.

I suppose I should point out, in the interests of fairness, that Flamini also said he'd support his friend should he decide to stay. Boo him anyway.

Enjoy the day.

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