Sagna! The Next Saga Begins

Doesn't understand all the faffing around going on here

Bacary Sagna's interview with L'Equipe yesterday caused quite a stir amongst the faithful and rightly so. It had a theme that we've become familiar with over the past couple of years. A theme that usually culminates in the subject exiting the club sooner than later.

Just to be clear, Sagna did not say anything different from what Arsenal fans, football pundits and any followers of the Premiership for that matter have not said in the past few years. Each answer to the questions that was posed was an understatement.

Watch Arsenal In Nigeria In High Definition

Sagna, Mertesacker and Podolski were in Lagos, Nigeria to meet Arsenal fans last weekend. Watch the trailer of "Arsenal In Nigeria" in high definition.

Sagna, Per & Podolski Came To Play Monkey Post In Nigeria?

It was a serio-comic show yesterday evening at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos as Airtel and Malta Guinness hosted Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Bacary Sagna in an interactive session with Arsenal's fans in Nigeria.

The players came to participate in promotional activities with regional partners Airtel and Malta Guinness who recently signed partnership deals with Arsenal that will allow them harness the club's merchandising, hospitality and content rights.

Podolski, Per & Sagna taking questions from Charles Anazado while us ordinary mortals watched

Like Arsenal fans every where else in the world, Nigerian fans were mostly interested in extracting guarantees of a trophy next season and one wanted assurances from Sagna that his injury from the end of last season had healed sufficiently enough for him to ensure that no goal will be scored through his position at right back.

It was a lesson in diplomacy to see the trio deflect all sorts of questions like, "Sagna, will you leave Arsenal if the likes of Manchester City offered you good money?"

"If it was all about money, a few of would have left ages ago," Sagna replied.

Is it just me or does anyone else see the answer to that question in that response? Not that I blame him though, that's a question no player can answer honestly.

Charles Anazado who emceed the occasion did a good job of protecting the players from some questions that would have embarrassed them. One female fan took the microphone and asked, "What do you think of Arsenal hiring a new manager?"

I turned around to see if the chick was blonde but she was blacker than my black arse and that's saying a lot because my arse is black.

What did she expect the players to say? You're right, Honey. The club needs to sack Wenger and bring in Redknapp.

Charles took the microphone back from her and as tactfully as he manages Victor Ikpeba, Daniel Amokachi and co on his SS3N football show, answered the question himself by reminding the audience that Arsene Wenger has only recently turned down a job offer from the Brazilian Football Association.

It was good to see the boys out here really but it hardly makes up for the disappointment of the cancellation of the game that was planned for August 5th. My ManU friend actually said the trio had been sent down to play "monkey post" in Nigeria; that's the backyard football game that requires 3-5 players on each side that's popular in Africa using a small goal post that can be set up with stones or sticks.

Monkey Post

All-in-all, it was a good show but we now look forward to the big one with the whole squad in attendance as  has been promised by the club.

We'll get back to transfer rumours and speculations in this space from tomorrow. See ya.

When Per, Sagna and Podolski came to Lagos, the clowns came to welcome 'em twitter.com/naijaendgooner…
— lalah D Gooner (@naijaendgooner) July 30, 2012

All We Are Saying, Give Us Arsenal!

The boys have arrived in Beijing and were accorded another awesome reception from the Chinese fans. Oh! How they love this club in China. Makes me wonder what would have been if they had come to Nigeria as planned. The Malaysian and Chinese receptions would have paled in significance, wouldn't it, Nigerian Gunners?

Yeah!!! I hear you roar, "ALL WE ARE SAYING, GIVE US ARSENAL". Yeah! You all know that tune and we will sing it until we are heard if they don't keep their word to come play here next summer.

The Arsenal marketing director,Angus Kinnear made us a promise when the club postponed the trip that was planned for August when he said, 

"We have a huge and loyal following in Africa, and we are sorry that the team will not be visiting this summer. However, we have a long-term commitment to Nigeria and we are already making plans for a visit next summer."

Hopefully, the club will keep their word and we'll watch and cheer the team on our shores next summer.

The game in China is between us and a familiar opponent from the premier league, Manchester City. It's a showpiece game like the one in Malaysia last Tuesday but I reckon we'll take it a bit more seriously than the game against Malaysia XI for pride's sake. The game is scheduled for Friday next at 12 noon at the famous Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing. I'll let you know here and here when I confirm if it will be aired in Nigeria.

However it goes anyway, not much significance should be given to the results because the boss is more interested in the workout value of these pre-season games than the results, and of course the Chinese fans will expect to be entertained. Having said that, I'd rather we were not at the receiving end of a hiding from City because we need the team to have a workout and the Chinese fans to be entertained. It's City we are talking about and the British press in particular will not let us live it down no matter how friendly the game may be. It has become fashionable to remind Arsenal how they need to spend more money especially when a chink is spotted in our amour. I really don't want to hear it.

It was one of them days today and I couldn't find time to get in here earlier than now. Luckily there wasn't much more than unconfirmed rumours of Carzola heading our way amongst a few other rumours to report.

I'll keep it short this night and hopefully I'll be much earlier tomorrow.

Kachifo!