Back in my school days I didn’t have such beauties such as the Internet, Caught offside, Tribal Football and Twitter, instead I used to phone premium numbers. It wasn’t premium numbers that young boys usually call either, it was for Arsenal gossip. Unfortunately back then I was stupid enough to believe what they were saying (in slow motion I may add) was somewhere near the truth instead of a money making scam to rip off gullible young folk. If Twitter was around back then, then perhaps I wouldn’t have been banned from using the phone at home. Ah, those were the days. Days of Andy Sinton and 

How on earth do you start a blog like today? There was more news, rumour, gossip and drama yesterday than you would get pre or post Champions League final.

This Twitter lark is seriously bad for your health, I am just glad that it was not around in my younger teen years. My head may just have exploded with all the whispers.

Back in my school days I didn’t have such beauties such as the Internet, Caught offside, Tribal Football and Twitter, instead I used to phone premium numbers. It wasn’t premium numbers that young boys usually call either, it was for Arsenal gossip. Unfortunately back then I was stupid enough to believe what they were saying (in slow motion I may add) was somewhere near the truth instead of a money making scam to rip off gullible young folk.

If Twitter was around back then, then perhaps I wouldn’t have been banned from using the phone at home. Ah, those were the days. Days of Andy Sinton and Les Ferdinand being constantly linked to us and never signing for us.

In 2011 not much has changed, well not until this summer you have to think. Not much as in rumours and not myself calling premium numbers. Not either types thank you very much.

You would imagine that there is plenty going on behind the scenes. The trouble is, many are telling us that they have a heads up on what the manager is going to do and this gets spread faster than Theo Walcott latching onto a Cesc through ball.

I do not really want to go too deep into each and every rumour because it becomes quite pointless once we realise that Arsene Wenger was never interested in player x in the first place, but having said that I do believe that some rumours actually have legs to it where as others are probably just fabricated or at least have less chance of happening.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for example is an interest that I believe to be true. His father has spoken very highly of Arsenal and there was more than an interest back in January. Reports are that the deal has been done and we are waiting around for the tedious parts of a signing to get done before we make an announcement. I suspect that we already have at least one and possibly more than one deal all but tied up but being Arsenal FC we like to have everything sewn up before making any sort of announcement. Look at the Nasri deal that was known about way, way before he was smiling on Arsenal.com.

AOC, as I may refer to him from now on to save my fingers from hurting is another player who is in the Jenkinson category of signing. If he does sign then I would seriously advise not getting worked up about signing prospects because that is the path of the club. That is our business model and we will continue to try and bring the best youngsters into the club.

The first team squad is a separate issue and it is one that is being looked at seriously. Plenty people linked to the club such as Liam Brady has said that they expect Arsene to invest on experienced quality. Before throwing toys are far as you can possibly muster, let us wait to see what happens.

I also believe that Gervinho will become an Arsenal player by the end of the window. Not because I know the mate, who knows the taxi driver of the uncle who knows this girl who used to go out with Gervinho’s former best friend or anything but because I think he ticks plenty of Arsene’s criteria and that he is available.

Interesting that Johan Djourou has been talking very highly of the player and has said that he would fit well into Arsenal. He may well have just answered questions put to him or he knows more than we do. Who knows.

As for the rest, I have no clue. Continuing with rumoured incomings. Twitter went into a frenzy last night when someone said that Chris Samba was close to a £9 million deal to join Arsenal. The fact that Wenger put a bid in for Phil Jones would indicate that he is in the market for a central defender. Whether or not Samba is that player, I guess only time will tell.

Arseblog News reported that we had made contact with Lille for Eden Hazard. As soon as I read the news I put the brake on the excitable side of my personality. We already know that Arsene likes the player and I would imagine that the player knows plenty about Arsenal and Wenger but as with Cesc and Barcelona I think the issue would be the fee.

I cannot help but feel the conversation would go something like this.

Arsenal Board: Our manager likes Eden Hazard and would love him at Arsenal.

Lille Board: That’s nice. We kinda need him here as we are in the Champions League next season

Arsenal Board: Ok, we understand that. How much would it take for you to change your mind?

Lille Board: Well, as every manager in the world knows of him and wants his services, we are thinking somewhere along the lines of £35 million

Arsenal Board *Silence*

Lille Board: Hello?

Arsenal Board: … erm we were thinking closer to £7.5 million plus Denilson or Bendtner

Lille Board: What?

Arsenal Board: I said we were think…

Lille Board *Hangs up*

The point I am trying to make is that he is a special talent and one that we should have tried to bring in when he was 16-17 instead of waiting until even average managers such as Harry Redknapp knows his quality.

I would love the little step over winger at Arsenal but I wonder if Arsenal and Lille would ever reach an agreement of his valuation.

So onto players leaving the club, or rumoured to be leaving the club. Gael Clichy is apparently being tracked by Liverpool and their mega bucks. After splashing £20 million on an inexperienced kid they thought they would table a whopping £5 million to lure one of the most experienced left back’s in the Premier League. Don’t be so bloody silly.

Regular readers will know of my love for Clichy but I can accept if he wants to move on as long as we can find a replacement which will give us things that he hasn’t managed to give us. Offensively more than defensively. But if we are to let him go then it better be for a suitable price and not a piss taking price.

Why do we continue to get shafted for prices yet other clubs like Manchester United (Ronaldo), Liverpool (Torres) and Sunderland (Bent, Henderson) get mega bucks. Although that hasn’t always been the case. We received a lovely price for Nicolas Anelka and later on for Adebayor. I just hope that if Cesc Fabregas does leave then we get what the player is worth.

I find myself writing that almost every day now and apologies but I refuse to write about the latest Barcelona players to talk about how much Cesc wants to join them or how great he would fit. Sorry, I have found myself talking about it after just telling you that I wouldn’t. That is how much it gets to me.

The Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas situations are pretty much as you were. Nasri spoke yesterday about still being in talks with Arsenal. Bloody hell, the phone bill must be huge. I hope it as his agent that made the first call and not Arsenal. I don’t really want to comment on this much more because I ain’t gotta blinking clue wat iz appening initt.

EXCLUSIVE: ADAMS IN WENGER DISS AS GRAHAM REMAINS HIS FAVOURITE

Well something like that. That was the talk of the morning and in fact it is an interesting subject that I have been meaning to write about in my spare time. Finding the spare time is the hard part.

All Adams was saying was that he prefers Graham’s approach to management but that both had their strong points. Nothing wrong with that is there. As usual it has been blown out of proportion by the people who want to create headlines.

It should not be a surprise that Adams is a Graham man, so to speak. It was George Graham who helped Adams be the player he became. He played him as a youngster and build a side around his leadership.

I am sure if you asked the likes of Anders Limpar or even the late David Rocastle which manager they would have performed better for then a decent bet would have been Arsene Wenger.

They both have completely different styles and have their own strengths. I doubt that Graham would have allowed the team to have fallen apart the way they did at the end of the season yet I highly doubt that Graham could have created a squad that could have reached the level that we are already at with the budget spent from the board.

When comparing the two managers and era’s we must not forget that times have changed, competition has changed and more importantly the quality has changed.

The old Division one could almost be compared to a Championship race. The quality in England was not as high as it is today. Nowhere near.

I am not knocking what Graham achieved because he could only win what was in front of him as they say. But doing that in 1989 and 1991 was totally different to the new Sky era of huge cash and investment.

I do not see a partnership of Alan Smith and Kevin Campbell breaching many a defence these days but hey, that is just my opinion. You may well have yours. Debate if you wish… respectfully.

On a brighter and happier note, I just listened to Carl Jenkinson’s interview on Arsenal.com. If you haven’t done so, then I suggest you do. I felt a warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach hearing that he has always been a Gooner and that his father is a season ticket holder of 40 years or so. One thing he won’t be doing is walking around his house in a Tottenham shirt, that is for sure.

I really hope he does well for the club now and manages to be part of the team in future. I might look through his previous tweets and see if he has been shouting ‘WENGER SIGN SUM EXPIENCED PLYRS OR GET OUTA DA CLUB!’

Back tomorrow.