He can replace an injured Arteta and keep the experience levels. He may not be technically as good as Mikel but I’d suspect that he is still more mobile than our vice captain. I quite like the idea of shoring up our midfield at times by removing a Santi or Wilshere for example and playing a midfield trio of Arteta, Flamini and Ramsey to hold onto a result. Or going away from home setting up our base for the counter attack. We also have the option of using Flamini at right back or at a push left back so he makes for determined, experienced and versatile cover. An older Coquelin

So the Flamster has resigned with the Arsenal.

There certainly is a mixture of contrasting feelings buzzing around this excuse I have for a brain. When thinking about a top quality midfield player joining our squad we perhaps did not imagine that ex Arsenal player Mathieu Flamini would be knocking on our door unexpected in the middle of the night. Which then makes me wonder if this was a little less accidental than we believe.

Arsene likes to get players on trial before signing them if at all possible. Arsene knew that Flamini was out of contract and he would have known how well he performed for Milan in the second half of last season. Milan excited by his displays offered Flamini a new contract, he declined. It sounds very familiar doesn’t it?

Which moves me nicely onto another Flamini feeling I have. Rewind back to the end of the 2007/08 season, we had crumbled at the end of a campaign where really we should have won the title. I think I am saying this without my usual Arsenal bias. Flamini who replaced the injured Gilberto at the start of the season was a key component in that team. I can remember his AC Milan display like it was yesterday. Going to Milan where no English club had beaten them, either ever or in a long time we went there and played them off the pitch from start to finish. After a 0-0 home draw, nobody gave us a chance. I felt so proud that night, what a feeling it was.

Cesc Fabregas got the credit as the creative player and obviously he scored the winning goal but without a doubt, the man of the match for me was Mathieu Flamini. He was everywhere that night and I wouldn’t be surprised if that performance alone played a part in the break up of that wonderful team.

We had shot ourselves in the foot at the end of that season and that is not going into the details of the Eduardo break along with the collection of Anthony Taylor style refereeing displays at the end of that season (wow I was paranoid during that time)

It was supposed to be ok though because another season together would only make them stronger, it was supposed to be that way until Flamini and Hleb jumped ship and Rosicky was battling injuries. Enter transition, a word we got to know all too well.

It felt as if Flamini stopped us from making real progress but in truth we tried to offload him only the season prior so it works both ways. He was free to make that decision and he made it but it still cut quite deep.

So here we are, a stop start career with Milan never really reaching the heights of his Arsenal career and as he said, he is here on unfinished business. In isolation adding Flamini to the squad is a superb piece of business, experienced, versatile and more than anything else a player with the right attitude. I remember writing a blog towards the end of last season stating that I hoped we looked at attitude before talent from now on after our fighting run in, Flamini is exactly what I had in mind. He might not be a super dooper world class player but *insert cliche* he will roll up his sleeves on a cold November away night and fight for the badge *close cliche*

He can replace an injured Arteta and keep the experience levels. He may not be technically as good as Mikel but I’d suspect that he is still more mobile than our vice captain. I quite like the idea of shoring up our midfield at times by removing a Santi or Wilshere for example and playing a midfield trio of Arteta, Flamini and Ramsey to hold onto a result. Or going away from home setting up our base for the counter attack. We also have the option of using Flamini at right back or at a push left back so he makes for determined, experienced and versatile cover. An older Coquelin if you like. Even a direct replacement for Coquelin.

So I put his departure to bed and virtually shake his hand whilst patting him on the back. Welcome Flamini, now finish that business you were talking about.

He may well need a helping hand with that, I hope Gazidis, Law, Wenger and whoever else is involved in transfers are tucked away somewhere; coffees on the go; pizza boxes stacked on the floor with mobile phones constantly ringing. Who could be on the receiving end of those calls? Cabaye’s agent? Florentino Pérez perhaps? Who knows.

It promises to be a busy week, it has got to be. Let us say for arguments sake that Arsene didn’t want to add players (which would be rubbish in my opinion) the injuries to Arteta, Chamberlain and Podolski make it bear necessity that players are added. Given that both Podolski and Chambo Chambo are wide attacking players you can be sure that someone from outside will be coming in to fill that position. You cannot always buy to replace injured players but factor in that we have also sold Gervinho and released Arshavin into the wilderness then it is clear as day that we are light in that area. I’d really like a difference maker on the flanks. Someone who can *insert yet another cliche* get bums off seats. As mentioned previously, I’d quite like di Maria on our left. I made up a ridiculous theory as to why the Real Madrid players said they were happy to stay in Spain. Do you wanna hear it?

How about Arsenal told them (di Maria and co) to say that so Tottenham would feel confident that those players would not sign for Arsenal, then they could get on with selling Gareth Bale to Madrid, once that happened then di Maria, Ozil and Benzema would jump out from behind that tree, thumbs on noses waving their hands at Daniel Levy all wearing Arsenal shirts.

Before you jump to tell me, I am indeed talking a load of nonsense but hey, what’s a dream without sharing it?

I do believe that we will get someone off the radar that nobody has mentioned in at least one position. As I keep saying, I am certain that players will be joining, it is now a question of what type of quality.

Hopefully they will be top top top top quality because our Champions League group looks a bit tasty doesn’t it? Dortmund, Napoli and Marseille is pretty groupy of deathy isn’t it? It makes for some excellent matches and removes any group stage boredom that some Gooners experience at times. The Dortmund games look like a lot of fun, some counter attacking goodness I’d imagine.

Anyway hopefully we’ll get a sniff of another transfer before the NLD even if it is not a completed transfer perhaps the beginnings of one. Well, that is my hope anyway.

’till tomorrow.