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Departures - Summer 2010


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Arsenal youngster Luke Ayling is to join Yeovil Town permanently after spending time on loan with the League One outfit.The 18-year-old finished the campaign with the Glovers, making one league start and three substitute appearances for Terry Skiverton's side.Ayling is now expected to undertake a medical at Yeovil ahead of joining his new team-mates for pre-season training in July.The youngster was an important part of Arsenal's double-winning youth side in 08/09 as the team won the FA Youth Cup and Premier Academy League.He was highly regarded at Emirates Stadium but has now departed in search of regular first-team football.
League One side Yeovil Town appear to have captured Arsenal defender Luke Ayling on a permanent basis after agreeing personal terms with the centre-back.In a statement on their official website, Yeovil stated that they expect the transfer to go through on July 1st after Ayling has passed a medical. Ayling joined Terry Skiverton’s side on loan during the second half of last season but saw his opportunities restricted somewhat due to injury during his time at Huish Park.If the move does go through then it would be somewhat surprising given how highly Ayling is rated by the coaching staff at Arsenal. He was a key member of the side which won the Premier Academy League and FA Youth Cup in 2008/09 and was named on the bench for the first-team away to Olympiacos in the Champions League last season,However, with Kyle Bartley and Havard Nordtveit returning from loan spells at Sheffield United and Nuremburg respectively and with the likes of Ignasi Miquel and Martin Angha coming through the ranks, competition for places may be cited as one of Ayling’s key reasons for agreeing to move.
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Atletico Madrid have confirmed the signing of Arsenal starlet Fran Merida on a free transfer, after the player could not agree terms with the English side.The Gunners were keen to hold onto the 20-year old, who had been on the periphery of the first team at the Emirates, but refused their offer of a new contract, allowing los Colchoneros to pounce.Merida has penned a five-year deal with Atletico, the club that he supported as a boy, and pending a medical he will be available for the European Supercup clash with Inter that will kick off the 2010/11 season.The Barcelona-born midfielder moved to London in the summer of 2007, and although his appearances in the first team were limited, he was highly regarded by manager Arsene Wenger and considered an important player for the future.However, Merida has chosen to swap Premier League for La Liga and will form part of Atletico Madrid's bid for success both domestically and in their defense of their Europa League crown
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Happier?

Fran Mérida has rejected a second and improved offer from Arsenal and will now join Atlético Madrid on July 1st. The Spanish Under 21 international has already said his goodbyes to his team mates and is expected in Spain on Monday to finalise terms on a five-year-deal.Arsène Wenger agreed a contract extension with Mérida before the end of the campaign, but he requested more time to mull over the decision. Agent Joseba Diaz then instigated a meeting with Europa League winners Madrid who also offered him a contract, with similar terms. Fran told Wenger he would be leaving in search of more playing time, but last week a final, improved offer was placed, but snubbed.Fran is desperate for more playing time despite being given increasing Premier League and Carling Cup chances. He has also started in both the FA Cup and Champions League, finishing this year with two first team goals to his name. The 20-year-old is set to have his wages doubled with Atlético, yet Diaz has refuted claims he is simply leaving for money.“Fran’s decision is based purely on sporting questions and not money.”Mérida joined Arsenal in 2007 from Barcelona on a free transfer although compensation was paid following a long standing contract dispute. Madrid will also have to pay the Gunners compensation as the player is under 23.
Watch many a site pick up the story officially tomorrow... Arsenal.com however will probably run the story on the 1st July with all the other out of contracts and released players, like how Ayling isn't up yet. Pretty sure Chamakh is still listed on Bordeaux site and while their chairman has been quoted on the move, its not on the club's official site yet.
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:D if merida was to leave it would be based purely on wenger mugging him off

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9JdCOMSCXM

we're not talking about another reyes here. the guy has made a real effort at learning the language, he socializes with other players, hasn't said a bad thing about the country or bitched in the media about not playing enough.not to mention the fact that he's not a "true" catalan and barcelona burnt their bridges with him anyway.
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Fam, your not getting it, I like Merida, I just dont think his current ability = Arsenal starter.For some strange reason you think thats Wenger mugging him off and that British players where prefered to him. When in reality Denilson is older and more experienced than him, Ramsey is better and more experienced than him and Eastmond is a just a holding midfielder.I'll repeat if Merida had signed a new deal or had another year left on his deal, he would have definitely seen more game time this season, especially with Wilshere on loan and Ramsey's injury and again if he hadnt gone Sociedad and instead joined a Championship side, Wenger would have trusted him more. Also if he didnt get persistent niggling injuries and go away with every Spanish U-whatever age tournament in-season that too might have helped.Will we in 5 years be talking about damn we should have never let Merida go? Nope.

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I wasn't replying to you btw.Sometimes I think the foreign lads buy into the idea of Arsenal F.C, but don't give a sh*t about English football, almost as if Arsenal is a quicker way to play for a big Champions League side, yet not quite understanding that natural talent mixed with youth and then reserve team football isn't automatically enough, unless you TRULY are World Class and even then the physical side and speed side cant be taught. Maybe its because our poster boy for the youth system is Fabregas and thats what he did, but he joined a very different Arsenal team, that was all experienced and could physically carry him at times and was reknowned for being a "soft" team. This Arsenal team usually carries at least 2 players ability wise and is considered lightweight. Wenger can't really afford to put another one in.Like take Özyakup for example I just read him say...“I think a loan spell is uncomfortable. If you accept a loan, then you must immediately go into the first team. This has always been my goal anyway so I’ve never thought about a loan. Sometimes being loaned has worked out but most players are then sent out again and again, and that’s the end of them.“Its almost as if these man dont care for getting that experience in the English leagues, unless its playing for Arsenal. Which in most cases it cant work that way.

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Fam, your not getting it, I like Merida, I just dont think his current ability = Arsenal starter.For some strange reason you think thats Wenger mugging him off and that British players where prefered to him. When in reality Denilson is older and more experienced than him, Ramsey is better and more experienced than him and Eastmond is a just a holding midfielder.I'll repeat if Merida had signed a new deal or had another year left on his deal, he would have definitely seen more game time this season, especially with Wilshere on loan and Ramsey's injury and again if he hadnt gone Sociedad and instead joined a Championship side, Wenger would have trusted him more. Also if he didnt get persistent niggling injuries and go away with every Spanish U-whatever age tournament in-season that too might have helped.Will we in 5 years be talking about damn we should have never let Merida go? Nope.
This is what I'm talking about. I'm saying ramsey is at the level he is now because of the amount of playing time he's had, regardless of his performance in his last game. I'll concede that Ramsey was quite impressive early on in 08/09 but from the Burnley game onwards he was garbage right until the end of the season. The guy has only ever made ONE reserve appearance for Arsenal, in which he put in a pathetic shift which reeked of "Johnny Big Bollocks". It's clearly not a level playing field.Highlights of that game. SNM.

Do you believe that there is that much off a gulf in ability to justify Ramsey's selection over Merida, carte blanche?
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In terms of undestanding the English game, Ramsey is ahead of Merida before he joined Arsenal in that he played 16 times for Caridff in The Championship, he played in a F.A. Cup final (some current Arsenal first teamers aint done that sh*t). He's played in COMPETITIVE British games against an age group which stretches 10-15 years from him...So despite being younger than Merida, in terms of English football he was always more experienced. Then within months of joining us he made his Welsh debut, yeah Wales are sh*t but again he is playing against seasoned pro's in a competitiive environment.Playing for the reserves is cool, but half the time players are playing for fitness rather than competitive nature. Hence what Ramsey was doing when he played for the reserves.Ability wise do I think the difference between Merida and Ramsey is huge? No, but Merida still has all of that to learn and he seemed to want to learn that only at Arsenal or back in Spain, so Wenger was doing the right thing dropping him in at the right times, Merida had to be patient and take his chances. He aint gonna walk into the Athletico team either...All of the reserve and youth players IMO should go out on loan, purely because thats the finishing school, you learn first-team pressure, matchday experience, the mental pressure, the physicality etc... These yutes are lucky that Wenger gives them the Carling Cup cos many other clubs wouldn't even give them that.When we talk about players like Nasri who we paid millions for and has played over 100 career games in Ligue 1 winning young player of the year, needing time to come to terms with playing in the Premier League, it baffles me how players like Merida or whoever think they can just play, having had no or next to no career games anywhere... How fans on one hand can call for a need for experience in the team, then on the other hand say reserve team player X should play more is baffling.I dont think Ramsey form has ever been garbage, infct I think he was on his way before the injury, he has moments in games where he goes missing or where he tries the wrong pass, granted.
I will outright refuse to interact with anyone who disagrees with what I highlighted.I cannot believe what I read about him playing garbage. SMH. Just SMFH...
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