EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal to face Legia Warsaw

Arsenal are set to play a pre-season friendly in Poland against Legia Warsaw. Apparently the game is part of the deal that gave us a certain keeper by the name of Łukasz Fabiański. I know it’s a little bit premature to start talking about next season already but we can hardly be enthusiastic for the remainder of this season can we? Warsaw fans are supposed to be mentalists but, hey, you never know they might welcome us with open arms.
On to the papers and writing in the Telegraph, Henry Winter tells us that Fabianski has been escaping the season’s assorted tensions and tribulations by reading up on blackmail, racketeering and murder.
For light relief, Mario Puzo’s The Godfather is rather dark but the compelling tale relaxes Fabianski. “The Godfather is such a famous film but many people won’t have actually read the book,” says the Polish keeper. “It is so well written and the storyline is incredibly gripping. It’s an absolute must-read.”
Winter, ever the comic cad, says Arsenal fans could be forgiven for debating which was scarier: waking up to a horse’s head or watching Fabianski against Wigan Athletic.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail says Sol Campbell is desperate to prolong his second stint with us but admits he does not know if or when AW will hand him a new deal.
‘I really don’t know what’s going to happen,’ said Campbell. ‘Of course I want to play! But the boss has always done it as he does. He might phone me in July, might speak to me next week. I’m just going to concentrate on the last few games. He will do it in his own way, as he always does.’
The paper says Campbell is confident that the club’s experience of missing out on a trophy for a fifth successive season should inspire us to glory next year, if they take the positives.
‘When you get close, you get that experience of coming close and losing, or coming close and winning to get to the next level,’ he added. ‘Players and individuals will be better next year or the year after. You have to take the positives. We need to be mentally ready for it to kick on again and you want 11 guys on the pitch, players on the bench, a few in the stands and all of them on that level.’
And in the Mirror AW says admits we must retain their focus in order to hold off T********, who could pip us for third. He said: “Psychologically it’s very important to finish third because you can’t go completely on holiday if you finish fourth because you will be thinking about who you who will be facing in the [Champions League] qualifier.
“After a World Cup that can be extremely dangerous. The team that finishes fourth could face a tough opponent in the qualifier, especially if you are not seeded.”