Emmanuel Eboue, football genius

First things first, who was that playing right-back with Emmanuel Eboue’s name and number on his back? I suggest we snap up this world class trialist immediately!
Seriously, how good was Eboue yesterday as the rip-roaring Reds saw off Sunderland with a 2-0 Premier League win at the Emirates? He offered exactly what Bacary Sagna has been failing to deliver: overlapping runs with inventive passing and boundless energy. Good work, Manu!
To the papers and there is a veritable feast of all things Arsenal in this morning’s rags, my fellow Arsenalistas. The Sunday Mirror claims Arsene Wenger believes we are back in the chase for the title after the vistory put us two points behind second-placed Manchester United and six behind leaders Chelsea.
Goals from Nicklas Bendtner and Cesc Fabregas penalty did the damage and asked whether we were back in the title mix, AW replied: “We are. But the only thing we can do is win our games and hope the others drop points. The top two will drop points because they play against each other.
“Everton have beaten Chelsea and Manchester United and there are plenty of teams where you can drop points. We have two fights, one is to get away as far as possible from the teams in fourth, fifth and sixth and the other is to get as close as possible to the top.
“We had good pace in the first half. We gave a lot physically on Wednesday night and you could see that. But the team is focused and responded well to the disappointment of Wednesday night and that’s all you can ask.”
The Mail on Sunday tends to agree that we are in with a sniff of the silverware and reports: At the close of a frenzied week which saw him lose both his temper and his dignity, Arsene Wenger was back in familiar reflective mood.
‘I don’t remember another title race like this’, he said. ‘Tomorrow, you will read that Chelsea will win the championship. But sport is movement. What seems right today can be very different in three weeks’. Wenger picked his words with caution, but he could not disguise his ambitions. For suddenly, improbably, Arsenal are within shouting distance of the summit. And a season which has spluttered and staggered is finally starting to soar.
The same paper reports that Andrey Arshavin has delivered yet another frank assessment of our failings, while promising that the club will fight to the bitter end to wrest the Premier League title from Manchester United.
‘United outplayed us in midfield and Chelsea were a more mature and powerful team,’ said Arshavin in an interview with Russian newspaper Sport Express. Asked to chose the likeliest title winners, Arshavin said: ‘If choosing between them, I think Chelsea.
‘If we were not defeated by United and Chelsea we would be on even terms with them now. But as it is we just need to stay in the race by winning each next match. And we will fight as long as we have the slightest of chances.’
It has to be said that Mikael Silvestre did a decent job alongside TV5 yesterday in the absence of Billy G and the latter is the subject of some speculation over a new deal with the club in the News of the World.
The paper claims AW is ready to break the contract structure for older players by offering Gallas a two-year deal. it says our normal policy is for players over 32 – like Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires in recent years – to be only offered a 12-month extension to their current agreement.
Gallas, 32, was expected to leave at the end of the season but has asked for the new contract, which could see him end his career at the Emirates but we are likely to reach a deal with the French defender on the condition it can be reviewed in the summer of 2011, says the Screws.
Meanwhile the same paper reckons Gael Clichy is set to leave us at the end of the season with both AC Milan and Real Madrid ready to pounce Clichy has two years left on contract he signed two years ago and AW is said to be considering cashing in on the 23 year old French left-back.
The paper points out that since returning from a stress fracture of the back, Clichy has struggled to regain his best form and that his status as first choice left-back will be under threat when Kieran Gibbs returns from his broken foot.
I am not so sure as you can never have too many good players and Gael is young enough to regain his form and be an asset for the Arsenal. Right, off for bacon and eggs and then to dig out a Wigan scarf for this afternoon’s football. FOYS!