Schwarzer: "I need [Arsenal]"

For nearly six months, Arsenal have been linked with every man to ever step between the sticks. Around a week ago I tried to make a record of exactly how many keepers we'd been linked with, but lost track after twenty-two. That's not a joke.

Mark Schwarzer has seemed the most likely for some time. The 37-year-old was recently quoted saying the following:

"I need it to happen. I've had a couple of chats with Mark [Hughes]. It's delicately poised. Who wouldn't be keen to go to Arsenal? At this stage in my career it's an amazing opportunity to play at that level and one I really want to take. Only time will tell whether that happens or not."

Only time will tell? What kind of taoist crap is that? Mark Schwarzer has a showdown meeting planned with Mark Hughes for as soon as the keeper is back from international duty and the only telling should be the big Aussie telling Hughsie the way it's going to go. And that way is out the door. Fulham value Schwarzer at £4 million but apparently Wenger doesn't want to do the deal for more than £2 million. Every publication that's carried this story so far has brought up Fulham's Saturday match-up with Bolton as a game which Schwarzer could sit out to engineer a trade. However, I can tell you now that won't happen. Australians as a breed are stand up guys. People like Greg Norman, Steve Irwin, and Croc Dundee have solidified their image in the mainstream media as real gentlemen. You can bet your arse that Mark Schwarzer won't go on a hunger strike, but I'd also expect him to speak his mind to Hughes.
 
Also, let me just say that this is a real breath of fresh air. All the other transfer news we get is just bollocks made up in Fleet Street taverns. Finally, someone with an actual chance of coming steps up and says come and get me. That really takes the weight off my shoulders.
 
This also means that there could be some truth behind the goalkeeper love triangle that's wafted through the papers of late. Schwarzer to Arsenal, Friedel to Fulham, and Almunia to Villa. That seems unlikely but apparently there's a five team trade going on in the NBA right now so who the hell knows what the world is coming too?
 
Our twelve players who took part in their national duties are on their way back. Wilshere and Gibbs both got their international debuts. Gibbs played decently, but Wilshere only featured for thirty seconds or so and never really exerted himself on the game. In typical Arsenal fashion, there have also been reports that Wilshere spent the night in the hospital with stomach pains. The Arsenal fashion I'm referring to, by the way, is the tendency of our team to defeat itself through injury. Theo Walcott played seventy or so minutes though and looked pretty good. It's also worth noting that in the twelve games Theo has played for England, the Lions have gone 12-0-0.
 
Mexico and Spain played to a one - one tie, in which Vela played an extraordinarily mediocre game. I thought he looked absolutely top notch against Legia but he never even really featured against Spain. Fabregas came on for a half and looked downright poor. Perfect.
 
Although France didn't win, Nasri was voted the man of the match by L'Equipe e-mag. He's continuing his top form and I'd expect to see him feature quite a bit more often for the Francs whether or not the full World Cup side returns to action. He's really blossomed all of a sudden. Maybe being left out of the WC squad did him a world of good.
 
Apart from that, Jagielka has ruled himself out of a move away from Everton and Gerrard looked fantastic against Hungary. If he plays that good on Sunday, we're in big trouble.