Malcolm Sterling is a life-long Gooner with an appreciation for defensive midfielders and "seeing games out". Favourite players include Emmanuel Petit, Gilberto and Michael Thomas. Hates social media more than he hates "that poxy radio clown" but loves horses more than Michael Owen and enjoys a football flutter. Malcolm misses Highbury more than he can express despite only managing to visit fewer times than he's been to the Emirates.
Arsenal are in the FA Cup for a joint record 18th appearance with a chance of a joint record 11th win (both with Manchester United). With an opportunity to get a humvee sized monkey off their back and end a 9 year trophy drought, Arsenal won't treat Hull like the rank outsiders the papers are making them out to be.
Watching the Arsenal vs West From game on Sunday I thought I had missed a major Arsenal signing and we had purchased an ancient Samurai warrior to play up front.
What could possibly have lead to me imagining such a ridiculous thing? Well it was the co-commentator on Sky Sports, ex-Gunner Niall Quinn, calling Yaya Sanogo "Sanaga". My initial thought was one of mononymous Japanese cinema directors but then my mind turned to thoughts of all those Arsenal players who had the pronunciation of their name desecrated mostly by ineloquent and mediocre ex-players (I don't include Quinn in that as I believe his was a slip of the tongue as he only did it once).
According to the Telegraph Arsenal have made an enquiry to Bayern Munich for Javi Martinez as Arsene Wenger continues his search for a long-term midfield anchor.
Bayer Leverkusen's Lars Bender and Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin have also been recently mooted but with Martinez having struggled to command a regular place under Guardiola the former Bilbao many may be looking for a new club.
A World Cup and European Championship winner with Spain, Martinez may feel his national team place could be in long-term jeopardy if he is not playing regular football. Despite being Bayern's record signing with three years remaining on his contract sources in Germany rumour he could be available for as little as £20m though this is to be taken with a large pinch of salt.
Arsenal would snap at the chance to take such a gifted midfielder at such a reasonable rate and may hope they might have a new Gilberto on their hands. Martinez has been likened to Patrick Vieira in the past but like Gilberto, Arsenal could be signing a world-class midfield anchor high off the back of a World Cup win. If any European team is going to win the World Cup you would have to fancy the current holders Spain and with plenty of World Cup Free Bets to take advantage of it's well worth exploring a retention for Spain.
Like Gilberto before him, if Arsenal sign Martinez they will have captured a player able to comfortably and quietly go about doing the dirty work and releasing the ball efficiently and accurately to players in front of him to do some damage. And similar to Gilberto he is comfortable playing in defence as well as in midfield.
A commanding midfield presence, Martinez could be the perfect foil for the ever improving and increasingly influentialAaron Ramsey, who has been Arsenal's outstanding player this season.
Vicente del Bosque, the Spain manager, has compared Martinez's style to former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira who excelled in that box to box role but it is said that Wenger believes he can play a more withdrawn and conservative role in front of the back four.
Arsenal may find competition for his signature in the guise of City and PSG should Bayern look to offload him but with Arsenal's new found wealth and being free of UEFA restrictions they may just feel that they'll finally have the upper hand against richer teams.
