Originally Posted by
Nasri Scoreng
I'm glad you raised this point, mate. The reason I think AW is correct is that by all accounts, Nasri wants upwards of £110K per week - parity with Fabregas. Now I agree 100% that we shouldn't be selling him to our rivals, and I've made my position on wholesale changes quite clear. But for me, the bottom line is twofold.
First - IMHO he hasn't done enough to merit either his demands or his behaviour. Injuries or no - he has given us barely 4 months of performances that merit what he is asking for, and tellingly he epitomised the team's falling off at the business end of the season. The highest paid player in the team should be carrying it - as Cesc has done in previous seasons - not being a passenger. And following the Adebayor debacle, AW is rightly wary of going the same way with a player who is not prepared to give 100% for the cause. Christ knows we have enough of these in our team.
Second - whatever Nasri's talent, I am inclined to be wary about what this episode says about him. Yes, its part of the modern game. But Tevez; Rooney and co. held their clubs to ransom having put in a lot more than 4 months of decent play. Refusing to sign a contract last Summer indicates to me that this move was calculated, and suggests a player, like Adebayor, motivated by money and arrogance. Will he suceed at Manure; Citeh or the Chavs? Well they can perhaps afford to take the risk more than we can because all their eggs aren't in one basket. It may be that more stellar company will bring the best out in him, but I'm not sure that this is a guy we want to depend on.
Where Wenger messed up was not loosening the purse strings just a little last season, the season before, to give Project Youth the tools it needed to win silverware, and encourage the likes of Nasri to commit to the club rather than running down their contracts. Trying the close the stable door after the horse has bolted by being panicked into giving this particular player more than he deserves now is not the right move, IMO. I'd rather the manager paid Cesc £150K per week to get him to stay. At least he has earnt the right to be the top paid player. Give Nasri north of £110K pw and every player who has given the club 15 good games will be wanting the same.