Pre-Season Unrest
This summer has been a gloomy one for many Gooners, especially the whole unending saga of potential summer sales, with the two players who have made the headlines, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri. Both are key and important players for the club and rumors and reports have been rife, that they’ll both be departing the club, none more so than Cesc Fabregas, who has longed for a return to his hometown club, Barcelona. Samir Nasri, on the other hand, has declined a contract renewal citing ‘title ambitions’ as an excuse, which is clearly not the case.
Many fellow Gooners have shown frustration, anger and skepticism towards the upcoming season and especially, after the Emirates Cup, where the Gunners threw away leads in both of their matches and ended up losing the cup to Thierry Henry’s New York Red Bulls. The players, manager and board were criticized and booed by the fans, after failing to win the Cup. Despite all this negativity and gloominess, there was one young and bright player, who impressed and filled us with optimism and excitement, over his excellent ability and talent. That player is Emmanuel Frimpong.
Impressing at the Emirates Cup
Frimpong, impressed many with his excellent performance at the Emirates Cup, displaying tenacity, technique and maturity beyond his years, proving that he’ll be a top player sooner rather than later. Frimpong was one of the few players that impressed the Gooner Family and showed that Arsenal’s future midfield, looks secure and mouth-watering, consisting of Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Emmanuel Frimpong, all who have the talent and character to succeed and become great players.
Emmanuel Frimpong is a player that will, along with Wilshere and Ramsey, become a true star. He is passionate, talented and has all the ability to become a great player with the Gunners and with Ghana. He didn’t look like he missed almost a full season, due to injury, which displays his character and mentality despite his young age. Taking past cases of Diaby and Eduardo, returning back from long-time injuries can get a bit scary at times. Those two players could never recover from their injuries. Frimpong didn’t have to face a ‘horror tackle’, but he was sidelined for almost an entire season due to a damaged knee ligament.
Frimpong – This Season
One can expect Frimpong will get plenty of chances this season, especially as he’s a better holding midfielder than Abou Diaby and will give Alex Song a run for his money. The fact that Diaby would hardly be available due to this fetish with injuries, it makes Frimpong’s case even stronger. He’ll finally provide the competition Song needed, to get the best out of him, as he lost consistency in the final half of last season. The only worrying part is when the African Cup of Nations begins in January, and Arsenal might not only lose Song, but Frimpong as well as he has been coveted by Ghana and has expressed his wish to play for Ghana, saying that “He will ride a bike to Ghana” if that is what it takes.
It will be a blow not seeing such a talent like Frimpong, play in such a crucial month where his physical presence, tenacity and ability will not be available for the team to utilize. Yes, Frimpong makes some mistakes like his performance against Benfica, but he has shown willingness and determination that most Gunners lacked during pre-season. He gives his all for the team, which we all like to see. Lot of Arsenal fans have already become a big fan of the player and would love to see their young man don the colors of ‘first team football’ this season. If he’s unavailable for the Gunners in Janurary, then one would certainly be watching him against the best Africa has to offer in January.
Pre-season was a tough affair, but it did bring in some positives, and one of them was seeing these three young Gunners play togethe. It was a joy to watch especially Frimpong, his shielding capability, tackling expertise and overpowering opponents have been key features of his game in this pre-season. It remains to be seen how he can cope up with the best in England and Europe.
Let the new season begin! C.O.Y.G!
By Guest Author Omar Almasri
Follow the author on Twitter – @OAlmasri
Check out his blog – http://www.o-posts.net