As we revealed earlier yesterday afternoon, Marseille midfielder Samir Nasri had wished his L’OM team mates, staff and fans alike a fond farewell at the clubs ‘Commanderie‘ training ground as the Frenchman prepares himself for the completion of a reported 13.3 million pound move to Arsenal next Tuesday.
The 21-year-old (who celebrated his birthday last night) was all smiles as he spoke to Marseille coach Eric Gerets. Nasri also signed autographs for l’Ohème supporters, most of whom seem pleased at the maestro’s likely transfer to the Emirates.
Anticipating Arsenal fans (myself included) have been waiting for Nasri’s arrival since speculation began in late March. On Tuesday though, all the speculation as well as misinterpretations are expected to come to an end as Nasri puts pen to paper on a 4-year deal with the North London giants.
Last season Nasri scored six goals in 30 games for the French outfit, his final strike in a 4-3 win over Strasbourg helping secure Marseille’s berth in next season’s Champions League.
He can play on either wing or through the centre and won the French first division’s young player of the year award, and was voted Marseille’s player of the year by fans, at the end of the 2006/2007 campaign.
Gooner Talk will keep you updated with any news concerning the French starlet and of course will confirm the signing as soon as Arsenal.com report it.
The thumbnail below shows Nasri sharing a joke with Marseille boss Eric Gerets in what was his final appearance at the clubs training centre, click on the thumbnail to see the original full sized image – Great Find From GunnerRashidinho:
June 27, 2008 at 5:14 pm
samir samir
June 27, 2008 at 5:18 pm
he is 20
June 27, 2008 at 5:22 pm
So glad to see this comes to a conclusion.
June 27, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Arsene Wenger sed himself Nasri will not sign before July, SO WHY do ppl continue to believe it would ?!!!, this article is proof ! Nasri will sign in JULY !!!!
June 27, 2008 at 5:29 pm
not until he puts pen to paper,i won’t celebrate.
June 27, 2008 at 5:29 pm
You ungrateful BITCH!!! Lool jokin… good article!
June 27, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Of course mate, I’m glad the message has finally got through
June 27, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Of course mate, I’m glad the message has finally got through
June 27, 2008 at 5:30 pm
LOL GunnerRashidinho, will give you the credit for that mate, Cheers.
June 27, 2008 at 5:32 pm
after so many ‘he will sign tomorrow’ or ‘next week’ it is kinda hard to get hopes up of him actually signing on monday..really hope he does though. good article once again though, thanks for all the information.
June 27, 2008 at 5:33 pm
No problems chrismo.
I trust the French sources that have reported he’ll sign on Monday/Tuesday. They seem pretty certain as well. If he doesn’t sign, I’ll be very surprised indeed.
June 27, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Nice work Chris, cannot wait wait to put this saga finally to bed, and get Samir doing what he does best .. but this time for Arsenal
June 27, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I’m sure everyone will be happy when this is all done and dusted, it got hyped up so much, I just wanna see him signed up!
June 27, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Cheers Jay, likewise with the Young Guns article.
I agree, so glad he’s almost here..
June 27, 2008 at 5:39 pm
I swear this transfer has aged me 20 years!
June 27, 2008 at 5:40 pm
haha.
RVP, Nasri is 21, he celebrated his birthday yesterday.
June 27, 2008 at 5:42 pm
yeah I only realised when I posted mate, it said that he was 26 at first
June 27, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Ah ok mate, I tried to edit that as soon as I posted it. Thanks for the confirmation anyway fella.
June 27, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Everyone, Arsenal side looking like this next season?
RvP Ade
Rosicky Nasri Fabregas Hleb
Clichy Toure Gallas Sagna
Almunia
June 27, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Hmmm, interesting mate.
I feel we would need a defensive midfielder in there though; Gilberto, Diaby or whoever would fit the bill
I’m not sure Nasri will start games at first. Appreances off the bench and he’ll gradually work his way into the starting line up. Then again, If Hleb goes Nasri will probably get a starting place.
June 27, 2008 at 5:49 pm
no problem i’ll take all the credit haha, hope this is done soon so we can focys on other targets if we have any
June 27, 2008 at 5:51 pm
We could potentially change our striking options if Ade goes with Vela or Bendtner put into the mix.
June 27, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I am really fed up with all the speculations, he probably signed before the euro 2008 but for some reasons they dont want to announce it, its almost like his deal is pending either afra agreeing to replace him or hleb leaving arsenal. Anyways from today I will not check any news regarding afra unless the source is Arsenal.com. Thanks for your reporting anyways, this is by no means critisim of this blog.
June 27, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Of course mate. I’m also waiting for Arsenal.com’s confirmation. Just looking forward to watching him in action during pre-season.
June 27, 2008 at 5:55 pm
We will see. I have read at Samir’s webpage that there will be an interview on 1st July.
June 27, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Amazing!!Will be good solution as back up for Cesc and Definitely a super option on wings,a bit underweight but we shall see him enough.
Will definitely start in CL Qualifiers as Cesc will come in late,Also will be seen in friendlies in pre season.
June 27, 2008 at 5:56 pm
RvP Ade
Nasri Cesc signing TW14
Clichy signing Toure Sagna
Almunia
June 27, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Like you say mate, he could be back up for Cesc. How spoilt would are midfield be then!?!
June 27, 2008 at 5:58 pm
from what ive seen of nasri he looks a very good player, considering he is not the biggest guy in the world he seems to keep the ball well and not get brushed off easily. when/if nasri signs on monday..do you reckon arsenal will hold a press conference to unveil him at say 2pm or something like that or will it just come up on arsenal.com?
June 27, 2008 at 6:01 pm
So he’s definetley suited to the English game do you think?
June 27, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Monday is the 30th of June though? Wouldn’t he be signing on the 1st of July?
June 27, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I wouldn’t want to put a time on anything, I can only confirm what the concrete news is: Nasri Move Will Be Confirmed On 1st July.
June 27, 2008 at 6:06 pm
from what i have seen nasri seems strong on the ball considering his size (slightly taller than fabregas). althought i havn’t seen too much of him, only a few french international games and some setanta ligue 1 matches
June 27, 2008 at 6:08 pm
He looks like a lightweight midfielder, very similar to Cesc, but his strength on the ball is incredible. Nasri is a technical player with an eye for a pass and a dangerous strike.
June 27, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Chrismo, Nasri and Cesc are the exact same height
June 27, 2008 at 6:13 pm
He’s a definete arsenal player.
He aint signed but the deals as good as done so we might aswell start thinking whos next in?
June 27, 2008 at 6:17 pm
But i’m sure they’ll do a great job on him at the arse.. Like what they did to Hleb. I don’t understand, if he plays AM why the lack of goals?
June 27, 2008 at 6:18 pm
oh ok, i read that fabregas is 5foot 9.5 whilst nasri is 5′10. not exactly the same but pretty close ( i was only comparing relative sizes as some people think fabregas is quite small)
June 27, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Yer ricky i agree..
Some people are wanting Zapata bad, although AW said he doesn’t want a new defender. We have 2 new wingers in Nasri and Vela, maybe 3 with Ramsey. It’s starting to look like we need a new striker with Ade, but i’m not too sure. I really really admire Villa but again i’m not too sure we’ll get him. Silva looks good. But I’m not going to pretend, I don’t have the foggiest.
June 27, 2008 at 6:21 pm
with ade leaving*
June 27, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I’d like to see a defender come in, Nordtveit will be promoted to first team next season though, so maybe we can see him in action in the CC.
June 27, 2008 at 6:27 pm
They are both 177cm mate, check their profile’s
June 27, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Chris he suits our style perfectly and will score that extra amount of goals we missed out last season.Wenger still believes we need to outscore rather defend against Opposition and i tend to agree…
June 27, 2008 at 6:44 pm
I’m not too sure about that mate. Goals aren’t really his main attribute. He scored 6 in 30 games for L’OM last season which is average for an attacking midfielder.
Expect him to be in the mould of Fabregas, supplying the vital passes etc.
June 27, 2008 at 6:45 pm
So Nasri, Ramsey and Vela have arrived so far with Flamini and possibly one of Ade/Hleb leaving.
I would rather lose Ade with the money on offer for him
I know many Arsenal fans want Villa(How much will he cost?) to come but I am more thrilled about David Silva (22). He is very similar to Hleb with his control and dribbling but he has an end product to his game. He would be a better long term partner to Cesc. Hleb is 27 now and Rosicky is almost 28 so it makes sense to have Nasri and Silva but I can only see him signed if Hleb leaves
Cesc is slowly becoming the leader of this Spain team and I think every Spanish player would favour us over other foreign teams now
June 27, 2008 at 6:52 pm
i think we dun need ne more new player with all the new players coming frm promotion n eduardo is really good i love the way he plays n if vel ai sliek him then thts even more better n hasri i see him as winger due to his speed but i wish we would sign trosten frings to partner fab or do a swap deal wid roma for aqualini sending helb there way
June 27, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I’m sorry GoonerChris, you have a very good blog, but I cannot stand people saying Diaby is a defensive midfielder. Okay, at first it is understandable, but by now you should have realised he is an attacking midfielder.
Maybe you think he could be retrained as a DM, and if that’s the case I retract these comments, as it wasn’t clear.
Anyway, KUTGW!
June 27, 2008 at 6:57 pm
What I was trying to say was that he CAN fill in there.
Btw, great site you have.
June 27, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Hang on, i thought Diaby was the next Vieira?
June 27, 2008 at 7:05 pm
He has been deployed as a left winger, attacking midfielder and a defensive midfielder during his Arsenal days. I personally believe DM is his best position, but thats just my opinion.
June 27, 2008 at 7:08 pm
No, i remember him saying that his favoured role is in the CM on ATVO.
June 27, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Or on 2nd July.
June 27, 2008 at 7:12 pm
1st is more likely mate.
June 27, 2008 at 7:12 pm
He played DM & CM for Auxerre.
June 27, 2008 at 7:22 pm
joe todd…… correct in every way,
June 27, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Cheers mate.
June 27, 2008 at 7:33 pm
June 27, 2008 at 8:27 pm
There is only 1 problem with Diaby as a DM, he’s an attacker. He always looks to get forward. He would have to learn the DM position.
June 27, 2008 at 8:46 pm
can any one tell me how the squad is going to be next season[11players nway manure you dead
June 27, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Diaby can play in the holding role, but don’t forget even Vieira pushed forward at times when he played there (after Petit left).
I think/hope that Nasri will add competition for the wide places (right or left). Rosicky is still injured, and I think that Hleb will go eventually when the transfer merry-go-round kicks in. I would love for us to add Silva (Spain). He would fit in very well into our style of play. May cost too much though, as he has a contract until 2013.
My starting team, selecting players who are fit is:
Almunia
Sagna Toure Gallas Clichy
Walcott Fabregas Diaby Nasri (Rosicky when fit)
Van Persie Adebayor (or possible new signing).
June 27, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Hi guys,
Cus theres so much shit flying abot the latest is that if Hleb goes to Barca it will a transfer swapping YaYa our way. Are we still after Yaya?
He would a world class signing!?!
Theres also somet abot ricardo quaresma as well but I very much doubt that, Porto want £30 million for him. He would a excellent asset to the gooners thou.
June 27, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Don’t forget that Arsene had an option on Yaya at the same time as we signed Eboue. Perhaps it was a case of mistaken identity! How this guy can play regularly as a right midfielder baffles me. He offers nothing in that his shooting is poor. He dives into tackles and has bad discipline. His crossing is o.k but not great. He is better as a right back, but to be honest, would prefer that we keep Hoyte as understudy to Sagna, and look at other options for the right hand side of midfield.
Back to the point about Yaya, there seems to be very mixed views on this guy. He would be a tackle and pass type of guy, rather than anything spectacular (very much in the Mackele way). But when we would have Cesc playing alongside him, defensive basics is all we would require. I still think that Song may be tried there b4 any signings.
June 27, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Only on what ive seen so far diaby is no way good enough for a DMF role as he does look a more attacking player with he’s quick feet.
However i can see him being another back up for fabs as i think nasri will be played on the left wing with he’s pace & he’s good at keeping the ball at he’s feet & will assist a few goals from that position..
We do still need someone in that DMF position but maybe denilson will come in like flamini did at the begining of last season & make that place his as theres not much competition.
June 28, 2008 at 8:08 am
Ben Mahon… suck up
June 28, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Almunia(Fabianski)
Sagna(Hoyte) Toure(Djourou) Gallas(Senderous) Clichy(Traore)
Hleb(Walcott, Eboue), Fabregas(Denilson, Diaby), Nasri(Gilberto, Song), Vela(Rosicky)
RVP(Eduardo),Adebayor(Bendtner)
We do have some depth in our squad. But our strike line seems quite weak. RVP have been very prompt to injury, Eduardo still out for injury and even if he is back, I’m worried that he might from then on be injury prompt too. We would need to to add 2 strikers to our squad. Villa would definitely be wonderful, Santa Cruz is as good, but I do also like see Huntelaar playing in Arsenal outfit.
June 28, 2008 at 2:21 pm
one thing we have to know here we dont need player Asking for more money every summer the way I see it Ade is one of them . And Hleb as well . Ade get his pay rise only last summer which he was not even that good at the end of that season so he completely forgotten who he was then . If he had scored those missed chances at Manu last season we may have been champions by now at least runner up
June 29, 2008 at 12:00 am
[...] Marseille Contingent Say ‘Au Revoir’ To Samir Nasri As Move Set To Conclude On Tuesday [image] As we revealed earlier yesterday afternoon, Marseille midfielder Samir Nasri had wished his L’OM team [...] [...]
June 29, 2008 at 5:40 am
We have some problem. What will happen if the OM won’t leave Nasri to the Arsenal? I have heard that the OL don’t want to leave Ben Arfa to OM…
June 29, 2008 at 10:44 am
look at us all were that fukin board without footy were chatin bout every little possability wo0o0o0o0o we need to fuk ady off if he think hes too good for us wot we need are players already in the prem santa cruz is wot we need a cb for sure id like to c yaya come as his bother might just blag im to join us!!!!!!!!1
June 29, 2008 at 5:25 pm
its very nice