Arsenal News 24/7Writer: Rocky7 
Date:Friday January 18 2008
Time: 12:51PM
UK time is: 22:38:08
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Good Luck Portsmouth, You'll Need It
Arsenal's short stay midfielder, Lassana Diarra, has made the permanent switch to Arsenal retirement village, Fratton park, and has started out life in blue rather controversially.
The French international has undeniable quality, but his mental attributes leave a lot to be desired.
The impatient midfielder walked out on Chelsea to join bitter rivals after feeling his talents weren't getting the action they deserved. Then after only a few months at Arsenal Diarra felt his opportunities were far too limited at Ashburton Grove and buggered off once again.
However Lassana made no attempt to hide the fact that his move to Pompey could be another very short stay.
Diarra said: 'Portsmouth is a respectable club, which has achieved a very good start to the season. Some people say I made a mistake by joining Portsmouth considering Les Bleus. I don`t think so. The people at Portsmouth know I will not spend my life at this club. If I shine, if a really big club wants me, I know already that everything will go well.'
I wonder how Portsmouth fans feel about this? Are you happy to have a player of such quality? Or are you already filled with regret and pessimism?
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Your Comments
Sounds as though Diarra has negotiated a transfer release clause - minimum fee or similar I guess.
Amos.
Pompey fans might choose to nickname him 'Teflon'. His non-stick properties would suit that I think.
Amos.
It's not as though Diarra has gone about things in a similar way to Cesc or Eduardo saying they want to finish their careers at certain clubs as part of a personal choice, he's basically touting himself to any large club who will listen. Outrageous.
Rocky7
Lmao @ Amos.
Rocky7
I predict that Diarra will leave Pompey in the summer after 'Arry refuses to adhere to his request to have "It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To" played on the dressing room stereo.
Little Dutch
Yeah.. I know.. wt kind of a player is he? Anyways.. good that we got rid of him at a good price.. huh?
arsenalrulz4ever
Teflon lol! What an idiot Diarra is. It makes me actually relieved to be shot of him, despite his talent, as he seems to be the kind of player who would only have let us down when we needed him anyway.
Cesky
How bitter and twisted you lot are. All he is doing is saying something which is commonsense. Pompey would almost certainly sell if a big enough offer came in, but for that to happen, Diarra will have to shine. I'm sure Pompey fans will be delighted if that scenario happened
EnglishSpur
Agree wholeheartedly Cesky, Diarra although flakier than a dandruff ridden leper is no longer our problem so lets get over the spurned lover mentality and move onwards and upwards - we have a cottage to ransack!
nikolaijns
I guess we are bitter and twisted. Do you remember when our captain left and we hung an effigy of him.........oh, yeah..........
Little Dutch
So you'd be happy if Berbatov said the same thing ES?? Thought not. It's one thing to think it, it's another to say it.
Rocky7
yep...i cant see Diarra staying more than a season. Too bad tho...any news about any possible Arsenal buy yet? I think we need someone in attack seeing that RVP (Really Vunerable Player) isnt certain to participate much this season...an extra proven defender also - tho i dont see that happening.
number14
lol at English Spur, you may be happy to be a feeder club mate, but i'm pretty sure Pompey aren't. The lad's an effin idiot, i'm just a bit gutted we've already played Pompey twice this season though.
AFC85Lew
Hi ya fellas ... delegate from your 'Retirement Village here ! - Is this guy for real ? Already, he's talking about leaving and he ain't even kicked a ball yet!... The feeling down here at the mo is that if he's played in the right position he's a quality player but if he's not (or lo and behold left on the bench) then the dummys will start to fly out of the pram. I think whatever way it goes Harry will either freeze him out if he starts his nonsense or level with him and tell him he is in a Shop Window so play well, get your move to a 'bigger' club and we'll make a hansome profit... Be interesting to see what happens .. Do you reckon he can play more than 15 games for the same club ?
Chix
Good question mate, good question. Nobody retires to Pourtsmouth do they!??!? Thought that was a little bit further along the coast East/West ;)
AFC85Lew
There's no doubt you got a quality player Chix, the few performances he put in for us were outstanding. He needs to address his attitude though, he could do a lot worse than Portsmouth FC!!!!
Rocky7
If his attitude needs fine tuning then HR will tweak it or he will be bombed out. Are we entitled to a refund or do we sell him to the barcodes for £10m on 31st Jan?
storagematt
No refund storagematt - we aint interested in Lassie come home! ;)
nikolaijns
FIFA rules would prevent Lassie being sold again this season. UNLESS, he engineers his move before kicking a ball for Pompey. Do you think that come 9am tomorrow he'll bitch about not playing enough and up and leave?
Little Dutch
thanks fellas for letting such a great player come to fratton park - he is slightly cocky theough isnt he! im sure harry will sort him out, and if he just wants toplay top levl football...then im sure we will be in the champions league next season ;-)
pompeycarpet
Gilberto's best when they have played. At Portsmouth he will be part of a decent, improving side who play pretty good football. If he lives up to his own billing then Portsmouth will make their money back for him even if he was to go. BTW; no decent midfielder in their right mind would go to Tottenham-long punts-Hotspurs.
StowGooner
Which big club would want him after these comments - I think he'll be stuck with Pompey longer than he thinks, just like Berbatov with Spurs.
StuartM
He reminds me of Anelka, who has just said he'll talk to Drogba about how he'd regret it if he left Chelsea at 30. Well our old boy knows it all about club-hopping doesn't he? Both worked for their 3rd club at the age of 22. Anelka went on to sign his 9th (including a loan spell) club in Chelsea, I can kind of see Diarra go in a similar path. Well Arsene said a few days before that Anelka 'wanted to come back and make things right' but Diarra didn't get the lesson. If only Anelka said that a few days earlier, Diarra might have been inspired. All that said though, wish him - and Harry and fans - good luck at Pompey.
Lou the Gunneress
Unfortunately as we have only a small stadium and an extremely unhelpful city council our finances will always be a low budget affair therfore, if he plays well and we lose him for a good profit, then for pompey that is good business. What i dont i think he understands is that all big clubs do like you lot and work players in.
russellm
it is very rare that you can just walk into a side at the age of 22 (or however old he is...i have no idea!) - particually not you, or the other "top 4" clubs. unless of course, you are english, look like shreck, and play for man u that is... anyway, untill we get our new stadium - at least under construction - i doubt we will make many more "major" signings (unless we get into europe) - as it is a real drawback having the worst stadium in the PL, even if we have the best fans ;-). Perhaps if anelka had said what he said earlier, you would still have him - but either way, hoepfully he will shine at pompey!
pompeycarpet
When's the new stadium project supposed to start again? I hope I can go to this existing one before it gets replaced.
Lou the Gunneress
plans were made public last august, about a stadium on "the hard" - thats right next to the spinaker tower - but unforutunatly (or fortunatly) portsmouth was chosen as the new base for the RN super carriers - and so that location had to be scrapped, to make room for the big boats! That planning aplication was to be submitted in october - obviously it wasnt. since then, i think the current plan is to put it on some MoD land somewhere else near portsmouth (cant rember where but i think it sounded something like "dog island" - wild stab in the dark that) - and i think that aplication will be submitted in april - roughly. but the stadium itslef isnt planned to be put into use till 2011 - so you have lenty of time to visit our lovely fratton park!
pompeycarpet
I know he's played a few games for France but surely he's not in Jens' situation of a virtual guaranteed place if he's playing regularly? There'd be quite a few guys ahead of him come Euro 2008 I'd have thought
JakeB
In one way, fair play to him for being honest, but he's being an arrogant pr!ck at the same time, imo he has done nothing to warrant such a high opinion of his abilities, and to say it when the ink has barely dried on his new contract shows a complete lack of respect to everyone involved in his new club... But all the best to Pompey and I hope he backs his big talk with performances on the pitch...
KaoTeK
so the grass wasn't greener away from Stamford Bridge!
merlin
no, but it hopefuly is greener down on the south coast!
pompeycarpet
Yeah so are the bank notes.
Lou the Gunneress
pompeycarpet, I won't be surprised after your lads come back from ACN and replace Diarra from midfield unless Harry has promised him to start games regardless of his form on any given day and that way my friend you cost the whole team...Muntari and Dioup all can give him massive competition!
CoastarianGooner
Wow .. Diarra what a player .. for 80 minutes today he dominated the middle of the pitch and showed why Chelsea and Arsenal bought him in the first place... He is quality .. I just hope he stays in the team and and doesn't throw dummies too soon .... Have you heard also .. that Sol Campbell did he amasing disappearing act again yesterday... Official word is that he got injured in training... Unofficial word is he walked out after a bust up with Harry and Peter Storrie re 'gobbing off' to the press
Chix
i think if dieara plays like he did yesterdy, he will have no trouble getting into the side ahead of diop. but yes, he will have competition for places, as we do have a strong midfield - but he is talented so he will be playing a lot more than he wont...
pompeycarpet
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