Does Flamini realise that he’s being disloyal to Arsenal?

This came out a couple of hours after my daily news roundup, so I wasn’t able to write about it earlier.

Here’s the bottom line – Flamini has told L’Equipe he wants out from Arsenal, and I think he’s a stupid, stupid kid who should have kept his mouth shut.

He’s stupid because when you’re part of a club you should be loyal to it. That means that you don’t tell the media that you’ve talked to your lawyer about buying out your contract. No, not even when the media asks you why you haven’t been playing in the first-team after featuring so much last season.

After last season it’s a shame (for the player, not for Arsenal) that he’s not part of the first team. Arsene Wenger has a few plans in place (which aren’t really working out, if you ask me) and currently Flamini is not at the center of those plans. He has played 20 games this season, so some might wonder if he’s just being a pissy brat.

I’ve read Flamini’s interview on L’Equipe (the original makes for better reading than the Sky Sports one, believe me), and reading it clears out a few things. Most importantly, you realise that there’s nothing to sensationalise about, just some comments from a player worried about his future and worse, not seeing things work out at Arsenal.

Flamini wants to leave Arsenal because he doesn’t see himself being a key part of the team, and he doesn’t see himself winning titles with the team. You can bash me for saying that all you want, but it’s Flamini I’m psycho-analysing, remember? He’s frustrated at not being a regular part of the team and he thinks it’s harming his international career as well.

Considering that he’s half-Italian and considering that he’s talking about this so freely with the media, I figure that Flamini has had this on his mind for a while. However, I don’t think that either Inter or AC Milan will take him up 🙂 Juventus? Possibility, but he should probably aim a bit lower than that.

What does it mean for Arsenal?

I doubt that Wenger would be worried. Flamini is, at best, a good squad player. Arsenal’s lofty ambitions mean that he’s not going to be a first-teamer at Arsenal, but he’s a hard-working player who will do quite well elsewhere. He wants to go to Italy, and I doubt that Wenger will want to keep a player who wants to leave.

What does it mean for Flamini?

Horrible timing (coming two days after the defeat to Liverpool) and considering the place Arsenal are in, tasteless as well. Like I said at the top he’s made a mistake and he should have been more loyal to his club. If you want to go, talk to the manager, why talk to the press and make it harder for the club?

Will the fans turn against him? I think they might, and he probably deserves it as well.

At the end of the day though, it’s not a crime to want to leave – it’s just wrong to play your club off in the media like that.

Are there any other players who are not happy at Arsenal?