Emmanuel Adebayor is off to Man City, barring a problem with his work permit; and as that wasn’t a problem for him when he joined Arsenal, it should be fine this time around. Arsenal will get around £25m for the striker, which seems like a fair price.
I think Adebayor has the potential to be a world-class striker, but it seems he’s weak in the head. All too often at Arsenal, his body language – rarely delighted, usually dejected – betrayed him. If only Adebayor was blessed with the mental fortitude of Arsenal players like Patrick Vieira or Ray Parlour, he could have gone on to earn a place in the club’s Hall of Fame.
Don’t forget: he scored 30 goals in 07/08, and still notched 16 last season, despite being injured for part of the campaign. So no one could question his scoring record -Â when he wasn’t picking himself up off the floor, he could finish quite brilliantly and instinctively…
So Arsenal will miss his talent, no question. But they won’t miss the stress he caused off the pitch. After that 30-goal season, Adebayor believed – or was told repeatedly, by his ‘people’ – that he was a genuine A-List, world-class striker. And so he invited the attention of ‘big’ clubs like Milan. And who doesn’t like flattery? But it takes more than a one-hit season to be able to claim that you’re better and bigger than the club that made you. Arsene Wenger knows this, Adebayor will learn the lesson – and it might be painful – at Eastlands.
I really don’t think that City is a good fit for Adebayor. He strikes me as an innately lazy player, and Mark Hughes doesn’t tolerate indolence. Indeed, I’m surprised that Sparky wanted Adebayor in the first place.
Gooners, will you miss Adebayor? Do you wish him well at City? Comments please…