ToffeeWeb - Season 2009-10

The Mail Bag

Arteta has kicked his last ball for Everton

I found out last night from a very reliable source that Mikel Arteta will be sold in January as his wife is homesick, hence why Everton won't play him before the window for possible injury again. (Ignore the smokescreen that's in the Echo...)

He's gone.
Ryan Sloan, Liverpool Posted 09/11/2009 at 07:56:46

back Return to the Mail Bag

Comments

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer

Neil Humphrey
1 Posted 09/11/2009 at 16:52:55

Bit of early drinking, Ryan?

I know Moyes’s dog’s second cousin’s physiotherapist, and he says you are full of shit my friend.

Ian Tunstead
2 Posted 09/11/2009 at 16:56:51

Who did you hear that from, David Moyes? And how much are we getting for him? Because, unless David Moyes told you, I don't believe you.

Stuart Ansell
3 Posted 09/11/2009 at 16:51:56

I’ve heard news from a good friend who is also a toffee, he apparently knows somebody on the inside and Arteta's injury is even worse than first thought and he will never play again. I’ve heard or read of nothing elsewhere to back this up, I just hope this is vicious cruel rumour as it managed to ruin my Saturday night.

Just wondering if anybody else had heard anything similar... I hope not.

Great result at the weekend, just what the lads needed to build some confidence for our next few difficult games. Saha is just a class act, get the Yak scoring as well and we’ll race up the league. The league's that tight that a couple of wins can raise you four or five positions. We had a dreadful start last year over the Moyes contract issue and look how well we did.

Just got to have a bit of faith in Moyes and the boys, if we start getting a couple of decent results, it should raise the spirit and hopefully the quality of football should start to improve as well.

We know Moyes loves 4-5-1 so when Billy and Pinnear are back we should hopefully be a bit more creative, Heitinga seems to be getting up to speed now and when the skipper gets back we should get a voice and a leader back in the middle.

Anyway, fingers crossed for Arteta and hopefully all these rumors are just that. I can’t wait for the day he walks over that line, he’s been a god for us. I just wish EFC let us know what was going on behind the scenes a bit more, so we didn’t all have sleepless nights over the rumor mill.

COYBs

Guy Hastings
4 Posted 09/11/2009 at 17:06:01

It wouldn’t surprise me. If the Dark Side can shell out £17mill+ for that Roma lad with a sick note then there’s someone out there who might take a chance on TBLSWK. He’s better with one leg than most people with two. Couldn’t see Kenwright getting in the way of any offer over £10mill (when he’s worth at least £15M).

Matthew Tait
5 Posted 09/11/2009 at 17:10:29

I’ll pretend to take this one seriously for a second Ryan. Standard practice is, if you’re looking to sell a player, you play him - it’s called the shop window (and explains how the likes of Peter Degn played a single game for the first team).

Who would buy a player site unseen, who’s been off with a serious knee injury for almost a year and not played? If we did manage to sell him, it would be at a knock-down price if we don’t play him before Jan. Even for an outlandish rumour, that makes no sense at all.

As for Stuart’s rumour that the injury is so bad it’s ended Arteta’s career - it’s not impossible of course, has happened to a few players in the past. But generally people are able to keep playing despite major injuries, at least for a while and at limited effectiveness, even if it means they have to cut back on training sessions. Look at the number of major knee injuries Vaughan has had, or the likes of Ledley King.

Tony Williams
6 Posted 09/11/2009 at 17:34:14

How do Ryan, drugs are bad, mmmmmmmmkay!!

John McGrath
7 Posted 09/11/2009 at 18:12:29

And he ain’t married yet, either. His fiancée has started work again, and her work isn’t here anyway. Nevertheless, his new family circumstances might precipitate an eventual move.

Stuart Ansell
8 Posted 09/11/2009 at 18:30:04

Just read Mick Rathbones blog, no mention of Arteta's injury being career ending, as I suggested... thank god. He’s off to see him a couple of days so we may find out more. Fingers crossed he’ll be back stronger than ever but I feel it may be sometime off yet.

Good to hear Osman, Neville and Pienaar should be back very soon. The two-week break probably came at just the right time, good to enter it off a win.... lucky as it was... but we’ve definitely been due a bit.

Kevin Sparke
9 Posted 09/11/2009 at 23:00:25

Yep, it’s all true... I had my tarot cards read by Bill Kenwright’s aunty’s friend’s chiropodist and she told me Kaka is ready to put pen to paper as a replacement for Arteta... she also told me I was going on a long journey with a tall dark good looking stranger (Cheryl Cole to the Europa Cup final!?!)

Russell Buckley
10 Posted 09/11/2009 at 23:51:52

Ryan, give us some details on why your source is reliable or don’t bother posting. All it does is torture already stressed fans.

The club have given reasonably regular updates on Arteta and have at no stage suggested his injury may put his career at risk.

FFS James Vaughn is still able to come back and how many times has he stuffed his knee. Mikel will be back in time, I have to believe that otherwise I won’t get much sleep. As much as I want him back I’m happy enough for the club to make sure he is right before returning. He is too valuable to risk early.

Stewart Littler
11 Posted 10/11/2009 at 01:39:50

Bollocks... one of my least favourite words is ’source’ for this very reason. Unsubstantiated, and as I began with, bollocks.

John Pulman
12 Posted 10/11/2009 at 01:44:50

Absolute bollocks - Do I smell the pungent stink of Kopshite? COYB!!

John Maxwell
13 Posted 10/11/2009 at 06:32:31

Oh dear.. "Reliable Source"... sounds like we are back in silly season!

Back to the point though, Mrs Arteta is very attractive, if she wanted me in sand down down down down down down downSpain while I was injured, I'd go...

http://www.kickette.com/images/uploads/20081106_kza_kp7_153.jpg

David Oliver
14 Posted 10/11/2009 at 08:00:59

Thanks for the link John, that put things in perspective.

With a missus like that i don’t think i would be in a rush to get back!!!

Stunning.

Sean McNally
15 Posted 10/11/2009 at 09:24:46

Stuart Ansell - my cousin Sam plays for Burscough and is pretty well in with one of the coachs at Everton. My cousin’s been told that Arteta’s head has gone and this constant set back info is just bullshit from the club.

Apparently his has had a lot of counselling and this was confirmed to me by my Uncle at the Benfica game.

Not sayin all this is rubber stamped but my Uncle is a very down to earth guy who has supported us for 40 years - he certainly isn’t into all the shite that goes on on here sometimes.

But Ryan Sloans reasons are way off the mark I feel, although it’s very apparent that Mikel is struggling bigtime

Eugene Ruane
16 Posted 10/11/2009 at 10:56:51

So let me get this straight.

He’ll never play football ever ever again............for someone else.

Okee-doke!

(rolls eyes so far back, can actually see own brain fluid)

Marc Williams
17 Posted 10/11/2009 at 12:02:38

I think we must remember that it is Everton that have made Arteta the highly rated player that he is. Apart from his first season at Rangers, his career before coming to us was one of poor form & injuries, so I hope this speculation is ’rubbish’ as it would be a disappointing way to end his spell with us.

Does his contract run out in 2010 or was it extended? Either way he always seems a nice enough lad (unlike that agent of his!) but must be having a torrid time. As well as the injury there have been persistent rumours that his partner is unhappy and his childhood mate Alonso moving from the ’Redshite’ won’t help either.

Add to that his international situation & the fact he must have hoped for a good season & some luck to get into Spain’s world cup squad. Given all that it’s no wonder if his "head's done in". If he’s watched us play of late, that won’t help either as in the past we’ve relied too much on his creativity and this must be a heavy expectation / responsibilty to carry.

Ciaran Duff
18 Posted 10/11/2009 at 12:57:58

This may all be bullshit but I have to say that reading the article on the OS about how all his treatment is being done in Spain and him wanting to be there with his partner and new baby etc did set off a few alarm bells ringing. Also, you don’t hear much info coming from his own mouth.

If he does stay in Spain maybe Real can loan us Rafael van der Vaart for a few months? He’d be a good fit (on paper) - midfield play maker, colleague of Johnny H, ex-Ajax like Pienaar and wants regular game time to be in the running for a WC spot. Just a thought (dream)!

Brian Lawlor
19 Posted 10/11/2009 at 13:31:44

Sean McNally - what exactly are you saying?

His head has gone in what way?
He’s had counselling for what?

Alan Clarke
20 Posted 10/11/2009 at 13:54:36

Is Jagielka going to Spain as well then? Pienaar’s been injured a while now too, perhaps he’s going to Spain as well?

I love the international break because there’s always some shit like this on here.

Franny Porter
21 Posted 10/11/2009 at 19:05:06

Barcelona are sniffing round Hibbo.....

Iain Love
22 Posted 10/11/2009 at 20:30:03

Que sara sara.

Peter Rogers
23 Posted 11/11/2009 at 12:24:47

Spoke to Sharpie at the Villa game and asked him about Arteta. He seemed a bit put-out... could have been about the injury, but he did say it would be after Christmas before he is ready. Just seemed a bit like he wanted to say more but couldn't. I hope he doesn't go... bad enough season as it is.

Sean McNally
24 Posted 11/11/2009 at 12:50:59

Brian, apparently he is really struggling to come to terms with what has happened to him.

I thought that these days ALL players make a swift recovery but we only have to remember Alf Inge Haaland.

He has needed to talk his way through this injury as he has apparently lost all confidence in his ability to ever play again.

These statements are legitimate, just to reitterate. I'm not some bullshitter who makes this up. I have been told this from reliable sources who know what is going on and I for one pray he is back asap — we need him!!!!!

Add Your Comments

In order to post a comment to the MailBag, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site.

Log in now

Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and MailBag submissions across the site.