I confess, I was never too big a fan of Charles N’Zogbia during his time at Newcastle. After five years with the club, the Zog on the Tyne passed, thanks to Joe Kinnear mispronouncing his name ‘insomnia’ and a £6m move to Wigan was engineered in January 2009. It’s since this change of scenery that I’ve started to take real notice of N’Zogbia’s performances.
He’s playing well for a fairly poor, relegation scrapping side; is a direct, energetic player with a fearsome shot and genuine ability. Arsenal have shown interest in the player before, back when he was a Newcastle player and with a big clearout due at the Emirates this summer and Wigan a relegation candidate, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that the Gunners could reignite their interest.
Whilst N’Zogbia plays out on the wing, an area where Arsenal are currently quite strong, both Andrey Arshavin and Samir Nasri’s Arsenal futures are up for debate and he could well be mooted as a potential replacement. In August 2010, Wigan accepted a £9m bid for N’Zogbia from Birmingham City, but the move fell apart when the Frenchman failed to agree terms with City. If Wigan are relegated this summer, they’ll likely be willing to let N’Zogbia go for a similar fee.
What strikes me most about N’Zogbia is his attitude. He’s clearly a man with aspirations: when he left Newcastle back in 2009, he stated it was because he wanted to ‘reach a higher level of ambition’. He was also clearly agitating for a move last summer, but turned down Birmingham City because he wanted to wait for a bigger club to come in for him. Despite being held back at Wigan, he’s put in everything he has on a weekly basis and has been easily their most vital and dangerous player.
On the other hand, too often this season have Arsenal relied upon players who don’t have the right attitude, who don’t work hard enough and who let down the fans. Let’s not forget that Charles N’Zogbia isn’t afraid to take a shot either, a trope that Arsenal could always do with instilling into their players. Whilst Robin Van Persie may have something to say regarding free-kick duties, N’Zogbia is also something of a set-piece specialist.
At the moment he’s certainly a more attractive prospect than Arshavin who has a frustrating tendency to let games sail by him. Should certain players leave this summer, Charles N’Zogbia represents a cheap, decent replacement and certainly not one that Arsenal fans should stick their noses up at.
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We don’t need him we need paok portugese winger vierinha jus look at him world class
Charlie has matured somewhat since he left Newcastle, and they had a 12 million bid turned down for his return at the end of the last window.
Don’t be surprised if Alan Pardew returns this summer to test Dave Whelan’s reserve.
I meant resolve sorry!!