The moment pretty much no one was waiting for is now upon us. He’s finally back. I’m not talking about Jack Wilshere. I’m not even talking about Andre Santos. I’m talking about perma-crock Abou Diaby. Wenger announced the news in a recent Press Conference:
“Ramsey is out for Saturday and out for Tuesday. But Diaby is available again.”
That news was let out rather casually, but should come as a relief for Arsenal fans who were probably beginning to think they’d never see the 25-year-old again. He’s faced a career fraught with injuries and has struggled to make a name for himself whilst being constantly sidelined.
His woes date back to the 1st May 2006 when Diaby suffered a severe ankle fracture as a result of being on the end of a horror tackle from Sunderland defender Dan Smith. Who would have thought that one moment of recklessness from a fellow professional would have such a lasting and negative effect on another man’s career?
Dan Smith faced a small ban, whilst Diaby’s career was left in tatters. Not that Smith’s doing that well for himself – he’s currently playing for semi-professional Conference North side Blyth Spartans.
It took three surgeries and eight months of rehabilitation for Diaby to earn first team action again, but in truth he’s never really found full fitness since. If it’s difficult to find any kind of form when you can’t put a stretch of games together, then it’s little wonder that Diaby hasn’t been at his best when he has been given opportunities.
All of which is an attempted justification for his sending off against Newcastle last season that saw the Gunners go from 4-0 up to a 4-4 draw. Though his decision to lash out at Joey Barton had nothing to do with his injury, his temper may well have been a result of his lack of form and besides, who can blame him for giving that Nietzsche-spouting twit a quick swipe? It was surely the low point of his career and if he does find his feet again, I’m sure he’ll be looking to make amends.
Despite only playing twice this season, Diaby is now in the running for the last twelve or so games of Arsenal’s season and could be crucial to the club’s chances of finishing fourth.
It does look to be crunch time for Diaby, however. If he can’t prove his fitness over the remainder of the season, then surely Arsene’s patience will run out. His talent has been clear throughout his Arsenal career, but if he can’t remain fit then he’s only going to be a wage drain on the club. He has one final chance to make it and I’m sure all Arsenal fans will be rooting for him.
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Well that ‘chance’ worked out well didn’t it?! Its a shame, because diaby is talented. More talented than people give him credit for. But he is a crock now. The Liverpool game should be the final nail in his coffin. We cant afford to spend 50k a week for a player that is sidelined for the whole season
i think he should be kept but reduced wages he still is a good player to have in the squad with lovely movement
We asked this question about Van Persie didn’t we? We gave up on Rosicky didn’t we? Look at them now! We were 4-0 up on Newcastle with Diaby, And let four in without him! He came on vs Liverpool yesterday, and suddenly we had time, space and possession. His first touch kippered the defence and got him a shot on goal. I personally have always rated Diaby highly. You can’t close him down, he’ll get round you and leave you for dead. The French internationals show just how good he WILL be. He will not hit his prime for a few more years yet, and he has heart felt un-finished business and I for one want him here at the Arsenal. The way I look at it, this could be the makings of a great player.
he is a good player but we need more depth in the team ,if half of them are out injurd our starting ten will be exosted like ever year last season we lost becuse half our players were out and the other half beat hummerd we droped from second behind manu to fourth
so we need to cut our losses sell our new deal less wages bring in tiotie our mvilla
It’s a shame. Perhaps they should reduce his wages and supplement with pay as you play bonuses. Perhaps the physios at Arsenal are to blame, especially given the number of injuries we seem to collect, but at some point you’ve got to wonder if Diaby’s doing something wrong on his side… poor diet, not hydrating correctly (that alone is responsible for 90% of pulled hamstrings and probably a large percentage of other muscle tears), or maybe he just doesn’t dedicate himself to his rehab as much as one would expect.