There are reports from Italy that Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini has told teammates that he will be joining Milan next season.

The talented Frenchman has rebuffed the Gunners’ new contract offers and looks set to leave the Emirates Stadium when his current deal expires at the end of the season.

Juventus were thought to be leading the pack of sides chasing his signature, but, according to the Corriere dello Sport, he has his heart set on the Rossoneri.

“I have decided that I will be going to Milan,” Flamini allegedly said in the dressing room.

Manager Arsene Wenger seems to have resigned himself to Flamini’s departure, leaving him free to discuss personal terms with the Diavolo once the current campaign is over.

Milan are reportedly ready to offer a four-year deal worth around £3m per season to lure the free agent.


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If we sell Flamini for 3m...WTF is going on here?
Last year he was fighting for his place in the team, and after ONE good season he decides to leave?

With all the recent interactions (games, news stories, speculations, transfers) between Milan and Arsenal, things should be pretty interesting for you, eh, Locke? It's hard to be in love with two top teams at the same time these days. And we've been hearing everything and anything from Adebayor to Flamini being linked to Milan.

My heart pretty much sank when we drew with you guys in the Knockout Stages. Arsenal is a club I very much respect, and knew whatever outcome of those games be, things will rattle up a bit. We'd have been slightly better with any other team, but oh well, that's done is done. Having said that, I'd loved to have seen Arsenal lift the Champions Trophy this year.

I'm in the neutrals zone when it comes to Flamini. At least someone is coming.

You are not going to sell... he'll be a free agent in the summer... if Flamini leaves Arsenal, it'll be a grand double blow for the Gooners; not only will they lost a very reliable player (in my opinion their best this season) but they also going to lose him for free...

To some people money talks more than ambition, this is obviously the case for him.

Oh .. So he doesn't want the champion league

He care more about the money...

Okay, until any official staments from either Milan, Arsenal or Flamini himself comes out, I'll keep away from all these rumours...

Everyone cares about the money. don't make it sound like it's something uncommon! he's young and it wouldn't be a disaster if he missed one season of playing in the CL so the fact that he's [supposedly] chosen Milan over Juve doesn't necessarily mean he only thinks about money.

I don't know much about Flamini, but we need new some more defenders and he is not bad.

Moreover he's for free and quite young. So why not buying him?

But as Locke has said, I won't believe this as long as it's not official.

But I heard that he wanted to leave arsenal before.

So, you think it's not ambitious to leave Arsenal for Milan?

+1

Nope. Arsenal are a very young team who are doing well in their league. Milan are a very old team who aren't doing very well in their league. Not to mention what they did to us in the head-to-head games.

Interesting... Milan are not supposed to be an old team forever. it's clear he has a better chance of winning something important with Milan.

Wow, I never thought someone can compare Arsenal to Milan, let alone think that they match us in term of prestige

You think Milan is going to have the same squad forever? A lot of players are going to leave in the next two years, Galliani said several times that he wants some young players for the future, and clearly stated our objective for next year : Il Campionato!

Players usually sign for a club for the future not the past, so they don't care if you were not doing well in the championship for, let's say the last 3 years, they come to acheave something and they choose the best club that can give them this chance. Flamini had the choice between Milan and the zebras, why do you think he choose us?

I think you over estimate Arsenal and the English clubs, actually they don't even come close to the likes of Milan and Madrid, there's only diverpool and man u who come close to this elite, and they're a step down with Bayern, Ajax and Co.

If this is actually true then I'll be more happy then if we get R10.

Imo he's been the best defensive mid this season, if we get him we'll sell Brocchi along with Puma and we'll be more then covered in the defensive mid area

Flamini, Rino, Ambro.

Quality, youth and experiance

And lets face it, getting a player like him free is amazing and won't happen often

You say they sign for a club for the future, and not the past. So what does the prestige of Milan have to do with anything. Yes, we were great in the past, but there's no certainty that we will be in the future.

I over-estimate English clubs? I dunno about that. The Premier League is very strong, and it's not just 1 team that carries the league. In the last 3 years, we've had 4 DIFFERENT representatives in the European Cup Final, I think it'd be difficult to find another league that has done that over a decade, forget a 3 years period.

It's clear you don't like the Premier League anyways.

There is no certainty that I will live tomorrow...

Well... Actually there is. But you get my point!

??

Not everyone. Paolo gets less than a million a year, while Nesta around 6 million. Sure there is a difference between them, Sandro is in his peak, and most probably plays more matches, but when it comes to putting in the effort they both do the same. Maldini even puts up more.

At the other end of the spectrum you've got a Juve legend like Del Piero contemplating leaving for another club just because of a few coins. Case in point: There are a whole lot of players who still don't give a hoot about $$$. Ronaldo is another.

Neither do I, but at the same time I respect the fact that they're the number one league in the world. Having three teams in the final four of Europe for all these years, is no fluke, of course. You have to be the best to stay the best. It's just that I prefer an alternate style of football than the one we witnessed yesterday in the Chelsea vs Pool match.

Short passes, and technical play rules the world. Hehe.

This isn't a very reliable source or quote.. I don't know if he said that or not. I think we're getting closer though. The "deadline" is over.

Well, yeah .. But he could earn the same if he moved to Juve, considering he moves there on a free too. Moreover, Juve have guaranteed CL football, and they are still building a team in comparison to Milan.

Ok, I talked about prestige just because you said it's not ambitious to quit Arsenal for Milan! The prestige is related to the history of the club, when I talked about the past I meant the 2-3 past years!

The EPL is not strong it's quite weak to be honest. Having 4 very good teams when the rest of the clubs are at best average, doesn't mean that the league is strong! The difference between the top club and the rest is so huge that you can hardly talk about a championship, let alone a strong one!

It's the same in most leagues, even worse. How close exactly is Serie A and La Liga?

As a supporter of the team that's going to finish 5th/6th I'm offended by that. To call us average is just unfair, only Arsenal and United have scored more goals than us, and only Fabregas has more assists than our Ashley Young! At best average? You do realise the team that's going to finish in the bottom 5 - Middlesbrough - made a UEFA Cup Final recently? Everton and Spurs did well in the UEFA Cup this year - only to lose on penalties.

Before you talk about how uncompetitive the Premier League is, look at other leagues first. La Liga and Serie A are as good as over. With only 2 games left, 3 teams can win the Premier League.

I think that the EPL/Serie A/ La Liga discussion really just boils down to a matter of personal preference.

Some prefer one league over another. It doesn't necessarily mean that the league they prefer is better or that the others are populated by nothing but Kaladzities. It's just a matter of what the individual in question enjoys.

Speaking for myself, I prefer Serie A followed by the Bundesliga and La Liga (in that order). I just don't - in general terms - enjoy watching the style of play that one generally sees in the EPL. It bores me to tears. I'll also note that I'm very much the minority among my friends here in DC. They all think the EPL is the bestest ever.

So...personal preference seems to rule this one.

I am for getting rid of Brocchi and Emo, but we must replace them. Even then, we should retain Brocchi, purely because he counts as a homegrown player

Unless of course the replacements are ex-primavera

No it's not the same in the other leagues. The difference between the level of the top 4 and the rest is HUGE in England! In Italy teams like Fiorentina, Udinese, Sampdoria, Napoli, Lazio, Parma and even Palermo can easily defeat one of the top teams and produce a great football! In Spain it's the same thing, Valencia, Depor, Sevilla, Villarreal, l'Atletico. Check out the last decade and tell me how many teams (apart from the top 4 in Italy and Engalnd + Real and Barça) from each country reached the semis or the final of a European cup, and we'll talk again.

P.S. It could be the fact that I don't rate the English football though

Edit. Tennie, I don't think it's, in my case, a matter of preference, I just think and always thought it's easier to play in England than in any other championship (Italy, Spain, France and Germany). That's why I don't rate the English football, the tactic and defensive skills are just ... well, let's just leave it at that

Villa, Everton, Spurs, Portsmouth, West Ham and Man City are all capable of beating the big 4. For example, we picked up 4 points off Chelsea this season, and on all of our away trips to the big 4, we only lost 1 game.

As for the European Cup, no country has produced more winners than England - 4 teams. (And that's considering 2 of our big 4 have never won it).

But like Tennie said, I suppose it is personal preference, I'm sure we can all find an arguement for each league.

And how many goals did the Italian teams against the English teams in 6 matches? And how many did they win?

Erm .. You do notice this is a milanfan forum ?!

Yes, but we're surely allowed to debate on things not involving Milan. Otherwise I welcomely offer one of the mods to lock it if they feel it inappropriate.

I have an idea!

How about we all agree to disagree on the issue, let it drop, and all go out for cookies and the liquid refreshment of our choice?

Yeah, I have a paper due in tomorrow as well, I've yet to start it because of this damn forum.

Of course, every team has it chances to beat another one, but I'm talking about the continuity, the quality of the play ... etc.

European cups? Ok, lets start just since 1993 (since it's called The EUFA Champions League) 15 finals.

CL :
Italy : 10 times in the final (Milan and zebra)
Spain : 7 times in the final (Real, Barça, Valencia)
Germany : 4 times in the final (Bayern, Dortmund, Leverkusen)
England : 4 times in the final (Man U, Diverpool, Arsenal)
France : 2 times in the final (Marseille and Monaco)
Holland : 2 times in the final (Ajax)
Portugal : 1 time in the final (Porto)

Eufa Cup:
Italy : 8 times in the final (merda, Lazio, Parma, zebra)
Spain : 5 times in the final (Sevilla, Espayol, Valencia, Alaves)
Germany : 4 times in the final (Bayern, Dortmund, Schalke)
England : 3 times in the final (Middlesbrough, Diverpool, Arsenal)
France : 3 times in the final (Marseille, Bordeaux)
Portugal : 2 time in the final (Porto, Sporting)
Holland : 1 time in the final (Feyenoord)
Russian : 1 time in the final (CSKA)
Turkey : 1 time in the final (Galatasaray)
Scotland : 1 time in the final (Celtic)
Austria : 1 time in the final (Salzburg)

Wonder where did you find those 4 English clubs that have won a European Cup?

Well I wasn't the one who started the EPL vs. Serie A discussion was I?

To make a good point you should look at the last 10 years and make the stats, it would be more fair than 1 year

No your not

We have said this tones of times, it's a matter of preference. But if you guys wanna have a go at it, please be my guest and open up a thread for the sole purpose of comparing leagues

But you're basically saying "Okay, let's start whenever I feel like it, because it makes the EPL look bad" You do realise England dominated Europe from the 70s all the way through to the late 80s? When did the dominance stop - when we were kicked out, the teams were at a disadvantage when they were let back in as they weren't getting all the money from being in Europe like the other clubs were, and only recently recovered thanks to the huge tv money we're not getting.

And even with the stas you've give, Italy only has 2 teams that've made finals. England have had 3. Like you said, 2 teams don't make a great league, it needs depth.

England have 4 winners - Liverpool, Man U, Forest and Villa (Possibly Chelsea to add to that - no other country has 4. And most of these trophies were won when it was known as the European Cup, not the Champions League. I have always prefered the old format - mainly because it was a competition for Champions (Since when did finishing 4th place make you a Champion? ).

Going back 10 years means that you can include players who are now retired, and as far as I know retired players don't have much of an effect on the current strenght of any leagues...

Anyways, I think R7 is right. If we want a discussion like this, it needs to go in another thread of it's own.

Otherwise we'll be like Jack, the forum villain, just hijacking threads as he pleases!

Thanks man, you went where I wanted you to go It's a matter of period of dominance, and up until now the Italian and Spanish football is better compared to the English one. Maybe you'll have the upper hand in 3-4 years
Oh, and where is Villa and Forest now? You know Uruguay won 2 World Cups too, are they a great football country?
Now go finish your homework

Villa are doing just fine! We're 6th in the league!

It aint gonna happen, I'll just have to make up some excuse, either that or be up until 4 in the morning again.

Maybe not the current but you'll have a better idea, if you want you can make the stats for the past generation

I hate you all and you're friendly little discussions... What happened to you bunch? Why no insults and childish remarks? Why all the grown up discussions... I'm falling asleep over here with my donuts policing this lovingly neighborhood...

sigh.....

I'm not even gonna comment on the epl vs serie A discussion because its pointless. Both leagues have good teams that can make it to the top level. This year england produced great results and next year it may be different. Barca is stockin up, inter and milan are stockin up same with bayern so it will be even tougher.


now on the real discussion- flamini:

reasons:

1) he chose milan over zebra because we pay 4 million and zebra would pay only 3 and arsenal would pay near 2.5 mil.

2) Hes garunteed playing time and will eventually be molded into carlo's tactics efficiently. Coach loves him, which is always a bonus when your moving to a new club.

3) Milan are in the top 5 best teams in the world and we have always been consistent in the champions league and we usually win a trophy per season, whatever it may be.

4) He is french and he seems to like serie A personally. I've read before in interview where he said something like serie a and epl are his favs.

5) He's tired of epl and arsenal and wengers style and wants a new team.

^^

End of story.

You just want to use your super special powers now that you have that shiny new badge

I did not say he only cares about the money. I said he cares more. And I meant that more money and (possibly) no CL for a season is his preferred option compared to less money + and (possible) and extra season of CL football...

I did not judge him for that. I have no right to do this anyway... and I can't say I would not do the same... besides, even if we don't qualify he'll still have more chances to win it with Milan than with Juve in the following years.

ٍEven though I think Juve will surprise us in the CL next season, but that's right.