At last, a game! At least, that is unless the snow knocks on the terraces’ door once more. Fingers crossed.

But first, to a little transfer speculation – also, if you haven’t read it already, there was some serious news in Angola involving Emmanuel Adebayor. Read the reaction to it here.

We’ve been linked rather spuriously to Sol Campbell after the big man has spent the last eon training with us after walking out on Notts County earlier in the season.

Wenger has been characteristically coy about the prospect of signing him, which I hope is a giveaway that he won’t be signing a defender who, great though he once was, has lost more than a few yards of pace since leaving Portsmouth.

Campbell’s main redeeming feature is his awesome prowess in the aerial battle. But signing a defender for this reason alone ignores the fact that Gallas and Vermaelen have been coping very well in this field and have put to bed a traditional weakness of ours. Sure, we need depth desperately in defence, but I really cannot fathom Campbell as the answer.

I said Wenger’s coy response was hopefully a giveaway into his not signing Sol. Given the man is available on a free, he’s free to choose from any suitors for his signature, and that includes us. I would warrant that Arsenal are at the front of his preferences, were we actually interested.

Whenever Arsenal had a chance to sign a big player (like Arshavin) whose signature was contested by other clubs, Wenger goes into his shell, plays mind games with the press, and no-one knows which way he’s going with it.

With Campbell, there’s no need for that. Were we to put in an offer for him, I cannot fail to see him choosing someone over us. Except maybe Spurs if his sole aim was to beat the American Samoan record for own goals scored in a match. I think it was 34? (Correction: Madagascan, and it was 149).

I would hope that we are in for better, younger, more athletic defenders than Sol. Like Vieira, his best days are long gone. His memory should remain as an awesome defender who – a walkout against West Ham aside – gave some extraordinary service to the club that will not be matched again.

To the Everton game, and I hope you’re all lighting your shrines, praying to your deities and avoiding the cracks in the pavement to ensure we actually have a game on today.

The team is as you were for the mid-week game that never was, only with Nasri on the right flank in Rosicky’s place. Cold weather makes for nervy hamstrings, and as long as Nasri is fit and in form (which he is), he should start.

Everyone else is as you were and on paper, this is a team that should see an Everton side as depleted by injury as we are. You never know in football, but there you have it.

Not too in-depth an analysis, obviously, but my mind is so numb from a lack of football that I just want to enjoy a home game without too much intellectual rigour. This might call for a beer or two but, because I’m travelling in the morning, it will be dark, lonely sobriety for me.

It does seem like ages since we last played a game. Stupid Europe and their silly cold weather. Apart from Israel, which I hear is having a heatwave. Where are all the global warming advocates when you need them?

Right. I’m off to pack some suitcases, get a bit of FIFA into my system, plug in the laptop to the telly and get some Red and White action into me. See you in the blog tomorrow!

Filed under: Arsenal, Blogging, English Premier League, Transfer Rumours