Arsenal announced their first new signing of the silly season today, as Belarussian mid-fielder Alexander Hleb joined the Gunners from Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart.
Here are the details from Arsenal.com:
Belarus international midfielder, Alexander Hleb, has today agreed to join Arsenal from Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart on a long term contract, in a deal which could rise to approximately ?15 million Euros. This agreement is subject to a medical and the player obtaining a work permit.
Hleb (24), who made 137 appearances in his five years with Stuttgart and has 18 International caps for Belarus, is a versatile midfielder with experience of Champions League football, playing in all eight of Stuttgart?s matches in the 2003/04 competition.
Manager Ars?ne Wenger said: ?We are delighted that Alexander Hleb has agreed to join us. He is a player I have admired for some time now and I know he will provide our squad with great quality. Hleb has proved his ability with his performances in the Bundesliga in recent seasons and he definitely has the potential to do very well with Arsenal.?
Alexander Hleb said: ?I am very happy to have this fantastic opportunity to join Arsenal. They are a Club with a great history and many world class players.?
Alexander Hleb will join up with the Arsenal first team squad when they return for pre-season training in early July.
23 Responses to “Arsenal Sign Alexander Hleb”
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June 27th, 2005 at 1:04 pm
Bravo!
One good signing down, a few more to go, (ONE if its Robinho!)
June 27th, 2005 at 1:16 pm
Welcome to the the family son.
Anyway DannyT I always taught you watch football. Yes Hleb is not better than PV but I know Wenger can turn him into a better play if not better than PV. And please before you open your mouth DannyT please read what I wrote first.
Arsenal is full of good midfield players and the signing of Hleb even makes it better. He can play in the same role or position PV is playing at.
We need a good goalie, striker and CD and if we are going to have ?30m for PV I’ll say sell him and use the money to improve the squad. This is nothing againt PV but common sense.
And please I hate when people say we can’t replace one player. If that is the case than Arsenal is not a team. We replaced SD, DR, TA, IA and the list goes on and can replace PV.
June 27th, 2005 at 1:26 pm
True can’t wait to have Robinho on board. Anyway I respect views about selling PV but all I’m saying if we used the money to invest in new stars.
We have a house full of wicked midfielders and as you rightly said in football anything can happen.
June 27th, 2005 at 1:28 pm
Love G, I would possibly take the chance if:
A) we got around 30 Million. (I haven’t seen that price)
B) we knew Arsenal would spend that money to bring in the CD, Keeper and striker that would add depth and improve the squad.
If Arsene pulled the trigger on the deal, and ok’d it, I would be for it, because he’d believe we could cope without PV4.
I am just not sure we would spend the money on bringing in players to help the team. I’m not interested in selling Vieira to make money. I’d only do it to strengthen the team.
June 27th, 2005 at 1:29 pm
Welcome, Hleb! As soon as we learn to pronounce your name, we’ll get right on a song for you. Maybe something to the tune of Runaround Sue by Dion (I think) where, the “Hep, Hep” parts could be substituted. You know, Hleb, Hleb, Whoahoowhoah, Hleb, Hleb, Whaoh…you get the point.
This is a great Arsenal signing in my opinion because the guy is reportedly two-footed and can fit in anywhere in the midfeld, in particular, either wing. Like I’ve said before, I saw him in a WC qualifier, and he was no-look slotting them through to the strikers after dribbling around defenders with perfect weight and precision. I don’t think he’s ever been injured, and seems to have unending reserves of energy.
Also, his versatility prevents his addition as being overly threatening to any one player, and at 24 and slightly under the radar, he should be willing to share pitch time. And the odds of him compromising his fitness due to international ties is not very high considering the the success ofthe current Belarussian team.
Another astute Wenger signing. I’m very excited about it.
June 27th, 2005 at 1:30 pm
If we got 30 Million, and used it to bring in 2 or 3 more players… we would have DEPTH at alot of positions. I just don’t know if Arsenal would spend the money to strengthen the team. I think they’d keep the money! and buy 1 player.
Strengthen the team with a class keeper, a CD and a midfielder or striker, I’d definitely consider it.
(I just haven’t seen that 30 Million figure, I think that is what Chelsea offered for Trezegaut and were refused.
June 27th, 2005 at 1:48 pm
Of course I don’t believe in most of the stories written by the press but as I said if they amount is ?30m for PV we sould think about it and strenghen the squad.
We need a goalie before 1 August and time is running out. At the moment we have Lehmann and the Spainish bloke and guess what Lehmann is banned for the first 3 games in europe.
We should think ahead and all I’m asking for is reality check before is too late.
June 27th, 2005 at 1:50 pm
I’m with you here but I was thinking ahead. Let wait and see
June 27th, 2005 at 2:15 pm
I didn’t say that Hleb is any better or worse than Vieira. I am asking what type of player is he? From what I can tell he is primarily a right winger, who can also play on the left side if necessary as he is two footed. He is a creative player.
Wenger likes to have two ball winners in the middle of the park - with medium creativity. So, can Hleb do that? If he can’t, then why would Wenger want to sell Vieira nd put Hleb there?
June 27th, 2005 at 2:47 pm
I guess one of the questions is, “Is this guy just a low-rent Edu?” Looking around the web, Hleb’s not getting a great response as he’s got a rather obscure history.
Of course, we don’t know what Wenger’s seeing. And everyone who’s perturbed by this fails to mention that he can play all over the middle of the park. For depth, Arsene may have his all-purpose answer.
Or, we may have just found someone to replace Edu who either a) is willing to take what we wanted to pay Edu, and/or b) is so desperate to play in the Premiership he doesn’t mind playing behind an 18 year old.
A move towards better depth in the club, or inexpensively patching up a hole in midfield? Hmmm…
June 27th, 2005 at 3:34 pm
If we are a team that is trying to the CL and win the EPL, PV should be kept in Arsenal. Arsenal is not Everton who is n ineed to sell any expensive player to make the team better and make the team reach to the CL. We are in he CL, but we are looking to win it.
We have to keep players like Henry, PV, Bergy, Geliberto, Pires, Fredy, Cole & Cample: Those players have history of winning. Big players with great expereince. With the excitment of Cesce, RVP, Reyes, Flamini, Sandouras, we can win the and reach far .. of course adding players like Helb and Robinho would make us reach further and much smoother.
June 27th, 2005 at 4:02 pm
Stack is off to Aston Villa…
I’d like to see that situation sorted as well, but I fear that Wenger will just go with Lehmann and Almunia. That didn’t work last year, it would be a major gamble again this year… United didn’t sit pat with their keepers, they realized there was a problem.
June 27th, 2005 at 6:47 pm
We have to be bringing in a keeper b/c Arsenal.com is also stating that Taylor is signing with Aston Villa.
June 27th, 2005 at 7:15 pm
Great signing, very great indeed.
At last we shall have someone who can go past players without any problems, someone who brings joy to the supporters and the players, someone who can take the burden from the sholders of Henry,Bergkamp and Peres to create goals.
Players like him and Quincy are what is needed at Arsenal, some more people that have magic.
I feel he will be a key factor to fill the Emirate Stadium with his dribbling skills and wonder passes.
I dont Know why, but I think there is some thing in common between him and Robin of Chelsea.
If Wenger needs to pay alot of money for a star player, then he’s better to not pay that money on Robinho, we have a lot of strikers with small bodys, Only baptista would convince me as a striker, otherwise I would prefere right winger such as Wright Philips even if he is overpriced, or Maninci from Roma, the wings are always the secret and Wenger sure knows.
June 27th, 2005 at 7:50 pm
LoveG, I didn’t say we CAN’T replace Vieira, I was just suggesting it would be DIFFICULT to replace him. And I do believe a few players are bounded to be difficult to replace, not just at Arsenal. Take Man Utd as an example, till now I think they are still missing Schmeichel. And in a certain degree, we are still struggling to replace Seaman.
As for the new player Hleb, I don’t know anything about him, never even seen him played to be honest. So i would reserve my comment here.
June 28th, 2005 at 1:45 am
i agree with reyes99 he’s been brought to give creativity from the centre to help us in the CL games like bayern. to go past players. dont c how he is being compared with viera or how him coming in is going to affect viera. helb isnt even a ball winning player.
June 28th, 2005 at 2:02 am
Many of you made have read this a few months back, but here is an article that has quite a bit of information on Hleb (I think its pronounced Gleb with a soft “G” but not positive.)
http://www.arsenal-mania.com/?page=articles&view=full&article=193568
here’s a message forum link, check out the bit from “asn” a couple comments down.
http://elitefootballtalk.blogspot.com/2005/06/can-stuttgartbundesliga-fans-tell-eft.html
Seems like every player we sign has been dubbed the “next Bergkamp” and Hleb’s no different it seems. I’m just hoping he’s a player who can add that extra bit of creativity Arsenal need in Europe and at times in the League as well.
June 28th, 2005 at 2:09 am
I know you meant Taylor.
Speaking of Graham Stack, anyone heard any news about him since he’s back from the Millwall spell? I always rated him higher than Taylor for some reason, but then the rape charge, well…I just don’t want to speculate. I think he’s on trial sometime soon for that.
June 28th, 2005 at 12:28 pm
Not seen him play myself, but a friend of mine who is in Germany tells me ‘Hleb is very good, can come from anywhere in midfield. Very good passer/creator’…sounds a bit like Robert Pires to me.
June 28th, 2005 at 8:23 pm
You’re probably right. I read a piece on Arsenal.com that said that he often got some stick in Germany for not scoring enough goals but that he was an excellent passer/assister & when technically on song, “beautiful to see.”
June 28th, 2005 at 9:28 pm
I really hope he’s wrong, but my mate watched him play for Belarus against Scotland and he said he was pure rubbish.
June 29th, 2005 at 8:09 am
This wouldn’t me the same mate who impersonated you, would it?
I saw that game, and he was the one of the few on the team that were creating chances. The fact that the rest of his squad didn’t have the quality or the pace to get on the end of anything isn’t his fault. I might add that, having singled him out as rubbish, most likely meant that he was on the ball a lot, which he was. Most of the action was at his feet, at the top ofthe box.
But I could be wrong. So much of this is subjective.
June 29th, 2005 at 10:39 pm
I have more than one mate, you know
And naw it wasn’t that guy. This other guy supports Rangers and Scotland, and so he says he’s “entitled to label shite ’shite’ when I see it.”