We're tupping Barca's ewes

Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
Is tupping your white ewe.

- Iago (Act 1, Scene 1) from Othello

According to the grapevine, we're closing in on Iago Falque. He's the latest in the long line of Barca wonderkids. Wenger's got a taste for Barca - first Cesc, then Fran, now Iago? Maybe it's his little revenge on all those summers of tapping up our players. Maybe he likes a little Spanish colony in his side. Maybe we really are so skinflint that we've got to buy promising youngsters.

I don't know. All I know is that the Mastia keeps producing these beautiful, budding roses - and we're plucking the shit out of them.

Is it legal? Yep. We'll pay the compensation and take their player. Is it moral? I'm not so sure. It's good for the player, because they'll get first-team football before they can drive. It's good for us because Wenger likes buying kids. But it's not particularly nice for Barca. I don't have much sympathy for Barca, but just imagine the fuss if they tried to steal Wilshire from us?

In other news, Senderos is off to Milan on loan, possibily for good. The rounds of the arsenal blogs are saying we need a Hulk-esque defender to compliment Toure, and it's a pity he's going. I don't know enough about football to comment about it, but it boils down to: If you're an optimist, you could say that he'll learn a hell of a lot at Milan, and when he comes back, will fit right back into the first team; If you're a pessimist, you'll wonder why we replaced a 23 year old with a 31 year old.

I'm not sure what I am, right now.

Went to the Notting Hill Carnival the other day, and did a tour of the palace grounds. One's very loud, the other's very large. Found out that Buckingham Palace was built by the Earl of Buckingham, then comandeered by the royals because they felt St James' wasn't flash enough. Imagine building a house that's prettier than a royal palace. How good would that've felt?

Greenwich next. 30-ish hours until my Arsenal match. Hope we've got someone then.