Robert Pires set for Aston Villa
November 16th 2010 20:25
Link: twitter.com/mattsaltmer
News has broken today, that 37-year-old French World Cup winner Robert Pires, is set to sign a six month contract with English Premier League side, Aston Villa. The winger has been a free agent since leaving Villarreal at the end of last season, and will bolster Gerard Houiller's options, following a spate of injuries, especially in attack.
There will be a lot of doubt as to whether the ageing Pires still has what it takes at this level, but personally, he is one of the best players I have seen in the Premier League. Of course this was in his prime, which was a good six or seven years ago now. After starting his career in France, playing for Reims, Metz and Marseille, he enjoyed his best years in London, after joining Arsenal for £6 million in 2000. He went on to score 84 times for the Gunners in all competitions, before leaving at the end of the 2005/06 season, joining Villarreal on a free transfer. His final match for Arsenal, was the Champions League final defeat to Barcelona, where he was withdrawn after just 12 minutes, following goalkeeper Jens Lehmann's red card.
He has enjoyed huge success in his career. As well as winning the 1998 World Cup, he helped France to the 2000 European Championships, and 2001 & 2003 Confederations Cups. Whilst at Arsenal, he won three FA Cups, and two Premier League titles, including being part of the invincibles in the 2003/04 season. He regularly finished high in the league's goalscoring charts despite being a midfielder, and won the award for Writers Footballer of the Year in 2003. His International career saw him amass 79 caps, scoring 14 goals.
There is no doubt Aston Villa are getting an experienced pro, who has had an illustrious career. The question will be, how good is Robert Pires right now. He has been training with his former club, and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger reckons Villa are still getting a top player. But I can't help but think, that if he really was still a top player, why wouldn't Arsenal have re-signed him, like they did with Sol Campbell last season? I would love to see the Pires of old back in the Premier League, but I fear this could prove a poor deal for both parties. But given Villa are getting him for free, there isn't really a risk, and we will have to wait and see how he does this season.
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