A teetotaler and a nonsmoker that I am, it must be very odd the sort of company I keep. Truth be told however, I wasn’t meeting anyone there. The demands of my multiple commitments which involve driving around the city on weekends forced me to dive into the nearest place that offered cable tv in order to catch a glimpse of the latest version of the Gunners - class of 2010.
Repeatedly, as the game progressed, many of my co-onlookers kept on referring to a Gunner player donning the No 35 shirt as Eboue. Of course, they were all wrong. Mercifully however, their misjudgement wasn’t a case of befuddled eyesight on account of one too many bottles. Their mistake was in the confusion caused by the similarity in size, style and skill levels of the player in No 35.
The game had long stretched in to the second half before someone in the audience pointed out that Eboue himself was actually on the pitch donning his usual No 27 shirt. So who was this person in No 35?
The game was almost over before the smarter ones amongst them managed to decipher the name, Frimpong, at the back of the No 35 shirt.
A mystery he may have been to bewildered Gunner faithful in faraway South Africa, but to better-informed, or better-opportuned Gunner faithfuls elsewhere, he is the latest revelation from Arsene Wenger’s production line of rough diamonds.
Emmanuel Frimpong has barged his way into our consciousness. And very impresssively too. Just 18, the Ghanaianborn British boy is finally the answer to all those calls for an understudy to Alexander Song. Just as Alex himself defied everyone to cement his place at the heart of the Arsenal midfield two seasons ago, Frimpong is treading the same path to glory.
At the conclusion of the Emirates Cup, Wenger made a rather surprising declaration that Frimpong along with his midfield co conductor, the inimitable Jack Wilshire had both changed his transfer plans. That could only mean one thing if you are familiar with Wengerspeak. No new players were being considered by the manager for the midfield. Not after what he had seen all through the pre season of Wilshire and Frimpong.
Wilshire we all knew all along as a prodigy. A gifted ball player who with time might even supplant the highly regarded Cesc Fabregas. He was always destined for great things. A modern day Michel Platini, Liam Brady, Jean Tigana all rolled into one.
But Emmanuel Frimpong? Where on earth did he spring from? Oh what a player? What a bundle of energy? What a walking six pack of muscle and tenacity?
Quite easily, he could have been cut from the same cloth as Chelsea’s midfield enforcer and fellow countryman, Michael Essien. In appearance, discipline, style of play, composure you couldn’t tell them apart. Except of course, Essien wasn’t this good at 18. 18 for Christ’s sake!
As the game progressed last Saturday against AC Milan and Frimpong kept breaking up play and winning individual battles against the venerated, three-time Champions League winner Clarence Seedorf and ex-Gunner Mathieu Flamini, the cameras also kept zooming in on the face of Alex Song, sidelined by injury and sitting up in the stands.
It could only mean one thing. That the lad down on pitch had emerged to challenge the supremo in the stands.
Yet again, another star is born. Yet again, another Emmanuel, the fourth player to answer to that most-popular-of-Arsenal-player-names, will be delighting all Gunner hearts this season.
Long live Emmanuel IV.
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| Who art thou, No 35? |
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