Dear Ludivine Kadri Sagna,

An open letter from a worried supporter, man, father,…

Dear Ludivine,

First of all I want to apologise for using your first name.  As I know that you probably will not know me but for me you are a more familiar person. I follow you on twitter and so I have learned to know you over the last years. And you do seem to be a real caring wife and loving mother of your children.  I have seen you post pictures of yourself and as I am a man I can appreciate looking at a beautiful woman.

But I must say that I am a bit worried about a few things I have heard about your husband, Bacary. Now I am a man of middle age myself and so I know that younger man do foolish things. But in my stage of my life I have left those things behind me. I think. Must ask my wife if she agrees on this.

The thing is that when young man do foolish things it is very important that their wives take matters in hand. Maybe you don’t know what Bac is up to so I just want to tell you about the things I have heard and don’t like.

Apparently Bacary is unhappy with the proposal that Arsenal has made for a possible future contract.  Do you know about that? Because I have seen you pose on many occasions in an Arsenal shirt and I presume that you feel a bit of a Gooner yourself after all those years being the wife of an Arsenal player. And I must say that you look gorgeous in those pictures in an Arsenal shirt.

Tell me Ludivine, would you be happy that Bacary leaves Arsenal? I really doubt it. And not just because I think you like Arsenal but also for other reasons. I have asked someone who knows a bit about fashion and photo shoots and he has confirmed me that you would look terrible in something else than the Arsenal red. He said that Liverpool red makes you look fat and Manchester United red are just table cloths and make you look ugly.

I know the rumours are that Bacary might go to Manchester City. Have you ever been there? Don’t go if you love your children. And the same fashion knower told me that seeing you in blue would be the end of your career. No photographer will ever want to take another picture of you. That colour doesn’t go with you at all. Not my words as I know nothing about it to be honest. But I trust my  friend on this as he knows a bit about those things. So for your own sake don’t let Bac go to one of those clubs in blue.

Now I know from my own younger days that men between 30-35 years are in a difficult age. They are getting a bit older but don’t want to admit that they are slowly on the wrong side of things. So they usually react with running behind other things that they never seemed to need before.

Some will start chasing other woman, some want to change from job, some want to change from employer. Thinking they will be happier with that. Let me tell you that this is a false dream!  They usually end up empty handed or unhappy. I have seen it happening many times around me.

I must admit I never had that when I was around that age. Because my wife kept me on the right track all the time. When I had crazy dreams she talked me out of them. I didn’t dare to look at other woman as well… you know I think I wouldn’t be here any more to write about it.

And looking back at it I feel very happy that she took control and took care of me in those days of youthful foolishness.

So my advice to you is that when Bacary comes home from training today you drag him by his hair to the kitchen table. Tell him to sit down and you ask him what he is up to. Ask him if the rumours that he wants to leave Arsenal are true. And if he confirms this tell him in no uncertain terms that he must be out of is mind. Ask him if he has lost his mind.

You seem a very strong woman to me. And a caring and loving one. I remember you tweeting in a worried way a few years ago when your kids were sick. So I think it is time to take care and to be strong.  Not for your children this time but for that big child of yours: Bacary.

Do what a strong woman does when it is needed. Tell him to forget about it. Tell him to pick up the phone and call Arsène and Ivan and let Bacary say that he has changed his mind and that he will stay at Arsenal after all. If needed pick up the phone yourself and ask Arsène and Ivan to give in to one little thing so that Bacary will feel as if he has won the negotiations. I know man are like that and find it important to feel that they achieved what they wanted. Even if not so in reality.

And if you really love Arsenal and London don’t be afraid to be firm about some things. Tell Bacary that going to another rich club in London is not possible at all. Tell him it would make you unhappy and probably ugly if you should pose in blue. Tell him that living in Manchester is out of the question and that he then will have to choose between earning more money but not seeing the children as much as now. Tell him that no sane and smart woman would consider leaving London and go to Manchester.

So I am calling on to you to make sure that Bacary will see the light and will understand that he has to stay at Arsenal for the rest of his career.  I’m sure it will make you all happy.

And it will make me happy.

And if Bacary comes up with wanting to win something you have to say two things:

1) you must win the FA cup now

2) if you go now, you might miss being part of the new Arsenal that is around the corner and who knows maybe a second invincibles….

As I do think that we might be on the eve of a new invincible era. Impossible? They thought the first time it was impossible. And he would have a life long regret if he would miss out on that.

So Ludivine, do what you have to do and tell your husband what to do: sign that thing with Arsenal. He will be grateful for that later on. I promise you that.

Thanks for listening to me and I hope you can do the job you need to do.

Kind regards

 

Walter Broeckx, an Arsenal supporter

• Woolwich Arsenal: The club that changed football – Arsenal’s early years
• Making the Arsenal – how the modern Arsenal was born in 1910
• The Crowd at Woolwich Arsenal