Wenger – I’m surprised no-one bought Mannone this summer

Posted on September 29, 2012 by admin

Arsene Wenger (and most Arsenal fans I guess) have been pleasantly surprised with the way Vito Mannone has stepped up to the plate after the unexpected injuries to Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski, but he has admitted that if a suitable offer had come in for the Italian keeper this summer then he would have let him leave the Emirates.

“He always believed in himself and was ready to show me that but he had no real opportunity to play,” Wenger said.

“Szczesny has the No.1 shirt and it is up to the others to win it. He has not lost it but there is competition now.

“When I sent Mannone to Hull, I watched him every single game and all the reports I had were very positive. I was quite surprised no club went for him because I would have let him go.”

Wenger also made it clear that it would still be hard for him to demote Szczesny despite Mannone’s good form right now and he explained his reasons: “The goalies need competition but also confidence,” he continued. “It is a special position where, if you are challenged every time, if you change every time, you cannot be good.

“If Gianluigi Buffon makes a mistake he knows he will play for Juventus the next game and if Joe Hart makes a mistake he knows he will play for Manchester City the next game.

“That’s important, but if, over a period of time, their standards drop, and somebody comes in, that’s different.”

Would Arsenal fans say that Szczesny’s standards have dropped “over a period of time”?

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Category Arsenal Injury News, Arsenal News, Arsenal Transfer News
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Arsenal summer sale now on! Please buy

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Bob

Arsenal prepared to slash prices by TS

So the transfer window is closing all the more quickly now it would seem, and Arsenal’s board are beginning to panic. Panic? Really? Well, yes, it would seem they are. Apparently, the board is fed up with fringe players sucking the life out of our wage budget and are prepared to cut their asking prices on certain players.

Joyful days ahead then, or so it would seem. Clubs around the world should now be lining up outside our stadium, making ludicrous offers to remove the likes of the Bendtner’s and Park’s and Chamakh’s of our world from our squad sheets. If Arsenal were a clothing store this would be their summer, 50% off SALE!

So why the sudden panic from the board you ask? Well, it all started a couple of years ago when we bought unknown players, paid them high wages and gave them long contracts. Fast forward to today, and those unknown players are now bad players who no longer appear on the bench, much less the first team, their high wages are still high and their long contracts don’t look to have taken a dent. Either that or the board wants to makes an extra buck or two to tile their toilet seat in gold.

So great idea, in theory at least. I think I’ve said this before somewhere but until it gets through to that Ivan character, I’ll keep saying it. No one wants these guys because of their wages. Not because their transfer fee is a little high! We could give these players away for free and we wouldn’t get a nibble from clubs because let’s call a spade a spade. Who is going to pay £50k per week for Squillaci?

The fact of the matter is that unless we can shift these players out the door, no one else is going to pay those wages but us and who suffers? We do. The fans. We pay. If I had one wish, I’d wish we do sell all of these guys, but then I still wouldn’t feel happy. The board would get rich, not reinvest the money and probably end up repeating the mistake. So if I could wish for one thing, I’d wish these players stay. Run our wage bill down. Then, when their contracts finally do end, maybe the board will wake up and realize that they need to change the way things are done.

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Category Arsenal News, Arsenal opinion, Arsenal Transfer News
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The Best Arsenal Transfer Rumour This Summer!

Posted on July 08, 2012 by admin

Could this swap deal really happen? by KJ

Rumours today are stating that Barcelona are willing to swap David Villa and £13 million for Robin Van Persie.
That is an amazing deal for Arsenal. David Villa is a player that I’m a big fan of. He is a world class striker; there is no other way to put it. He has completely dominated Europe for Spain and with Barcelona in that amazing 2010/2011 season. They were arguably the best team in history and Villa was a key component to their success.

Villa is quite a small player. However, he has an abundance of technical ability and has amazing tight ball control. He can dribble around players with ease and has one of the best shots in the world. He is extremely powerful with his shooting. But that’s not to say he can’t finesse one into the top corner.

He managed to score 23 goals and 9 assists for Barcelona in his first season. Nothing short of impressive considering that he was shifted to the left hand side as the season progressed (to accommodate Messi of course). He managed very similar statistics with Valencia with 20 goals and 17 assists being his worst season. His worst! That’s amazing considering he played there for 5 years.

He is an immense force to have in your side and believe it or not; he’s a class above Van Persie. He’s not injury prone; he is proven at both club and vitally, international level. He is the complete striker. The icing on top is that they are going to offer £13 million as well. That would cover M’Vila as well. That’s how good that deal would be.

Unfortunately, it all seems like Twitter rumours at the moment. I’d be extremely surprised if this swap deal went through. But let’s just remember, Barca are hardly the smartest when it comes to swap deals.

Tags: Barcelona, Van Persie, Villa
Category Arsenal News, Arsenal rumours CHECK OUT WHAT ALL THE ARSENAL BLOGS ARE SAYING AT JUSTARSENALBLOGS.COM
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Could Nasri’s failure to agree new Arsenal deal lead to a possible summer exit?

Posted on Sunday, 17th April 2011 by Tony Merakli

Its been reported that Arsenal could possibly sell Samir Nasri, if the French midfielder fails to agree a new contract with the North London club this summer.

Reports suggest that the Gunners would rather offload the 23-year-old before his current deal expires, and consequently, leave on a free transfer next summer, just like Mathieu Flamini did three-years ago.

Negotiations are still on-going between Nasri’s agent, Jean-Pierre Bernes, and the club, but is appears that nothing has yet been decided, which could possibly prompt a sale during the season break.

The news will no doubt have alerted European giants Barcelona, both Milan clubs and Real Madrid, who would all be interested in the creative midfielder’s services, according to the Sunday Mirror.

For some, Samir Nasri has been the Gunners player of the season, and quite rightly, Arsene Wenger will be extremely reluctant to allow the French international to depart this summer as he sees the imaginative midfielder as a vital part of the Arsenal set-up for years to come.

The Gunners signed Nasri from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille in the summer of 2008 for approximately £12 million, and if the worst should transpire this summer, then ultimately Arsene Wenger will be looking for a sum which far exceeds the one that he acquired Nasri with three-years ago.

Should Arsenal splash £13M on Papiss Cisse this summer?

 

Freiburg have told Arsenal they must table at least £13 million if they wish to get their hands on Papiss Demba Cisse this summer, according to talkSPORT.

The Gunners have bagged 6 goals in their last 5 Premier League matches, which is a pretty poor return for a club who play free-flowing attacking football, and have talented players at their disposal. However, would the Freiburg striker add the misplaced firepower to Arsenal’s front-line next season?

Well, the 25-year-old has managed to net 22 goals in 30 appearances (in all competitions) for the Bundersliga outfit this season – 28 in 46 since joining the German club in December 2009.

Cisse’s record this season clearly speaks for itself, and the striker’s efforts have not gone unheard of as the Senegal international has propelled himself on top of several European clubs wish list this summer.

Fulham, CSKA Moscow, Bayern Munich, and of course Arsenal, are all said to be interested in the Freiburg hit-man. However, German newspaper, TZ, claims that the Bundersliga side will not be entertaining any bids below the £13 million mark.

To be honest, I don’t know too much about Papiss Cisse, but his record for Freiburg this season looks very impressive. I have heard a lot of Arsenal fans expressing their interest in the striker over the past couple of weeks, but ultimately, it will be up to Arsene Wenger to decide whether he wants to splash over £13 million for Cisse’s services this summer.

How would you spend Wenger’s £40M summer transfer funds? – Have your say

How would you spend Wenger's £40M summer transfer kitty?

It was reported this week that new Arsenal owner, Stan Kroenke, will hand Arsene Wenger a £40 million transfer kitty this summer in order to bolster the current squad for next season’s campaign.

However, renowned for his strict transfer policies and tight spending, it seems almost certain that the Frenchman will resist temptation, and ultimately not splash the cash, even though a number of the clubs fans would like to see him do so this summer. Obviously this is yet to be seen, but it appears highly likely if history is anything to go by.

So I ask – If you were in Wenger’s position and had £40 million at your disposal this summer, who would you look to acquire?

Is Chamakh on his way back to France this summer?

 

Ligue 1 outfit Marseille are set to offer Arsenal’s Marouane Chamakh an escape route back to France after the striker’s mixed first season in English football, according to talkSPORT.

Reports in France have revealed that the 27-year-old Moroccan is on top of the Ligue 1 clubs wish list this summer, and are already drawing up a transfer plan for the forward when the window opens.

Chamakh joined the Gunners from Bordeaux last summer on a free, but after an impressive start for the Gunners, the Moroccan international has struggled to cement a regular place in Arsene Wenger’ side, especially with Robin van Persie regaining fitness.

With Chamakh currently warming the bench at Arsenal, it now seems that Marseille, who currently sit second place in Ligue 1, could be a realistic destination for the striker, especially with the promise of regular first-team football in mind.

Chamakh has managed to bag 11 goals in 40 appearances (26 starts, 14 from the bench) so far for the North London club. However, since the turn of the year, Arsenal’s number 29 has only managed to appear once in the Premier League, and more significantly, has been unable to net a top-flight goal since November.

In my opinion, I don’t think it has been an unusual first season for the striker, purely for the fact that I personally believe he was brought to the club as a cover option for Robin van Persie, nothing more. He was picked by Wenger to spearhead the attack whilst Robin was sidelined through injury, but since the Dutchman’s return, Chamakh has rarely been seen, which reinforces my claim further. Both strikers are fit, yet only RVP starts in Wenger’s side.

Chamakh did extremely well up-front before the turn of the year, and bagged some vital goals for Arsenal which was great to see, but I truly believe reality has set in for the Moroccan, hence why these days he’s warming the Arsenal bench.

Reports suggest that the French club could offer around £8 million for Chamakh’s services this summer. I have nothing against the lad, but if these reports are accurate, then I believe Wenger should seriously consider selling the Moroccan, especially for that price.

Should Arsenal entertain a proposed £12M Roma bid for Alex Song this summer?

 

Serie A outfit Roma are preparing to launch a £12 million bid for Arsenal midfielder Alex Song this summer, according to Italian publication Il Messaggero.

The 23-year-old, who joined the North London club from Bastia in 2005, has become an essential part of Arsene Wenger’s side in the past 3 seasons in the defensive midfield position.

It’s been reported in Italy that Roma’s new owner, Thomas DiBenedetto, wants the Cameroon international to be apart of a new-look Giallorossi side next season, and have listed the Arsenal man as their number one transfer target this summer.

Arsenal will undoubtedly do everything within their power to keep hold of the tenacious midfielder, especially considering the time and effort Arsene Wenger has invested in the Cameroonian over the years.

I believe Alex Song is a key player for Arsenal. When he is absent from the side they seem to struggle more in midfield. It would make no sense for Arsenal to entertain any bids for Song this summer, as I believe he is one of our better midfielders and can potentially improve. Now had Roma targeted Abou Diaby or Denilson and were preparing a £12 million bid for either one of them this summer, then I would definitely urge Arsenal to consider the bid.

Arsenal need to keep hold of their best players, and although a number of fans may disagree, I believe Alex Song is one of them.