Arsenal Category
Arsenal football club news, Arsenal transfers
Arsenal: time for the Gunners to sell Oxlade-Chamberlain
Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is “devastated”. His club manager, Arsene Wenger, says the midfielder “could miss SEVEN WEEKS” of the season, reports the Mirror. The Arsenal fans won’t miss him.
Before we look at the player’s future, let’s hear what Wenger actually said:
“His injury is quite serious and keeps him out for a few weeks. He is consulting a specialist at the moment because he is injured at his knee. Hopefully we will have good news. He is out for a few weeks. How long exactly? I don’t know but a few weeks.
So, “could miss seven weeks”, could be ‘could be back in two weeks”.
“It’s a new injury. He has been cut in two by Mascherano and he did his knee. It was a fully committed tackle but it didn’t look malicious. We have to see how big the damage is in his knee. Hopefully we will have good news later.”
Will Arsenal fans miss the England player who signed from Southampton five years ago? Not much. There’s something very middle-class about the way Oxlade-Chamberlain plays. He never fully dives in, drives forward or does the tough, rough stuff. It’s all a bit nice. The player’s injury was a result of mis-controlling the ball when an Arsenal break was very much on. That he did not then give the Barcelona enforcer a dose of his own aggression to win the tackle further emphasised his weakness.
And now ‘the Ox’ is on his way out of the Emirates. The Indy says Arsenal are “ready to listen to offers for England international midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer as it is thought he has not made enough progress during his five seasons at the Emirates.”
He hasn’t made enough progress. That much is certain.
Arsène Wenger paid £12m to Southampton in 2011 for the then 17-year-old, who has made 149 senior appearances for the club, during which time he has broken into Roy Hodgson’s England team. But Wenger fears that Oxlade-Chamberlain has not developed as he first hoped, and if the club can make more than their money back this summer then they would be open to selling him.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is intelligent and skilful. But at Arsenal he’s a work in progress, a player for the future. For five years Arsenal have waited for him to step up. It’s surely time for him to move on…
Arsenal’s £80m ‘blunder’ that let Suarez wallow at Liverpool
Arsenal were beaten by Barcelona in last night’s Champions League match. The result never was really in doubt. Arsenal are a decent side, who could have nicked a goal; Barcelona shimmer. Over in the Daily Mail, Arsenal obsessive Adrian Durham tells readers about Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s “biggest blunder” in a coruscating carer. It was not buying Louis Suarez, now starring for Barcelona:
“What a blunder from Wenger. [He] gets a tip off that Luis Suarez has a £40m release clause in his contract, decides to offer £1 more than that figure to trigger the release, fails to realise the player needs persuading to move to Arsenal.”
The tip-off was sound.
“In a million years, will a player who values himself highly just walk out on one club failing to compete for the very top honours, to join another club failing to compete for the very top honours, simply because that new club values him just £1 more than his release clause?”
No. That’s not what happened. This is what Luis Suarez said about Arsenal’s bid for him in August 2013, which you can also read in the Mail:
“Last year I had the opportunity to move to a big European club and I stayed on the understanding that if we failed to qualify for the Champions League the following season I’d be allowed to go. I gave absolutely everything last season but it was not enough to give us a top-four finish – now all I want is for Liverpool to honour our agreement. I am 26, I need to be playing in the Champions League. I feel I have done enough to be playing in the Champions League at this stage of my career. Now there is an option for me to do that and I want very much to take it.”
Durham ignores the facts. But he does offer some advice for whatever fee the Mail pays him:
Some Gooners have defended Wenger on this one, but ultimately he had the chance, but failed to sign a player who would have transformed Arsenal overnight. Offer £80m – what he’s worth – make the player feel truly wanted.
Pay double the asking price. Genius!
Posted: 24th, February 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
On this day 1913: Arsenal cross the River and park their tanks on Tottenham’s turf
With the next North London Derby fast approaching, and this one really shaping up to be a vital tussle, it’s worth reflecting on the origins of the great rivalry, especially on the anniversary of the decision that kicked the whole thing off.
It was on 22nd February, 1913 that Woolwich Arsenal revealed their decision to uproot from their home in Plumstead, South East London and move to a brand new stadium in the North London district of Highbury.
Attendances at the Manor Ground in Plumstead (pictured above), where Woolwich Arsenal played, had been declining. Majority shareholder Henry Norris had originally wanted to merge the club with Fulham, but the Football League ruled this new side would have to play in the old Second Division, and Norris baulked.
He decided the Gunners had greater potential, but only if they could move to somewhere with better transport links and a catchment area with more oomph.
The site he identified was the sports ground of St John’s College of Divinity in Highbury – literally just down the road from Tottenham.
Local residents objected, as did Spurs and Clapton Orient, but the move went ahead anyway.
It proved successful, with attendances doubling in the first season at the stadium designed by Archibald Leitch – the very same architect who designed White Hart Lane.
The move across town also set up a tense relationship with neighbours Tottenham, one that was made all the more fraught in 1919 when Arsenal were granted membership to the newly expanded, 22-team First Division at Tottenham’s expense in questionable circumstances.
To this day, Spurs supporters still wind their neighbours up by calling them the Woolwich Nomads, and not a derby goes by without Tottenham fans loudly advising their rivals to return from whence they came.
Arsenal fans usually retort by trotting out the fact that Tottenham was in the county of Middlesex until 1965 and so Spurs’ claims of being a North London team are fragile at best.
However, this is a rather dry and blinkered reading of local government bureaucracy.
The fact is that suburbs such as Tottenham had been considered part of London since at least 1840, when it had been brought under the Metropolitan Police’s area of responsibility.
Social and economic histories of the time refer to Tottenham as a London suburb, the sports press referred to Tottenham Hotspur as a London club, and in the public eye Tottenham was a part of London.
Unlike other counties, Middlesex had not had a single established county town since 1789, instead regarding London as the county town, further establishing Tottenham as part of London in the public eye.
The fact that the administrative naming conventions of local government structures did not reflect the reality of the situation really rather undermines the Arsenal fans’ entire (and rather bureaucratic) riposte.
That said, I don’t for a moment suspect that this will be the final word on the subject!
Posted: 22nd, February 2016 | In: Arsenal, Sports, Spurs | Comment
Transfer balls: Leroy Sane to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and wherever else the SEO machine sends him
Transfer Balls: The Daily Star has conjured a headline to seduce fans of the five biggest Premier League clubs to a non-news story:
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City and Man Utd in epic transfer fight for German whizz
Alex Harris writes:
Mundo Deportivo claim Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are all in the hunt for the Schalke attacking midfielder.
The SEObot that might well be operating Harris won’t bother to follow the link. But we will. Over there we hear from one Oriol Domenech, who says Real Madrid and Barcelona are in for Leroy Sane.
Number of quotes to support his story: nil. Number of facts of any sort in either story: nil.
In other news, the Mail asks today: “Is Leroy Sane really worth £42m?”
Dunno.
But the clickbait-bonkers International Business Times say he isn’t, declaring in a headline: “Barcelona spy on Schalke 04 starlet Leroy Sane in Bundesliga match ahead of £28.8m summer move.”
A summer move – but to where – and for how much?
Posted: 18th, February 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Biased football: Vardy dives, Arsenal cheated, Leicester robbed
Arsenal beat Leicester city 2-1 in today’s top-of-the-table Premier League clash. Leicester went ahead thanks to a Jamie Vardy penalty. Should the penalty have been given? Let’s see what the experts say:
The Leicester Mercury’s live blog says:
GOAL! ARSENAL 0-1 LEICESTER CITY (Vardy pen, 45)
AND IT’S IN! Vardy hammers the ball into the net to give Leicester the lead. The striker wheels away to celebrate as boos ring out around the ground from the Arsenal fans.
God knows why. It was as stone-wall as they come.
Also, credit to the referee who played a great advantage in the build-up.
The Vardy penalty was definitely a case of the striker falling over Monreal’s leg… Vardy knocks the ball past Monreal in the box and, in my opinion runs into the Arsenal defender, and then goes down. Atkinson points to the spot! I can see why he did. It looked a penalty even if gamesmanship was involved.
Jamie Vardy controversially won and then converted a penalty on the stroke of half-time
As the first half drew to a close, Cech was beaten, and there was a large slice of controversy in the build up. Ozil appeared to be fouled by Morgan on the edge of the Leicester box, but referee Martin Atkinson waved play on, allowing Leicester City to break.
Should Leicester have had another penalty kick?
The Times:
Though Arsenal show terrific grit and determination to come from behind and win the game, Leicester may well consider themselves incredibly unlucky to not have been awarded a penalty just moments prior to the sending off of Danny Simpson.
BBC:
Riyad Mahrez twists and turns inside the area. He turns Nacho Monreal before going down and claiming contact. If there was, it was very slight… It was a great piece of skill but if anything he has tripped himself over.
And who says the Press is biased?
Posted: 14th, February 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Manchester United and Arsenal in Aubameyang clickbait drama
Transfer balls: The Mail says Manchester United are to spend £70m summer on Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. After that United will move to recruit Robert Lewandowski, Neymar and Gareth Bale.
All this on the same day Louis Van Gaal says United’s best chance of competing in next season’ Champions’ League is through winning the Europa League.
Apparently United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward says club has “cash reserves of £121.6m and indicated there will be ‘star signings’ in the summer.” That’s the same Woodward who sanctioned the £250m United spent on the last set of new boys. you get the feeling that £3m-a=year Woodward is not part of the solution to United’s fall from the perch.
In other news, the Metro says: “Arsenal ready to seal transfer of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.” That dire paper’s source is the equally dire Daily Telegraph, which reports “Arsenal are already plotting how to strengthen their squad with Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang one of their principle targets.”
Number of quotes and sources to support that claim: nil.
Posted: 14th, February 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Ozil ‘demands’ to leave Arsenal
The Metro says Mesut Ozil is ‘demanding’ to leave Arsenal.
Wow! In the build up to Arsenal’s big Champions League match against Barcelona, Ozil demands to leave. Really? Sean Kearns writes:
Arsenal were confident of tying the former Werder Bremen man down to a long-term contract but Marca claim that he has told the Gunners he is unwilling to extend his stay at the club and wants to leave in the summer.
Over at Marca, their report has not a single word from the player, Barcelona, agents or Arsenal. What we do learn is that former Real Madrid man Ozil’s contract at Arsenal ends in June 2018. The Gunners have tabled a two-year extension. Ozil is thinking about it. Barcelona have contacted his agent.
This could mean that Arsenal will feel a need to raise Ozil’s wages.
He hasn’t demanded to leave. He’s in negotiations over a new contract.
The final nail in Metro’s balls balls comes to us via…Marca, which reported that Ozil’s Arsenal contract features an “anti-Barca clause”.
A clause inserted in this deal stipulates that Real have a right of first refusal for 48 hours in the event that Arsenal receive an offer for the silky playmaker from another Spanish club, effectively preventing Barça from looking to stealthily snap up the former Bernabéu favourite. What’s more, if the Gunners were to sell on the Germany international for more than what they bought him for (50 million euros), they would have to give the ‘Merengues’ 33% of the profit made on him.
Such are the facts.
Posted: 13th, February 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Aubameyang in Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal clickbait boost
“If an offer comes, then we need to discuss it. If it should go into the hundreds of millions, then we also need to talk to the player. But I’m not worrying about it because at the moment we want to keep him as long as possible, best beyond 2020.”
If a team offers nutzoid money for Aubameyang, Dortmund will flog him. Maybe. By the time that statement reached some readers it had mutated into all manner of Transfer Balls:
The Express conjured up news about Arsenal and Liverpool:
Are Arsenal and Liverpool shocked to learn that if they offer hundreds of millions of pounds for a player they stand a decent chance of recruiting him?
The Telegraph’s readers hear that Aubameyang could join Arsenal for hundreds of millions below the headline:
Aubameyang back in the picture
No. He’s not. Well, not unless Arsenal decided to spend hundreds of millions on one player and he’s painted by Picasso and Van Gogh.
The Metro conjures: “Dortmund will consider selling Arsenal target Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang”
Yes. They will. Just as Barcelona will ‘consider’ selling Lionel Messi to Manchester United / Arsenal / Bournemouth / anyone for, say, £2billion. Make the number big enough and Manchester United’s owner would probably sell the club to Manchester City.
The apogee of this utter balls is in the Star, which tells Arsenal and Liverpool fans:
A boost. Being told the player will stray at Dortmund unless a team pays hundreds of millions is boost is a ‘boost’.
Liverpool and Man United’s owners must be punching the air.
Posted: 2nd, February 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Liverpool, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Backpages: Arsenal win The Double, Man United cut academy, Chelsea sign Griezmann, Liverpool blow
So there it is – the first newspaper report telling Arsenal fans the Gunners can win The FA Cup and Premier League ‘Double’. Newspapers love to talk of teams winning multiple trophies. They believe it quickens the fans’ hearts. It does if those fans are age 6 and below, or the type who started to follow Chelsea or Manchester City after the money arrived.
The Mail also says Chelsea are looking to spend £60m on Atletico Madrid’s French striker Antoine Griezmann in the summer if Eden Hazard moves to either Real Madrid or Paris St Germain.
The Daily Star and Independent both lead with West Ham United and Liverpool’s 0-0 draw in the FA Cup. The Indy says a replay is just what Liverpool don’t need. Surely defeat would have been worse. But why let the facts stand in the way of a pun. So it is that Liverpool staying in the Cup is a “Hammer Blow”?
Liverpool are lucky to be in the Cup, says the Star. It says Steven Caulker handled in the area but the referee failed to give West Ham a penalty kick. You might call that a ‘Hammer blow’.
The Star also says Pep Guardiola is heading to Manchester City. We know this because “Mrs Pep” has been looking at St Bede’s College, where the club have 40 Academy players studying. According to the school’s website, it is a “leading Catholic Independent Co-Educational Grammar School, founded in 1876, inspiring excellence and instilling values in pupils from 3 to 18 years.” All City’s academy players are educated at St Bede’s.
The Express leads with Manchester United, who didn’t even play yesterday. The club’s owners, the Glazer family, have ordered cuts behind the scenes with up to 15% reductions in most departments.
The Mirror picks up the rumour that Manchester City are favourites to sign Everton’s £50m-rated defender John Stones.
Posted: 31st, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Did Chelsea player Diego Costa ‘cheat’ Arsenal at the Emirates?
Arsenal lost 0-1 at the Emirates to Chelsea, who even without Jose Mourinho cannot lose to the Gunners. The game went Chelsea’s way when Arsenal’s beanpole defender Per Mertesacker was beaten for pace by Diego Costa. The German slid in. He missed the ball. Did he catch Costa? It’s hard to tell. The TV cameras don’t always pick everything up. But Costa made the most of it, heading to the turf and tumbling like a round cheese down a Gloucestershire hill.
Arsenal fans say Costa dived. Well, they would do. But what do the experts in the Press say?
The Mail:
As usual, when things happen in a rush, there was the debate about whether Costa was taken out, clipped, dangled a trailing leg or merely fell over taking evasive action. It really doesn’t matter. Mertesacker’s tackle was wild and did not allow Costa to continue his run on goal. Of course, the same could be said of a challenge made by Nicolas Otamendi on Michail Antonio during Manchester City’s match with West Ham on Saturday, and that was only judged to be a yellow card.
Mertesacker stretched into the challenge that he had to make but Costa was too quick and, in the blink of an eye, the Chelsea striker was rolling into a series of exaggerated rolls and everybody inside the stadium knew what was coming next. The referee, Mark Clattenburg, flashed the red card. He had no other option.
The Times:
The German dived in, stretching out a leg to try to reach the ball, but he made contact, however slight, with Costa. The Spain forward went tumbling, rolling theatrically, his right hand touching his right knee as he fell. Mark Clattenburg had no hesitation and rightly deemed Mertesacker to be the last defender. The referee reached for his top pocket and brandished the red card.
Arsene Wenger at Post-match Press conference:
“We have 35 journalists here, I am sure you have all seen it again and analysed it and know much more about that situation that I do. I can’t comment because I didn’t know if Costa was offside or not or if Per touched him or not. I don’t know. It was of course frustrating but it is a decision and we had to get on with our job, which we did.”
The Mirror quotes him:
“Look, I have not seen it again. In the first game he got Gabriel sent off and today he got Mertesacker sent off. It’s a tackle regular or not. Did he touch him or not?”
The Guardian:
Replays suggested minimal contact with Costa, who was nonetheless unable to hide his agony from public view, face contorted as he completed a harrowing triple roll that suggested at the very least a pair of broken limbs, possibly even that rare thing, death by ankle tap.
Chelsea FC website:
Chelsea continued to go at the Gunners and with our next foray forward came a big moment as Diego Costa was played through in behind the defence and was scythed down by Mertesacker.
Daily Telegraph:
Mertesacker looked across, desperately hoping for offside, desperately hoping for Laurent Koscielny to be closer, but then tired to steal the ball away from Costa, catching him. Referee Mark Clattenburg showed the red card – the fourth Arsenal have endured in the last five Premier League matches against Chelsea.
Did he dive? No.
Posted: 24th, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Sports | Comments (2)
Arsenal legend picks Mourinho over Wenger and four Manchester United players in Dream Team
Much is being made of former Arenal captain Patrick Vieira ‘s selection of Jose Mourinho to manage his dream XI. Arenal manager Arsène Wenger, who brought the player to English football, is overlooked. Vieira played under Mourinho at Inter Milan for 18 months – he played for Wenger for nine years.
“[Mourinho’s] the manager who had more influence on me, ” says Vieira. “Why? Because he was the one who impressed me most on his work ethic. He knew everything about the opposition, the strength, weakness. His detail was unbelievable; everything was so clear about what he wanted from each player. I don’t know what happened at Chelsea but he always got the best out of his players… Arsène is more concentrated on his own team. He gives freedom to players to express themselves. It’s a different style.”
Vieira is now carving out a career in management at Manchester City, attempting to prove his coaching potential with New York City FC, a Man City franchise. Arsenal never did come calling for their former captain. Is he bitter?
These are his dream teams to play with and play against:
Posted: 23rd, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Manchester City, Sports | Comment
Arsenal top of list of clubs Pep Guadiola wants to manage
Former Times football editor Tony Evans tells the Evening Standard that Pep Guardiola wants to mange Arsenal.
Arsenal have the opportunity to acquire a coach with the potential to take the club into the next age of the game. Pep Guardiola is the sort of manager who can lift the Gunners to another level. He is young, suited to life in north London and keen to work in the Premier League…
Ever since he took that time off after Barca, he’s talked about clubs that attract him. It’s a very short shortlist and Arsenal are top of it.
The problem is, the position’s not open. It might just be a case of wrong place at wrong time, which is sad for you Gunners. He’d be a perfect fit. It does worry me there’s no plan for the succession at the Emirates
Pep is a great fit for Arsenal. But, then, so is Arsene Wenger.
In other Evening Standard news:
Pep to Arsenal looks like nothing more than wishful thinking.
Posted: 21st, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Misleading headline of the day: Wenger’s ‘exciting Arsenal transfer plans’
The Metro has some terrific transfer balls. The paper decalres: “Wenger gives exciting update on Arsenal transfer plans for next two weeks.”
The story runs:
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has refused to rule out making more signings this month – but says he expects a quiet end to the window…
Says Wenger:
“At the moment I expect our last ten days to be quiet.”
Excited much?
Posted: 21st, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages | Comment
Arsenal earn more money on match day than every other club in Europe
Arsenal raked in more cash from match-day activities last season than every other club in Europe. The Gunners took a whopping £101.6m, beating Real Madrid (#99.9m), Barcelona (#980m) and Manchester United (#87.8m).
Given that three other clubs directly behind Arsenal in the list of top earners all boast larger grounds, it’s clear that Arsenal are getting rich on having supporters willing to pay top whack for tickets and snacks.
Posted: 21st, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Money, Sports | Comment
Arsenal fan gets married in full kit (photos)
Arsenal fan Barry Jenkins got married wearing his full Arsenal kit, including shin pads and, mostly likely, box. He tells us: “My wife is from Woking, and she is awesome. She let me get married in my full Arsenal kit! Maybe I just got lucky.”
Adding: “It’s like I won the FA Cup and found the best woman in the world ever.”
She’s like the FA Cup? Is that as good as it gets for Arsenal fans?
Posted: 18th, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Strange But True | Comment
Transfer balls: Liverpool and Arsenal compete to sign Iñaki Williams – La Liga’s fastest ever player
Liverpool are looking at Athletic Bilbao’s winger Iñaki Williams, 21. Any club can buy Williams if they can produce the €20m needed to activate his release clause. His current contract expires in June 2017.
Will Liverpool get him? The Guardian says Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid also fancy the player. Given that both Madrid clubs are facing a two-window transfer ban, either club could move fast.
The paper adds that Arsenal and Tottenham have also sent scouts to watch Williams. Keiran Gill of MailOnline says the Gunners like what they saw and are ready to spend £15 million on Williams, who has been clocked as the fastest player in La Liga, being recorded at 22.2 miles per hour in a league match last May. That’s 35.73 kph, putting Williams right up with Premier League flyers.
Fastest player in a PL match 2015-2016 Via
He’s quick. But is he any good?
Yes. He looks like the real deal. £15m for such a talent seems a little chap. Atletico want him to sign a new contract with a €100m release clause. Williams is on a reported £16,000-a-week at Atletico. At the very least he will use the interest in him to negotiate a hefty raise.
Posted: 16th, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Liverpool, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Arsenal buy wonderkids, Elneny sleeps with a football
Arsenal have signed Nigerian “wonder kids” (see all papers) Kelechi Nwakali, 17, and Samuel Chukwueze, 16. They will pay the Diamond Football Academy £3m, says the Daily Mirror.
The paper adds that the Gunners will today complete the signing of Mohamed Elneny from Basle for £5m. They will then lose him for a year as he completes national service in the Egyptian armed forces. Unless he gets a note from Arsene Wenger that he’s busy or – gulp! – injured.
The Telegraph says Arsenal are set to bid £12m for Dinamo Zagreb’s Marcelo Brozovic.
The Metro says Arsenal are keen on Inter Milan pair Mauro Icardi and Marcelo Brozovic.
With Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and others approaching full fitness, why would Arsenal want so many new faces?
After the speculation, the last word is with Elneny. He tells the Guardian:
“I remember that my father demanded that I went to bed with the ball. He said: ‘You have to connect with the ball.’ He started coaching me when I was three years old. His biggest wish was that I became a professional footballer… As a kid, I often played for 10 hours on the street. I think that’s when I learned to run and run without a break.”
He’s tough and full of running. He’s just what Arsenal need.
Posted: 14th, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Pep agrees Man City move but wants Arsenal says clueless tabloid source
The Metro brings news that Pep Guardiola “is interested in succeeding Arsene Wenger”.
Newspaper have been on a mind that Pep is heading to Manchester City at the end of this season.
See the Metro stories: “Pep Guardiola has already agreed to take over at Manchester City next season”; and “Pep Guardiola agrees deal to become Manchester City manager next season”.
Can it now be that the Spaniard is to become the next Arsenal boss, replacing Wenger, who has expressed no desire to leave in the summer?
Reading on we learn that the story is attached to the explainer ” claims Guillem Balague”.
The story is utter balls:
“I agree that Pep would be perfect for Arsenal but, despite the interest of Pep in the London team, I feel he might be going somewhere else,’ Balague told SkySports. “As it stands, he has not signed anything and both City and Chelsea think they have a good chance to get him.”
In other words: he hasn’t the foggiest.
Lots more on what Guillem feels here.
Posted: 12th, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Arsenal to sign wonderkids and Nolito, Arteta to West Ham,
The Times brings news that Arsenal are on the verge of sining Nigerian “wonderkids” Kelechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze for a combined fee of £3m.
Nwakali rose to the fore thanks to his captaining of Nigeria in their successful pursuit of the U17 World Cup. His older bother plays for Manchester City – so look out for them getting involved.
Both players are with the ASJ Football Academy.
In other news:
Arsenal have the £13.4m to give Celta Vigo for 29-year-old Spain forward Nolito, says Mundo Deportivo.
Metro says Mohamed Elneny will join Arsenal in time for their game at Stoke City. The paper says Arteta could be on his way to West Ham United. It also notes that Borussia Dortmund forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be a Gunner as soon as Arsenal hand over £60m. Which they won’t do.
The Mirror says Arsenal have “joined the hunt” for Chelsea youngster Ola Aina.
Right-back Aina’s current Blues deal expires in the summer. And having refused to sign a new deal so far the 19 year-old has been demoted from Chelsea’s first-team set-up to the under-21s, edging him closer to the exit.
Because with Debuchy, Bellerin and Jenkinson on the books, Arsenal really need a right-back.
Posted: 12th, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Arsenal defender leaves, commits future to Gunners
Other than politics and Her Majesty, only the ending of footballers’ carers occupy the Press. Today the Mirror and other sources tell readers that Arsenal’s Spanish left-back Nacho Monreal is set to sign a new contract. This deal ties him to the Gunners for a further three years.
But before this, those same sources have been full of Monreal’s Arsenal demise.
Daily Star: “Arsenal rocked as Spanish international edges closer to shock exit”
Spanish newspaper Marca claim the 29-year-old, who joined the Gunners in 2013, has agreed a two-year contract with Athletic Bilbao.
Evening Standard: “Arsenal transfer news: Nacho Monreal’s £7m exit looms”
The Metro: “Arsenal’s Nacho Monreal follows Athletic Bilbao on Twitter amid transfer speculation”
The Independent: “Nacho Monreal to Athletic Bilbao”
GiveMeSport.com: “Arsenal agree to sell Nacho Monreal to Athletic Bilbao”
All complete and utter tosh.
Posted: 11th, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Arsenal balls: Petr Cech catches the Thames Turbo
Last week Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech took the Thames Turbo home to Surrey.
The best bit about this is that Cech didn’t tweet the picture himself.
Arsenal transfer news: Aubameyang £44m balls, Krychowiak hears, Oxlade-Chamberlain to Chelsea
Arsenal transfer news in today’s newspapers:
The Daily Mail says Arsenal don’t only want Watford’s Troy Deeney – they’re bidding for his Watford strike partner Odion Ighalo. Ighalo endears himself to Gunners fans by telling the Sun that he’s always loved Manchester United. “I don’t think I will be moving,” he says, “but I’m not sure I’d say no if United called.”
The Mirror ignores that and says Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger “has put Watford striker Odion Ighalo on his transfer hit-list”.
Wenger’s hit-list has long been a mystery to everyone. Is he really looking to replicate Watford at The Emirates?
Over in the Mirror, readers learn “Arsenal make Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang transfer offer”. The paper says the Gunners have offered £44.6million transfer offer to sign Aubameyang. They have?
Well, the Metro says “top Spanish journalist” Kike Marin says Arsenal have made a £44.6m offer for the Dortmund star.
How reliable is Marin?
Answer: not very.
The Mirror says Seville’s Grzegorz Krychowiak has heard of Arsenal.
“The Premier League? Some say it’s the best in the world, other people think that’s La Liga,” he tells FourFourTwo magazine. “I’ve heard about Arsenal, but I leave it to my agent. I trust him and he’s the one who deals with that kind of the stuff. I can’t think about things like that. I have to keep my mind free of any distraction and just focus on doing my job for Sevilla.”
The Daily Telegraph twists that into:
No. He did not “confirm interest”.
The Sun says Chelsea will attempt to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain if Eden Hazard leaves.
Chelsea are desperate for English players. Would the Ox leave? Probably not.
Posted: 9th, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Ezequiel Lavezzi beats Arsenal, wants Spurs, joins Barcelona
Transfer balls: a look at terrible football reporting. The Daily Telegraph has news for Arsenal and Spurs fans:
In case you thought the bitter north London rivalry needed anything else to ramp it up, it has been reported that both Arsenal and Tottenham are after the same man – and the team in white are going to win.
They are? Who is this player? And who picks Spurs over the Gunners?
Arsenal have long shown an interest in Ezequeil Lavezzi, reportedly failing to agree a fee for the Paris Saint-Germain winger last summer.
The piece ends:
The former Napoli man is out of contract in the summer and Spurs will be able to seal the deal for a knock-down price.
Number of sources linked to: nil.
Number of people quoted: nil.
But we can quote a source who seems to know all about Lavezzi.
Chelsea ready to pursue deal for PSG’s Ezequiel Lavezzi – May 2014
Arsenal transfer news and rumours: Gunners suffer blow in bid to sign PSG’s Ezequiel Lavezzi -PSG winger Ezequiel Lavezzi is unlikely join either Arsenal in January, according to his agent. – Dec 31, 2015
You can read those stories in the Daily Telegraph.
In other Lavezzi news:
And Gazzetta dello Sport says that Tottenham are not fighting Arsenal for the player – it’s Barcelona and Internazionale they need to beat. Best of luck with that.
Posted: 7th, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports, Spurs | Comment
Transfer balls: Arsenal ‘targets’ Elneny and Aubameyang are ‘missing’
Transfer balls: For Arsenal the news is about who is missing. Mohamed Elneny has been missing from Basle training. The 23-year-old Egyptian midfielder has passed his Arsenal medial, which he took in Paris last month.
Rumours abound that a fee of £7.4 million has been agreed.
The other missing player is Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, of Borussia Dortmund. He missed training at the German club for “personal reasons”.
He’s been linked with a £42m move to Arsenal. Surely that’s too high for the Gunners in January.
Arsenal join Man City, Chelsea and Man United in chase for Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola will manage Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal. He’s leaving Bayern Munich in the close season so he can manage in England.
He told the Press:
“I need a new challenge and I want to use that chance to be a manager in England. I want to experience the atmosphere in England and I look forward to the stadiums there. I am 44 and it is the right time. There are offers but I haven’t signed for anyone yet. When I have a new club I will let everyone know.”
So where for Guardiola? Well, when at Barcelona he worked with Ferran Soriano, now Manchester City’s chief executive, and Txiki Begiristain, City’s sporting director
But United and Chelsea both want him. Blues’ owner Roman Abramovich loves Pep.
But surely the best fit is for Pep to join Arsenal. Pep to replace Wenger… It makes sense.
Posted: 5th, January 2016 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment (1)
