Arsenal's Future: August 2006

Sky Sports - Reyes and Baptista to swap

Although there's no official news yet it seems certain that Julio Baptista will be heading to Arsenal on a season long loan with Jose Antonio Reyes heading in the opposite direction. The irony is that they are best friends.

So what will Baptista bring to Arsenal? Well he's a totally different player to Reyes that's for sure. While Reyes is small and tricky Baptista is big and brutal. He made his name in Brazil as a powerful midfielder but when he moved to Seville he also moved to a forward position. It was a good move that saw his score lots of goals.

More to follow...

ANR experiencing overwhelming traffic

You may have noticed that ANR's site has been up and down all day today. I've spoken with Ian Grant who tells me that an excessive amount of traffic has been taking them offline. It looks like their transfer talk was getting a lot of attention.

Where do we stand regarding deadline day deals?

Right now there's been nothing confirmed BUT...

Reyes for Baptista looks pretty firm.
Cole to Chelsea... no word yet.
An other... a certainty!

Japan starlet set for Gunners?

Sky Sports - Japan starlet set for Gunners

Young player to join Arsenal! Shock! Good news for the youth team but nothing of import to the first team, for now.

Reyes in exchange for Baptista + £2m

Sky Sports - Gunners to land 'Beast' for Reyes

If this goes through it's a good deal for the Gunners. Although Baptista turned down Arsenal a year ago I'm sure he must feel that was a bad move. He hardly played for Real and missed out on the World Cup as a result. A move to Arsenal could see him revive his pre-Real form. Reyes has made it clear he wants to go so this swap looks a good fit.

Hammers to land Corinthians duo

Sky Sports - Hammers to land Corinthians duo

So no Mascherano or Tevez at Arsenal. At least they didn't join Man U or Chelsea. On the other hand West Ham will now be a serious force.

The dark side of this deal is the sure involvement of the Russians. MSI, who own the rights to these players thanks to a deal with Corinthians, are London based and have links with the Russians who are funding West Ham and Chelsea for that matter. Dark days indeed. West Ham should be an interesting team to watch now though.

Chelsea: "Come onski we don't have the cashski!"

BBC SPORT : Cole move to Chelsea may collapse

Chelsea clearly don't have the money they used to have. Ashley Cole is just too expensive for the team who'll flush cash down the toilet for any old fool. So Arsenal want more money to sell one of their best players to their rich rivals. SHOCK!!!

The FA: Wembley, Sven... nothing to do with us!

ESPNsoccernet : Barwick: FA not to blame over Wembley fiasco

This comes in the same week as Barwick claiming that Sven wasn't / isn't an expensive mistake despite the fact that Sven is being paid by the FA until he 'finds' another job.

Loan Watch: Lupoli brace in seven-goal thriller

Arsenal.com : Loan Watch: Lupoli brace in seven-goal thriller

Good to see Lupoli scoring some goals. Also Kerrea Gilbert evidently played well for Cardiff against Birmingham. He's one of our most exciting prospects in my view.

Transfer Deadline Week

So who will be coming in and who will be on his way out of the club?

Reyes says his Arsenal days are over.
Cole says he'll give Arsenal another year... I doubt Arsenal will want that though.
Aliadiere could be off too. (all wrapped up here)

Buffon is the latest arrival rumour.
Gallas is also linked strongly.
Mascherano could also be coming in.

Personally I think Wenger will bring in one of the above and someone we weren't expecting. This is going to be an important week for Arsenal. Right now Arsenal are still behind Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. I'm not sure anyone we can bring in will close that gap but time will tell.

Hoyte nightmare and Henry sloppiness leads to 1st Arsenal defeat

Man City 1 - 0 Arsenal

Hoyte's hopeless challange on Sinclair gave away a penalty on the 40th minute which Joey Barton converted. Arsenal pressed and pressed hitting the bar twice and went close a number of times but the equalising goal just wouldn't come.

'Thankfully' Spurs managed to lose their 3rd straight game. Elsewhere there were some stunning goals. Agger scored a great goal against West Ham and Jimmy Bullard scored a sweet freekick for Fulham.

Wenger - The two positions Walcott can play

Arsenal.com : Wenger - The two positions Walcott can play

Wenger feels that Theo is best in a wide position in a 4-3-3 or central in a 4-4-2 & that he'll become more powerful as he matures. Like us fans he's also dreaming the dream:

“Thierry Henry and Theo could be a dream partnership”

Oh yes! That's the ticket. I'm not convinced that Van Persie can partner Henry but Walcott can, I'm sure of it. Van Persie is a good foil for Adebayor however.

Tomorrow the Gunners travel to Manchester City. Both Rosicky and Lehmann should return to the side as well as Gilberto. I think those three as well as Adebayor could be key against City. A win is just what Arsenal need but we'll wait and see.

Match Preview

Arsenal offer : Ashley Cole for Gallas+£10 million

ANR: Arsenal offer : Ashley Cole for Gallas+£10 million

The Gallas / Cole saga rolls on:

I heard that Peter Kenyon was asked about the deal in Monaco earlier tonight.

Apparently, the conversation was something like this :
Journalist : "Is it Cole for Gallas plus £15 million?"
Kenyon : "No."
Journalist : "Is it Gallas plus £10 million?"
Kenyon : "I don't want to go there."

I'd settle for £10m + Gallas for Cole.

Man City boss considers banning Thatcher

ESPNsoccernet : Man City boss considers banning Thatcher

Looks like he won't be playing against us tomorrow, thankfully! It's crazy that this horror tackle only merited a yellow card. Yet again the inconsistency of referees has been exposed.

Arsenal's UEFA Champions League Draw - Group Stage

Group G

Arsenal
Porto
CSKA Moscow
Hamburg

A reasonable draw for the Gunners. All 3 teams should provide a decent test.

Atletico bid hits the buffers

Sky Sports - Atletico bid hits the buffers

Atletico haven't offered enough money yada yada yada. This is the real juice:

"Real's latest offer is believed to have been a straight swap deal involving Robinho heading to Ashburton Grove in exchange, but that proposition is said to have been flatly refused by Gunners boss Arsene Wenger."

If they're really offered Robinho we should accept their offer! Robinho is class! Wenger knows best but I still think there's a deal to be done with Reyes.

UEFA CL Draw - Pot 4 looks like the nasty one!

Taking a quick look at the possible teams that Arsenal could face in the group stage of the Champions League quickly revealed that teams in pot 4 pose the biggest threat in terms of slippery ties:

Anderlecht (Belgium) - One of the weaker teams in the draw.
Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) - Kiev in the winter!? No thanks!
Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) - Bulgaria would not be an easy trip for the Gunners.
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) - Ukraine again!
Galatasaray (Turkey) - Istanbul is probably worse than Kiev!
Hamburg (Germany) - Hamburg could be tricky.
Spartak Moscow (Russia) - Moscow, Kiev, Istanbul...
FC Copenhagen (Denmark) - I'd rate them alongside Anderlecht.

Looking at it there is a greater than 50% chance of a nasty trip to somewhere cold or Istanbul! Either option isn't too pleasing. With Steaua Bucharest & CSKA Moscow in pot 3 there's a pretty big chance overall of a trip to the former Soviet Union.

Roll on 5pm, there could be some very tasty ties coming up!

Wenger: Walcott forcing his way into the starting XI

ESPNsoccernet - Wenger: "Walcott forcing his way in at Arsenal"

I'm glad to see that Wenger's seen what we've all seen:

"When he comes on you see he can make a difference because of his penetrating power and his speed"

2 assists so far shows he's productive as well as flashy.

Arsenal through, Man U win and Chelsea lose

BBC SPORT : Arsenal 2-1 D Zagreb (agg 5-1)

Arsenal overcame an early Zagreb goal to run out eventual 2-1 winners on the night and 5-1 winners over the two legs. Van Persie was Arsenal's star man putting in a blistering display. Although he didn't get on the score sheet he did help setup Freddie's goal. The second goal scorer, Flamini, was setup by Theo Walcott, his 2nd assist in two game (not bad for less than 30 mins of football!).

Elsewhere Man U thrashed Charlton 3-0 but good old 'Boro came from 1-0 down to beat Chelski 2-1. It looks as though Chelsea shot themselves in the foot with a good dose of overconfidence. Keep up the good work lads!

All eyes now turn to tomorrows CL draw. Yet again Arsenal are a 1st seed thanks to reaching last years final. While Chelsea remain a 2nd seed thanks to their hopeless Euro form. Jose was whing about it earlier today. Boohoo! Let's hope they get Barca again! Personally I hope Arsenal get a tough group as it'll help them toughen up for the latter stages.

Wenger confirms there's no Real deal for Reyes

Arsenal.com : Wenger confirms there's no Real deal for Reyes

Get REAL Real! If they thought Jose was available at a bargain price they'll have to think again!

Of course there's always the chance of a horrid season and a cut price deal next summer! (doh!)

Let's hope Jose can get his Arsenal career back on track, I like the lad and he's got a lot to offer for us.

Watch out for Spurs Arsenal fans!

ESPNsoccernet : 'There's more where that came from' - Berbatov

Spurs' new striking hero (why on earth is he being called a hero??) has made a pretty amazing statement after scoring 1 goal:

"There's more where that came from"

Woo hoo!

Gotta love our near neighbours!

Good enough for Arsenal, more than good enough for England

ESPNsoccernet : Wenger 'annoyed and worried' by Prem fixtures

Ok so Wenger is moaning about fixture congestion again, who can blame him!? More interesting though were his comments about Theo Walcotts inclusion in the England squad for the World Cup:

"When you are good enough to go to Arsenal, you are good enough to play in the England team, because there are many players who play for England who would not play at Arsenal."

So here a few examples of players good enough for the current England team who would never get in the Arsenal team:

Peter Crouch
Michael Dawson
Ashley Cole (hahaha!)
Stuart Downing
Jermaine Defoe

An interesting point though. Is club football better than international football? I think the answer is yes and know. The best club teams are better than the best international teams. An average international side could probably beat an average club side though thanks to the pride that comes with playing for your country. Personally I'd prefer to watch Arsenal than watch any other team international or club, even Brazil! ;-)

Almunia in but Wenger tries to retain status quo

Arsenal.com : Almunia in but Wenger tries to retain status quo

With Arsenal 3-0 up this match should be a good opportunity for the squad to gain added match fitness. With that in mind Wenger has only made minor changes to the team that faces Aston Villa:

"Tomas Rosicky is not in the squad but Freddie Ljungberg is in. In fact, we have exactly the same squad as against Aston Villa plus Song and Aliadiere."

Hopefully Walcott will get another run out. I doubt we'll be waiting long for his first goal in an Arsenal shirt.

Pires out for six months with knee ligament injury

ESPNsoccernet : Pires out for six months with knee ligament injury

Last season we let Edu go on a free then he picked up a serious knee injury at his new club. Then we let Vieira go (his dodgy knees will play him up soon!). Now Pires has gone and his knees have given way within weeks of starting his career with Villarreal. Wenger sure knows when to move a player on.

Henry only '60 percent' fit

Sky Sports - Henry only '60 percent' fit

As I thought Thierry Henry is way off of being fully fit. I guess he had to play against Villa to gain some match fitness but I would have preferred to see Henry rested and Van Persie playing.

Rogerio Ceni overhauls Chilavert as most prolific keeper & Tevez says he's off!

ESPNsoccernet : Ceni overhauls Chilavert as most prolific keeper

Sao Paulo goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni scored his 63rd and 64th professional goals in a 2-2 draw with Cruzeiro this weekend. 64 top flight goals makes him the most prolific goal scoring keeper of all time.

Also in Brazil Corinthians striker Carlos Tevez told reporters that he had possibly played his last game for the club after a 1-0 win against Botafogo. The question remains as to where Tevez thinks he'll be moving.

Gallas to Arsenal for £5?

Arsenal have made a £5 million bid for William Gallas

I would not be surprised to see Cole moving to Chelsea and Gallas moving to Arsenal. It looks like a good move for all parties. If Chelsea freeze Gallas out it will surely put other players off of wanting to join the Blues.

Wenger hails Walcott following Gunners draw

ESPNsoccernet : Wenger hails Walcott following Gunners draw

Totally agree with Wenger that it's not Theo's fault that Sven didn't play him. Also it's clear to see that Theo is easily as good as and potentially better than Aaron Lennon. Also he can play left, right or centre. Plus he didn't lose the ball once against Villa.

Arsenal thrash Villa 1-1

BBC SPORT : Arsenal 1-1 Aston Villa

Oh dear! Not for the first time in recent history Arsenal dominated a game in which they went behind and struggled to rescue a point from. On the wide open space that is the Emirates pitch Arsenal are always going to see a lot of possetion and so it was against Villa. Arsenal bossed the match with something like 65% of the ball. We created a large number of chances but a combination of Sorenson, goal line clearances, disallowed goals and the bar managed to keep us out for 85 minutes. In the meantime rather worryingly Villa scored from what must go down as a blunder from Lehmann. He came for a corner that was never going to be his and as a result the goal was wide open for Mellberg to score.

The biggest positive for Arsenal surely must have been the immediate effect that Walcott had after coming on. The kid is quick, we all know that, but he's also direct and tenacious. He was playing wide left, testiment to the fact he can play pretty much anywhere in the attacking third. He had a number of surging runs and it was his cross that ultimately found Gilberto on the edge of the 6 yard box who slammed home the equalizer.

After the match Wenger was at pains to point out that 7 of Arsenal's players played 90 minutes in international friendlies midweek. It certainly looked as though a number of the Arsenal lads were some way short of fitness. Henry and Ljungberg must only be 75% fit. Wenger described France's decision to play Henry despite him not having played in any preseason games as 'disrespectful'. Too Right!

On a positive note Liverpool managed to play a stinker against Sheffield United and only took a point in a 1-1 draw. Also Spurs took a beating off of Bolton losing 2-0 when the scoreline could have been much worse!

Let's hope Man U and Chelsea can drop some points today!

Vito Mannone joins Barnsley on loan

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Barnsley | Tykes loan for Gunners goalkeeper

Mannone is a very interesting prospect for the club so it'll be interesting to see how he gets on while out on loan.

Sky Sports - Arsenal set to leave out Cole

Sky Sports - Arsenal set to leave out Cole

Well duh!?! State the obvious why don't they! He's going, we've all known that for months. There's no reason for Arsene to pick him in this game or any other game for Arsenal.

Rams set to land Lupoli on loan

Sky Sports - Rams set to land Lupoli

It looks like Arturo Lupoli could be joining Derby County on loan this week. I hope the deal goes through as I'd love to see if Lupoli can score goals at a senior level if given the chance. The kid's got scoring talent but we've yet to see him given a chance to play regularly.

The boy done well - Cesc Fabregas

ESPNsoccernet : The boy done well

If Arsenal fans are amazed at Cesc's progress over the last season we're not alone. Cesc himself has been amazed:

'Sometimes I don't realise what an amazing 12 months I have just lived through'

There's no doubt that Cesc is now one of the most important players in our squad. Last season he led the team in appearences. This season I wouldn't be surprised to see him lead the team in more ways that this season.

Bendtner scores on full Denmark debut

Arsenal.com : Bendtner scores on full Denmark debut

It was a pretty good week for Arsenal players involved in International matches. Young Nicklas Bendtner continued to improve his reputation with a goal in his senior debut. The last Danish player to score in his debut at the tender age of 18 was one Michael Laudrup! It's starting to appear that Bendtner could well be another Wenger treasure. It's still early days for the lad but he's one to watch for Arsenal fans.

Also impressing this week was another Arsenal youngster Theo Walcott. Scoring in his England U-21 debut. It was pleasing to see him score with a header, that's not a skill he's known for.

Two other Arsenal players got goals this week. Alex Hleb scored the opener in a 3-0 win for Belarus against the mighty Andorra A! More notably Van Persie got the final goal in Holland's 4-0 rout of Ireland.

Of course all eyes now turn to this weekend and the start of the Premier League campaign:

ANR: Arsenal look set to pulverize Aston Villa & Zagreb

Leão returns for Corinthians

Sky Sports - Leão returns for Corinthians

After struggling along in last place in the Brasilian Championship Corinthians have replace coach Geninho with Emerson Leão. Upon his arrival a lot of the attention focussed on the Argeninians at the club but Leão was quick to state his view on the matter:

"I am the coach of Corinthians, not just the three Argentinians that are in the team."

It looks like his arrival could mark the beginning of a turn around for Corinthans. In Leão's first game Corinthians have beaten Fluminense 2-1. Playing with a wild 3-6-1 formation!

Arsenal trio nominated for UEFA awards

Arsenal.com : Arsenal trio nominated for UEFA awards

Lehmann has been selected on the shortlist of goalkeepers and Henry on the shortlist of attackers. The Arsenal player who made the shortlist of defenders is a shocker though:

"Emmanuel Eboue, a revelation at right back for Arsène Wenger’s side, must see off Real Madrid’s summer signing Fabio Cannavaro and Barcelona’s Carles Puyol to land the UEFA Club Defender of the Year award."

I mean I like Eboue and all but is he better than Toure!? I don't think so! Also what about Fabregas!? He was amazing in the Champions League this last season. One of the most consistent 18 year olds ever.

Oh well I never have been much of a fan of award ceremonies.

Walcott playing for England again before Arsenal debut

BBC SPORT : Walcott poised to make U21 debut

It looks like Theo Walcott will pull on an England shirt again tonight still not having played a full first team game for the Gunners. This time however he's in the more appropiate surroundings of the Under-21 setup. I think that's the right decision for his development. If he breaks into Arsenal's first team this season, which I'm sure he will, then he should get another call-up for the senior side. Until then let's hope he get's a few minutes to stretch his legs, thanks for injury he's very short of match practice not having played at all in the preseason.

Yawn Yawn Yawn! Thank goodness the season picks up speed next week.

Sky Sports - Mac still thinking of Theo

What a pathetic article! Theo Walcott still has a future in the England team! Well duh!? Also if you're really interested Reyes still wants to go to Real and Cole still wants to go to Chelsea. Yawn!

It was nice to see Liverpool beating Chelsea yesterday but it really doesn't say a lot about where Chelsea are in terms of progress from last season. Liverpool have certainly added some threat with Bellamy.

Lauren sets six-week target for return to action

Arsenal.com : Lauren sets six-week target for return to action

Here's the latest on his injury and on competition from Eboue:

"So far everything I have done is going well, the knee is responding well, at the moment we are looking at probably one and a half months, two months maximum, until I can play again. Emmanuel is a very nice guy and I'm very happy for him because he's been fantastic. I feel proud because he's a young player and will keep improving in every part of his game. It will be difficult for me to get my place back but I am not worried."

Personally I'd love to see him fighting for a place in midfield. He could offer us something on the right or in the middle.

The Bore Begins

Sky Sports : Beckham overlooked by McClaren

Yawn! Phil Neville... Yawn!

Robinson (Tottenham), Kirkland (Liverpool), Foster (Man Utd); Bridge (Chelsea), Brown (Man Utd), Carragher (Liverpool), A Cole (Arsenal), Dawson (Tottenham), Ferdinand (Man Utd), G Neville (Man Utd), P Neville (Everton), Terry (capt, Chelsea), Young (Charlton); Downing (Middlesbrough), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Jenas (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Lennon (Tottenham), Richardson (Man Utd), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea); Ashton (West Ham), Bent (Charlton), Crouch (Liverpool), Defoe (Tottenham).

Personally I think it's nuts that FIFA/UEFA allow friendlies one week after the start of the season. Henry for example will play his first game since the World Cup for France before he plays for Arsenal again.

Lauren: Arsenal Can Cope

Sky Sports - Lauren: We Can Cope

Lauren, as one of the remaining senior players, has come out in support of Arsenal:

"It's not very good news, the loss of these players, they are quality players, who are well experienced. At this level you need to have very good players like them. But we have to believe in the other players. Each year we have been losing good players, like Patrick Vieira, and the team has kept on improving."

Lauren himself is another player who's been missing for a long while due to injury. His experience will surely be needed this season. Looking at things from an objective stand point though you can see that the loss of Bergkamp, Pires, Campbell and potentially Cole is not as severe as it might at first appear.

Bergkamp was only a fringe player last season and Pires was only able to play for 60 minutes in most matches. Campbell although experienced was rather dodgy for us last season, who can forget West Ham. Finally Cole, he only played a handful of games last season, missing most of our maginificent late season run. So when you look at it there is every reason to think that Arsenal can and will improve without these players. Even the potential loss of Reyes could be offset if the fee is high enough to bring in another offensive talent.

Chin up Gunners! Remember Wenger is a miracle worker! Who'd have thought we could've reached the final of the Champions League with Eboue, Toure, Senderos and Flamini in defence!?

Trio help Brum to Wearside win

Arsenal.com - Loan Watch: Trio help Brum to Wearside win

Something I hadn't realised is that Kerrea Gilbert has joined Cardiff on loan for the entire season. He's certainly a kid with plenty of potential so it'll be interesting to see how he gets on. Also his absence will surely mean more chances for Justin Hoyte.

Gunners You've Gotta Love Cesc!

Sky Sports : Fabregas happy at Arsenal

He's playing better and better and he's looking stronger and stronger. He also has his head screwed on straight. Surely he could be a future club captain. A fan favourite for sure!

Ryan Garry makes welcome return after long road to recovery

Arsenal.com : Garry makes welcome return after long road to recovery

Let's hope Garry can make a return to the form he showed late in 2003. If he can then he'll provide good cover at left-back.

The two No 4s that I admire

Arsenal.com : Fabregas - The two No 4s that I admire

If Fabregas can become the next Pep Guardiola / Patrick Vieira then we can all be very happy. He's certainly on the right track!

Reyes hoping bench spot signals Arsenal exit (Papers hoping to build up transfer talk)

ESPNsoccernet - Europe - Reyes hoping bench spot signals Arsenal exit:

"Arsenal paid a club record fee of around £17 million for Reyes who joined the London side as a 20-year-old in January 2004 but his performances have been inconsistent."

Huh!? Reyes was one of our best players last season! He received standing ovations on a number of ocassions. I still hope he doesn't leave but if he does go we'd better get a good deal for him.

Reyes not for sale, despite not playing - Wenger

ESPNsoccernet : Reyes not for sale, despite not playing - Wenger

As I thought it appears that Reyes wasn't picked due to a possible lack of concentration after all the Real Madrid talk. Talking of which I find it disgraceful that a players agent can publicly talk up a move despite his player being contracted to another team. I mean this is just plain illegal. Fifa need to put a stop to this or just scrap the whole contract / transfer system.

Fabuglas! - Dinamo Zagreb 0-3 Arsenal

BBC SPORT : Dinamo Zagreb 0-3 Arsenal

Arsenal dominated possetion in both halves and made the possetion count with 2 goals in 1 minute around the 60th minute. First Van Persie laid on a lovely pass for Fabregas to score the opener. Then Hleb played a lovely long ball to Van Persie who hit a tricky shot past the keeper. Then later on Hleb again became provider laying on a pass to Fabregas who dribbled past a few players and scored with a lovely directed shot. Substitute Flamini could have made it 4 after Hleb laid on a lovely through ball but the keeper did well to save his shot.

Overall Arsenal looked a little short of full fitness, Toure looked only 70% of his usual self. Rosicky also looked rather short physically. Aside from that though there were a number of standout performances. Hleb looked an increasingly influencial player through out the game. A number of times he reminded me of Bergkamp with his eye for a sweet through ball. Djourou also looked pretty steady. He made a few mistakes but he covered back brilliantly each time. Hoyte looked decent at left-back but going forward he's rather limited since his almost entirely right footed.

The biggest question of the night though has to be is Reyes off to Real? He was almost a dead cert to start but then is left on the bench and doesn't come on. Earlier today I didn't think he was leaving but now I'm not so sure. If we can sell Cole for £25m and Reyes for £15m then we'll have to buy 2 if not 3 class players to strengthen the squad.

Theo Walcott not going to Watford

Arsenal.com Wenger - Theo Walcott won't fill Watford gap:

"Theo Walcott is not joining Watford on loan."

I predict he'll make a BIG impact at Arsenal this season.

Possible line-up against Dinamo Zagreb

Here's my bet for tonights starting XI:

Almunia
Eboue Toure Djourou Flamini
Hleb Gilberto Fabregas Reyes
Van Persie Adebayor

Subs:
Poom
Cygan
Hoyte
Traore
Song
Rosicky
Aliadiere

The only question mark I can see is whether Rosicky starts in place of Reyes or Hleb. I can't imagine Wenger not starting with Hleb since he's had plenty of preseason practice. For the same reason I think Reyes will get the nod ahead of Rosicky who's been missing for the last two games and must surely be a little short fitness wise.

Carlos Vela heads for Salamanca

Sky Sports - Vela heads for Salamanca

Talking of Wenger transfer coups one such signing was young Mexican forward Carlos Vela. He signed for the Gunners last year but doesn't qualify for a work permit yet. As such he's been on loan at Celta Viga (who Arsenal have a working partnership with). This season he's not been able to fit in at Celta so he's off to Salamanca. Hopefully he'll get plenty of games as he's a very hot prospect who could feature in Arsenal's future.

Wenger - I am targeting one or two players

Arsenal.com : Wenger - I am targeting one or two players

Looks like Arsenal will sign at least one more player, possibly two, before the end of the transfer window.

“I have a lot of faith in my young players,” he said. “You always feel you need experienced players but if you have too many, the younger players will not play. I try to find the right balance between the experienced players and the young players. We still have some experienced players out at the moment — Henry, Lehmann - but having said that I will still buy one — with experience. The target is one or two. One certainly.”

If we don't get some defensive cover then we should all be worried!

Fran Merida signing is a Wenger coup!

Sky Sports News - Gunners win Merida race

Merida's arrival as the club enter a new era at the Emirates Stadium is a sizeable coup for Arsenal given the large level of interest in the player, with Manchester United and Liverpool both keen on the skilful midfielder.

If you check out the video of him on Youtube you'll see that his close control is superb. Lets hope he can live up to his potential.

Bendtner scores winner on Birmingham debut

Arsenal.com - On-loan Bendtner scores winner on Birmingham debut

Good start for this promising young gunner. I can see him bagging a number of goals during his loan. He's an ideal player for the Championship, big and direct. Good news for Gunners is that he's only 18. One to watch.

Larsson and Bendtner join Birmingham on loan

Arsenal.com - Larsson and Bendtner join Birmingham on loan

Two more young Gunners have made the move up the M1 to Birmingham following in the footsteps of Fabrice Muamba.

"Larsson will be on loan at Birmingham City for the entire 2006/07 season, while Bendtner has signed a loan deal with The Blues until January 2007."

I should imagine that Seb Larsson's move will be with an eye towards a permanent transfer, while Bendtner's move will be more to see how he handles playing at a higher level.

AZ vs Arsenal - The final pre-seaon friendly

Arsenal.com - AZ vs Arsenal : Match Preview

Arsenal go into tonights game with more or less the same squad that will line-up in the Champions League qualifier first leg next week. The only notable exception, other than Henry and Lehmann, is Tomas Rosicky who is not in the squad, again! Wenger stated before that he didn't have a problem but you do have to wonder why he's not even on the bench. Surely he needs as many games as possible to get used to his new team. I expect Wenger feels it's best not to risk bringing him into the side too early.

Walcott obviously didn't recover from his virus yet either. So if you combine this squad with the story about Reyes not wanting to play next week so he can move I'm becoming increasingly worried about the bananaskin fixture next week!

Back to tonight. I feel the starting IX should be as follows:

Almunia
Eboue Toure Djourou Hoyte
Hleb Fabregas Gilberto Reyes
Van Persie Adebayor

Tuesday to make or break Reyes Real move?

ESPNsoccernet - Tuesday to make or break Reyes Real move?

According to Madrid's favourite sports paper, Marca, Reyes is on the verge of a move to Real Madrid. Here's the quote they have regarding Jose's feelings about the possible move:

"I miss Spain and I have a unique opportunity to return with what Real are offering. Everyone has to understand I can't let this chance slip away. Real Madrid are unique. I don't know what is happening but I am a little unsettled by all the rumours."

If Arsenal do sell what would this mean for the team? Surely we'd need to get something like the £20m we paid for him. Also if we sell Cole for £25m and Reyes for £15m - £20m that would leave us with a huge amount of cash to invest in the squad.

If Reyes goes I'll be really concerned about a lack of depth in the wide midfield positions and also in the attack. Reyes is a good wide left forward and I don't think we have a player in the squad to replace him.

Arsenal name youth facility after midfield legend

Arsenal.com - Arsenal name youth facility after midfield legend

This is a nice move by the club to remember a fallen legend in a way that ties the past with the future.

Arsenal Football Club is delighted to announce that its indoor sports facility at Hale End in Walthamstow, London, is to be named in the memory of former midfielder David Rocastle who lost his battle to cancer in 2001 at the age of just 33.

ESPNsoccernet - UEFA Champions League - Wenger gets serious as Euro qualifier looms

Arsenal spanked ASK Schwadorf 8-1 yesterday in what will be last of the 'easy' friendlies as Arsenal prepare for next week's CL qualifier. AZ are Arsenal's next opponents and Arsene Wenger will be looking at his first 16 in this next match.

Arsenal's Future

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Júlio Baptista - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arsenal defender Cygan set for Villarreal

Reyes and Baptista in loan swap saga