Is Arshavin the man to hand Arsenal European glory?

On August 18, 2009September 4, 2010 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal6 Comments

One of the most frustrating aspects of last season was Andrey Arshavin’s lack of involvement in the Champions League. Despite signing for Arsenal in January, the Russian was unable to take part in European games because of his involvement for Zenit St. Petersburg in the group stages of the Champions League.

This season though, Arshavin is available to help Arsenal’s European bid and Arsene Wenger believes this could be crucial to the team’s chances of success and just what they need to upset the odds. The Gunners boss says that the 28-year-old can ‘make the difference’ for Arsenal in Europe.

As we all know, Arshavin has been very impressive since joining the club with many predicting that the current campaign will be a hugely successful one for the former Zenit man. Can this conclude with Arshavin lifting the Champions League trophy though?

Well, much could be decided after tonight’s game with Celtic. Arshavin is set to start for Arsenal at Celtic Park in the first-leg of the Champions League qualifier, a game where many expect his quality to shine through.

Wenger himself admits that Arshavin ‘can turn up at any moment’ and make something significant happen. In fact, he could end up being one of the main differences between Arsenal and Celtic. The Scottish club don’t have anyone with Arshavin’s quality and Wenger knows it.

It seems as though Celtic manager Tony Mowbray knows it as well. The Bhoys boss describes Arshavin as a ‘typical Arsenal footballer’ who is ‘very gifted, bright and intelligent’. Mowbray went on to admit that he ‘sat in awe’ of the Russian while watching his four goals at Anfield last season.

Arsenal are by no means a one man team though and Wenger was keen to point this out. He finished by saying that the target is to ‘develop the team play and not focus too much on individuals’.

Regardless of this though, considering the views on both managers, it seems as though all eyes will be on Arshavin this evening as Arsenal head to Celtic Park.

By Thomas Rooney

Parlour praises Arsenal youngster

On August 5, 2009July 13, 2010 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal

Just to clarify, this article about Ray Parlour isn’t about him rejoining Arsenal to play alongside Patrick Vieira. It has been a strange summer of transfer activity and rumours for the Gunners, but it hasn’t quite gone that far!

Instead, the former Arsenal midfielder has been giving his opinion on one of Arsene Wenger’s most promising young talents, Jack Wilshere.

In a time when many people’s quest for success is centred around spending ridiculous money on players from around Europe, Arsenal are still trying to produce young talent and Wilshere is a great example of this.

How highly does Parlour rate the midfielder though? Well, very highly it seems. He says that Wilshere was a ‘different class’ during the Emirates Cup, during which he picked up two Man of the Match awards and notched a couple of goals.

Parlour was so impressed with Wilshere’s performances that he believes the 17-year-old can ‘act as a benchmark’ for the rest of the young players at Arsenal. This is a big statement to make about a player so young, but it shows that Wilshere has ability and maturity beyond his years according to some.

Another point that Parlour made was that Wilshere’s involvement in Arsenal’s pre-season has proved that if you are good enough to get in the side, you will do – regardless of your age. This isn’t the case at a lot of clubs, so the youngsters at Arsenal should really push themselves to make an impact as early as possible.

Overall, Parlour wants the youth team players at the club to ‘take confidence’ by seeing how well Wilshere is doing. There are a ‘lot of good players’ at reserve and youth team level, so perhaps a bit of belief is all they need to ensure that they start knocking on the first team door.

By Thomas Rooney

Toure is gone – We now need reinvestment in players

On July 29, 2009September 4, 2010 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Transfers15 Comments

Emotional attachment aside, if it goes ahead then the sale of Kolo Toure to Man City is a good piece of business. £16 million for a player whose best years are behind them and who struggled to perform last season (a very low rank on OPTA stats) suggests that Arsene knows what he is doing.

Toure is set for a medical today at Eastlands and the deal seems likely to be finalised.

It is a blow for the club in terms of experience, but judging on Wenger’s comments after the Haladas game he sees the sale as necessary. Toure wanted out in January and we have 7 central defenders already on the books. It looks like it will be Vermaelen and Gallas as our first choice, leaving Djourou, Senderos, Silvestre and possibly Song for cover. The cover isn’t top quality, and Vermaelen is new to the Premiership, but it could work out.

Wenger has some money to play with now, although we may not necessarily see new faces at the club. It would be a confidence boost, for the fans and players, but Wenger seems to want to stick with the current squad.

Bar a Flamini style transformation, Denilson, Song and Diaby are not quite good enough to warrant first choice in central midfield with Cesc. That in my opinion is the only area that needs strengthening in the squad. The profits from our sales leave us with up to £30 mill to spend (or £15 mill if you count Arshavin’s fee). That needs to be reinvested in at least one player.

Wenger is remodelling this team to challenge for honours, but our weakness over the last two years has been a lack of strength in depth and experience. I’m fine with Wenger selling players on, we make a profit, and generally he knows the right time to sell, but these players must be replaced.

Kolo’s departure may prove to be a good piece of business, but the squad still needs some additions.

Arsenal 5 – 0 Szombathelyi Haladas. Highlights and Eduardo Interview

On July 28, 2009September 4, 2010 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Highlights, Interviews4 Comments

First Half: Mannone Eboue Traore Toure Djourou Denilson Ramsey Song Wilshere Eduardo Bendtner

Second Half: Szczesny Sagna Silvestre Vermaelen Gallas Senderos Ramsey Van Persie Wilshere Eduardo Arshavin

Thanks to the brilliant Arsenalist for the highlights.

Arsenal won 5-0 yesterday against the Hungarians Szombathelyi Haladas, with Bendtner and Eduardo grabbing two goals each and Van Persie finishing up with a penalty.

The win was straightforward with good performances from Bendtner and Wilshere. It was interesting to see Traore playing, he is another quality left sided player.

The other interesting development is whether Toure will play a part in the next few games, as there are reports that he will sign for Man City by this weekend.

Eduardo gave an interview after the game where he seemed in high spirits, and denied that he has been injured in pre-season. It would be good to see him come into form this season and fulfil his potential now that Ade is gone.

All in all looking at the line-up it seems our team is stronger than we think, seeing as top quality players such as Cesc, Rosicky, Walcott, Clichy, Nasri and Almunia did not play. Even if Toure is leaving there is still quality in the squad which can come to the fore. This season has to be the one where our young talent matures.

Manchester City are in town again, this time after Kolo Toure

On July 27, 2009September 4, 2010 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Transfers26 Comments

Fresh from signing Emmanuel Adebayor from Arsenal, Mark Hughes and Manchester City are apparently sniffing around another one of Arsene Wenger’s first-team regulars. Several reports are suggesting that they are set to step up their interest in Kolo Toure after missing out on John Terry.

The defender only has one-year remaining on his contract at Arsenal and this means that an offer of around £15m could be enough to tempt Wenger to sell. Considering that he would be offered around £120,000 per week at Eastlands, it seems likely that Toure would agree to the move.

In fact, you get the feeling that that Toure would jump at the chance to join Adebayor at Manchester City. Not only would he be doubling his Arsenal salary, but it would represent a new challenge for him.

Toure requested to be placed on the transfer list back in January after a fall-out with team-mate William Gallas, after all. This request was rejected by the club, but it did indicate that Toure was open to the idea of leaving Arsenal.

For Arsenal fans, this is a slightly worrying trend. Players seem to be considering moves away from the club far more often than they should be. The Gunners are in danger of turning into a selling club with the likes of Hleb, Flamini, Henry and Adebayor moving on in recent times.

What do we think about the future of Toure though? Is he integral to Arsenal’s future or should he be allowed to talk to Manchester City if these reports turn out to be true? Personally, I think it all depends on the feelings of the player.

If Toure has put aside his differences with Gallas and is keen to start the season as an Arsenal player, any Manchester City offer should be rejected without a second thought. Toure is a major part of the Arsenal first-team and Wenger could do without another player to replace.

If the Ivory Coast international is unhappy at the club though, then perhaps Wenger should listen to what Manchester City have to say. Nobody wants players who are not committed to the cause. Hopefully Toure is, but after his request in January who knows what his feelings are?

The final question I want to put out there is – are you worried by the players being sold by Arsenal? Big names at the Emirates are constantly linked with moves away with world-class players rarely being linked with a move to Arsenal. Is this a concern?

By Thomas Rooney

Was Man City Adebayor’s first choice? Loyalties exposed by Sir Alex

On July 26, 2009September 4, 2010 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Transfers14 Comments

Player loyalty is a quality which is not always apparent in football today. The case of Emmanuel Adebayor, one good season, hold the club to ransom, and then leave whilst blaming the manager and fans is a brilliant example of what fans don’t want to see.

According to Fergie who has been sniping at City for the last few weeks, Adebayor stooped even lower while in negotiations with Man City; trying to get offers from Man Utd and Chelsea.

“At the last minute, from what I can gather, either Emmanuel Adebayor or his agent phoned us after they had agreed a deal with City and then did the same with Chelsea. He was desperate to get to either Chelsea or us.”

“When someone offers you that kind of money, it’s a big attraction to people nowadays. That is the reason they have gone there.”

If this is true it shows you the lack of loyalty Ade has for any club. Man City offered a lot of cash so he went, no more reason than that. I’m sure he would have much rather joined a club which will be playing European football next season. Personally I think £25 million is a great price for him, as long as the money is reinvested in the team.

The fact is that we have several very good forwards at Arsenal, the best of which is Robin Van Persie, if he can stay fit, then he has plenty of options to partner him, Bendtner, Arshavin, Eduardo being first in line. Adebayor wasn’t our best striker, his departure should benefit the club. Ferguson’s comments have only exposed him for what he is.

Can Arsenal win the Premier League with the current squad?

On July 14, 2009September 4, 2010 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal12 Comments

Arsenal will go into next season believing they can win the Premier League. This has to be the case. They are a huge club who have won the title before, so why shouldn’t they aim for the highest prize possible in English football?

The reality though, is that no trophy has been won in four years. With this in mind, have Arsene Wenger’s current squad got a Premier League title in them? Can they overcome the power of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea and win the league?

Before we answer this ourselves, it is worth highlighting the views of Manuel Almunia. This is because the Arsenal keeper has revealed that ‘youth doesn’t give you titles’, suggesting that Arsenal’s youngsters cannot win the league this year.

The Spaniard then went on to say that in order to go ‘a step further’ and win the Premier League, the squad needs to be ‘braver in big games’ and that the club needs to ‘make extra effort’ to make the team more competitive. Basically, he thinks that youth on its own isn’t quite the answer.

To be honest, I can see what Almunia is saying here. He believes that Arsenal can’t keep using the youth tag as an excuse for failing to achieve major honours. Yes, Wenger has a young squad, but they need to stand up and be counted. They need to show that they are wise beyond their years.

Cesc Fabregas is a classic example of what young players at Arsenal should aim for. At just 22-years-old, he has become one of the main leaders of this Arsenal team and acts like one of the most experienced members of the squad.

He thrives on responsibility and he loves to lead by example. For someone of his age, this is quite extraordinary and extremely valuable to the Gunners. What Wenger needs next season though is for more players to take on this role.

Theo Walcott, Denilson, Alex Song, Nicklas Bendtner and Gael Clichy are all young players, but they need to start maturing beyond their years if Arsenal are to win the Premier League. They need to realise that they are not only at Arsenal to develop as a footballer, but to win trophies for the club.

As for the answer to the initial question – Can Arsenal win the Premier League with the current squad? – it is yes. As long as a couple of key individuals raise their game and take on that extra piece of responsibility, there is no reason why Arsenal can’t go on a good run and conquer all.

What are your thoughts on this and Almunia’s comments? Can Arsenal’s youngsters win the league next year or is it going to be another season of development?

By Thomas Rooney

Arsenal reject Usmanov’s cash offer – Be patient!

On July 9, 2009September 4, 2010 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Transfers12 Comments

Ivan Gazidis has rejected the offer of cash for transfers from investor Alisher Usmanov. It is a significant show of belief in the strength of Arsenal’s business model and a put down for Usmanov.

It is a very thinly veiled attempt at winning more favour with the fans and putting pressure on the club to buy more players ala Real Madrid. Some fans will be annoyed at the way the board have just rejected this offer, but if it had been accepted then it would have set a dangerous precedent of involvement on Usmanov’s part.

The best thing the club can do is stick to it’s sustainable model of business. The cash thrown about by the likes of Real Madrid is unrealistic and in the long term it gets you nowhere, building a team with character and understanding is more important.

The pressure on Arsenal to win trophies will always be there, and until Arsene wins one with this generation there will always be critics of club policy. The potential is there, as it has been for several years, Arsenal fans just need to learn the art of patience.

Positive week for Arsenal as trio of youngsters sign new deals

On July 6, 2009July 13, 2010 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal3 Comments

Arsene Wenger has been at Arsenal for many years now, but he is still as focused as ever in terms of bringing young players through to the first team. This has happened many times in the past and will continue to happen as long as Wenger is at the club.

The difference with the latest trio of youngsters to sign long-term deals though is that they are all British. Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs have all committed their futures to Arsenal and this has to go down as a positive piece of news.

If the Gunners could have a team that was made up of several British players, this would be fantastic. Not only would it benefit Arsenal, it would benefit England as well. Time and time again I have said that the England team would have been more successful if some of their players were coached by Wenger.

So, what details do we have on the these three players?

Well, Ramsey was signed from Cardiff City last summer and has a huge amount of potential. At 18-years-old, he is already a full international for Wales and made a number of appearances for Arsenal in the Champions League last season.

Speaking about signing the creative midfielder to a new deal, Wenger said that he is a ‘very intelligent player with great quality’. Overall, the Arsenal boss is looking forward to ‘seeing him develop in the forthcoming years’.

Next up is Wilshere. At 17-years-old, he is the youngest of the trio and he made Arsenal history last season when he became the youngest player to represent them in the league at just 16 years and 256 days old.

Wilshere has been at the club since he was 9-years-old and has developed into a very promising midfield player who can operate anywhere across the middle of the park. Wenger says that Wilshere made ‘great progress’ last season and that ‘potential is huge’ for what he can achieve during his Arsenal career.

The most recent youngster to sign a new deal is Gibbs. The 19-year-old has signed a long-term contract after making a huge impact on first team proceedings last season. He made 21 first-team appearances, including four in the Champions League.

Most of these appearances came at left-back and there is no doubt he can push Gael Clichy for a starting role in this position next season. Wenger also commented on Gibbs’ future by saying that the progress he made throughout the last year ‘was fantastic’. As with the other two, Wenger is ‘excited’ about what Gibbs can achieve during his Arsenal career.

All in all, it has been a fantastic close season for Arsenal’s youngsters so far. Theo Walcott, Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Ramsey, Jake Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs have all committed their future to the club this summer and this can only be a good thing.

Of these players, who do we fancy to make the biggest impact next season?

By Thomas Rooney

Martin Keown and Steve Bould – Where are they now: Part 3

On June 19, 2009September 23, 2012 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal2 Comments

We have come to the last part of our ‘Where are they now’ feature and today we will be focusing on two of Arsenal’s greatest ever central defenders Martin Keown and Steve Bould. What did they achieve at Arsenal? What type of players were they? What have they done since leaving? What does the future hold for them?

It is fair to say that Keown was one of the most solid centre backs of his generation. Often taking the ‘no-nonsense’ approach, Keown would use his pace and tremendously powerful tackling to be a thorn in the side of every attacking player in the country.

The former England international signed off his Arsenal career in style as well as his last season was the ‘invincible’ campaign when he and his team went unbeaten throughout their 46 Premier League games. It was a fitting end to a tremendous career where Keown won six major honours.

As for what he is up to now, well we occasionally see him working as a pundit on BBC Sport. Often alongside Lee Dixon on MOTD2, Keown offers his views on all things football and normally talks a great deal of sense.

There is the possibility that Keown will move into coaching eventually, but after he reportedly turned down the chance to join Tony Adams at Portsmouth, it seems that he is happy on the BBC Sport sofa for now.

As for Steve Bould, the one time Stoke City defender was an integral part of the ‘famous four’ that helped George Graham’s Arsenal keep so many clean sheets in their time. Bould’s excellent defensive ability and cool head helped him make over 300 appearances for Arsenal, winning seven major honours along the way.

The final of these was the FA Cup in 1998 when Arsene Wenger’s men completed the double. Age wasn’t on Bould’s side at this point, but he still played his part. In fact, his chip that set Tony Adams on his way during the victory that secured the Premier League title will be remembered forever by Arsenal fans.

After leaving the club, Bould had a brief spell at Sunderland where he was made club captain by Peter Reid. He helped the Black Cats finish 7th in the Premier League before injury forced him to retire from the game.

These days though, he is back where he belongs, with the Arsenal. Bould returned to the club in 2001 in a coaching role and is now the coach for the Youth Team. In this role, his reputation as a coach has grown rapidly and there is a distinct possibility he could become a manager himself one day.

This completes the look at David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Steve Bould. All of these players made a huge impact at Arsenal and it seems a safe bet that they will remain part of the club for years to come.

By Thomas Rooney