Wilshere: No.19 – The new Arsenal or more transition??

On August 5, 2008September 4, 2010 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Transfers3 Comments

Yesterday, Jack Wilshere became the new Arsenal no.19. He is only 16 years old, but an amazing young talent, he played twice in the Emirates Cup and shone there and with 7 substitutes in the Premiership this season he may well get his chance to play for the first team.

Wilshere has played for Arsenal since the age of 9. Last year he was used in the Under-16s, but then became a top player for the Under-18s. He has impressed in pre-season and now forms part of a new influx of youngsters into the squad, Vela, Nasri, Ramsey, Mannone and Bischoff.

Reserve Team manager Neil Banfield on Wilshere:

“If the young players work hard at their game, listen to the advice of the coaching staff, they realise they will have every opportunity here,”

“Jack was given the opportunity by the manager to go on the Austrian Training Camp, along with five others who have all done really well. Jack has taken his chance, and he is one of quite a few we have here that we have high hopes for.

“You have to adapt to the physical aspects of the game, and I think Jack is strong enough. It is about how you physically develop and I think with Jack, even at 16, it doesn’t mean he won’t be as physically strong as someone at 18 or even someone at 20.

“That has been the benefit of our Reserve team. The experienced players that our lads are up against means they learn on the pitch. The senior players then show them what to do while the game is going on. That is carried on for the young lads who learned so much in Austria.”

This is very promising news. It is exciting to have so many young prospects in the team.

One problem is that last year our squad looked lightweight and inexperienced, and we haven’t brought in any very experienced players, only replaced them with young ones.

I don’t doubt our ability – last year we played fantastically and were unlucky to come away with nothing but does this bode well for our chances of silverware?

Wenger has his critics and they will be salivating at the thought of bringing these new young talents down to the ground very hard.

I am excited for the new season, but I really really really don’t want to turn it into another ‘transition year’.

Click here to see our current squad.

Robin Van Persie and Eduardo: Fitness

On August 5, 2008 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal2 Comments

Hello all, welcome back to ArseSpeak, I’m back within range of a good internet connection, so be ready for news 24/7.

First up, some injury news, Eduardo is recovering from his broken leg amazingly well, and hopes to be fit soon for the new season:

“I don’t feel pain anymore, it’s like I never broke my leg. I never watched the pictures of my injury and don’t want to see it. I’m hopeful I will forget it and continue my career as soon as possible.”

He’s hoping to come back before the end of 2008, which is really good, we need his presence, his goals were a mjor factor in some of our good for last season, I hope he continues where he left off.

RVP is another player who was out injured for long periods last season. He hopes to stay fit this season.For him the problems are more long term, he has struggled with muscle injuries for several seasons, and this has hampered his performance.

“I have learned a lot in the last two years because I have been injured so much, I learned what my body can take and what it can’t, so it was an interesting period for me.

“I hope next season will not be so unlucky with injuries. But at the moment, I just do not want to think about that, the negative stuff. If you think positive, you get positive. “My target is to be as fit as possible after a month because the season is long. We have to build it all up slowly with gym work, cardio work and games. It is really important for me to get a good start.”

He knows that Arsenal have to keep it together to get a good start to next season:

“Last year we had a really good pre-season and won almost every game. Then after 50 seconds against Fulham on the opening day, we were behind, so it is hard to predict. But hopefully we can get some confidence out of the first few games and slowly build it up. For every team, it is really important to get that confidence.

“If you lose the first few games, you are not at your maximum. It is important to win to get the answers to the questions.”

In terms of silverware he had this to say:

“I think any of the top four can win the title, Arsenal have to win something every year, that is our aim. If it is not happening, then everyone is really disappointed. But I am certainly committed to winning it, and if you look around, so is everyone here.”

So, amitious and positive, that’s exactly what we need to hear. RVP really needs to get a good run of games and stay fit.

He was on fire at the beginning of last season, but injuries have really held him back. If he still has problems this season, Wenger should consider offloading him, and finding someone else for the role

Arsenal 1 – 1 Szombathelyi Haladás – Video Highlights

On July 23, 2008 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Video3 Comments

Hi all, a few hours ago Arsenal played their second preseason match, this time in Hungary, against Szombathelyi Haladás.

The Hungarian side took the lead first before Walcott equalised in the 41st minute.

The Arsenal line up was more experimental, mainly composed of younger players. The team played reasonably, but looked fatigued in the second half.

Click here for the highlights!

Arsenal line-up:

Almunia (Vito Mannone H/T)

Sagna

G. Hoyte (Henri Lansbury H/T)

J.Hoyte

Clichy (c)

Walcott

Denilson

Ramsey (Mark Randall H/T)

Wilshere (Francis Coquelin ’62)

Vela (Armand Traore H/T)

Bendtner (Jay Simpson ’62)

Goals:

Krisztian Kensesei (24)

Theo Walcott (41)

Gilberto signs for Panathanaikos

On July 17, 2008January 12, 2011 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Transfers2 Comments

The transfer season is finally getting moving. Yesterday we heard that Hleb had left to sign for Barcelona and now Gilberto has signed for Panathanaikos. This is madness compared to the dull days of June!

The transfer fee is around £1 million, which is a nice enough sum for a player of his age. Apparently he has now become the highest paid player in Greece too.

“I’m hungry to win more titles, I came to Greece because I have big ambitions, it’s very important for me to be able to continue to give my best. I couldn’t say no to the offer.

“I’m sure we will qualify through to the group stages of the Champions League. I’m excited about being a Panathinaikos player.”

‘Bert played for us for six seasons after we signed him from Atletico Mineiro of Brazil in 2002. He has been a great servant of the club, and unlike certain induviduals he has acted like a model professional even when left out of the side this season.

During those six seasons he became a regular in the first team and plaed 244 games, with 24 goals scored. He won the Premier League in 2003/04 and the FA Cup twice in 2003 and 2005.

For those who think our midfield looks a bit threadbare after the depature of Flamini, Hleb and Gilberto just remember that we have Vela and Nasri who can play in midfield and Wenger is very likely to sign a player to bolster central midfield seeing as we have lost Flamini and ‘Bert.

So a bit of extra cash and an incentive to but a new player for Mister Wenger, and a new start for good old Gilberto.

Hleb has gone, that pays for Nasri and makes some room

On July 17, 2008 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Transfers4 Comments

Arsenal and Barcelona have confirmed that Alex Hleb has signed for Barca for a fee around £11.8 million. This covers Nasri’s fee so we are looking good financially this summer. Just need one or two more signings and we should be confident about next season.

Hleb had a medical for Barca at about 7 pm last night and the transfer was then announced.

Wenger was gracious and confident about Alex’s departure:

“We must firstly thank Alex for his contribution towards Arsenal Football Club during his time with us. Alex played a significant role in the three seasons he was with the Club. We are comfortable with our decision to let him go and we are all looking forward to continuing our preparations for the new season ahead.”

A positive comment, he sounds calm enough about Hleb leaving. I said before that lack of goals from midfield was a major problem for us last season, and although Hleb is good, he isn’t irreplaceable, and he didn’t contribute goals.

We now have Nasri to take his position and we will probably sign another midfielder if Gilberto leaves. The other good thing is that now Barca and Milan (Ronaldinho) have spent their cash we don’t need to worry so much about losing Adebayor, who although unpopular, is a key goalscorer for us.

Gilberto is on the way out, is Barry on the way in?

On July 16, 2008 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Transfers1 Comment

So reports coming out of Greece say that Gilberto is in Athens for a medical with Panathanaikos. Henk Ten Cate, the new manager wants Bert to bolster his midfield.

Meanwhile Martin O’Neill has been quoted in The Sun confirming Arsenal’s interest in Gareth Barry.

“Myself and Steve Walford both know Arsene Wenger’s assistant Pat Rice. He phoned Steve to ask how the Liverpool thing had gone and said that they might show an interest. At the end of the conversation Arsenal said ‘that’s fine’ and that they’ll let us know. That is exactly what happened.”

So there;s nothing concrete, but it would seem that we are interested. This does make sense, especially as Gilberto may leave.

We looked stretched at times last season and although I have said before that we could cope with our problems by bringing through players like Diaby, it would ease the strain on the squad if we signed a new defensive midfielder

Last season one of our failing points was the lack of depth in the squad and this needs to be addressed if we are to mount another strong challenge for the title and improve on last seasons performance!

What do you think?

Gilberto leaving, Diaby in pole position, or a new signing?

On July 12, 2008July 12, 2008 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Transfers5 Comments

Gilberto may be leaving Arsenal for Panathanikos this summer. There has been a lot of speculation over Bert, mainly due to the fact that the whole season he was sidelined in favour of Mathieu Flamini.

Gilberto decided to stay and didn’t kick up a fuss, but acted professionally. He may be offered a new deal by Wenger, but it seems likely that he is going to leave for a fresh start.
Gilberto is reported to have said:

“I am very happy to come to Greece…Panathinaikos is a big club and if an agreement is reached with Arsenal I will be very happy to join you”

I think Gilberto has been a fantastic player for Arsenal, he’s had some ups and downs, but he has been very consistent, and professional in his conduct.

I respect him and if he does leave then good luck to him.

The question is who will fill the hole. The main candidates already at the club are Diaby and Song. Diaby has more experience and is more versatile, although Wenger has already hinted that Song will be used as a centre back next season.

There is always the option of bringing a player in, names such as Yaya Toure of Barcelona have been bartered around, but it seems more likely to me that Wenger will bring one of the younger players up. His transfer dealings may have peaked with the capture of Nasri.

That won’t be popular, but it might pay off.

Nasri is now an Arsenal player. What does this mean for the team?

On July 12, 2008February 15, 2011 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Transfers4 Comments

The biggest news of the close season has emerged; Samir Nasri has actually signed for Arsenal. He reportedly signed for £15.8 mill on a 4 year deal and is joining Arsenal for pre-season training on July 21st.

Arsenal’s style of play and the fact that Wenger gives young players a chance in the team encouraged him to join he said. Nasri should bring us some more versatility on the wing and will probably replace Hleb, who looks like he is definitely leaving. He can also play in the centre too.

This is a great boost for the club and shows that people should have faith with the club and our transfer policy. You can read Arsenal’s interview with Nasri here.

Wenger:

“We are delighted to be signing Samir Nasri. He is young, quick and technically an outstanding player. He has shown great potential with his performances for Marseille and the French national team over the past two seasons and he will add great quality to our squad.”

Nasri:

“I’m very happy to become an Arsenal player, it means such a lot to me. This is a very important step in my life as a football player because Arsenal is a massive club. I really hope everything will go well for me here. I will do my best for Arsenal and its fans and I am honoured to be part of such a great football club.”

Great to hear that Nasri has finally signed up, it looks like he will get a starting berth in midfield. It puts Eboue further back in the queue, as a fit Rosicky will always play. The fact that Gilberto is probably leaving too means we might see Diaby in midfield too.

Watch Nasri’s Goals for Marseilles and France

Hleb didn’t say that and training has begun

On July 9, 2008April 8, 2010 By jamesgillespIn Arsenal, Transfers4 Comments

There’s been a lot said about quotes from Hleb slagging off Cesc Fabregas and Wenger. The comments according to Arseblogger are ‘rehashed’ from earlier reports. That makes sense to me, Hleb wouldn’t just start slagging off his mate Cesc, or his boss, Wenger.

These are the quotes:

“My view of how I should be playing didn’t coincide with the manager’s. I told him last season I wanted to leave and think he was quite upset about it. But ask him. It may turn out he’s happy to see me go. I don’t know where I’ll be next season but I’d prefer Barcelona. It is being negotiated and, hopefully, will be decided soon.”

Hleb may be on his way out but these quotes can’t be true. Hleb has denied the quotes on his website:

“Dear Friends,

I am shocked by some media-reports. In some newspapers it was mentioned that I have attacked Arsene Wenger and Cesc Fabregas. But let me tell you: This is not true! The statements in the papers are definitely not my statements.

I would never ever say something disrespectful about them. And there is a simple reason for this: Cesc is a very good friend of mine and Arsene is one of the persons, I respect most.”

I think he might stay, to be honest.

Also Arsenal players are back in Colney for preseason trading.See all the photos here