Diaby Fit and Arsene to Re-Sign

Not too much news today on the transfer front, but there have been some interesting developments for Sunday's match. Diaby has been ruled fit and will feature in the match. Alex Song and Denilson will both face fitness test tomorrow to determine if they will feature. Wenger has talked a lot about match fitness in the last few days and I would suspect that neither Fabregas nor Van Persie will start. There is a chance Fabregas could come on though, especially if we go down early (knock wood).

Diaby's inclusion is huge, especially becuase Hodgson recently came out and said Mascherano will play in the game. Mascherano is so dangerous to us I can barely articulate it. He is an Arsenal killer. His sole purpose in life is to break up passing patterns and disrupt technical player's concentrations with his hard tackling. We'll need everyone we've got to be on their top form with players like him and Poulson patrolling the midfield.

In other news, Wenger came out and made two large announcements recently. The first was that Aaron Ramsey will be returning in November. Aaron has always been one of my favorite players and his return could be huge for us. He is developing into a brilliant player and I believe will be the ultimate replacement for Fabregas, as Nasri is more of an attacking midfielder than a complete box-to-box type.

Wenger also came out and said he is close to signing a new contract. Well, ok he didn't exactly say that. He said a new contract is on the table. Wenger always completes his contracts and I think that the only reason he's considering staying on any longer and not retiring is because we haven't won anything in the last five years or so. He wants to go out and top and he truly can with this group of players, he just needs another year or two. Anyhow, I expect Arsene to resign in the not too distant future, which will lift a weight off my back.

Schwarzer: "I need [Arsenal]"

For nearly six months, Arsenal have been linked with every man to ever step between the sticks. Around a week ago I tried to make a record of exactly how many keepers we'd been linked with, but lost track after twenty-two. That's not a joke.

Mark Schwarzer has seemed the most likely for some time. The 37-year-old was recently quoted saying the following:

"I need it to happen. I've had a couple of chats with Mark [Hughes]. It's delicately poised. Who wouldn't be keen to go to Arsenal? At this stage in my career it's an amazing opportunity to play at that level and one I really want to take. Only time will tell whether that happens or not."

Only time will tell? What kind of taoist crap is that? Mark Schwarzer has a showdown meeting planned with Mark Hughes for as soon as the keeper is back from international duty and the only telling should be the big Aussie telling Hughsie the way it's going to go. And that way is out the door. Fulham value Schwarzer at £4 million but apparently Wenger doesn't want to do the deal for more than £2 million. Every publication that's carried this story so far has brought up Fulham's Saturday match-up with Bolton as a game which Schwarzer could sit out to engineer a trade. However, I can tell you now that won't happen. Australians as a breed are stand up guys. People like Greg Norman, Steve Irwin, and Croc Dundee have solidified their image in the mainstream media as real gentlemen. You can bet your arse that Mark Schwarzer won't go on a hunger strike, but I'd also expect him to speak his mind to Hughes.
 
Also, let me just say that this is a real breath of fresh air. All the other transfer news we get is just bollocks made up in Fleet Street taverns. Finally, someone with an actual chance of coming steps up and says come and get me. That really takes the weight off my shoulders.
 
This also means that there could be some truth behind the goalkeeper love triangle that's wafted through the papers of late. Schwarzer to Arsenal, Friedel to Fulham, and Almunia to Villa. That seems unlikely but apparently there's a five team trade going on in the NBA right now so who the hell knows what the world is coming too?
 
Our twelve players who took part in their national duties are on their way back. Wilshere and Gibbs both got their international debuts. Gibbs played decently, but Wilshere only featured for thirty seconds or so and never really exerted himself on the game. In typical Arsenal fashion, there have also been reports that Wilshere spent the night in the hospital with stomach pains. The Arsenal fashion I'm referring to, by the way, is the tendency of our team to defeat itself through injury. Theo Walcott played seventy or so minutes though and looked pretty good. It's also worth noting that in the twelve games Theo has played for England, the Lions have gone 12-0-0.
 
Mexico and Spain played to a one - one tie, in which Vela played an extraordinarily mediocre game. I thought he looked absolutely top notch against Legia but he never even really featured against Spain. Fabregas came on for a half and looked downright poor. Perfect.
 
Although France didn't win, Nasri was voted the man of the match by L'Equipe e-mag. He's continuing his top form and I'd expect to see him feature quite a bit more often for the Francs whether or not the full World Cup side returns to action. He's really blossomed all of a sudden. Maybe being left out of the WC squad did him a world of good.
 
Apart from that, Jagielka has ruled himself out of a move away from Everton and Gerrard looked fantastic against Hungary. If he plays that good on Sunday, we're in big trouble.

Will the speculation ever stop?!?!?

These pundits simply have no idea the stress they put on an Arsenal fan. Day after day, to tease me to desperation with hints of Schwarzer, glimpses of Marchetti, and now whispers of Given, is simply too cruel for words. I find myself at an interesting crisis of morality, as I now lend these probably false publications an air of credence by blogging about them.

Regardless, the latest is that Given wants out of Man City and fancies a move to Arsenal. Joe Hart has started every single preseason game for the Saudi money laundering front that is City and it seems that Given has finally caught on; he won't be starting for them. Has everyone taken leave of their minds? There are two clear problems with Given to Arsenal. One, Shay Given is clearly a superior keeper to Joe Hart. Hart may be the future of England and have a beautiful blond head of hair, but Given is currently the best keeper in the premier league and the captain of his national side to boot. Furthermore, Arsenal are in direct competition with City for a Champions League birth. They will also view us as their primary competitor for a top four spot (assuming that Tottenham will never again get as many lucky breaks as last year). I can't see even an ass as big as Mancini seeing a benefit to strengthening Arsenal. Regardless, Given came out yesterday and basically said he fancies a move to the Emirates should he not be City's number one.

I haven't joined City to sit on the bench or whatever. I've gone there to play. If that's not the case, I suppose I'll sit down on Monday with the club and see where to go after that. You don't want to miss any football so, for me, it's very important that I play. Link.

However, the rumors about Schwarzer still persist. Even though it's been widely published that Wenger wants him for 2 mil and Hughes values him at 4, the latest scoop is that Brad Friedel will head to Fulham to replace the Aussie after his move to the Emirates. Supposedly, this is also the straw that broke Martin O'Neill's back. Though I must say, it's damnedly hard to buy and sell players without a manager so don't expect Friedel to move anywhere until O'Neill's replacement is on hand.

In other news, Samir Nasri has been speaking out on his goals for the season. He's been clearly our finest player in preseason, although to be fair he's also been our only good player (bar Vermaelen) playing in any of the games. He's come out and explained what's currently grinding his gears:

I missed football for two-and-a-half months. I had a lot of time to rest and ask myself questions. I am not hungry now, I am starving. I'm not fighting Cesc for one position. We'll prove Evra wrong, no men v boys this season. Link

Another article had an interesting piece on him where he says that the reason he and Benzema weren't picked for the France squad is because Domenech thinks of them as 'troublemakers'. You would have thought old Raymond might see that as a plus in his picks, judging from the hellish squad and captain he chose for this year's Cup. Have people really forgotten that not 18 months ago, Patrice Evra started a fight with the Chelsea groundsmen during a post-match stretch? Of course that didn't stop old Uncle Larry from singing his praises. You can't make a blind man see, or so they say.

Anyways, I'll continue to make predictions about the Anfield game on Sunday as the international friendlies finish up and we find out what's what with our injured and recovering players. The season hasn't started yet, and Denilson, Diaby, Song, and Bendtner are all injured plus the gaffer claims neither Robin nor Cesc will see the field. Vela will undoubtedly delay his return for a week or so, which leaves me with the following lineup for Liverpool.

Almunia

Sagna - Koscielny - Vermaelen - Clichy

Frimpong

Nasri - Wilshere

Arshavin - Chamakh - Rosicky

 
Of course it wouldn't be Arsenal though without an injury or two during the internationals. Let me say this, if Wilshere or Vermaelen or Nasri get injured on Wednesday playing for their respective countries, we are well and truly scuppered. Honestly, we won't stand a chance. Fernando Torres, little Stevie Gerrard, and Joe Cole are all fit and looking to play. Don't discount Joe Cole, he's a damn good player on his day and I'd expect a recall to the England side coming soon.
 
We must have new signings to compete in the Prem this season, but as of right now, none look too likely. A small positive though, Rosicky pledged his future to the club so that's something. Albeit a weak, sickly, injury prone future. Regardless, at the moment Anfield looks a daunting task in the face of an understaffed Arsenal side.

Spahic Saying Goodbyes

Morning all. There's a lot of transfer news circulating but it all seems to be rubbish. Supposedly Arsene is trying to trick Man City into lending us whoever won't start for them between Hart and Given. However, if you take a peek at the league table, you'll notice we stand right in there way. Fat chance of them strengthening our position. Link

Another bollocks story links Kompany to Arsenal. He's a great utility player for Man City and would obviously sync well with Tommy V at the back, but again another player who not only has featured in every City game this preseason but also plays a vital part in their team. I'd love him to come but it's extremely unlikely we'll pick up any of Man City's trimmings. Link

One transfer story has been gaining some credence. Last week I reported extensively on the Spahic story, now it looks quite likely he will arrive. Montpellier played last night against Bordeaux and the defender was quite obviously saying his goodbyes. All by himself, he went over to the fan section and threw his shirt into the crowd. An unofficial Montpellier site reported the following:

“Is he really in contact with Arsenal? His lack of formal response to reports on Wednesday, as well as his gestures towards the crowd make his departure look inevitable. We’ll find out in the coming days what could be a big disaster for the Montpellier defence.”

Spahic did not play in the game due to suspension, and reporters in France have suggested he won't play on the 22nd against Caen as he will have already left by then.

On a different note, Liverpool have loaned out Phillipe Degen to Stuttgart. This frees them up to sell us long-time target Serdar Tasci. He's received about as much aplomb as Spahic, but is younger and probably fitter. Spahic however is the captain of his Bosnian side. Ups and downs to both of them, right now Spahic looks likely.

Now, I've tried to put this off, but I simply must put in some input on this weekend's friendly with Legia Warsaw. It was disgusting. Everyone knows we can attack. It was no surprise to see Nasri in fine form and Chamakh putting in a fairly good display. What was a surprise was to see Frimpong fail to exert his influence on the game. He looked a bit tired and was taken off at halftime. The defense throughout the game was in shambles. It was our strongest defensive side available. If we don't get someone soon in defense, all bets are off. Although I will remind everyone that at the beginning of last season, Soccernet was hyping a big 7, with Aston Villa, Everton, and Man City providing major competition for the big four. That played out poorest for Liverpool and does anyone really believe Joe Cole is going to make a signifigant difference this year? I predict City taking their place in the top four, not ours.

I'm digressing. The main problem in the Arsenal side on Saturday was the connection between the midfielders and the forwards in Wenger's 4-3-3. As a football team, for the last few years Arsenal's best defense has been a strong offense. However, in Poland our passing wasn't working. The reason was Rosicky and Walcott. For the middle three, when the ball comes up from the back, the two wingers provide outlets, stretching the other team's midfield back towards their goal, allowing our midfield some room in between the opposition's forwards and midfielders. Without anyone to pass to beside Chamahk up front, our middle three were left stranded and were picked apart by a hustling Legia side. They also benefited from a number of lucky breaks but I thought they showed our weaknesses more than our strengths. One bright side from the game was Carlos Vela. Man of the match by my count. He had three assists and almost a legendary goal from twenty-five yards. He had a hand in three of our six goals and he was only in the side for a a half. He really played well. If he's feeling up to it after his international on Wednesday which I foresee him taking a large part in, expect him to start against Liverpool.

Godspeed.

Fabregas Press Release and Saturday's Predictions

Now that the King has returned, all the usual suspects have turned out to voice their opinions. Strange, apparently they all knew he was going to stay weeks ago. Hell, I wish they'd told us. Bob Wilson, who was the MC at yesterday's Member's Day said the following:

There will be an announcement soon that tells everyone Cesc is staying this season and for maybe longer. If you look at the team photo for the 2010-2011 season, he is at the front of the picture. That's the clearest indication you can get that Cesc will stay. Link

The Telegraph also reported that Cesc and Arsene had a very positive talk on Wednesday night before the training session and that Fabregas is currently working on a press release with his agent, Darren Dein.

Fabregas released the following statment today.

"Firstly I would like to apologise to all the Arsenal fans for not speaking sooner about my future but I have not known what I was going to do until this moment. I cannot deny that joining a club like Barcelona was not an attractive move for me. This was the club where I learnt my football, it is my home town where my friends and family are and a club where I have always dreamed of playing. There are not many players in this world who would not want to play for Barcelona. I have had many conversations with Arsène Wenger both in person and over the phone over the last few months and although the content of those conversations will remain private, the conclusion is that Barcelona have had two formal offers rejected by Arsenal. I am a professional and I fully understand that it is Arsenal's prerogative not to sell me. I owe a lot to the Club, manager and the fans and I will respect their decision and will now concentrate on the new season ahead with Arsenal.  I can assure all the fans that now the negotiations have ended I will be 100 percent focused on playing for Arsenal. I am an Arsenal player and as soon as I step out on to the pitch, that is the only club I will be thinking about. I am looking forward to the start of the season and putting this speculation behind me."

Wonderful. Almost exactly what needed to be said. What I really like about the statement is that he doesn't deny that he wanted to join Barca. He also doesn't lie and say that he always wanted to stay at Arsenal. He stands up to the facts like and man; only real part that's important was when he said 'I will be 100 percent focused on playing for Arsenal, I am an Arsenal player and as soon as I step out on to the pitch, that is the only club I will be thinking about'. BOOM! That's all I needed. I can gurantee a huge applause when he plays for us and his first goal will certainly result in a huge amount of crest kissing. Unfortunately, this will be the cue for all the boo boys to come out and say they knew all along.

Today is also Van Persie's 27th birthday. He's used the opportunity to come out and say that he believes the Arsenal team can win the league this season, and that he's dedicated to repaying the faith of the supporters with a trophy. I like him taking up the number 10 shirt in the spirit of some former dutch superstars, but van Persie should focus on getting back to full fitness before he's going for the gold. Baby steps, Robin, baby steps.
There's some new transfer rumors out today, with Arsenal supposedly pursuing Roma's Philippe Mexes. He's a blonde frenchmen who is just as shite as Phil Jagielka. He'll undoutedly play in France's upcoming international for which they've banned the world cup team, so I'll take a look at him there and update you all on whether his hair is still blonde and his legs are still slow. He's no taller than Vermaelen.

Jay Simpson has sprang into the news suddenly. Arsene told him last week he was free to leave if he wished and the striker has suddenly become the belle of the ball. Arsenal have reportedly agreed to a fee of £1.2 million with not one, not two, but three clubs. Apparently Hull City, Leeds United, and Crystal Palace are all after his signature with Queens Park Rangers waiting in the wings. All that's left for these three is to agree personal terms with the striker and I see him using this competition to get some serious wages. Good for him. However, with all this competition, you might wonder if Arsene is missing something in this young man. I'm quite sure he isn't. If anyone know youth, it's Wenger.

If you've been living under a rock, you may not know that Arsenal play Legia Warsaw this Saturday at 4pm. I expect it to be a run out for the first team that Wenger will play against Liverpool on the 15th. Fabregas and Vela will both be away on international duty, as Mexico play Spain in Mexico. Robin van Persie and Bendter both won't play as well due to a slight knock and a serious groin injury, respectively. With Alex Song still nursing himself back to full health and Ramsey out till November, we're back in the same position we were last season with half our team in the hospital wing. I'd expect Jack Wilshere and Emmanuel Frimpong to start at Ligea with Nasri rounding out the midfield in a 4-3-3. Upfront, expect to see Chamakh, Arshavin, and Walcott or Rosicky. At the back, Gael and Bacary should be in their usual spots with Vermaelen and Koscielcny at the back. I'd expect Wenger to give Fabianski the start with us back at his old stomping ground. Maybe he'll realize he misses his home and choose to stay there. Expected starting line up is as follows.

Fabianski

Sagna - Vermaelen - Koscielcny - Clichy

Wilshere - Frimpong - Nasri

Rosicky - Chamakh - Arshavin

Alright then, to quote Wrighty7, keep it goonerish. I'll post any updates should anything exciting happen during the day.

BREAKING NEWS : CESC STAYING AT ARSENAL!!!

The Mail has just confirmed that Fabregas told Arsene today he plans to stay at Arsenal for the time being. The 23-year-old returned today for a training session and team photo. He led the team out and waved to fans while receiving a thunderous applause. Legend Kenny Sansom has also been speaking with Soccernet, and claiming that Arsene has told him personally that Fabregas will stay. Thank god. And Cesc. But not his father. I hate that prick. Link Link

In other transfer updates, Giovinco has signed on loan with Parma with an option to buy. So I guess that means we won't be getting another pint-sized dynamo of which we already have a full team of. Goalkeeper Federico Marchetti has also arrived in London. It doesn't really matter who he speaks with, because if he signs with a club, it means one way or another Arsenal will have a new keeper. Either he replaces Schwarzer at Fulham or Bob Green at West Ham and that clumsy oaf heads to Fulham. Wherever he goes, Almunia won't be starting for us.

Today has turned out to be quite a beautiful day.

In case you weren't aware, today is the day that Arsenal season predictions will be actually be made. Depending on the press releases today and tomorrow, which all hinge on one short conversation between one manager and one player, our entire season apparently hangs in the balance. Or at least, you could assume that from the tone of Fleet Street's best and brightest.

But before I get to Cesc, let's hear the news of the day. We've unfortunately suffered another devastating blow on the tansfer front. Let me remind all of you that yesterday, Spahic said the following:

The most important thing is that so far the negotiations go as planned and that the transfer could be completed soon. Arsenal are a great club, I'm an admirer of Arsene Wenger, and I hope that Montpellier will cooperate. Link

Well, presumably Spahic's childish dreams were dashed to pieces today when the Montpellier president Loulou Nicollin described the transfer claims as 'a hoax'. He said the following:

I have not heard from anyone from Arsenal about Emir. However, if he wants to leave, we won't keep him. No one is irreplacable. He does have three years remaining on his contract though. They signed Koscielny from Lorient for 12 million, and Spahic is worth three times what Koscielny is worth. Link

Just when honest Gunners started to dream. Just as we sit back and put their feet up, the whole world comes crashing down. Everyone's bursting our bubbles recently and many bloggers are vouching their disgust at the media who spawn these rumors. I pesonally believe there may have been some truth in this one however, and I had hoped that at today's public training session a new player might be announced. However, it was not to be.

In other transfer news, apparently Thomas Rosicky has been offered a place at Galatasary by manager Frank Rijkaard. He thinks Rosicky is worth 5 million and I frankly don't disagree. Rosicky apparently requested a few days to think it over. For me, that says he won't leave. Rosicky is a player who's yet to prove himself at Arsenal. He had a good first season but since then he's been injured and watched the team struggle to win titles. Yesterday, YESTERDAY, Rosicky came out and said he wants to win a title with Arsenal. I feel pretty certain he won't leave, though I also suspect Arsene wouldn't mind thinning out a midfield that suddenly looking overstocked with talent. Link

Back to defenders, Udinese's Christian Zapata is a defender Arsenal have been interested in for the last sixty years. Today his agent took it upon himself to tell journalist that while no deal is currently in the works, Zapata would love to join Arsenal. Great, build up my hopes again. Link

Now that Schwarzer and Marchetti seem out of reach, people are talking about Joe Hart. Most seem to think that Given is the automatic starter at Man City this season, but I'm not too sure. Hart is undoutedly the future England number 1 and he has started nearly all of their preseason games. I feel certain Man City won't sell him but they could loan him out another season. If so, he could be an interesting stopgap solution for us. Tide us over another year while our future superstars grow up on loan. But with Arsene's tight fists, I can't see him being interested in paying five goalkeepers' wages. Link

Now, today Capello will notify the 32 players he is considering for the Hungary friendly on August 11. The emerging talents of Wilshere, Gibbs, and Walcott have all been left out of the Under-21 squad, which likely hints at a place in the first team. Capello has been quick to come out and say that wholesale changes will not occur, but following the WC debacle, he's being pressed to do something. I think it's incredibly likely that Wilshere gets a bid and even plays in the game. Gibbs is essentially behind the best left back in the world (Cashley) and will have a tough time breaking into the team with him around. As far as Walcott goes, he hasn't impressed me in preseason. I could see him making the first 32 but not the final 23. He did talk to the press yesterday though, admitting that he cried when Capello told him he wasn't going to South Africa but then went on to play the greatest game of golf of his life. Again proving my theory that there aren't any footy players in England who can properly speak english. Link

Marouane Chamakh is quickly becoming a fan favorite. After a good performance at the Emirates Cup, he's declared to Arsenal.com that he's not a selfish striker. Ok, great, well if you weren't aware, Arsenal are the ones who are always over-passing rather than over-shooting. We could use a bit of the old just pick it up and run mentality that Henry used to bring out every once in a while, and Ian Wright before him. So great, now where are we? Link

As far as today's training session has gone, it's been a pretty great success. Aaron Ramsey came out in the Arsenal practice gear to a monstrous applause. Really great to see him back in red and getting a runabout. Course, all he did was a couple laps before he had to get iced, but well at least he doesn't look fat. Bendter is out and about, but not training because of his groin injury. I was a bit unimpressed by how lackadaiscally he was treating the whole thing, lounging about in his shower shoes and a bath robe (I wish that was a joke).

There are also six young players taking place in the training session who last year were part of the reserves. They are Frimpong, Nordveit, JET, Lansbury, Aneke, and Eastmond. Obviously the first-team picture at the end of the day will be quite telling, but it's worth mentioning that in past years, everyone who participated in Member's Day was part of the first team in the upcoming season. The suprise inclusion of Chuks Aneke speaks to how well he's performed in preseason. Aneke was the star of Arsenal's Premier Academy League winning outfit last season, scoring eight goals. He's a powerful central midfielder, who's call-up is probably a result of Conor Henderson's injury. I'd also like to point out that Rosicky is training with the squad today. I'll post an update when I get the news of who appeared in the photo.

Now, it wouldn't be an Arsenal blog without some Fabregas news. He came out to wild, universal applause and the crowd immediately broke into chants of "we've got Cesc Fabregas". A very, very positive reception indeed which I can't tell you how pleased I am about. I've really been worried that all the Barca speculation would lead to some fans abandoning Cesc, and therefore solidifying his desire to leave. Thank god we can still keep it Goonerish. Anyways, the Mail reported this morning that Wenger is asking Cesc to make a public pledge of loyalty to the club. That's a bit overdue. The Sun reports that Vermaelen and Walcott have been urging Cesc to stay. I really don't like the way the press have turned the tables and now it's Arsenal players speaking out on his future. Anyways, he's out training today as the photo at the top shows, and I'll let you all know asap if he appears in the team photo. Which, frankly if he doesn't will start an uprising in the 10,000 or so fans attending today. Link