Blog Archives
Wilshere to Play Today, Pep to Succeed Wenger + Transfer News
He hasn’t played football since the Emirates Cup last year and we have missed his impact on the field through the season.
So it is with great delight we learned through Arseblog that Jack Wilshere’s recovery takes a big step forward when he’ll feature in a close door encounter against Birmingham Reserves this morning.
Here’s hoping he comes through unscathed and on his way to perhaps feature in the last couple of matches for Arsenal in the Premier League this season as we look to finish third and earn automatic qualification to next season’s Champions League.
Meanwhile following UEFA’s €40,000 reprimand for basically having a word with referee Damir Skomina after the 3-0 win over Milan, it’s like one can’t get on Wenger’s nerves hard enough.
Word steaming around indicates that Marouane Chamakh’s sisha episode may have truly pissed Le boss off; enough to actually be determined to show the Moroccan the way out of the club. A narrow eyed Asian will certainly follow this development with some slight pleasure.
As for Chamakh, he’s already linked with a £5m ‘finally he’s going!!’ move to Paris St. Germaine, same side that is reportedly tussling with us for the service of Beninoise midfielder Stephane Sessegnon.
The Sunderland maestro had his name trigger the transfer rumour mill after Black Cats manager Martin O’Neill revealed it would be difficult to keep him at the end of this season.
So of course, why not add Sessegnon to the list that includes Bilbao’s Susaeta, Yann M’Vila of Rennes, Ricardo Montolivo and Eden Hazard among others (to be linked inevitably).
Biggest rumour though comes from Marca of Spain. Apparently a source of theirs believes Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola will succeed Wenger though when that will happen remains a mystery.
Personally, I’d rather have any one of O’Neill, France boss Laurent Blanc (here’s me forgetting he was a Man. United defe… ) and, till he was appointed over at the bridge, Villas-Boas, to succeed our emeritus in economics.
All I can make of this round of Wenger’s successor is… Pep to Arsenal would mean a return to the Ems by Francesc? Sums the nature of this rumour.
Onto some real happenings now as we await Sunday’s cracker against Citeh, the Ox fancies getting into the England squad for Euro 2012 though will focus on putting in good performances for Arsenal.
“My main focus is to see the end of the season out with Arsenal and help us do as well as we can.” said the 18 year old, adding that “We have a long way to go to get a Champions League spot and hopefully top three as well. It would be very nice, but one step at a time is the way to go.”
Good head on that lad I tell you.
That’s all for now guys! It’s a cold morning in Lagos today, and I struggled to get out of bed to put this post together. I can clearly hear my bed calling for a repeat episode of last night’s sleep.
Remember to tell a gooner to follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs.
Have yourselves a great day!
Any thoughts? Share them below.
Wilshere ‘Out For Season’ | Henry & Co Fit |Chamakh Back Early
Before you get tacchycardia at the first 4 words of the heading, notice the ‘ ‘ I put. That’s what we’ve been told to expect, worst case scenario. Wilshere has gone from being a medical miracle that was ready to return as early as February 4 to ‘setback, out for 6 weeks(possibly the entire season?). There goes Wenger’s big plan to announce Wilshere as a ‘new signing’ come February 1 when the window shuts down.
Not going to go on about mismanagement of youth and how no replacement has been(will be) brought in, its a huge blow(not like we’re chasing the title) but his return would have given the team needed lift and Ramsey in particular would be delighted as it means needed rest. Not going to happen now….well soon.
Positive news now and Henry, Arteta, Coquelin are fit and in the squad to face Aston Villa, Sagna too is but a little short on match fitness and might just about make the bench. Gibbs on the other hand should be ready by monday. Diaby? From ready in 10 days to ‘God knows when’. Oh well, good to see we’re following in the trend we’ve been for the last 5 years or so.
If you don’t like Chamakh, look away now. His national team of Morocco have been eliminated from the AFCON which probably had Wenger excited and foaming from the mouth from pure delight knowing the World’s best striker is coming back earlier than planned(he managed 1 appearance 0 goals & assists). Will AW push to have him back before the last group game like Newcastle are doing with Dembas Ba & Cisse?
To the Villa game, asides Wilshere, Santos & Diaby, almost everyone is fit, AW has hinted AOC could play centrally for us and not on the wings, I’d love that personally, anything to give Ramsey a rest. So I expect the team to look something like this.
Szczesny-Yennaris-Mertesacker-Kozzer-Vermaelen-Coquelin-Arteta-Rosicky-AOC-Walcott-RVP
I’m going with 3-1 in favor of the Arsenal. No upsets please. Hope you all enjoy the game & hopefully TH14 bags another goal.
Escobar
Follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs
Wilshere ‘Out For Season’ | Henry & Co Fit |Chamakh Back Early
Before you get tacchycardia at the first 4 words of the heading, notice the ‘ ‘ I put. That’s what we’ve been told to expect, worst case scenario. Wilshere has gone from being a medical miracle that was ready to return as early as February 4 to ‘setback, out for 6 weeks(possibly the entire season?). There goes Wenger’s big plan to announce Wilshere as a ‘new signing’ come February 1 when the window shuts down.
Not going to go on about mismanagement of youth and how no replacement has been(will be) brought in, its a huge blow(not like we’re chasing the title) but his return would have given the team needed lift and Ramsey in particular would be delighted as it means needed rest. Not going to happen now….well soon.
Positive news now and Henry, Arteta, Coquelin are fit and in the squad to face Aston Villa, Sagna too is but a little short on match fitness and might just about make the bench. Gibbs on the other hand should be ready by monday. Diaby? From ready in 10 days to ‘God knows when’. Oh well, good to see we’re following in the trend we’ve been for the last 5 years or so.
If you don’t like Chamakh, look away now. His national team of Morocco have been eliminated from the AFCON which probably had Wenger excited and foaming from the mouth from pure delight knowing the World’s best striker is coming back earlier than planned(he managed 1 appearance 0 goals & assists). Will AW push to have him back before the last group game like Newcastle are doing with Dembas Ba & Cisse?
To the Villa game, asides Wilshere, Santos & Diaby, almost everyone is fit, AW has hinted AOC could play centrally for us and not on the wings, I’d love that personally, anything to give Ramsey a rest. So I expect the team to look something like this.
Szczesny-Yennaris-Mertesacker-Kozzer-Vermaelen-Coquelin-Arteta-Rosicky-AOC-Walcott-RVP
I’m going with 3-1 in favor of the Arsenal. No upsets please. Hope you all enjoy the game & hopefully TH14 bags another goal.
Escobar
Follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs
Van Persie set to sign new contract?|Goetze move unlikely|Chamakh won’t return to Bordeaux.
School examinations are coming thick and fast and as such I’ve been struggling to make out time to post.
I just finished a paper, so I have some time on my hands to whip up something.
Straight to the gist, and despite several speculations about his future, a new report from a top journalist Mirror indicates that our super captain is set to put pen to paper to extend his stay in North London.
The news was revealed by Paul Smith of The Sunday Mirror on a show on SkySports, one in which he stated assuredly that Robin will sign a new contract at Arsenal.
This is a welcome development, one that will surely lift the spirits in the camp. It will also give the fans hope and spare us of any unnecessary transfer stories come next summer.
Some people will be quick to point out that this story is unconfirmed and understandably so. If there’s anything we know, it is that a player hasn’t signed a contract with Arsenal until it shows up on the club’s official website.
I however think the fact that we’ve not heard anything about broken down talks suggests that the outcome will most likely be positive.
Still on transfer stories, Borussia Dortmund star Mario Goetze has been ruled out of action for a month with injury. The 19-year-old tore a muscle in his thigh over the weekend in a game against Kaiserslautern.
This all but rules out the possibility of a move to Arsenal, even though it could be argued that he is expected to return from injury a few days into the transfer window. *watch this space*
Marouane Chamakh’s agent has dismissed the possibility of him returning to Bordeaux.
With speculations rife about an impending departure from Arsenal, Moroccan has decided to wait till the end of the season before making a decision on his future.
Chamakh has rarely featured this season partly due to his poor form and chiefly due to RVP’s imperious form in front of goal.
His agent however stated categorically that Chamakh does not intend to return to France.
He has struggled since last winter and if his form does not improve considerably, I doubt he’ll be starting next season as an Arsenal player.
So Chelski’s win over Citeh completed what was an amazing 125th anniversary for us. It also blew the title race wide open.
We play City next and we can be fairly confident of getting a result; a win will reduce the gap between both teams to 6 points. How fast things change!
They will be without Clichy who got sent off, and apparently Yaya Toure has hit the yellow card limit, so he won’t feature. Great news if you ask me. Let us know what you think in the comments!
That’s all from me today, I just had to bring those stories to you our amazing readers. Apologies if it does not match up to the usual standard, exam stress is really getting to me.
Have a great day wherever this post meets, keep it safe and goonerish!
Cheers!
Chamakh Staying | Joel Campbell Scores Against Spain | Transfer & Player News
Thanks to the International games, there’s little to report bar the Arsenal players that are on duty for their respective clubs. Robin Van Persie was rested as requested by Arsene Wenger while Theo Walcott saw 57 minutes of action at Wembley against Sweden as the three lions won 1-0. Mertesacker came on for Germany in their 3-0 win over a Dutch side shorn of Van Persie and Van Der Vaart. For a full report on the players on duty, check the official website.
Chamakh
The best forward at Arsenal Maroune ‘better than everybody’ Chamakh has reportedly been ignoring all the overtures of his former club Bordeaux as they try to bring him back to the club, but his love for Arsenal and the manager and his place in the hearts of the Arsenal faithful wont let him leave us. Great, now all he needs is to make Robin Van Persie act the same way and sign a new contract. Bordeaux president said he’s left over 4 messages for both the player and AW but it seems their BIS(Blackberry Internet Service) is out so they did not get any message. Liar Liar Jean Louis Triaud
Jenkinson
The young English-Finnish defender says he cant wrap his head around his meteoric rise, from playing Blue Square football to getting sent off against Man United and making his champions league bow infront of the team he has supported all his life. What a lad. i personally like him and he’s gone from strength to strength since his arrival, and if he keeps crossing the ball the way he does, he might have a Fabregas season from the back.
Joel Campbell
The young Costa-Rican forward netted what many are calling a henry-esque goal against the world champions Spain yesterday. he was also reported to have been a thorn in Puyol’s side the entire night. He’s going to be an amazing player for us once he’s legible. You can watch the goal here
Transfer Rumors
Just a quick one, word coming out of France is AW is ready to take a gamble on Yoan Gourcuff who could be available for about 8M to beef up the midfield. Other sources mostly by Martin Lipton of Daily Mirror says despite the rumors of Marco Reus, Goetze is still AW’s number one transfer target and doesn’t mind the hefty fee on him. remember he almost joined in the summer so i won’t completely rule it out.
Looks like we wont be getting a defender as we have more than enough bodies there, a midfielder looks a certainty then two attackers to help cover for the loss of Gervinho and Chamakh who leave in January for the ACN. Goetze and Podolski? or who would you rather have? Let us know in the comments. Do have a lovely day.
Escobar
Follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs
Arsenal Vs Olympiakos : The Player Ratings
From the onset we looked likely to run riot over the Greek team with early goals from UCL home debutants AOC & Santos both scoring only for schoolboy defending again to undo us as they pulled one back. It ended that way. Here are the ratings.
Szczesny– 7
Conceded a goal but was totally dominant and pulled off back to back saves to keep us in the tie. Needs to stay on his line more.
Sagna 5
Very poor showing. For a minute there I thought Justin Hoyte was back in an Arsenal shirt.
Mertesacker 8
He was solid at the back, even though he played with Song, won all aerial balls, cleared the ball into safety on more than one occasion. Was no where for the goal.
Song – 6.5
Was found wanting a couple of times and got no protection from Frimpong. Got the assist for the opener with a delightful pass.
Santos – 7
He got his first goal on his home debut. Was a menace in the first 45 but needs to learn to defend better. Otherwise a solid game.
Frimpong – 5 in the 1st half, 7 in the Second Half
Out of sorts performance from the young Ghanian, left his defence exposed time after time but got better as the game wore on.
Arteta – 6.5
Covered more ground than any other player on the pitch but he needs to be more adventurous. He continues to play like he’s been told not to attack.
Rosicky – 5
What did he do in the game? Apart from giving away a dangerous freekick and running around like a headless chicken, he was poor. Needs to go.
Arshavin – 4
SIGH I’m lost for words, he was anonymous in the first half, did not defend and did not contribute. Then he was selfish in the second 45. Surely he’s clock is ticking away.
Oxlade-Chamberlain – 7
Was our best player in the first half, showed nice touches, ran well at the defence, crossed even better. Took his goal with aplomb and in so doing endeared himself to the Emirates faithful.
Chamakh – 5
Missed the chance to put us 3 goals up, would have gotten a 4 but for his work rate and involvement in building up play.
SUBSTITUTES
RVP – N/A
Ramsey – 5
Gibbs – N/A
Man Of The Match ~ Mertesacker
There you have it, three points in the bag, but with Marseille winning, we have to settle for second position. Spurs awaits this weekend. Have a swell night.
Escobar
Follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs
Arsenal vs Shrewsbury : Carling Cup Preview, AOC & Miyaichi Set For Debuts
If there were any perfect game for the club to use as a springboard to better performances, this is it right here. Nothing less than a 3-0 scoreline or 3 goals difference is expected. This is not a league game so hopefully the league form is not carried into the game.
Not the best of mornings for me, it rained all night and it still is meaning I’m stuck at home till it stops and then to make it worse, my favorite rapper’s(J.Cole) album leaked a week before its original date(damn! Cole World) but I trust Arsenal to make that all right against the boys from league two.
Team News
AW confirmed yesterday that there’s going to be first starts for summer signings AOC, Ryo Miyaichi and Park Chu Yung, but its not going to be a weak squad as the likes of Koscielny, Mertesacker , Chamakh, Gibbs are in it.
If anything, I’m excited to finally watch AOC play, he’s our biggest signing this summer in terms of fees and he’s been in electric form for the England U21’s bagging 6 assists in 2 games, fancy he could grab a couple again tonight.
Shrewsbury should be a walkover but don’t expect them to come to the Emirates and fold, as they are a good footballing side who move the ball well and make use of their fast & exciting wingers. Also, striker Marvin Morgan has already scored 7 league goals this season so expecting him to be looking for more.
Possible Line Up : Fabianski-Gibbs-Djourou-Miquel-Jenkinson-Coquelin-Frimpong-Benayoun-AOC-Park-Ryo-
Let us no what you think the scoreline would be. See you in the comments.
Escobar
Follow us on twitter @goonermemoirs
Record Breaking Day: £25m M’Vila bid|Hazard wants to come + Other Stories
It’s the last day of the transfer window and clubs are eagerly putting finishing touches to the business this summer.
After months of relative inactivity, the club board is finally doing what the fans want. In less than a week, we’ve signed Park Chu Young (£3m) and deals for Santos and Mertesacker (combined worth of £14.1m) are at an advanced stage.
But if the stories making rounds are anything to go by, we will break our transfer record before the end of today. So straight to the gist.
Arsenal will lodge a £25million bid to prise Yann M’Vila from Rennes. The highly rated France international is Wenger’s main target and the manager is increasingly confident he can deliver a signing that would serve as a huge statement of intent.
Le Boss has received excellent reports on the qualities of M’Vila and his ability to bring greater steel to a midfield that has been found lacking in the opening Premier League fixtures of the season. Signing him probably means Wilshere will get a more advanced role, with M’Vila and Song covering for him.
Reports late last night indicate that Eden Hazard on French TV has made known his intention to quit Lille and sign for Arsenal. This comes after days of denials of the possibility of any bid by Lille and the player himself.
Hazard forged an hazardous (pun well intended) partnership with Gervinho last season in Lille which saw them win the League. I’m sure Arsenal fans won’t mind them linking up at the Emirates once again. I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you though.
There were also talks of Chamakh going on loan to France or Spain. I doubt this will happen though, as Wenger last week that said the main reason for purchasing another striker is because we’ll lose Chamakh to the African Nations Cup in January. That means the boss still sees him at the club in January.
Things can change really quickly though, so we cannot rule out the possibility of Cham29 leaving on loan. Bendtner meanwhile looks more likely to leave, and there have been rumours of a swap deal with Schalke for Klass Jan Huntelaar. I honestly don’t know what to make of that.
With the expected signing of Santos and Mertesacker, talks of Cahill and Samba have understandably died down. If Per joins, he’ll partner TV5 in centre defence and they’ll be flanked by Sagna and Santos. Koscielny and Djourou will serve as cover.
I don’t see Cahill or Samba leaving their starting positions to settle for a place on the bench at Arsenal. Anything is possible though, we do not know how things will play out, and what prevents us from having 4 top CBs at the club?
We’ve been linked to a lot of players (arguably the most for any team) and today won’t be any different. Prepare to get news of 50 player flying into London for Arsenal medicals today.
Follow the blog @goonermemoirs for credible transfer news as they break.
Before I go, I’ll leave you with my idea of how today will go.
Out: Almunia, Squillaci, Bendtner
In: Santos, Mertesacker, M’Vila.
What do you think? Will we sign more players? Should we even sign more players? Do let us know in the comments!
Mata deal off?|Barton wants Arsenal|No Benzema contact
So a bit of stories in the news to report on.
Firstly, after being told He can leave Newcastle, Joey Barton has apparently set his eyes on a move to Arsenal. His agent revealed that six English teams have shown interest in Barton, and Arsenal is believed to be one of them.
His signing will definitely divide opinions among fans. I think if we can look beyond his volatile personality, one will discover a very good player. People who slate him are probably blinded by his quite controversial nature.
Last season, he masterminded arguably the greatest comeback the League has seen; and the fact that Newcastle won 0% of their games without him says a lot. Plus, he’s a lot better than Denilson IMO.
We have been tagged soft and immature atimes because our “saints” have won nothing in 6 years. If we could bring in Silvestre who was an absolute liability, signing a “bad boy” is surely worth a punt.
Benzema, one of the over 5000 players linked to us this summer claims Le Boss has not contacted him over a possible transfer. He is a player I rate quite highly and I’m confident he can do a great job for us.
Also, with Bendtner leaving, we are just one “likely” injury to RVP away from starting Chamakh week in week out. And if the Moroccan’s preseason form is anything to go by, we’ll definitely struggle with him leading the line.
A brief examination of the clubs we’ll be competing with next term reveals something quite worrying. Man United’s 3rd choice striker is Berbatov, Chelsea and Citeh have Anelka and Balotelli respectively as 3rd choice strikers. Ours is Vela. Why not sign another world class striker we are sure can step in should RVP get injured.
Arsene is too concerned about how signing a top player will kill the career of the youngsters. I doubt he ever thought that the presence of this world class players can actually help improve the younger players.
So for all of last week’s hype surrounding our supposed signing of Valencia’s Juan Mata, a move to the Emirates looks very highly unlikely at the moment.
According to his club manager, Unai Emery, Mata will be staying at Valencia for at least one more season. Said He,
“Mata has gone through a process of doubts about his future, but now we all believe he will stay”
We all expected some positive news concerning Mata before the Emirates Cup, but due to some clauses in his contract, He now costs at least £30m, much more than we thought.
I’m not too bothered about Emery’s comments. I think he’s just trying to calm things down a bit, and get the best possible deal for Valencia. This implies that should He leave, it will be to the highest bidder.
Will Arsene be willing to pay £30m for a player? Do we even need him that much to warrant paying that price?
It’s yet another day and we are still waiting for a new signing.
Do let me know what you think.
Escobar
Emi Michael
qed14
Memoirs of a Gooner 