We'll Have to Wait For Tevez

Carlos Tevez is going to delay his decision on his future for next season until after the Copa America. He's currently on international duty with Argentina and has stated that any discussions about him will have to wait until the Cup is finished.

"Carlos is playing in the Copa America at the moment and that is where his prime focus is," confirmed Joorabchian.

"It is a big competition and we intend talking more seriously about his future when that tournament is over.

"At the moment there is no development."

So to me this is what that says. If we can get talks done with Anelka or Martins before the Copa America is done, we'll get them instead of Tevez. I doubt Arsene wants to leave a signing this big until very last minute, but I could be wrong. My gut says that Anelka or Martins will be signed before Tevez is ever even back in England. We shall see.

It looks like Joes Antonio Reyes may get to stay at Real Madrid after all. Probably because he's going to cost them about 5.95 his price his been knocked down so low.

"(Reyes) helped us win the league," Mijatovic told the club's official website.

"He's an excellent player and there's a chance he'll stay with us."

That's really about it in the world of Arsenal today. Arsene Wenger should return from holiday soon, so maybe something eventful will finally happen then.

Now I'm gonna ramble about my Football Manager 07 team for a bit in case anyone else actually plays it. We're in the year 2016, I have been with Arsenal the whole time and have won the title five times, the Champions League six times, the League Cup three times and the FA Cup twice. Surprisingly the Top 4 in the league right now is Arsenal, West Ham, Man City, and Liverpool. Chelsea meanwhile are in 12th. I hope they get relegated.

My starting lineup is as such:
Akinfeev

Sergio Ramos-Djourou-Toure-Marcelo

Quaresma-Fabregas-Merida-Schreuder

Aguero-Vela

So you can see that out of all the original players, most have retired or left, but I still start 5 of them: Djourou, Toure, Cesc, Merida, and Vela. Thierry Henry is still the club's top league goalscorer with 292 league goals, but Aguero just passed 200 and he is only 27, so we'll see if he surpasses the mark. Toure is a whopping 36 years old, but he keeps fighting, bless him.

That's about enough of that. Have a good day all.

Sagna Deal Close? Wenger Staying

A bit of news today, it looks like we may be able to keep our manager after all. The BBC reported last night that Gilles Grimandi was officially being promoted to the position of Director of Football and Wenger would sign a new contract when he returned from his holiday. Gilles has been a scout for us and we can't forget the legendary tackle on Edgar Davids in the Bergkamp testimonial. It's very good news if Arsene Wenger does sign the deal. That shows that he is still committed to and believes in this squad we have. I was a little worried really that he might not stay but it appears he is going to, and will have his mate Gilles running player negotiations.

Bakari Sagna is looking more and more likely to sign with us, as it has been reported that one offer by Arsenal has been turned down. No idea how much we're going to pay for this guy, but I'd hope it wasn't much considering we have Hoyte, Eboue, Gilbert, Clichy, and Traore all as promising full-backs. Doesn't leave much room for another one really and I hope if we bring him in we won't be forced to get rid of one. I'm not an Eboue fan with his diving antics so if I had to pick one to go honestly it'd be him, but I don't see that happening.

Sp*urs paid 16.5 million pounds for Darren Bent. This is completely insane. Do they know Thierry Henry was sold for only 16 million? I think Sp*rs are just trying to buy everyone that they can to get into the Champion's League, and the funny thing will be when it still doesn't happen. We play them in September, can't wait for that one.

Manchester United appear to be interested in Michael Owen. Maybe that means they aren't as interested in Nicolas Anelka anymore? Who knows, but they can have Owen. He'll break a hip the first week he's in training.

That's about it for the day. I don't really expect much big news tomorrow as Wenger is still on holiday, but you never know. Cheers

Strikers, Strikers, And More Strikers

Alright, I've got something new today. I'm going to give you the news as always but then I'm going to run like a striker comparison of sorts, meaning I'll give you the facts about each of the strikers Arsenal is linked with. But first, on to the news.

Nicolas Anelka has once again been linked with us, as well as Manchester United. I think he's definitely someone Arsene is looking to sign. We've been over my opinion on him, and I'll get to more of it anyways later on.

Obafemi Martins is another target, and The Independent is reporting that we are lining up a 13 million pound off for him to activate his buy-out clause. 13 million seems a bit much to me for him, (only 3 million less than Henry!?) but we'll see how it turns out nevertheless.

The press is also linking us with Eto'o again, saying that he would like a move to Arsenal or Chelsea. If this is the case, why didn't we end up swapping him for Henry? I don't think Wenger really wants Eto'o honestly. I think he's quality but there must be something about him for Wenger to have not wanted to make a swap deal.

Freddie Ljungberg has again reiterated his desire to stay at Arsenal through his agent. If he stays, I really hope for his sake he has a much better year than the last two, he's been dreadful.


Right, so now on to THE STRIKER COMPARISON! Yeahhhhhh.

1. Carlos Tevez
Age: 23
Height: 1.70 meters (5 feet 7 inches)
Probable Fee: He was bought by West Ham for 12 million pounds. I would figure him to be higher value now, so anywhere from 13 million to 16/17 million pounds.
Overview: We've all seen him play in the Premiership. He's a good player, fast, strong, and can score goals. It took him awhile to start scoring at West Ham, but once he did he was really the main factor in saving them from relegation. A very young player that I think would fit into our system, and would be a good signing.

2. Obafemi Martins
Age: 22
Height: 1.70 meters ( 5 feet 7 inches)
Probable Fee: He has a 13 million pound buyout clause in his contract, so we could buy him for that much with Newcastle having no way to stop it, unless the player just chose to stay there, which he wouldn't.
Overview: Another pacy striker, with a cannon of a foot. He actually had a shot clocked at 84 mph, the 9th hardest shot in football history! He seems to be a bit of a nutter though, with reports that someone tried to kill him back home in Nigeria just last week. I like him as a player, and he is a lot of people's choice to replace Henry.

3. Samuel Eto'o
Age: 26
Height: 1.8 meters (5 feet 11 inches)
Probable Fee: Unknown really, my guess would be 16-20 million pounds
Overview: Our supposed reasons for letting Henry leave was to get Eto'o in a swap deal...at least that's what we all thought. Turns out Barcelona decided to keep them both. He's a quality player, has kind of an ego but so did Thierry. Very fast and I think he would fit in perfectly with our system, but the price tag may just be too high for him, as we have other needs as well as a striker.

4. Nicolas Anelka
Age: 28
Height: 1.85 meters (6 feet 0 inches)
Probable Fee: Reported to be 11 million pounds
Overview: Another player with an ego problem, but another possibility. He is the oldest out of the strikers we have been linked with, but maybe the most likely to be bought. He knows the Arsenal system and would love a move away from Bolton I'm sure. He's definitely quality but we just don't know if Arsenal wants to take the risk in bringing him back.


And that about wraps that up. A lot of people will be thinking I should have gone on and put Babel in here, but I think he's play mostly wing for us anyways. Huntelaar is another option, but I just haven't heard much in the way of us making a move for him. As always, I will let you know if that changes.

Good day all.

Cheers.

ArseNole

What's It Gonna Be Arsene?

Hellllllllllllllloooooooooo everyone! I've just woken up and that means it's time for an update.

Not much going on today. I had a feeling we would actually see a transfer go through last night but I guess it's not to be.

So anyways, on with today's news.

Steve Bruce at Birmingham is after another of our young players, and this time it's Mathieu Flamini. The Flamster's legal adviser said that he is currently in talks with several clubs and will be making a decision soon. Birmingham have just been promoted this year and think Flamini will be an improvement over their current midfielders. Near the end of last year Flamini said that it was time to move on from Arsenal as he was not getting the first team football that he needed to progress, and fair play to him. He's honestly just not that great, definitely no better than Diaby or Denilson and they are both younger. Hopefully we get a couple million for him so we can get in some quality players.

Peter Hill-Wood talked about how he hopes Arsene Wenger will stay on past next summer when his contract expires, which may be the understatement of the century. We NEED Wenger to stay on for another contract. Thierry Henry said that the reason he left is because Wenger would not sign a new deal, but since that's all bollocks this is what PHW said about that:

"I am not particularly worried about what Thierry said but whether it really influenced his decision or not we will have to wait and see."

"We certainly don't think Thierry Henry going and Arsene Wenger's contract situation are in any way linked. That was just an excuse.

"I am really hopeful he (Wenger) will extend but at this moment I am only in a position of hoping.

PHW is a smart man I tell ya. I think Arsene sticks around for another contract.

We've been linked with a young striker named Chinedu Ogbuke. Arsenal scouts as well as bloody Sp*urs scouts were at his recent match to check him out. I honestly don't know anything about him, besides that he is Nigerian and plays for Lyn in Norway. If he's quality then I just hope we get him instead of Sp*urs, because it seems like they can afford to buy anyone these days while we sell our best player...yeah...

Right, that's about it. Maybe we'll have some news tomorrow. Is it just me or are West Ham and Tottenham linked with every player thought to possibly be available. Be nice if we had that kind of cash.

Cheers mates

Searching for the Replacement

Hello all. Just a little bit of news today, but I'll go over it nonetheless. This will be the first post in the last week with nothing about Thierry Henry, and I suppose it will stay that way unless he decides Eto'o is a twat and heads straight back to London, which clearly won't happen. But anyways.

Ryan Babel says his move to Arsenal will not happen this summer, which is disappointing to me in a way. I really think he is a talent, only 20 years old, he's fast and skillful and most of all, he's a winger that can also play striker. We could really use him and his price tag isn't too high right now. He continues by saying,

"There will be a time when I play at Arsenal. But there is nothing at the moment."

Hmm wonder who his favorite club is?

Bakari Sagna has stated that if an offer comes in from Arsenal, Auxerre needs to accept it because he wishes to head for the Emirates. He says he talked to Abou Diaby about playing here and Diaby said that he likes it a lot and that it makes you a better player. Well at least somebody has a positive word about the club. He's a right back! Don't we already have 2 right backs that just signed new deals recently? Please, please Arsene, do not waste what money we have on him, there are so many more pressing needs than another full back.

Carlos Tevez has also been linked with us recently as a replacement for Thierry Henry. He says the move would excite him, but I think in general he is just talking about a move to anywhere away from West Ham. Inter and Real Madrid are also interested, and he stated that he would rather play for Inter than Real. No word where Arsenal fits into that picture, although he did say he likes the Premiership and likes that he wouldn't have to move out of London. I like Tevez but I think there might be better options available. Wouldn't complain if we got him though.

In a bit of non-Arsenal news that still interests me so it may interest you all, is that Yaya Toure has moved to Barcelona for 10 million euros. I like him as a player and although we have a packed inner midfield cast, I would have liked to see him join up with his Brother at Ashburton Grove.

And last of all, Nicolas Anelka was seen at Arsenal in the last few days. No doubt they are working out a contract, which would mean they already have the fee with Bolton worked out. Not sure he is the best option either, but Arsene knows what he's getting at least.

Not much else for now. Good day all. Cheers!

Well it's official...

Thierry Henry is officially gone. As long as he passes his medical then everything is completed. I'm kind of over it now honestly. I think it'll all come up for me again when we start the season, but for now I'm beginning to get used to the fact that he's gone. Henry has described his move to Barcelona as "incredible," which is bollocks because it makes me feel like he hasn't enjoyed playing here, at least this last year. It also says he talked to Cesc about moving before he completed it. You suppose Cesc said, "Alright chap just skip on over to Barcelona, don't worry about us!" I think it's pretty strange that Cesc wouldn't try to get him to stay, but maybe he did, who knows.

Diego Forlan has been linked with us. Supposedly the asking price of Villareal is 15.5 million pounds. Only half a million less than our beloved Henry? Wow. Did everyone forget how bad Forlan was in the Premiership. I hope we don't sign him. There are much better players than him.

I trust Arsene Wenger, I really do. I think the reason he sold Henry is because it really is the right direction to go in and will make us better overall. Next year Adebayor, Van Persie, Bendtner, and Walcott will have to step up and score the goals we will be missing from Henry. I definitely think Van Persie has the quality to bring his game up even more. He'll be exciting to watch. Whoever we bring in needs to be similar to Henry. Fast, skillful, someone who makes good runs and can pass as well. I think Arsene already knows who he wants. He wouldn't have let him leave if he didn't. This is not the end of the mighty Gunners, it's just another step. We've lost brilliant players before, Overmars, Anelka, Vieira, Pires, Bergkamp, but we've gotten through it. True Henry is a different player than all of them, but he is still able to be replaced, and we will get through it.

Not much else in the news today. Let me know who you think should replace Titi, or what you think about the site. Good day all.

ArseNole

Still Recovering

So now it's day 2 of knowing we will no longer see Thierry Henry in the red and white of Arsenal. I'm still shocked, frankly. I still can't believe only 16 million quid for him, and no Eto'o. Terrible. Makes me hate Barcelona even more, but i digress...

Henry gave a final farewell to the fans, saying he will be a 'Gunner for life.' Well mate you would have been if you had followed through with what you said about never playing in Spain and seeing out your career with Arsenal. He says that now he will always look to see the Arsenal scores because now he is an Arsenal fan. Well Thierry I look at the scores as well and nobody is in love with me because of it. Honestly I'm pissed. Don't sign a new contract and say you're staying for the rest of your career then leave a year later because David Dein walked out on the board. What do you all think? It's driving me mad that he'd leave after one year of his contract and especially after having the sub par year he had.

Frank McLintock had a really good statement about Henry's excuses, saying he wishes he'd rather a player come out and say that he's had some great years but now he thinks it's time to move on.

Several sources are now saying that Nicolas Anelka will be Henry's replacement. I put him in my transfer window preview earlier last week but now the chances of him coming look much higher with Henry gone. They're saying he'll move here for 11 million pounds. That leaves us 5 million from the Henry sale, 2 million from the Aliadiere sale, and maybe some more from the Reyes sale. Hopefully we use that money to bring in a winger at least.

Alberto Aquilani has also been linked with us. I really don't know much about him besides that he is a midfielder and he plays for Roma in Italy. Arsene loves the young players, but I don't see the point in another young midfielder while we have Cesc, Diaby, and Denilson that will all want playing time.

I have decided who I think Arsenal should sign. If you haven't seen Sergio Aguero play, he's amazing. I don't know what we would have to pay for him, but if there is any way we can get him, I think he would be a perfect replacement for Thierry. Tell me what you think.

That's about it for the day, remember we now have a shop opened here. We're in the process of making a new logo. If you design a new logo and send it to me and I choose it, you will be able to receive some of the profits from any sales with the logo on it. Email any design ideas to Kykins27@bellsouth.net

Good day all.

ArseNole

Adieu Thierry

Well the day that has been talked about for summers on end has finally arrived. As brought to you yesterday by The ArseNole, our beloved captain Thierry Henry has been sold to Barcelona for 16 million pounds. And a terrible thing it is. Darren Bent is valued at 18 million, Ribery sold for 17 million, and even Florent Malouda is valued at 17 million. Our best player to our European rivals for 16 million? Are you joking?

Alright enough of that ranting, although I'm sure many of you like myself are scratching your heads in disbelief right now.

I'll come right out and say that I wish Thierry luck. I think it was a bad way to leave, but I think we all knew it was coming. He was magnificent for us. His goals were top class, he made passes, he controlled games, and he gave us a whole new aspect to our team with him on the pitch. I remember his first goal for Arsenal just as vividly as I remember his last. There were times, especially in the last year, where it looked like he was getting slower and just cared less about the game, so maybe it was time for him to move on. He stated his reasons for leaving are because of Wenger not signing a longer deal and because of the departure of David Dein. Honestly it doesn't surprise me that Henry was so close with a board member, a player as valuable as he is. The board would want his input on things and I bet Dein was the man Thierry went to with any concerns.

So what now? Well there are two outcomes here. One is that we could totally lose control, Thierry leaves, then Arsene leaves, then Cesc, then Gallas, Bendtner, Van Persie...etc. I don't think our beloved Kolo would ever leave. The other option is that we can replace Henry and move on and move forward. We need to do a couple of things right away. We NEED a replacement for Thierry and fast. If we quickly sign a top class striker, it will show that we have not lost our ambition and will make it easier to get other players to come in as well as showing current players that we are willing to spend some cash to make this team into what it has been in the past. Our current players won't stick around long if we are a mid-table side. We have to buy someone NOW. I'm not one of the believers that says if Arsene leaves half our squad will. They signed for Arsenal Football Club not Arsene Wenger Club. Let's just hope the club is serious and shows that we can go out and get a big name to replace Henry.

Thierry, you will never be forgotten. He was such a great player for us and his record will stand for a long long time. I have already hung my 05/06 Henry jersey to retire it along with Highbury. It will stand on my wall forever. I wish him the best, and hope that Barcelona will kindly send us Ronaldinho for our generosity with the transfer fee.

TH14, you'll be missed

ArseNole

Shop Opening, Henry Leaving, And more

Hello all, a bit of news for the day then.

First off, ArseNole has opened its new online shop. Lots of stuff in there from shirts to bumper stickers to wall clocks to mugs. Check it out here.

Next may be the most important thing we've had in a while. As first reported by Arseblog, the Arsenal publishing department has been told not to feature Thierry Henry on any publications for the upcoming season. Interesting news there...The papers in Spain are reporting that Barcelona have agreed a fee of 16 million pounds and hope to unveil him on Monday. They also said Henry has agreed a four year deal with the Catalan club. It's all Spanish press so you never know what to believe but that's the news. Inter Milan have also recently shown interest in our captain and leading goal-scorer.

I think it may be the time when Henry finally does leave us. That bit about the publishers is quite interesting and leads me to think he is gone. After all, he is currently our captain so you would think if he was going to be here he would be on everything the club produced.

Jeremie Aliadiere is looking forward to his new opportunity at Boro, saying he hopes to make an immediate impact and hold down a place in the first team. I wish him the best of luck. I was never really big on the guy but anyone who stays at the club for seven years should be thanked for their service at least.

Arsenal have been seeded for the Champion's League next year, meaning we will avoid Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan, Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid in the group stages. The Gunners were seeded fifth, ahead of Man U and Chelsea.

Arsene Wenger has been linked with the Real Madrid job, and is one of the four managers they are looking at to replace Fabio Capello.

And that's about it for the day. It'd be a big loss to lose Thierry. Let's at least hope we have the brains to sign someone to replace him.

ArseNole

New Football Director?

Well there is some fairly big Arsenal news today, finally.

Gilles Grimandi is close to agreeing a deal to become Arsenal's new football director. It has been reported that Wenger is looking to sign his ex-player to assume the role vacated by David Dein. Grimandi would be in charge of transfers and contract negotiations, and would also be serving as a buffer between Arsene and the board.

I think it's very important that Arsene has been given the freedom to get whoever he wants in this role, because he is able to get someone he knows he can work with and trusts. Hopefully Gilles will be up to the job.


Sources are saying that Arsene Wenger is giving the Arsenal board six months to match his ambitions for the club. If certain changes are not made by that time, he will not renew his contract at the end of the year. A close friend of Wenger's made this comment:

"Arsene is fearful that the current squad is still too young to compete with Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool for the title.

"It's obvious he needs to bring in some experience but has been told he must sell players to generate money to buy players."

It's probably all bollocks and I don't believe it but if it were true it honestly wouldn't surprise me. It sure seems like with Arsenal needing to bring in players to "Keep Thierry happy" and now the board has to give out money that the club doesn't have to "Keep Arsene happy" that there is a lot of ego flying around Ashburton Grove at the moment. I know Wenger is a great manager and it would be terrible to see him go, but we just moved into the new stadium and we are strapped for cash at the moment. Supposedly the board has given him 40 million pounds to spend, so I think that should be enough for him. Hopefully the boss stays on for another few years.


There's also a little bit about Cesc professing his love for the club.

"When you are just 17, they are all next to you and that's a great feeling. And scoring goals and winning things for this club is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Hopefully Barcelona won't get a hold of him any time soon.

That's about all for now. Cheers mates, let me know what you think.

ArseNole

Transfer Window Special

Since the news around Arsenal is fairly slow these days, I've decided to on this second day of the ArseNole to give you what I think is a unique view on the transfer window. The way this will work is I'm going to mention every player I have heard us linked with and give a little summary of him and whether or not I think it will actually happen. Then if I have time I'll do a bit on the players I think will be leaving Arsenal in the summer. So let's kick it off then eh?

News of the Day:

To start off we have a bit of news from the day. Barcelona want Arsene Wenger to take over as manager for Frank Rijkaard. Of course this is all very confusing as just today Barcelona also reported that they have absolutely no interest in releasing Rijkaard from his post.

"Frank Rijkaard will be the trainer of Barca next season"

The Spanish press is always coming up with stories, which brings me to Jose Antonio Reyes. Reyes scored a brace for Real Madrid after coming on as a substitute to give Madrid the title over Barcelona. Now he is saying he hopes that will make Real decide to keep him.

"Scoring two goals to help us win the last game of the season when we needed a victory is a great feeling for me, and I hope they aren't my last goals for Real Madrid," said Reyes.

Jeremie Aliadiere has moved on, signing today with Middlesbrough. He's on a three year deal with an option to exted the deal. Let's wish him the best. He had been at Arsenal for seven years and with injuries and such he just never quite made it up to scratch.

Meanwhile, Peter Hill-Wood met with Stan Kroenke again, and things seem to be working out much better between them. While Hill-Wood had previously said he would not have anything to do with "his money of his sort," he had this to say:

"It went perfectly well," said Hill-Wood.

"I hope we will be able to work with him in the future just as we would with any interested people."

Now for a bit on our transfer targets this summer:

Samuel Eto'o: We have probably all seen him play at Barcelona. Very fast, good strength and power. He is a proven goalscorer. He would definitely make up for were Thierry would leave off if he were to leave in perhaps a swap deal. I think he would be a great fit for our system. He is good off the ball, can pass and move, and be a club's top scorer. He commands a big price but I think that if any deal is to be done then it would have to involve a swap for Henry.

Chance of seeing him in red and white: 50%

Miguel Veloso: A Portuguese player currently playing with Sporting Lisbon. He can play as a center midfielder or a centre-back. I have not gotten to see him play very much, but he's another young one to watch. He did put a great free kick past the Holland keeper in the U-21 Championships. I don't think it's highly likely that we'll sign him but he has been mentioned with Arsenal.

Chance of seeing him in red and white: 15%

Miguel: Another Portuguese player who is currently playing for Valencia. He's a quality right-back in my opinion, and one I wish we would've gotten after last year's World Cup. He's very good going forward and competent in defense, and I'd personally take him over Eboue or Hoyte. Due to the fact that we just signed both of them to new deals however, it doesn't look likely that he'll be at the Emirates any time soon.

Chance of seeing him in red and white: 10%

Bakary Sagna: Yet another right back, this one is French, playing for Auxerre. Haven't seen much on him either, but like Miguel, his arrival in my opinion is doubtful due to the two right backs we currently have tied to contracts. We sold Lauren to help Hoyte and Eboue progress, so I can't see us bringing in another right back.

Chance of seeing him in red and white: 10%

Ryan Babel: This is a player I actually would like to see us sign. He is a young dutchman playing for Ajax currently. The thing I like about him is he can play as a striker or on the wing, and could maybe provide the goals from the wing we have been lacking since Pires left. He is very fast with a strong leg and a good eye for goal. Reminds me somewhat of Thierry with his pace and inventiveness. This one actually looks promising.

Chance of seeing him in red and white: 70%

David Trezeguet: The only way this goes through is if Henry decides to stay. Trezeguet is a 29 year old striker playing for Juventus, and a mate of Theirry's from the French national team. Supposedly we would be signing him to "Keep Thierry happy." Bollocks I say, we shouldn't sign a player just because Thierry needs a friend. While he would be our fox in the box type striker we have felt was needed in the past, he is too old for my liking to bring in and frankly I don't think he's good enough either.

Chance of seeing him in red and white: 30%

Florent Malouda: Another winger that we've been linked with, even more now that Ribery has already moved. He is over valued by his club Lyon, at 13 million pounds. I don't believe Arsene Wenger would pay that, but I think he does know we need a winger and we know he loves his French players. I'm not that impressed with him honestly and hope we don't get him, especially for the price they are asking. But in our current state and with the lack of quality wingers out there, it wouldn't surprise me if we did.

Chance of seeing him in red and white: 40%

Nicolas Anelka: The Bolton cunty Wanderers striker has been linked with a return to the club recently. As he left on bad terms before it seems unlikely to me that we'll bring him back, but supposedly Wenger is looking into it. He does have good pace and is a good finisher, definitely a good talent, but maybe too much trouble to bring him back into the fold.

Chance of seeing him in red and white: 20%

Lorenzo De Silvestri: Another defender we have been linked with, this one is the Italian U-19 captain. Supposedly Wenger has been looking at him for some time and now it appears Lazio would be willing to part with him. Haven't seen much of anything from him but as we just brought in the young Norwegian defender I doubt we'd buy him this summer, but maybe next. You never know with Wenger though, he likes to get as many good young ones as he can.

Chance of seeing him in red and white: 25%

There are a bunch of other names we have been linked with, most unrealistic, but these seem to be the main ones we are tracking at the moment. Names like Fernando Torres, David Villa, and others have come up as options to replace Henry, but I do not believe any of these moves will happen.

I'll get to the players who will be leaving the club tomorrow. Good day to you all. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading.

ArseNole

06/07 Season Review

Woo, first post of my Arsenal FC blog. I've decided to start after the season, and to start with a review and transfer outlook. Arseblog and The Cannon also deserve a good look if you haven't read them before.

The 06/07 season was frankly a disappointment from a silverware standpoint. Any time you finish above Sp*rs makes it a little better, but when do we not finish ahead of them? I've decided to start if off with the bright spots, then with the not so bright, then the outlook for the transfer window.

So to begin we'll start with the good:

Gael Clichy is going to be an unbelievable player for us. After Cuntley Cole left for the Chavs, people wondered how we'd make up for his loss. People thought Gallas would maybe play on the left with Big Phil and Kolo in the middle, with Eboue on the right. Once Clichy got healthy however, we never had any questions at who would play left back. He made some great forward runs and was very competent in his defense. He was also a very calculated player, with only 2 yellow cards in the league this year. I think if he works on his crossing he could be a great for us for years to come.

Abou Diaby may in fact be the replacement for Vieira we've been looking for. There were a few times this season when his tackles just made me cringe with the way he took out an opposing player. If he can stay healthy, which is a big if, and if Wenger plays him in the center of midfield instead of on the wing or as an extra striker, then he can be immense for us. His passing has improved and he definitely can make the crunching tackle we need to complement Cesc in the middle.

Johan Djourou is the right player to complement Kolo. While Gallas is similar in stature and style to our favorite Ivorian centre- back, Djourou is tall and quick as well. He had a couple shifty situations that made you nervous, but he is young and will continue to improve, and I think he is already a better choice than Senderos in the middle.

Cesc Fabregas is essential to our team. The team hardly functions without his presence in the team. His passing and composure has been magnificent and he is always improving his game. If he scores some more goals next year he'll be even better.

Robin Van Persie was brilliant before his injury. He looks to be a huge player for us. I had been skeptical before this year because he was a very streaky performer, but it looks like he has come around and will certainly score goals for the club. Let's hope he can stay healthy and have another big year next season.

Last but not least, Denilson showed his potential to be a big player for us in the future. He was dynamic in the Carling Cup run and made the most of his first team chances. I think his passing needs a little work but he definitely is one to watch for the future.


Now the not so good points of the season:

Hleb may have been a waste of money. His dribbling is superb but when he passes to the other team it really doesn't matter that much how good his skill is. He is the most frustrating player in the squad to watch because every time a move has potential he finds a way to blow it better than Paris Hilton. He also is not a good finisher. Besides just not wanting to shoot, when he does shoot it's bloody awful. Someone needs to sit Hleb and Adebayor down and just make them shoot millions of times per day. Perhaps we would see a bit of improvement.

Thierry Henry is an Arsenal legend, of course. However, with his injury streak this season and now his constant bickering about David Dein's departure, I'm getting quite fed up with our captain honestly. Even when healthy and on the pitch he didn't look like his normal brilliant self. If he is still here next year, which I am starting to doubt, then let's hope he comes out healthy and with the passion he used to have for Arsenal Football Club.

Our wingers in general were not very good. Freddie and Rosicky were hurt it seemed like every match. I think Rosicky is a quality player but he has to stay healthy. He certainly has a rocket of a foot when he gets the chance to shoot. As for Freddie, he's been great but I think he'll be moving on, and good luck to him.

Bill Gallas was a bit of a disappointment as well. I expected big things from a 'top class defender' coming in, and I was honestly not impressed. He had the injury problems and was out for a couple months, but he never seemed to work very well with Kolo. Maybe he should stop cunting off to the press about how we should run things and try gelling with his mates.



As for the Cups...

The Carling Cup run by our youngsters was incredible. Armand Traore looks to have a bright future, as well as the aforementioned Denilson and Diaby. Beating Liverpool at Anfield was a great result for them, in one of Craptista's better games. Hopefully the chance to have a run out in the first team will prepare all the young lads for the future.

The FA Cup was a bloody failure, losing to the Blackburn cunts. Beating the scousers away is always nice and there were 2 fine goals from Rosicky in the match, but it was still not a good Arsenal run.

The Champions League was another early exit for us, going out to PSV. Alex gave us the way back in with his own goal at Emirates after we lost 1-0 at PSV, but he made up for it by scoring the equalizing goal late on which gave the Dutch twats a win on away goals.

The Premiership saw it's share of ups and downs for the Gunners, the high point being the two wins against ManUre home and away. Losing to Sheffield United and losing to West Ham twice were the two low points of the league schedule for me. At least we didn't lose to the shite from the lane.



Well that's going to be it for now. I'll get to the transfer window preview later on, as it's time for me to eat a corn dog. With mustard. Or perhaps not. We shall see

Comments appreciated