Just Arsenal News

There has been much talk of Arsenal’s record amount of funds in the transfer kitty this summer, but with the current squad ending the season with a brilliant ten-game unbeaten run Wenger seemed to hint that there is not much need for reinforcements to be brought in.

“In the last three months, I believe we have been remarkably consistent.” Wenger said: “We won every away game so it’s a good springboard for next season, to transfer that belief into the start of next season. That means we need stability and to strengthen our group if possible. There are many clubs out there with a lot of money so the competition is very hard. There’s not as much talent as money today in football.” .......Read the full article here

Obviously Chelsea are extremely happy that they have won yet another European trophy this season, despite the fact that they were only in the Europa League after being knocked out of the Champions League in the Group Stages.

Wenger thinks that this should not happen, and the teams that are given another chance in the Europa League are basically being “rewarded for failure”.

He said: “You have two teams in the final who were in the Champions League, their target at the start of the season was the Champions League, not to win the Europa League,”

“We raised that question many times at UEFA: is it right to reward teams basically for failure? .......Read the full article here

The latest rumour in the Arsenal goalkeeper situation by SS

There is an Arsenal transfer rumour going around that Arsene Wenger could be ready to make a surprise bid for Reading’s Alex McCarthy who has earned his first ever call up to the England squad this week. McCarthy would not become the top goalkeeper at the club but would instead be used as emergency cover and loaned out to other clubs with a recall option, similar to the arrangement Fulham have with David Stockdale.

Wenger is expecting Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone to leave the club this summer and he has even been looking for somebody to possibly replace the current keeper Wojciech Szczesny, according to media speculation. .......Read the full article here

Olivier Giroud is almost certain to be back in the Arsenal starting line up tomorrow and he will want to end the season on a high. At times this season he has struggled, especially in the first half, but the French international is now a key part of the team and one of the first men on the team sheet when he is available.

Arsene Wenger has had to treat him cautiously at times, leaving him out of a few games before the new year because his confidence was at a low ebb and the manager did not want the pressure to be too much. Part of the problem for Giroud was the weight of expectation and responsibility that came with replacing the departed captain Robin van Persie. .......Read the full article here

It certainly gives the Arsenal players something to think about as we approach one of the most important final days of the Premier League in years, at least as far as the three teams involved are concerned. After City snatching the title from United in the most dramatic fashion last year, this year will be all about the battle for third and fourth place.

The season could even be extended if Arsenal win by one goal and Chelsea draw, scoring two less than us. So a 2-1 win for Arsenal and a 0-0 draw for them would mean we are tied on points, goal difference and goals scored. Instead of going on head-to-head record, the Premier League rules state thatb there would be a play-off to determine who finished third. Tottenham, as usual, do not get a look-in, a bit like the Champions League. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal have been in a three way tussle with Chelsea and Tottenham for what seems like ages now. There has never been such a close run race for the final two Champions League places and it is all going down to the wire. Chelsea are definitely in the top four, although the Gunners could go above them into third. So really, it is down to us and Spurs again.

Arsene Wenger, however, is not interested in how the spuds get on against Sunderland, because he knows that Arsenal have worked very hard to make sure that our destiny is in our own hands and that the players must focus solely on beating Newcastle United on Sunday. .......Read the full article here

Six Reasons Why Arsenal Can Dominate English Football Next Season by FD

Recent years have been frustrating for followers of Arsenal. The trophy drought has been bad enough, but we’ve also had to endure the regular exodus of our best players and the apparent reluctance of the powers-that-be to compete with the other top clubs on an equal footing. Yet, at last, there appear to be some solid grounds for optimism. A combination of events elsewhere and the seeds of something stirring at home might just be pointing to a period of Arsenal resurgence ahead. Here are six reasons why the coming 2013/14 season could be one to finally reward the patience of all Gooners. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger has had a fair bit to say recently about the short term thinking displayed by a lot of football clubs these days, while trying to end the speculation about his own future as the Arsenal manager. We know that the Frenchman is a man of principles and will stick to them, although the Arsenal fans wish he would be a bit more flexible sometimes.

There has been speculation about his future at the Gunners for most of the season, more than ever before from the club’s own fans after the worst ever start under Wenger. Following a great improvement as the season has progressed, culminating in a run of nine games unbeaten that has put Arsenal above Tottenham and into the final Champions League place, the talk has been more about whether Wenger would decide to move on, with PSG the most keen suitors. .......Read the full article here

So we now face the final game of the season, and Arsene Wenger knows that Arsenal simply need to win at Newcastle to confirm our place in the Top Four for the 17th season in a row. But which team is Wenger going to pick?

There are certain to be changes from last week’s nervous home win over Wigan, as the Spaniard Mikel Arteta is nigh on a certain casualty. Wenger said yesterday: “For the weekend, we have the uncertainty over Mikel Arteta, who had to come off just before the end of the Wigan game with a calf strain. Honestly, his chances of being available are minimal. I have to be realistic and prepare for another solution.” .......Read the full article here

Next season could be an extremely important, even pivotal, one for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. If the Gunners finish the campaign with no trophies and way off the top spot in the Premier League again, it could be all change. The Professor will be at the end of his contract and will probably not get another. That could have a bif affect on the future of the club as well, but I think that Arsenal will be much more competitive next season for a number of reasons. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger has not announced his Arsenal team sheet for the crucial last game of the season yet, but it does no take a genius to work out that Olivier Giroud will come straight back into the starting XI to face Newcastle United. The big French international was sent off against Fulham and the FA rejected the Gunners appeal, even though it was clear from the replays that he had got the ball and slipped.

Lukas Podolski has grown into the role in the three games Giroud has missed, especially with his double against Wigan, but he will be back out on the left again on Sunday, if he plays at all. The manager is usually cautious about saying whether a player will be in the team but, when he spoke about Giroud today, he used the word will rather than might. .......Read the full article here

Why All The Surprise At Wenger’s “Hair-Dryer” Outburst? by FD

There’s been a lot of media talk since Arsenal’s victory over Wigan at the Emirates on Tuesday about the apparent rocket Arsene Wenger delivered to his under-performing players during the half-time interval. Theo Walcott was quoted in the Guardian as saying: “We got a rocket,”

“We’ll keep that in the dressing room. But it’s great that the manager has that passion and it got a bit more out of the players. We all knew how big it is, not just for the manager but the fans, the players and the club itself. It’s massive to be in the Champions League. The manager gave us a kick up the backside. I felt we did show some good play in the first half but we didn’t manage to take our chances. Thankfully we did in the second.” .......Read the full article here