Just Arsenal News

Arsene Wenger seems to have made his decision to include Jack Wilshere in the Arsenal starting line up today. Unless he is doing another of his old Jedi mind tricks, of course, and Mikel Arteta and his unmovable appear on the St. James’ pitch this afternoon. Assuming the Spaniard has failed to recover from his calf problem, it will be Jack who plays alongside Ramsey.

This has sparked a lot of concern among the Arsenal fans, as Wilshere is our talisman and we have already lost him for over a year with injury problems. We know that the 21-year old is due for a minor operation on his ankle this summer, so people are naturally worried that the injury could be aggravated today, perhaps meaning that he is not ready for next season. .......Read the full article here

A lot of Arsenal fans have been buoyed by the recent performances of Wojciech Szczesny in the Gunners goal and convinced that Arsene Wenger no longer has to sign a new keeper in the summer transfer market. The Polish international is still only 23-years old and is showing again the talent and potential that made us believe we had a world class player on our hands.

The thing is though, and Wenger has realised this, that Szczesny needs the competition. The manager previously tried to encourage Szczesny by telling him that he was the number one and the young keeper got complacent, maybe even arrogant. He has reacted well to being dropped in favour of Fabianski, but he clearly needs strong competition to bring the best out of him. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal will be trying their best to give Julio Cesar a thoroughly miserable time today. The 33-year old Brazilian keeper has been one of the rare plus points for the relegated team this season, often keeping them in matches with great reflex saves and his command of his penalty area.

Harry Redknapp is well aware that Premier League teams will be looking at some of his better players and knows that some of them will not be keen on trying to fight their way out of the championship. Although 33 is not particulary old for a keeper, Cesar may not want to waste a season in the lower tier, especially if he has a chance to join a big club. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger has spoken about Jack Wilshere and the ankle problems facing the young Arsenal star. The manager gave him a rest on Saturday against Fulham, bringing him on for the last 20 minutes as the Gunners held on for a vital win. Wenger admits to having to be cautious with his midfield star, but expects him to be able to feature against Manchester United on Sunday, a game that we need to get something out of as the battle for Europe heats up.

Wenger surprised people by starting Jack against Everton, a very physical game just a few days after the Norwich match. Wilshere suffered a reaction to that, so Wenger felt he should not start against Fulham. His manager also believes that Jack’s style of football leaves him more susceptible to injury. .......Read the full article here

Stuart Pearce has lost his battle with Roy Hodgson over the Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, but the manager of the England under 21 side is still hoping to get another Gunner from the first team to join his squad for the European Championship in Israel this summer.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was the star of the show for England against San Marion on Friday, and he already has 10 caps and two goals at senior level. He is still eligible for the under 21s, though, and Pearce wants to talk to Hodgson about getting permission to use him. .......Read the full article here

Jack Wilshere is a massive part of the future of Arsenal, but he is also seen as the next best thing for the England international side as well. Arsene Wenger has already admitted to using him more than was probably ideal when he was returning from his lengthy spell away from the game, and Roy Hodgson is facing the same temptation.

The midfield star’s recent ankle problem picked up against Tottenham has highlighted the problems facing both managers, and that is why Wenger wants to discuss with Hodgson the right way to deal with Wilshere, according to the Daily Mail. The Frenchman is hoping to persuade the England boss that Wilshere must be used as sparingly as possible, and that means not using him in the England friendly games scheduled for this summer. .......Read the full article here

The Brazilian defender Andre Santos has had a turbulent time since arriving from Turkey, and certainly didn’t endear himself to the Arsenal fans either by his performances or by his infamous shirt-swapping episode with Robin Van Persie, so it seems he is more than pleased to have wheedled a return to his homeland with Gremio.

“I have the best expectations,” Santos said to the Brazilian press. “Gremio are one of the biggest clubs in the country. “I’ve come to Gremio to be a champion. I am very excited about this project. I have dreamed of working with Vanderlei Luxemburgo. He is a top manager in our football.” .......Read the full article here

Arsenal continue to search for young talent as part of the ongoing philosophy of the club, especially since Arsene Wenger took the reins in 1996. A young Brazilian footballer who was born that same year could be the latest recruit to the Arsenal academy, although he is only coming fpr an initial trial at the moment, according to Skysports.

16-year old Matheus Da Cunha Gomes, who has a typically shorter Brazilian name of Indio, is currently on the books of Vasco De Gama. Indio is a well thought of midfielder who will spend a couple of days with Arsenal, and from the sound of it, he is keen to impress the Prof. .......Read the full article here

The young Arsenal star Jack Wilshere has been continually over-hyped since his return to fitness this season, and has been hailed as the saviour of the England team and perhaps the catalyst that could finally win the World Cup for England for the first time in 48 years.

But the talented midfielder has tried to play down the expectations and says that Roy Hodgson’s side needs a whole team of stars to win a trophy and he simply can’t do it on his own. Wilshere said: “I don’t think one player can ever win a World Cup for a nation. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger was not surprised that Jack Wilshere took his Arsenal form on to the international stage and was voted Man of the Match, but he is a little concerned that too much responsibility and expectation will be heaped on the young man’s shoulders. It is up to the coaching staff at Arsenal and England to help him in this respect says Wenger, but if he is managed right, then there is nothing to stop him becoming one of the all time greats for club and country. .......Read the full article here

Looking to the future by JG

Following last nights international, everyone from Brazil to Timbuktu, are now aware of the enormous talent that Arsenal have in Jack, not just us Gooners.

I do not believe that keeping hold of him in the near future, 2-3 years, will be a problem. Arsenal will certainly look at his 5 year contract in 18 months to two years time, and offer to pay him what he deserves.

Arsene is obviously aware of the deficiency in the centre back and striker positions, although I am not convinced he believes we need another defensive midfield player in the mould of Petite or Viera. I hope he changes his mind. We look a different side when Diaby is fit. .......Read the full article here

Fans of clubs with a lot of international players in them usually dread the international breaks, and Arsenal have had more reason than most recently. It is even worse when the games are friendlies, because it is infuriating to have the season put at risk for a pointless exercise. The curse has struck again this week, with Koscielny and Ramsey facing time on the sidelines and concerns over Walcott.

There are a couple of positives for Arsenal to take from this international break, however. Jack Wilshere and his team mates will be buzzing from his Man of the Match performance against Brazil. This can only help the confidence of the team and reinforce to Arsene Wenger that Wilshere needs to be able to get forward as much as possible, rather than playing a deep midfield role. .......Read the full article here