Just Arsenal News

It seems to me that every year there are hundreds of Arsenal transfer rumours linking us with just about every goalkeeper in the world, whether they are available or not! This year seems to be no exception, despite both Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski having quite good runs between the sticks.

The latest goalkeeping target appears to be the the Stuttgart youngster Sven Ulreich, who has just completed 100 games in a row for the Bundesliga side. Maybe he’s not that young, being 24 years of age, but is obviously very talented and has previously played a few games for the Germany U21s. .......Read the full article here

The prolific Fiorentina hitman Stevan Jovetic has made it clear that he wouldn’t turn down a move to Arsenal when he said recently: “I’ve heard about Arsenal’s interest,”

“It’s a big pleasure for me to be on the radar of such a big club. I am happy about that.

“I’ve always had an affinity with Arsenal. It’s a major club with a big tradition, one of the biggest in Europe.

“It’s not easy to replace Van Persie, who scored a lot of goals.

“Arsenal have plenty of players who don’t score like Van Persie, but are also very good. They are still very strong.” .......Read the full article here

Lukas Podolski may not have set the scoring statistics alight since joining Arsenal from Cologne in the summer, but he has almost always operated on the left side of a front three. The German international striker has scored some very good and very important goals for the Gunners, and provided lots of assists. His performances have added quality to the side both in attack as well as tracking back to help the left back out in defence.

So when Arsenal fans hear about interest in the 27-year old from Juventus who are heading for back to back Italian titles in Serie A, it is something to worry about. Podolski has responded to the Italian champions’ interest, however, and assured Gooners that he is happy at Arsenal, although being flattered by the interest in him. .......Read the full article here

A very common question amongst Arsenal fans is why the hugely talented German international with over 100 caps, Lukas Podolski, does not play more regularly. The question of why he does not get a chance in the centre forward position is an equally popular subject, but I will not go into that at the minute.

We hear that Podolski is struggling with minor injuries quite often, and just recently he has not been included in the Arsenal squad to face Bayern Munich or Swansea City for this very reason. Fair enough, if he’s not quite right he shouldn’t be risked. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal will surely be in the market for a top quality centre back at the end of this season, and there is one player’s name that keeps cropping up. 24-year old Mats Hummels partnered Per Mertesacker in the German international team last night, and Arsene Wenger would love to see that pairing at the Emirates, but the Borussia Dortmund defender will not be an easy acquisition.

There were stories that Arsenal tried an audacious bid for Hummels in January, but were knocked back. With Dortmund doing well in the Champions league and now up to second in the German Bundesliga table, neither the player or the club would be very keen on a mid season move. Hummels is a world class defender, so would be very expensive but it is not just his price that will make the signing difficult for Arsenal. Barcelona and Manchester United also have the player on their radars. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger could be left raging after yet another set of meaningless international friendly games played at a crucial time in Arsenal’s season. The Gunners midfielder Aaron Ramsey didn’t even make it onto the Cardiff pitch last night pitch and was injured in training ahead of Wales game against Austria, and it is feared that he could now miss this weekend’s game against Sunderland.

More worrying for Wenger is the fact that Laurent Koscielny was withdrawn halfway through France’s game against Germany, and his calf injury could take up to three weeks to fully recover which means that Thomas Vermaelen will not be available to cover a left-back if neccessary.. .......Read the full article here

With the games coming thick and fast in January it is obviously annoying that UEFA and FIFA randomly decide to have a glut of international friendlies to annoy Arsene Wenger and the other Premiership managers.

Arsenal are probably lucky that England are playing at Wembley for the friendly against Brazil this week, so Wilshere, Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain won’t have to go far from home to be involved in the set up, but Santi Cazorla and newboy Nacho Monreal will be travelling back to Spain to face Uruguay. We should be very glad that game isnt being played in South America! .......Read the full article here

Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger saw his team qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League for the 14th time in a row, but both the holders Chelsea and the upstarts Man City are both unlikely to qualify. He thinks it is becoming less easy to assume that English teams are certain to achieve qualification for the knockout stages nowadays as other Leagues improve a little every year as well, rather than the quality in England going down.

“I don’t think we are getting worse.” Wenger said. “Maybe we have less room, less margin, than we had before when it was just a question of when we would qualify. Now German football has come up, Spanish football is there every year and some French clubs have come back like Paris
Saint-Germain. .......Read the full article here

Not many players get 100 international caps, especially for a successful country like Germany, but the new Arsenal striker and left winger Lukas Podolski got his at Euro 2012 and is likely to get many more before his international career comes to an end.

Despite their being a good crop of young German strikers coming through, the coach of Germany has spoken about Podolski and has assured him that he is crucial to the Germany team. Joachim Low is glad that Podolski has made the move from Cologne to the Gunners and says it is already improving his play. .......Read the full article here

The Germany legend Berti Vogts, who won the World Cup with his country in 1974 and also managed them to two European Championship Finals (winning one) has spoken out about the new Arsenal star Lukas Podolski.

He thinks that the ex-Cologne striker had it too easy in the Bundesliga and spent too much time out partying with his mates than concentrating on his fitness for the club.

“I am happy that Podolski has left Cologne,” Vogts said. “He had too many friends in the city. He got praised as a great runner if he ever got back to defend three times in a game. He got an easy ride and he believed his own publicity. .......Read the full article here

The many Arsenal players that were named in their country’s sides last night managed to come through their respective games unscathed, and Arsene wenger will be relieved to find out that both Ñukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker are both going to be left out of the starting line-up for Germany this evening.

Tonight’s local derby against Austria is always a tough game for the German’s but it looks like Joachim Low is keen to use his full array of talent during these easy-ish games, so Marcel Schmelzer will come in to replace the in-form Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker in front of Manuel Neuer’s goal. .......Read the full article here

The German youth international Serge Gnabry came to Arsenal with a huge reputation when he arrived from Stuttgart last summer and he settled quickly, scoring six goals in eight games for the U18′s. He was quickly moved up to the reserves and made another six appearances which persuaded Arsene Wenger that he could rise just as rapidly to the Arsenal first team.

While other youngsters were left at home playing friendlies against local teams, Gnabry was pulled into the squad that went to Germany last week and made his first-team debut in the second half against Cologne. .......Read the full article here