Just Arsenal News

So who could make us better by BN

I have said recently that I feel we need up to five more players to enable this Arsenal team to compete strongly with Manchester United and City, so what should we looking for? Players with a realistic chance that we could sign, so forgetting Messi and Ronaldo these are the players I would like.

A keeper, maybe not to replace Szczesny but to give him competition. Either experienced like Shay Given, or I do like Vorm at Swansea. Staying at Swansea, Ashley Williams has had an amazing season and I feel he would jump at the chance to play at a big club. I would also love to see Leighton Baines in our team and wanted us to sign him from Wigan, but we did have Clichy at the time so a left back wasn’t on Wenger’s list. .......Read the full article here

There are a couple of Arsenal transfer rumours around this morning relating to goalkeepers. It is taken as read that Manuel Almunia will be leaving the Emirates this summer when his contract expires, and with the Gunners other two senior keepers currently injured it would be no surprise if Wenger was in the market for backup.

The first rumour comes from CaughtOffside, who reckon that Shay Given is being considered again. The Man City keeper has been languishing in the reserves all season at the Eastlands and has many times said that he needs to move elsewhere if he wants to play. Would he be perfect as the new mentor to Wojciech Szczesny? .......Read the full article here

The Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has admitted that he was devastated by the transfer window dealings which saw him refused a move to Arsenal. He said that Shay Given turned down a move to Craven Cottage to dash his hopes at the at the end of the summer.

Schwarzer said in today’s Australian Daily Telegraph: “Mark Hughes and the staff made it absolutely clear that they wanted to keep me and would only let me leave if they found a keeper of equal standing at the very least.

“They only had one option [Given]. Unfortunately, the day before the window closed, he made himself unavailable. .......Read the full article here

The Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given could have been the catalyst for Mark Schwarzer to move to Arsenal at the end of the summer transfer window, or he could have even joined the Gunners himself once Fulham had put the block on Schwarzer moving to the Emirates.

But Given decided to stay with City but he is still sitting on the bench, which he is not in the slightest bit happy with and is now looking to move away in January. He is still Number One for the Republic of Ireland but believes he can still play at the top for many more years. .......Read the full article here

After the total chaos at the end of the transfer window, when Mark Schwarzer was desperate to join Arsenal, and Shay Given was supposed to replace him at Fulham, it now looks like we could go through the same situation in January, but according to today’s Metro, Given will move straight to Arsenal.

The Man City manager Roberto Mancini says that he would have been happy to let Given leave in August, and he will still let him go in January if he decides he needs to play.

Mancini said: “I have a lot of respect for Shay and I told him the situation before the finish of the [transfer] market. I told him. .......Read the full article here

It now looks like Arsenal’s last chance of securing Mark Schwarzer has now fallen through as the Guardian has just reported that Shay Given has decided to turn down Fulham and remain at the Eastlands this season.

Mark Hughes said on Saturday: “I’m always interested in quality players and Shay Given is a quality player. Make of that what you will.

“But I have said that if we can’t get anyone else in, Schwarzer will have to stay.” .......Read the full article here

In an amazing turnaround from Arsene Wenger stating that “the transfer window is closed” for Arsenal, it seems that it is still very possible that the Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer could arrive at the Emirates in the next few days. There are reports that Schwarzer has threatened to go on strike for the season if he is not given his wish.

The Sydney Morning Herald today reports that Mark Hughes is still trying to get Shay Given in to replace Schwarzer in a last-minute deal.

“Mark Schwarzer has made it clear that he would like to go to Arsenal so we are trying to look at other options,” Hughes said. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger’s press conference yesterday was very revealing in many ways, and no less on the transfer front. He admitted a couple of times that he was looking for reinforcements, but also said that he wasn’t close to signing anyone at all!

With just ten days to go it is becoming “squeaky bum time” in the transfer market, and it is now becoming obvious that Arsenal are on the lookout for another goalkeeper. Wenger was asked about the two most likely arrivals, and first of all he explained that Shay Given would be impossible for anyone to buy because of the wages he is on at the Eastlands. In fact Man City will find it very difficult to offload ANY of their surplus players. .......Read the full article here

The ongoing Arsenal search for a new keeper has taken a couple of new twists this morning, and it looks like Wenger still has a choice of two. The Man City keeper Shay Given may have been offered a pay rise to stay at the Eastlands, but it is being reported today that he is still expected to leave for regular first team action to make sure that he doesn’t lose his place in the Republic of Ireland team. .......Read the full article here

We are entering the final 14 days of the transfer window, and Arsene Wenger doesn’t seem to be any closer to signing another much-needed centre-back. The only one that is linked today is the Dutch international defender Joris Mathijsen, who is currently at Hamburg.

The problem with this link (other than it coming from Caughtoffside!) is that he is a 30 year-old and still has a long contract at Hamburg. This means that it will cost around £12m to persuade Hamburg to let him go, and I really can’t see Wenger paying that amount for someone that age, no mater how experienced he is……. .......Read the full article here

The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given is to “consider his options” this weekend after he was told by Man City boss Roberto Mancini that Joe Hart will be the Number One at the Eastlands this season, which has reignited the rumours that Arsenal could secure his services for next season.

The Daily Mail quotes a “source close to Given” as saying: “Shay respects the manager’s decision even if he thinks it’s wrong. He is very, very disappointed, particularly bearing in mind his performances for City since he joined. He’ll meet his advisers over the weekend and consider his options. Until now Shay has been really happy at City.’” .......Read the full article here

Arsenal have been strongly linked with a move for either Joe Hart or Shay Given in the last few weeks, and the reports have said that neither of them would be willing to spend the next season on the bench. Well now Shay Given has admitted that it is a fact!

Hart has ambitions to be Englands regular Number One, and he won’t be able to claim that position if he spends all year on the bench, and Shay Given is just too good (and too far long in the tooth) to spend his twilight years on the bench. The latest rumours have said that Arsene Wenger wants Given to come to Arsenal on loan for a year while he waits for Wojneich Szczesny to gain experience, and after hearing Given’s thoughts it seems that it could be a very likey scenario. .......Read the full article here