Just Arsenal News

Arsenal have two of the top three keepers in the squad out of action due to injury, so reports last week that Vito Mannone was looking for a return to Italy were about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit. The 24-year old Italian keeper has reassured Gooners that he has no intention of leaving the Emirates anytime in the foreseeable future.

“I want to make it clear, because there have been unfounded rumours, that my contract is not ending in 12 months.

“I’ve got a few more years and I’m happy to be at Arsenal right now. I’m looking at the present and the future is not in doubt. .......Read the full article here

Never one to underestimate his own abilities, the Arsenal and Denmark forward Nicklas Bendtner has found somebody to blame for the poor form that he has showed in the Premier league. Bendtner has revealed the reason he was not up to scratch was the Arsenal training methods.

“At Juventus the training has been different to, and much harder than, anything I’ve done before. Because of that, my form is at a peak. I’m much sharper.

“I think Juventus are aware of what I can do.”

In fact the Italian champions are so impressed with the best striker in the World that they have used him, but just once as a substitute against Chievo. He came on for the last 10 minutes when Juventus were already 2-0 up. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal have signed up the promising young striker Chuba Akpom now he is 17-years old. The talented teenager has been playing regular games with the under-21 team and scored on Monday after an assist by Jack Wilshere.

The young striker has been involved with the England youth teams and impressed at the under-17 Nordic tournament last year, scoring three goals. Hopefully another star of the future is now committed to being a Gunner.

Someone who did not sign a professional contract with their club and was snapped up by another side is Vito Mannone. Arsenal did pay some compensation to Atalanta but not a lot. Mannone has had many ups and downs in his young life but is finally getting, and taking, the chance to show that he can cut it in the Premier league. .......Read the full article here

The Irish U21 team may not have qualified for next summers European Championships but they certainly gave themselves hope for the future with a brilliant win over the Group Winners Italy in Casarano last night.

Ireland even had Derrick Williams and Anthony Forde sent off during the game, but still managed to beat Italy 4-2 and it was the Arsenal youngster Conor Henderson that scored the best goal of the match in the 58th minute. The others were scored by Aaron Doran (2) and Sean Murray, and the manager Noel King was extremely excited by the result. .......Read the full article here

The Arsenal youngster Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may have only made his full England debut a couple of weeks ago, but he now feels like a fully-fledged member after helping Roy Hodgson’s side get through to tonight’s European Championship quarter-final against Italy.

You would think that any self-respecting journalist would want to pump him about how excited he is going into England’s most important match for six years, but today’s Star goes straight in and asks him if he had any holidays booked!

“I did have one booked but that got cancelled.” he replied, but Chamberlain finally managed to turn the conversation back to the football in the end. .......Read the full article here

There is a strange interview with the respected Italian football journalist Nicola Gallo on Italian TV yesterday, where he was asked if there were any big names expected to arrive at the Juventus Stadium this summer, and he seems quite confident that Van Persie is expected to be Antonio Conte’s marquee signing.

Gallo said: “I think it’s really a pretty limited run, I think there is an intention to do everything possible to give to Conte a dream that is called Van Persie. The most preferred targets of the coach were Cavani and indeed Van Persie, but the former is not for sale, while the second is. Arsenal seems to us to have given up, and are ready to attack Giroud. There remains alive the possibility for (Matias) Suarez and also that for (Robert) Lewandowski, although he seems now promised to Manchester United.” .......Read the full article here

The Swiss defender Johan Djourou has been repeatedly linked with a move away from Arsenal for the last couple of weeks, ever since his international team coach advised him that his place in the Switzerland team would be in danger if he didn’t play more regular first team football.

Even his agent then admitted that he had clients in Italy lined up for Djourou to meet with. The agent, Flavio Ferraria, was reported as saying: “At the moment Napoli are not on the list of appointments but everything is possible. If he leaves the Premier League he will play in Italy or Spain. .......Read the full article here

With several players from Arsenal taking part in the Euros, such as van Persie, Rosicky, Bendtner, Walcott, Arshavin and Oxlade-Chamberlain, the nature of their different playing styles when playing for their national side in comparison to playing for Arsenal becomes more apparent. Does the nature of their national team’s style of play bring out different qualities in how they play, and how much is this affected by the stereotypes that are often banded around about the different nationalities?

We all know about the various stereotyping that are attached to the people of different European countries, some of which can seem positive, others less so; but it is often football that brings these stereotypes to the forefront. .......Read the full article here

So it seems that Arsenal could still be in the market for another defender this summer as it has now been revealed by Johan Djourou’s agent that Swiss international defender has been receiving offers from Serie A and La Liga, and that he has set up a series of meeting with possible suitors.

There have already been rumours that Napoli are keen on giving Djourou regular first-team action, but Djourou’s agent, Flavio Ferraria, says that they are not currently on the list of possible destinations.

Ferraria said: “Can Djourou join Napoli? It’s certainly possible, especially as we will be in Italy next week for a series of appointments,” .......Read the full article here