Just Arsenal News

Just as Arsenal fans are hoping that Santi Cazorla and Nacho Monreal will be encouraging their team mates in the Spanish national side to consider a move to North London and telling them how good it is at Arsenal and London, the Juventus and Montenegro striker Mirko Vucinic will probably be chewing the ear off his international team mate Stevan Jovetic.

23-year old Jovetic looks set to leave Fiorentina this summer after five seasons with the Serie A club. He has indicated his admiration for the English Premier League, which has given great encouragement to Arsenal in their bid to sign him. Vucinic, however, believes he can persuade him to stay in Italy and move to his club, Juventus. .......Read the full article here

It was only a few wekks ago when the name of Fernando Amorebieta was relatively unknown in England. That was before the Athletic Bilbao defender was linked with a transfer to Arsenal. Now the Venezuelan international is being tracked by a host of clubs, including Everton, Liverpool and Stoke City. The latest club to show concrete interest in the 27-year old is the Russian outfit Anzhi Makachkala, according to the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

The players agent has been speaking to the Russian media, and has revealed that Amorebieta is one of the targets for the big spending club managed by Guus Hiddink. From his words, however, it seems as if the Gunners are in pole position, as long as they are not blown out of the water by silly money. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal are not the only club interested in Fernando Amorebieta, but the Gunners should have a head start because they already tried to sign him in January, according to rumours. The 27-year old central defender will certainly be leaving Athletic Bilbao at the end of the season, after the Spanish club lost patience and withdrew the offer of a new contract from him.

That seems a bit like sour grapes, because the Venezuelan had already rejected the new contract, but Bilbao do operate in an unusual way sometimes. Arsenal were hoping to persuade them to sell Amorebieta last month, apparently, but they will make him see out his contract, as they will with Fernando Llorente. Their principles could have cost them a lot of money this year. .......Read the full article here

There may be some news after all for Arsenal fans, although nothing is official yet. Arsene Wenger may be finalising a deal to bring the centre back Fernando Amorebieta from Athletic Bilbao. The 27-year old is a Venezuelan international but has lived in Spain’s Basque country for most of his life. He has played for Bilbao since the start of his professional career, but has rejected the offer of a new contract.

Yesterday, the president of Bilbao, Jose Urrutia, withdrew the contract offer and said that Amorebieta would be leaving in the summer. Arsene Wenger has decided not to wait, according to the Daily Mail, and has got less than five hours to complete the deal before the window shuts. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger is expected to bring some significant new players in to the Arsenal side during the transfer window this month. There are some key positions that need improving and covering in case of injury, and Ivan Gazidis has indicated that the Arsenal board will back Wenger to spend some decent money, although the amount is debatable.

It is no surprise, then, that some Gooners have reacted angrily to the Gunners missing out on four players who have been linked with a move to the Emirates. First, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar decided to sign a new contract with his club, Schalke. Then, Chelsea activated the £7 million release clause and signed Demba Ba, while Juventus have almost wrapped up the transfer of the Spanish international striker Fernando Llorente. .......Read the full article here

There are quite a few Arsenal fans and pundits who are frustrated that Chelsea have signed Demba Ba from Newcastle without Arsene Wenger appearing to fight too hard to make him a Gunner. With a release clause of just £7.5 million, and having scored 29 Premier league goals in just 54 games for Newcastle, Ba seemed to be a bargain and Wenger admitted he rated the striker.

Le Prof has revealed the reason that he did not challenge Chelsea for Ba, or try to sign him in the summer. The reason is Olivier Giroud. Wenger has tried a number of forwards who fit the mould of Giroud and Ba, including Bendtner and Chamakh. The Arsenal boss has been searching for a big, powerful striker who will add something to the speed and creativity that Arsenal are famous for, and once he chose Giroud, he was not going to sign another. .......Read the full article here

Demba Ba has been linked with a transfer window move to Arsenal, and the 27-year old striker had said that the Gunners would be like a dream club for him to sign for. Chelsea entered the fray, however, and the Blues seem to have almost got their man, after offering Newcastle the amount of Ba’s release clause.

Newcastle have now had to allow the Senegalese striker to talk to Chelsea, so it is just a matter of agreeing personal terms before Ba heads for Stamford Bridge. It was reported that his wage demands od over £80,000 a week may have scuppered the deal, but Skysports reports that the club have persuaded him to accept a basic wage of around £70,000 which could rise depending on performance and appearances. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger has a number of players on his list of transfer targets for Arsenal next month, and a quality striker is thought to be one of his most pressing wishes. The Gunners have been linked with a number of different strikers such as Demba Ba and Fernado Llorente or more tricky players like Adrian Lopez.

The biggest `name` that we have been seriously linked with is the Spanish international striker David Villa. Barcelona have made all the right noises about not wanting to sell the 31-year old, and many of the players have denied reports that Villa is unhappy with his situation at the club. The problem for Barcelona is that Villa is a massive fan’s favourite, so they do not want to be seen to be easing his transfer. .......Read the full article here

There are reports all over the papers today, declaring that the Arsenal manager has categorically stated that he will not be signing the Senegalese striker Demba Ba from Newcastle United in the January transfer window, but his words have been twisted a little.

Wenger was speaking prior to the game against Newcastle at the Emirates tomorrow, and he did not want to go into the possible transfer of one of the players of the team we are about to face.

“I like Bemba Ba, yes. I don’t think this is the right place to speak about that, because he plays against us tomorrow. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal were one of a number of teams interested in the Spanish international striker Fernando Llorente. He had dropped out of the papers recently because it was widely reported that Juventus had almost sealed the deal with Llorente and Athletic Bilbao. That is no longer thought to be the case, so he could still become a Gunner, either in January or next summer.

His manager at Bilbao, Marcelo Bielsa, and the owners of the club have stated thast they want to keep him for the season, even if they will then lose the 27-year old for nothing as his contract expires. I doubt that, however, as the finances are not in good shape and they really need the money. .......Read the full article here

Not long ago it was thought to be a done deal and Arsenal would soon have a new Dutch striker by the name of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, but there have been a few changes at his club Schalke recently, and the 29-year old front man has been persuaded to sign a new contract that will keep him at the Bundesliga club until 2015.

Huntelaar had previously told his club that he would not be extended the contract that runs out next summer, so Arsenal were hoping to get him for around £5 million in January. Maybe the decision to sack the manager Huub Stevens recently, or who would replace him, has affected the player’s thoughts but he has changed his mind. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal’s very own signing-of-the-season Santi Cazorla is reportedly very good friends with Athletico Bilbao’s prolific striker Fernando Llorente, and according to the Express he wants the Spanish international to join him at the Emirates.

Llorente is fast approaching the end of his contract at Bilbao and Wenger could snap him up for peanuts in January, and considering that the Frenchman has made it clear that he is short of strikers it is a real possibility that Arsenal could make a small bid in January.

Llorente himself has already admitted that he is open to a move to the Premiership, although he indicated that it probably wouldn’t be until he is a free agent at the end of the season. .......Read the full article here