Just Arsenal News

Arsenal still trying for Barca keeper? by AH

The Express has today reported today that Arsenal have opened talks with Barcelona and the appropriate agent over the possibility of Victor Valdes moving to North London with the Gunners this summer.

Arsenal are notably looking for a new keeper with Fabianski likely to leave at the end of the season, as well as Mannone, and so Arsenal have identified a few goalkeeping targets and 31-year-old Valdes is reportedly one of them. Valdes is now entering the final year of his contract and he has already declared an intention to leave the Spanish giants this summer, so it’s possible that Barcelona will sell him instead of losing him for free next year. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger has revealed that Lukasz Fabianski has suffered bruising to his ribs and could be doubtful for tonights crucial match against Everton, but he will not decide who plays for Arsenal this evening until the very last minute.

But he has made it clear that whoever takes the pitch will have his complete confidence to get the job done. He said: “I have total confidence, no matter who starts the game,”

“In the past I have shown that, that I trust these players and trust that no matter who plays, they will show their quality. .......Read the full article here

It is no secret that Arsenal are looking at new goalkeeping options for next season. Arsene Wenger put his faith in Wojciech Szczesny, but the Polish international has not really responded in the right way. Assuring him of a starting place in the team has not helped his form, so it looks like Wenger is going to bring some strong competition into the club, hopefully an experienced keeper who Szczesny will have to work his socks off to dislodge. .......Read the full article here

Wojciech Szczesny is undoubtedly the best goalkeeper that Arsenal have got in the squad, and since he came back from injury and replaced Vito Mannone, the Gunners have benefited and been much better defensively. There have been calls, however, for Arsenal to bring in another keeper, with more experience, to push the Polish international and help him learn from the older player in training.

Szczesny himself, despite being blessed with a lot of self confidence, is not content with his current form. The last game against Sunderland was probably his best of the season so far, and made it two clean sheets in a row for Arsenal. It also earned him the Man of the Match award voted for by Gooners on Arsenal.com but Szczesny knows that he is not on top of his game yet. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger has been looking for an experienced keeper to provide competition and cover for the current Arsenal number one, Wojciech Szczesny. The feeling is that the Polish international is too comfortable in his position and Wenger thinks he needs pressure to keep his performances high and encourage him to work and improve his game.

The other problem is the worry about what will happen if he is injured or suspended. Vito Mannone had a chance to impress earlier in the season, but was in need of improvement, although reasonably solid. The Gunners have been linked with a number of keepers recently. including Pepe Reina from Liverpool, Victor Valdes from Barcelona and Maarten Stekelenburg from Roma. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal have received a clear signal from Birmingham City that they are willing to sell their £6 million rated goalkeeper Jack Butland. The midland team play Leeds United tonight in an FA cup replay, but Butland has been left out of the squad, because the club do not want any p0tential buyer to be put off because he is cup-tied.

Arsenal have been looking for another keeper as cover and competition for the 22-year old Polish international Wojciech Szczesny, and Butland is seen as possessing all the attributes to be world class. Arsene Wenger does not feel that Vito Mannone is good enough at the moment, and he is considering releasing Lukas Fabianski altogether, with Nottingham Forest apparently interested. .......Read the full article here

Transfer Rumour: Dutch Goalkeeper Offered To Arsenal by AH

According to reports from several European countries, Arsenal have been offered Dutch international goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg. The former Ajax man has also been offered to London rivals Fulham FC who have also expressed an interest. The current AS Roma keeper has reportedly undergone a rift with the management staff at the Italian club and he has now been told he can go for a cut price of £3.5 million.

London based newspaper ‘The Metro’ reports;
‘According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Stekelenburg has been offered to both Arsenal and Fulham for a cut-price £3.5million, and a deal could be done in the next few days.’ .......Read the full article here

There have been reports linking Arsenal with a number of different keepers recently, which has led to some speculation about the future of the current number one at the Emirates, Wojciech Szczesny. The Polish international was missed by Arsenal at the start of the season, but has been in great form since returning.

The reason that Arsenal have been looking at other keepers was widely believed to be for some competition and quality cover for the 22-year old. There have been rumours, however, that the real reason was that Arsene Wenger was worried about his commitment to Arsenal, although he only signed a long term contract two years ago. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger is looking to add a few quality players to his Arsenal squad when the transfer window opens in January. The key positions that Le Prof is looking to strengthen are striker, defensive midfielder, left back and keeper. The Belgian international Simon Mignolet is reported to be the man who Wenger wants to challenge Wojciech Szczesny for the number one jersey.

It’s not that Wenger feels that Szczesny is not good enough, he just wants better back-up. Vito Mannone had a good run of games this season but failed to convince Wenger, so he and Fabianski will be allowed to leave. What Wenger really wants is a keeper who can push Szczesny for the number one jersey and provide top quality service if the Pole is injured. .......Read the full article here

The Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny has only just returned to the team after injury but it has coincided with a couple of good wins for the Gunners at last. Also the great Jack Wilshere has returned to the fold, Bacary Sagna has also fully recovered and Kieran Gibbs is also expected to return this week.

The Polish keeper thinks that the last couple of wins have put Arsenal back on track, but he won’t be happy that everything is back to normal until we get another couple of wins under our belts. He said: “We have only had a couple of good results. .......Read the full article here

Wojciech Szczesny will make his debut in this season’s Champions league on Wednesday when Arsenal host the French champions Montpellier on matchday five. The Polish international keeper is in bullish mood after Arsenal saw off Tottenham in the North London derby.

“We couldn’t get a better time to play that game. We are buzzing today, we can’t wait for the next game. We’re confident.

“We’ve had a couple of poor results recently, but we’re back on track and we’re confident that we can get the three points and qualify for the knockout stages, which is the least you can expect from us. .......Read the full article here

I, personally, have been impressed with Vito Mannone this season for Arsenal. The Italian was third choice keeper before the season started, but has been thrown into first team action for almost all of the games so far due to lengthy injury problems for Wojciech Szczesny and Lukas Fabianski. Maybe Arsene Wenger has not been so impressed, or the Frenchman just thinks that he is not quite ready, as he is considering a bid for the Liverpool and Spain keeper, Pepe Reina. .......Read the full article here