Just Arsenal News

Arsene Wenger says that it is very difficult to prove that Ryan Shawcross intended to injure Aaron Ramsey, but he is absolutely certain that Abou Diaby’s injury against Sunderland a few years ago was “100% intentional”, and he considered taking legal action against Dan Smith and Sunderland as punishment.

“There’s a grey area in the game over intent or not intent,” the Arsenal manager said. “You can never prove it.

“There are a few tackles where you can say that the player should be suspended for as long as the guy is injured. But then you have to prove intent and you go into a difficult area. .......Read the full article here

The Arsenal defender Sol Campbell has been discussing the difference between the !Invincibles” team that went undefeated all season six years ago, and the new batch of Wenger prodigys that make up the Gunners team today.

“It’s a younger team now,” he said. “I think in the next couple of years the gaffer will address that and redress the balance. I’m sure he’ll bring in some more mature players.

“This team is totally different, but still have the potential to go on and win things. They have to develop some self-belief, put a little bit extra in and make some sacrifices. They have to really believe, and really go for it. That’s when you make your own luck in the game.” .......Read the full article here

Arsenal’s injury list seemed to be easing a few weeks ago, but it hasn’t lasted for long with the news that Andrei Arshavin has a hamstring injury and will miss the Sunderland match.

Abou Diaby has also been lost after the game against Porto, but the injury didn’t show until yesterday.

“It is not understandable. I don’t know how it worked. But he has a medial knee ligament injury. We discovered it today. He came in today and he had pain in his knee.” Wenger said. .......Read the full article here

The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was not overly impressed with his players yesterday, and thinks that they had more than enough chances to beat Sunderland.

There were many reasons why Arsenal lost, according to Wenger.

1. Arsenal didn’t score!

“I don’t think we missed anybody especially, no. We lost a game where we can only fault ourselves because we didn’t score, some players were not at their best and we gave a goal away on the only situation where Sunderland could score one today. It was on a set piece. I believe it’s more down to the fact that we made a big mistake on the corner because the game was there for the taking in the last 20 minutes. But of course, when you’re down, it makes it more difficult.” .......Read the full article here

The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is relieved that Robin Van Persie and Kieran Gibbs will not be out of the team for as long as was first feared, and he can now take heart that there will be at least four players returning from injury for this weekends game against Sunderland.

Fabianski, Denilson, Traore and Carlos Vela are available, and it looks like Vela, Gibbs, Walcott, Wilshere and maybe Diaby will all be ready by the following weekend for the big game against Chelsea.

“Theo Walcott is short for the weekend and so is Jack Wilshere. he said. .......Read the full article here

The Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has been absolutely gushing in his praise of Arsene Wenger and the teams that he seems to continually produce.

He also credited Wenger with being instrumental in helping him get Birmingham promoted to the Premiership.

“I get on well with Arsene and, of all the managers, he’s probably helped me the most,” said Bruce.

“He helped me get promoted with Birmingham by giving me three players on loan in one season – Nicklas Bendtner, Fabrice Muamba and Sebastian Larsson – and I’ll always be grateful for that. .......Read the full article here

The ex-Arsenal winger Paul Merson was watching the Sunderland v West Ham game today, and he thinks that Carlton Cole was by far away the best player on the pitch, and said that he is bound to be bought by someone in January, and he suggested that Arsenal snap him up!

“First half he was unplayable. He was absolutely phenomenal.” Merson told Soccer Saturday.

“It was like an 18-year-old playing in an Under-12’s league. Honestly, he was frightening, absolutely frightening.

“He was Drogba, he was absolutely brilliant. I said to Charlie during the game that someone will buy him. .......Read the full article here

There are still two months to go until the next transfer window, but our favourite rumour-mongers The Daily Mail have found a couple of humdingers to keep us amused.

Lorik Cana was strongly linked to Arsenal in the summer, and i remember writing an article wondering why Wenger let him slip through his fingers. The strong, tough-tackling midfielder moved to Sunderland for just £5m and his strength and character has persuaded Steve Bruce to make him club captain already. .......Read the full article here

The Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh is still desperate for a move to the Premiership, preferably with Arsenal, but Arsene Wenger seems to think that he will be starting the season with the players he already has, and says that he trusts the squad as it is.

Chamakh said yesterday: “My priority is Arsenal, but there are other clubs,”

“If it’s Arsenal, so much the better. I hope it’ll be sorted out very quickly.”

He added: “I am not sleeping as well as I normally do. .......Read the full article here

The Bordeaux Chairman Jean-Louis Triaud may have shot himself in the foot by calling Sunderland too small a club for Marouane Chamakh to join after they offered £12m for the striker, since it seems that Arsene Wenger has only offered half that sum to take him to the Emirates, and refuses to budge on the price.

Today the French media are reporting that Blackburn have joined the chase today, but Triaud think that they are any bigger than Sunderland and allow him to talk to them? .......Read the full article here

All the papers this morning are saying the the young Arsenal left-back Armand Traore is being fought over by Birmingham and Sunderland, who both want him on loan for next season.

Traore was lent to Portsmouth last season and made 14 appearances for the South Coast club, but he is not keen to leave the Emirates for another season, preferring to stay and fight for his place under Arsene Wenger.

He told skysports.com: “I haven’t heard anything about that [the rumours]. I want to stay at Arsenal this season. I don’t really want to go out on loan. .......Read the full article here

The Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh is fuming over Bordeaux’s refusal to come to an agreement with Arsenal over his transfer. It is all coming to a head now as it has been reported that the Frenchman has lied to Bordeaux to miss Saturdays game against Villarreal, and is now in London with his agent for talks.

Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc said: “I received a phone call on Saturday evening. He told me he was sick and I am forced to believe it.”

Chamakh himself doesn’t sound like he is trying to hide his feelings as he ripped into Blanc and Bordeaux when asked what he thought about hs club rejecting Arsenal’s offer. .......Read the full article here