Just Arsenal News

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

Arsenal won their third pre-season match easily enough, and still havent conceded a goal. In fact although all four of Wengers goalkeepers have now had game-time, none of them have had much to do!

Vito Mannone did everything that was asked of him in the second half yesterday, and even managed to save a soft penalty against the Austrian amateurs, but Wenger really can’t have had any pointers on who will be between the sticks in the fist league match at Anfield. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal have just revealed that Robin Van Persie is going to be wearing the Number 10 shirt made famous by another Dutchman, Dennis Bergkamp, and recently vacated by the departing William Gallas.

The Mexican striker Carlos Vela has been allocated the Number 11, which makes me think that his exploits at the World Cup must have impressed Arsene Wenger enough for him to be given more first team chances next season.

I have been informed by Arsenal that anyone who has pre-odered the new shirts with either of these players names on will get the new squad numbers, and anyone that has recently bought one will get them changed free of charge (with proof of purchase of course). .......Read the full article here

Arsenal started the World Cup with ten players in the various teams but seven of them have dropped by the wayside already.

This will probably cheer up the watching Arsene Wenger as his squad will have more time to recover before the new season, but the players themselves must be devastated.

France was the biggest loser with four Arsenal players, but also Alex Song (Cameroon), Nicklas Bendtner (Denmark) and Eboue (Ivory Coast) are all on their way home.

This just leaves Robin Van Persie with Holland, the surprise package of Mexico including Carlos Vela, and the half player in Cesc Fabregas. Maybe he shouldn’t count anyway as he is only a substitute! .......Read the full article here

Today’s Arsenal transfer rumour comes out of Italy, and probably generated by the loss of Robin Van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner to injury.

The Italian papers say that Arsene Wenger is considering an £18m bid for the prolific Sampdoria striker Giampaolo Pazzini, who has scored 8 goals in 13 appearances this season in Serie A.

They say that Sampdoria are willing to listen to offers, but i can’t understand why they could possibly be interested in selling a striker that has only been at the club for a year, and has scored 19 goals for them in that time! .......Read the full article here

The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has lost two of his first choice strikers to injury, which has revived speculation that he may consider a move for the Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh in the January transfer window.

But Wenger is keen to see how his young Mexican star Carlos Vela performs in the next few weeks before making a decision on the transfer situation.

“I’m inclined to say I won’t move for Chamakh because we have enough quality and I want to give a chance to Carlos Vela,” said Wenger. “It’s a good observation period to see how well we do without Van Persie.” .......Read the full article here

The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has announced that contract negotiations have begun with three more players.

Thomas Rosicky is out of contract this summer and would be free to talk to other clubs in January if he can’t come to an agreement with Arsenal, and with him now returning to full fitness, Wenger is confident that they can come to a new arrangement.

William Gallas is also on his last year, but his superb form this season alongside new-boy Thomas Vermaelen has convinced Wenger that he wants Gallas to stay on for another season at the Emirates. .......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 Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner was taken off during the game against Tottenham two weeks ago, and it was thought that he would be out for about four weeks, but two weeks later it has still not improved.

Now it seems that he will be needing an operation for a hernia. The Danish striker was in Copenhagen last night at a ceremony and said: “I will have an operation. I don’t know how long I will be out.”

The news is not too much of a blow for Arsenal as long as Robin Van Persie and Eduardo can stay off the treatment table. They are more than capable of keeping up Arsenal’s phenomenal scoring rate. .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger has given us an update on the Arsenal injury list, and after saying yesterday that Lukas Fabianski would be back in the squad, but Manuel Almunia was only 50/50, it seems that today it is the other way around.

Almunia will definitely be back in the squad (but will he play?). Nicklas Bendtner has suffered a recurrence of his groin problem in training today, so wil be out of tomorrows team, and with Carlos Vela still not returned from Mexico, and Eduardo still a few weeks away from returning, it looks like Van Persie will be leading the attack on his own. .......Read the full article here

The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has made it quite clear that he doesn’t need to invest in the transfer market when he has players like Carlos Vela, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey waiting in line to be brought into the Arsenal first team.

He emphasises that players with their talent shouldn’t need to go out on loan to get first team football, and he would consider it a “waste” if they did.

“We now have Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Carlos Vela ready. They are 17, 18 and 20 years old.” he said. .......Read the full article here

The Arsenal striker Carlos Vela has finally returned to semi-fitness, and took a starring role for Arsenal in last night’s Carling Cup win over West Brom, despite not being fully fit.

This was his first game since suffering an ankle injury with the Mexico national team during the summer, and Arsene Wenger admitted he was impressed.

Wenger said: “When he [Vela] came on, straight away he made a difference, because he is dangerous in his control and in his movement. His class gives you something special but I feel overall it was a good game.” .......Read the full article here