Just Arsenal News

Should Arsenal move Vermalaen into the midfield? By Twig

It’s really hard for a very good player when he finds himself competing for a first-team place with the captain of his team. This was the emotion I felt when a very fit Koscielny was brought on in the dying minutes to help us protect our lead against Wigan. Keeping a vastly improved player – who is arguably our best defender – on the bench, would eventually turn out to be problematic for the club. While we are trying to bring in new players into the team, it is equally important that we keep hold unto our best talents. .......Read the full article here

Tottenham defender says he rejected Arsenal by AM

Jan Vertonghen has revealed that he snubbed Arsenal’s interest in him to sign for their rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The defender was being chased by many European clubs last summer, but Arsenal and Tottenham were the main competitors. The former Ajax man, who is versatile enough to play both as a center back and as a left back, has revealed that he had a long discussion with Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp before making his decision.

“He (Dennis Bergkamp) knows Tottenham is a very big club. He’s a very good guy and I get along with him very well,” the defender was quoted in the press. .......Read the full article here

Santi Cazorla Is This Really Happening? By AH

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta has spoken out about the recent reports concerning Santi Cazorla.
Wenger stated his thoughts on the Málaga player;

“I share the opinion of Mikel Arteta. Cazorla is a great player, we bought Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski but we are not at the end of the transfers. We will still bring players in.”

This comment was quickly deleted from the article that was posted on Arsenal.com. The quote was clearly deleted because there is something happening there and Arsenal always want to keep the media attention away from the deal for many reasons.
Firstly media attention can drive up a player’s price tag, and can lead to interest from other clubs ,and eventually it’s likely that a club with Arsenal’s transfer activity will not get their man that they have been scouting for. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal set for defensive changes – maybe by BA

There are various rumours around at the minute concerning Arsenal and their possible defensive line up in the coming season. After Thomas Vermaelen was photographed with Barcelona captain Carlos Puyol in a restaurant in Ibiza, it created a whirlwind of speculation.

Barcelona are known to want defensive cover on the left side and Vermaelen can play in the centre or the left. The Belgian is obviously very happy at Arsenal (and I think he’s loyal too), so I am not too worried, but I wish that his agent had been more positive when asked about it. He merely said it was a coincidence. .......Read the full article here

There are quite a few Arsenal rumours building up in the media at the moment, but there seems to be very little about M’Vila which is one player I think Wenger WILL buy!

But there are a few other possibilities if Arsenal really want to improve the team next season. First up is some weird story about Van Persie taking a personal visit to Juventus to have a look around and discuss terms, but I really don’t believe that one. Why should he? The same wages, the same chances of winning the Champions League (zero!) and just as much competition to win the League. No I just can’t see it. By the way Van Persie is 10/1 to score the most goals at Euro 2012. Maybe he should wait until after the competition to see what he is offered elsewhere? .......Read the full article here

The Ajax captain Jan Vertonghen is getting frustrated that Tottenham have failed to agree a price with his club so that he can move to White Hart Lane, but he has also admitted that Arsene Wenger wants him at Arsenal but he won’t move to the Emirates until Tottenham give up on negotiations with Ajax.

The Belgian international was quoted on Sporza.be (translated by Google) as saying: “I chose Tottenham. This club gives me the best feeling. They want to act fast. They have already invited me and Monday was their president in Amsterdam. They say I’m their only option, that’s a compliment,” .......Read the full article here

Arsene Wenger was hoping to add Jan Vertonghen to his early acquisition of Lukas Podolski but reports today strongly suggest that the 25-year old Belgian international is heading to Arsenal’s North London rivals, Spurs. Vertonghen can play as a holding midfielder as well as his more normal position as a defender. He was named Eredivisie player of the year after his performances for Ajax this season and would have made a great addition to the Arsenal team. .......Read the full article here

With the incoming transfer of German striker Lukas Podolski, and the anticipated transfers of quite a few European stars like M’Vila, Vertonghen, Giroud, Huntelaar or Lucas Moura, it’s interesting to see how next season’s Arsenal line-up will be.

Arsene Wenger has chosen a style of play with 3 midfielders and 3 strikers lately, with two of the midfielders also having defensive tasks, and two of the strikers swiping the wings forwards and backwards.

With Podolski joining the Gunners in the summer, and with Arsene Wenger interested in bringing another defensive midfielder in the persona of Yann M’Vila, it’s curious to see how the midfield will look. Wilshere will also be back and Wenger is also looking for an attacking midfielder, probably Hazard or Lucas Moura, so next season’s midfield might look completely different, and the whole line-up might change. .......Read the full article here

There have been a bucket load of Arsenal transfer rumours around the press all season long, and everybody agrees that when it comes to Arsenal, virtually every talented available player will get linked even if there’s no interest in him whatsoever.

Among those numerous names who have been linked with a move to Arsenal, some of them stuck, and not only because of the press’ insistence, but because some way or the other the interest in them, or their interest in joining the Gunners has been confirmed. The most important candidates are:

Yann M’Vila
He’s a 21-year-old Rennes defensive midfielder who has been watched by Wenger for over two seasons, and is bound to leave the French Ligue 1 this season. .......Read the full article here

Now that Arsenal have already secured the German international Lukas Podolski, every pundit around was absolutely certain that Wenger’s next target would be Jan Vertonghen, who could be available for as little as £7million as he approaches the last year of his contract at Ajax.

Vertonghen played alongside Thomas Vermaelen at the Dutch giants, and also in the Belgium national team, and after visiting the Emirates as a guest of Vermaelen he has made it clear that his first choice of new club is Arsenal.

But today the Mail has revealed that Tottenham are the first club to be given permission to speak to the versatile defender, and Harry Redknapp wants to secure his services as quickly as possible. .......Read the full article here

How different this transfer window is for Arsenal compared to last summer, with Arsene Wenger already announcing his first signing even before the season has ended.

So now Lukas Podolski’s arrival at the Emirates has been confirmed, it seems Arsenal’s second-worst-kept-secret is also approaching a conclusion with the news that Wenger is in advanced negotiations with Ajax to bring in the versatile defender Jan Vertonghen.

The Belgian team-mate of Thomas Vermaelen has made it extremely clear that he is leaving Ajax this summer, and has also announced enough times that Arsenal is his favoured destination, so it seems that it only remains for Wenger to agree on the price with Ajax. .......Read the full article here

Rumours have it that the Newcastle manager Alan Pardew is already looking for players which can improve his team, especially if they manage to sneak into a Champions League place, and according to today’s newspapers Pardew took a personal visit to the Netherlands to watch Ajax’s game against De Graafschap.

Pardew was there to keep an eye on Arsenal’s transfer target Jan Vertonghen, as he is looking to tempt the defensive star into joining Newcastle instead of the Gunners.

Being so close to a Champions League winning spot now that they’ve drawn level with Tottenham, the Magpies are likely to be landing some big names in the summer in order to get ready for a Champions League participation. .......Read the full article here