Just Arsenal News

Is Benteke really the answer? by AH

After Benteke’s comments yesterday about Arsenal, I’ve seen fans calling for Wenger to sign him as if he was the world’s best player stating that he always dreamed of playing for Arsenal, however he’s not. Back in reality he’s a 22 year old striker for Belgium who had an exceptionally good season, but is he really what Arsenal need right now? .......Read the full article here

Paul Lambert is probably well aware that he faces an uphill struggle to stop his star striker from joining Arsenal. Although we have not heard anything about Arsene Wenger getting in touch with Aston Villa about a transfer, the Frenchman must be aware that Christian Benteke has hinted about moving and has even specifically mentioned the Gunners.

Lambert, unsurprisingly, feels that the 22-year old Belgian international should remain at Villa, suggesting that he would be better off undergoing his football progression where he is, where the fans already love him, there is not so much pressure to perform and where he is almost guaranteed to play. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal need another striker, at least. I think we all agree on that. We don’t necessarily agree on who it should be, other than the favt that we want someone who is a proven goal scorer. Of the transfer targets we have been linked with, all of them have some kind of drawback, whether that is fair or not.

There is a name that often crops up in the comments section, even though the Gunners are not really linked with him and he is not, theoretically, for sale, and that is Christian Benteke. It is being reported today, however, that Benteke seems to be keen on a move. There should be a phone, a bit like the Bat-phone, in Arsene Wenger’s pffice. That phone should be flashing and making a stupid noise right now, because Benteke is the striker we want. .......Read the full article here

The rumour mill seems to have really kicked in with the Spanish media and a few of the stories coming out are of great interest to Arsenal fans. Of course, we do not really know how much truth is behind them, but we arrely do until the agreement’s are actually made.

Earlier today it was reported that the long term Arsenal transfer target David Villa was going to our North London rivals Tottenham. The story in Mundo Deportivo said that the spuds had agreed personal terms with the 31-year old striker and they were going to make an offer of around £10 million to Barca. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal do not play again until Tuesday night, giving the Gunners 10 days between games, while our opponents Wigan Athletic will be facing their fourth game in the same period. It is not the tiredness of the Wigan players that could help Arsenal, however, it is the tiredness of the Chelsea players.

To be fair to them, Chelsea have been coping well with the massive amount of games they have had this season, but it seems to be catching up with them. This was evident in the second half against Tottenham on Wednesday and they face a young and energetic Aston Villa side in the early kick off tomorrow. Rafa Benitez also has a Europa League final to worry about next week and he has admitted that the players are feeling the strain. .......Read the full article here

I am not counting my chickens or anything, but with two games to go, Arsenal appear to be poised to pip Tottenham in the Premier League table again. The players still have to hold their nerve against Wigan Athletic and Newcastle United, but we have been doing that and have done it in previous seasons.

When the dust settles at the end of the season, Arsenal may be facing another tussle with our north London rivals, and the team that finishes in a Champions League place could have a huge advantage. It seems that Tottenham have finally realise that Adebayor is a liability who has plenty of talent but only uses it when he feels like it, so they are in the market for a quality striker and David Villa is the man they want, according to Talksport. .......Read the full article here

To paraphrase Blackadder, the end of the season is twisting and turning like a twisty, turny thing. Another unexpected result last night shook things up at the bottom of the Premier League table, but it could also have a significant effect on the top four places as well.

Sunderland were the form team at the bottom and seemed to be destined for safety, so Aston Villa’s 6-1 victory lasy night was pretty unexpected. It leaves Paul Lambert’s men in 16th, tied on points with Sunderland and Newcastle and, possibly crucially, just two behind Southampton. That could also add some bite to Villa’s game against Chelsea. .......Read the full article here

It is widely reported that the Arsenal board are going to hand Arsene Wenger a significant amount of money to spend in the transfer market this summer. The amount usually suggested is around £70 million, but there has been talk that this amount will be reduced if the Gunners do not finish in the top four because of the loss of revenue from the Champions League.

Wenger said last week that he was concerned about the spending power of Chelsea, while a number of other clubs, such as Man City, Barcelona, PSG and Real Madrid are likely to be trying to land some big name players as well. There is real concern among Arsenal fans that we will struggle to attract players of the right calibre to push us forward and allow us to properly compete for the Premier League title and other honours. .......Read the full article here

As two former Arsenal players sat on the bench and watched, Barcelona were torn to shreds by Bayern Munich last night. Despite struggling to create anything and Alexis Sanchez wasting the one good chance he had, David Villa also sat on the bench until there were less than 10 minutes to play. The Spanish international striker is surely sick of seeing Pedro and Alexis start in front of him and could be open to a transfer to Arsenal in the summer. .......Read the full article here

The General and the Finisher by Chunners

Luca Toni has told Stevan Jovetic to join a real ‘top club’ rather than Arsenal. Well, that hurt, Luca.

The first half of Arsene Wenger’s reign at Arsenal raised our expectations to such an extent that the past eight years can be described as somewhat of a failure. Coincidentally, Wenger’s trophy-laden years at Arsenal occurred with the presence of another man running the show on the field, our midfield general – Patrick Vieira!

Maybe it was just luck that Wenger found him and maybe there hasn’t been anyone like him ever since, but Wenger just can’t find an able replacement and maybe a Patrick Vieira is all we need to transform this underperforming team into world beaters – so let us find one! .......Read the full article here

Every week it seems like Arsenal are linked with another transfer target and it will continue from now until the start of next season. Many of the rumours are focused on strikers, with Stevan Jovetic, David Villa and Alvaro Negredo just three of the many names connected with a possible move to the Emirates.

Knowing Arsene Wenger, though, the new Gunners who arrive in the summer could well be completely different than the players whose names are in the media. Arsenal fans are hoping for a big name, a striker with proven quality, and the one who springs to my mind is Karim Benzema. .......Read the full article here

There will be five potential summer transfer targets for Arsenal amongst Santi Cazorla’s team mates in the Spain international squad this week, and if our brilliant midfielder speaks as fondly of his first season at the club to them as he did to Arsenal.com recently it could prove very useful when the transfer market is open in the summer.

Players like David Villa, Isco, Alvaro Negredo, Victor Valdes and Cesc Fabregas could all be on Arsene Wenger’s shopping list at the end of the season, Fabregas already knows about the club and the fans, but it wouldn’t hurt to remind him, especially when he has struggled to win over the Barcelona faithful. Life for a footballer in La Liga is quite different from England, and Cazorla is relishing it. .......Read the full article here