Just Arsenal News

If there is an element of truth to all the transfer rumours you hear involving Arsenal, then Arsene Wenger’s list of targets must be as thick as the Yellow Pages. Well it looks like Le Prof can cross one of those names off his list today, as the talented and powerful defensive midfielder Victor Wanyama has revealed his intention of staying at Celtic.

21-year old Wanyama is a real powerhouse in the centre of the pitch and his performances this season, especially in the Champions League, have attracted a lot of interest. Both Arsenal and Manchester United have had scouts in Glasgow to watch him and it has been heavily rumoured that he would be moving on at the end of this season. .......Read the full article here

It seems as if Abou Diaby’s career at Arsenal is never going to fulfill it’s early promise, after the French midfielder has picked up another injury that will keep him on the sidelines for an extended period of time.

The official Arsenal website has revealed that Diaby has injured his left knee while training yesterday, and the medical tests have shown that he tore an anterior cruciate ligament. The 26-year old will have to undergo an operation to fix the problem, and he is not likely to be back in action for around nine months. .......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

We do not know if Arsenal tried to sign Etienne Capoue from Toulouse in January, but he could have been the player Arsene Wenger was referring to when he said that a club had rejected a late transfer window offer for one of the Arsenal targets. Toulouse had sold Sissoko to Newcastle, and would have been left very light in midfield if they had also sold Capoue.

QPR definitely tried to sign the French international, but were knocked back on deadline day. Harry Redknapp has vowed to try again in the summer, as long as he manages to keep the club in the Premier League. It is believed in France that Capoue is ready to move, and he is ambitious. Toulouse are comfortably mid table in the French Ligue 1, so the 24-year old will definitely not have the lure of European competition to make him want to stay. .......Read the full article here

There was a time earlier in the season, shortly after Arsenal were knocked out of the Capital One cup by Bradford I think, when Arsene Wenger was getting flak from all sides. He had not publicly condemned the players, like Gervinho, that had played so poorly and been criticised for it. Martin Keown explained that Wenger was fiercely loyal to his players, right up to the point when he felt really let down, and then they would find it impossible to get back in his good books. .......Read the full article here

Victor Wanyama is one of the players linked with a summer transfer to Arsenal to fill the troublesome position of defensive midfielder, and his manager at Celtic, Neil Lennon, admitted that they are not too confident of being able to keep the 21-year old at Parkhead for another season. The manager was speaking after Celtic went out of the Champions League following defeat by Juventus last night.

“That’s going to be very difficult,” said Lennon.

“I think some of them want to progress their careers, maybe outside of Scotland. It’s difficult to stop that progression.

“We are doing our job. We are bringing these young players in, developing them and hopefully selling them on for significantly more than we paid. .......Read the full article here

Following the gift of two goals to local rivals and direct competition Tottenham at the weekend, the Arsenal defence has come under the microscope again. It is not the first time this season that the Gunners have been shockingly exposed at the back, although the defensive record is actually pretty good. Arsenal had the second meanest defence in the Premier League going in to the derby. .......Read the full article here

Even though the transfer window is closed the papers are still keeping an eye on what the Arsenal scouts are up to. (I guess they carry on working between windows!) The Telegraph has reported that Arsene Wenger sent a scout up to Celtic Park to have another look at the strong holding midfielder Victor Wanyama in last night’s 3-0 defeat to Juventus.

All the pundits are saying that a top holding midfielder is still top of Arsenal’s priorities for the summer, as Mikel Arteta has been forced to change to that position this season. Wanyama and Etiene Capoue would appear to be the main targets according to most reports coming out of Arsenal, but I would certainly take this one seriously as it comes from Jeremy Wilson in the Telegraph, who seems to have an inside track on what is going on at the Emirates. .......Read the full article here

Most would agree that Arsenal need a proper defensive midfielder. Arsene Wenger allowed the sale of Alex Song to Barcelona in the summer and have not replaced him. We can argue about whether Song was disciplined enough for the role, but Arsenal have not brought anyone in to do the job. Wenger just moved Mikel Arteta further back. We also have Francis Coquelin coming through, but recent events have shown up the lack of an experienced, out and out midfield destroyer. .......Read the full article here

There is now less than a week to go before the January transfer window slams shut. If transfer rumours were pound notes then Arsenal would be the richest club in the world, but there are still no confirmed additions to the Arsenal team. Arsene Wenger has already suggested that most of the business will be done in the last week, so we shouldn’t panic just yet.

Wenger has said that he and his staff are working hard to secure some top quality players, and there are plenty of rumours around suggesting who it might be. A couple of targets seem to have ruled themselves out of a move to the Emirates, whether because they know that a deal will not be done or not is unclear. .......Read the full article here

Arsenal are workinh hard to bring at least two quality players to the Emirates before the transfer window closes in just over a week. Most people seem to think that one of these will be a striker, with David Villa and Stevan Jovetic two possible transfer targets. The other is likely to be a defensive midfielder, possibly a player in the same mould as Abou Diaby. With the club also short on centre backs, Arsene Wenger may well opt for a player who can also fill that position in an emergency. .......Read the full article here

The clock is ticking for Arsenal, and there are just eight days left of the transfer window left. Arsene Wenger has stated that the club is working on bringing a couple of new players this January, and one of those could be the powerful Kenyan midfielder Victor Wanyama, according to reports in the Independent and the Mail that claim an offer is being considered.

The 21-year old did no harm to his chances of a move to the Premier league tonight, with another strong performance for Celtic which he capped with a goal. Wanyama got Celtic’s second with a towering back post header. He also hit the woodwork from another corner. Wanyama began his career as a defender but now plays in midfield and has added goals to his game as well. .......Read the full article here