Friday, April 30, 2010

Andrey Arshavin: I am not an Arsenal Patriot

A lot have been said about Andrey Arshavin’s recent public interview where he reiterated his desire to play for Barcelona which he would see as the peak of his career. Many people said many things from their own point of views. Recently, manager Arsene Wenger joined them by saying that he is not the kind of player who would kiss the club badge while celebrating his goal. Wenger also asked Arshavin to show more respect to the club.

In response, Arshavin has admitted that he is not an Arsenal patriot, but he is faithful to the club. He also said that he had never kissed on badge and to him kissing on the badge does not prove anything. He said:

'In principle I could kiss the badge in the next match, but I've never kissed any badge. Just once have I pointed to the flag after Russia beat Holland at the European Championship.

'I don't think it proves anything. I clearly remember one example, at Zenit, when (then president) Vitaly Mutko told us: "We have one player here who kisses the club's badge. I want to see you guys do as such." And in the following winter this player was offloaded to Dynamo Kiev.'

Well, no doubt, Arshavin is a very straight forward person and there is nothing wrong if somebody has any desire to play for any particular club in future. However, the problem is that when you are playing for a club, you can not say something which could lead people to raise question about your commitment to the club. That is exactly what Arshavin has done. No body asked him whether he is an Arsenal patriot. Rather, his wish to play for Barcelona in public has raised some question whether he is really feeling comfortable at Arsenal or he has 100 percent commitment to the club. May be he has even more than 100 percent commitment to the club, but the Russian should not have talked about his wish in such a manner.

Moreover, his agent recently said that the player was disappointed for not winning any trophy with Arsenal. Well, then my question is who among the Arsenal players or fans is happy with the fact that the club could not win any title since FA Cup 2005. It is natural that you would be disappointed if you can not win anything, but that does not mean that you have to reveal your wish to play for another club.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Roma Looking to Sell Doni to English Clubs

Roma is now keen to off-load Brazilian keeper Doni who has lost his place to Julio Sergio in the first eleven. Roma’s financial condition is not very good at the moment and that is why they are looking to earn some money by selling Doni. Roma has offered the Brazilian keeper to a number of English clubs like Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Roma has reportedly valuated Doni at £5m and it proves that a number of clubs would be interested to him. Arsenal is now looking for a keeper as Alumnia and Fabianski were not up to the mark this season. Doni’s current contract with Roma expires at the end of the next season.

Roma is now looking to get some financial advantage through Doni. Well, Arsenal is now linked with a number of goalkeepers including Pepe Reina and Sebastien Frey. Now, Doni has been added to their target list. Doni may be 30 now, but given little transfer fee, Wenger may attempt to acquire his service.

Related article:
dailymail

Fiorentina Goalkeeper Sebastien Frey Linked with Arsenal

It is now an open secret that Arsene Wenger is in search of goalkeeper for the next season. A number of goalkeepers have reportedly been linked with the North London club so far including Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina.

Now, reports out in the media suggest that Fiorentina’s Sebastien Frey could be a target for the Frenchman in Summer transfer window. Frey, 30, has been impressive with the Italian side and Arsenal could make a 10million Euros bid for the goalkeeper in Summer.

Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski made a number of mistakes throughout the season that angered the Arsenal fans. Now, it seems that the arrival of a new keeper would make it difficult for both the keepers to get the number one spot at Arsenal.

Related article:

fansfc

Andrei Arshavin Agent Talks about His Future with the Gunners

Andrei Arshavin created a buzz in the media this week when he reiterated his wish to play for Barcelona. The Russian international said that playing one season at Barcelona would be the pinnacle of his career. After his comment, Arsenal fans became very angry and some of them even doubt that Arshavin’s heart is not at Arsenal now.

However, Dennis Lachter, the agent of Arshavin, said that only anything 'extraordinarily dramatic’ could take his client to another club before ending his career. Lachter also asked Arsenal fans to be realistic about Arshavin’s future at the North London club as he has three more years left in his contract. However, he could not give any guarantee that his client would be at Arsenal next season.

Regarding Arshavin’s recent comment revealing his wish to play for Barcelona, his agent believes that it was because of the Russian’s disappointment of not winning any title with Arsenal in the last two seasons. Moreover, Mr. Lachter also added that Arshavin’s Arsenal future is also related to manager Wenger’s future at the club. Here, it is noteworthy that Arsene Wenger’s contract will come to an end at the end of season next year.

Well, there is no doubt, Arshavin is a good player who has done very well for Zenit as well as for Arsenal, and his performance for Russian is also very impressive. However, you can not deny the fact that Arshavin would lose the media coverage at Barcelona because he would have to compete with the likes of Messi and Xavi for a place in the first eleven.

Related article:

The Telegraph


Arsene Wenger Helped Japan National Team Coach

With World Cup 2010 coming nearer, teams and their coaches are trying hard to get best prepared for the tournament. Coaches are looking to know more and more about their opponents and share the information with their players. Japan national team coach Takeshi Okada is no different here.

Okada recently met Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and had dinner together. During the dinner, the Japan coach sought help from Wenger to know about Cameroon who are their group stage opponent. Okada said:

“I asked Wenger whether (Cameroon coach Paul) Le Guen was a pragmatist or an idealist and he replied that he had a pragmatic style,” Okada told yesterday’s Nikkan Sports newspaper.

“That gave me a clue to how they will approach their game against us,”

“Idealists stick to their own beliefs and methods while pragmatists react to their opposition. They will probably look to exploit Japan’s weaknesses and catch us on the counter-attack.”

It is also reported that Wenger would visit Japan’s world cup base in 2010. Well, it is natural that the Japan coach would seriously consider the suggestions and advices of Wenger before the world cup begins.

Arsene Wenger is Reluctant to Sign World Cup Stars

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said that he would not rush to recruit world cup stars in his team. He believes that anybody can have ‘three weeks glory’ and the price of the world cup stars would be artificially high at the end of the tournament. He admitted that he was eyeing some playing for next season, but he refused to reveal their names.

Reports available in the media suggest that Wenger is keen to sign Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh on a free transfer as his contract with the French club ends this summer. Wenger said:

"The World Cup will not affect our recruitment," he said. "It is dangerous to buy on the back of a World Cup. The prices are artificial and you have to bear in mind that anyone can have three weeks of glory........

"I do have targets and have been talking to people but I cannot mention any names at the moment. The earlier you settle your teams for the next season the better it is and the less anxiety you have."

Arsenal could not win any trophy over the last five seasons, since winning FA Cup 2005. However, there is no sign that Wenger would spend heavily in the transfer window this Summer.

Related article:

Guardian

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Arsenal to Play against AC Milan and Celtic in Emirates Cup in the Off Season

Arsenal will face Celtic and AC Milan in the Emirates Cup which will be organized by Arsenal in the off-season. The tournament will take place at the Emirates Stadium in between July 31 and August 1. Stan Kroenke, who holds Arsenal’s largest share, wanted to make a trip to United States, but Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was not interested to make a trip to outside of Europe, considering the fact that it could take a toll on the physical level of the players. Kroenke wanted this trip as he is focused on increasing the brand of the club in the US.

No doubt, it could be good if Arsenal could go to US and take part in few matches against the local teams. However, I think, Wenger has taken the right decision because a number of Arsenal players would play in this year’s world cup in South Africa and they would be exhausted by the time they would return to the club. Naturally, a trip to US would be too much for the players to remain fit for the next season.

Related article:

telegraph

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Andrey Arshavin Again Expressed his Wish to Join Barcelona

Andrey Arshavin has once again revealed his interest to play for Barcelona sometime in future. The Russian star is currently playing for English club Arsenal where he joined in 2009 from Zenit Saint Petersburg. He was even linked with a move to the Catalan side even at the time of his move to Arsenal. A Barcelona fan from childhood, Arshavin has now said that playing for the Spanish giant “would be the pinnacle of his career”.

Arshavin said that Barcelona is the best team in the world and he liked their style of football. However, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger does not want to bother much about what Arshavin said. He knows that Barcelona is also eyeing his captain Cesc Fabregas and Gael Clichy.

Well, there is nothing wrong if you want to play for your dream team one day, but the thing is that a move to Barcelona could be suicidal for Arshavin who has been the automatic choice for Arsenal first eleven. At Barcelona, playing in the first eleven would be that easy for the 28-year-old Russian international. Barcelona already has the players like Xavi and Lionel Messi alongside some other quality midfielders. Naturally, Arshavin would have to sit out on the bench for many matches at Barcelona. Now, if he still wants to go to Spain, then it is up to him, but he would definitely miss the media coverage that he is getting playing for Arsenal.

Related article:
Guardian

Arsenal to Pay off £133 Highbury Property Loan by 2010

Arsenal has been cash-trapped over the last few years. It has huge loans for the construction of Emirates stadium and redeveloping its Highbury property. Now, reports available in the media suggest that Arsenal would be free from its Highbury property loan by this year. Excellent financial profit since last Summer has helped Arsenal cut its property loan to £2 million only. Highbury Square has 655 private apartments still to be sold and the profit generated by the sales of those flats could even give Arsenal a profit of about £20 million, an amount that Arsene Wenger could spend in the transfer market boost the squad. Moreover, the club could also generate a probable profit of £45 million by selling 350 units at Queensland Road.

After paying off this property loan, Arsenal’s total loan would stand at around £175 million. Wenger’s policy of spending less in the transfer market and focusing more on young talent means Arsenal could pay off all of its debt in the next 2 to 3 years. So, good days are now gradually looming at the Emirates stadium.

Arsene Wenger is reportedly looking for a center back in Summer transfer window as Gallas, Sol Campbell and Mikaël Silvestre are all out of contract at the end of this season. The manager is now eyeing on Everton’s Jack Rodwell and the arrival of Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh on a free transfer now seems to be a matter of time.

Related article:

Telegraph

Monday, April 26, 2010

Arsenal Paid Cesc Fabregas a £3m Incentive to Ensures his Stay

In its bid to keep Cesc Fabregas at the Emirates, Arsenal paid its captain a one-time £3 million incentive along with a hike in his weekly salary last Summer. The Spanish international has been improving a lot season after season and Barcelona is keen to lure him away from London. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger bought Fabregas from Barcelona young side in 2003 and it is believed that the Catalan side would do everything possible to get their former student back to Spain.

However, Arsenal is acting very smartly in order to ensure that he would remain with the club for a long time. Firstly, Wenger awarded him the captaincy before the start of the current season and he has had a highly successful season, his best at Arsenal. It was a psychological boost for the young man. Then Arsenal also increased his weekly salary from £80,000 to £110,000 last summer, making him the highest paid player of Arsenal at the moment.

Related article:

dailymail

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Arsene Wenger: I will Spend in Summer Transfer Window

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hinted that he would spend in the Summer transfer window. Speaking to Voetbal International, a Dutch magazine, he said that Arsenal’s financial condition was now way better than before and the club was now ready to buy the players it needed. Reports available in the media suggest that Arsenal would buy a goalkeeper, a centre back and a midfielder.

The Frenchman also admitted that there was a good possibility that Marouane Chamakh could play for Arsenal next season. The Bordeaux striker has been linked with an Arsenal move over the last one year. Brede Hangeland, the Fulham central defender, has now been linked with a move to Arsenal and reports also suggest that Wenger is even ready to make a £10 million bid for the player.

Related article:

imscouting

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Bacary Sagna to Stay at Arsenal, Says Agent

There is a speculation that Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna could leave the North London club at the end of the season as a number of Italian clubs including Inter Milan and Juventus showed their interest in the France international. However, the player’s agent Christophe Mongai said that he had not been contacted by any club yet. Rather, he believes that Sagna would remain at Arsenal next season, unless there is a significantly big offer appears for Arsenal.

The agent also revealed that Sagna is very happy with his current club and manager Arsene Wenger is also pleased with his performance. So, it seems that only a big offer could move the player away from the club next year.

Bacary Sagna joined Arsenal from Auxerre in 2007 and is now the first choice of Wenger for the right back position.

Related article:

sport.co.uk

Friday, April 23, 2010

Wenger to Arsenal Fans: Do not Get on Adebayor’s Back

Ahead of Arsenal’s upcoming home game against Manchester City, Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has requested the home crowed not to boo former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor who is currently playing for City.


Adebayor was the center of criticism following his provocative goal celebration in a win over Arsenal at the start of the season. So, it seems that Arsenal fans would boo him in his first return to Emirates stadium.


However, Wenger has asked the fans to support the team, in stead of booing the former Arsenal star. He also warned his players to pay the full attention to the game as it is a big game and he wants to win it despite the fact that Arsenal is now out of the title race.


Related article:

thisislondon

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Arsenal Not Far away from Winning Trophies, Says Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is pleased with the improvement of Arsenal this season. The Frenchman also thinks that the Gunners are not far away from winning titles as his players have shown ‘greater attitude’ and ‘greater response’ this season. However, Wenger still believes that Arsenal is not a better side than Barcelona, and the reason behind it, as he says, is that Barcelona won trophies in the recent past. Arsenal could not win any title since 2005 FA Cup.

Wenger has mentioned that once his team starts winning trophies, they will be a different side. However, he does not believe that signing more experienced players could have helped Arsenal win trophies. Rather he points his finger to Real Madrid who could not win anything this season despite having some of world’s biggest players with them.

Related article:

The Independent

Monday, April 19, 2010

Cesc Fabregas will not Leave Next Season: Alex Song

This should come as a sweet news to all the Arsenal fans. Cesc Fabregas is their captain and he is the leading goal scorer this season and he is also the best player in the squad right now. There is all the time rumors that Cesc Fabregas is leaving Arsenal and going to Barcelona. He started at Barcelona in childhood but Wenger was smart enough to bring him to Arsenal. He has flourished and become maturated at London. Alex Song has stated that Fabregas is not leaving London next season.
"Cesc is very important to us and he will be at Arsenal next season.
It's good news. I am 100 per cent sure he will stay because we talk every single day. He loves Arsenal too much to leave and he's told me he wants to win things at this club.
He has never mentioned even thinking about going to Barcelona,” said Song to News of the World.

If really this happens then it will be very good news for Arsenal fans. 

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Will Cesc Fàbregas PFA Player of the Season?

If you are an Arsenal fan then you will be happy sooner that Cesc Fàbregas has been short listed as PFA player of the year. He is among the four players and the other three are Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba and Carlos Tevez. You can easily understand that this is a very important list and there is good possibility that Cesc Fàbregas can become the top player this season. He has scored 15 goals and has carried out 15 assists and although he is a midfield player, he is the top goal scorer for Arsenal this season.
Arsenal suffered a lot of injuries through out the season and as a result Cesc Fàbregas had to carry out a lot of burden with himself in his shoulder. So, he had to play in many matches and a lot depended on his performance. He could influence the other and he could play very well in mid field. 

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Wenger Must be in Arsenal

I really hate the so called football pundits or experts because they pretend that Arsène Wenger is acting stupidly. They forget that he is the best doing in English football today. The simple fact is that Arsenal made the stadium called the Emirates and they suffered huge burden. The result was that they become financially strong and the stadium could have twenty thousands more supporters. So, it was a very tough time and fortunately Wenger guided the club very well and the club could reach in good position in Champions League and was also among the top four finisher for the last five seasons. This time, they came very close to winning the title of Premier League but unfortunately a number of injuries destroyed their possibility.

Arsenal is still in the title race but I am not hopeful. Anyway, look at the Liverpool. They did very well in Europe in the last few seasons but now this time they crashed out of Europe very early in the league table they are in very bad shape. It is now clear that Liverpool will not qualify for UEFA Champions League next season. The main problem for Liverpool is that they are suffering from financial burden. They did not have a smart coach like Wenger and that is why they are suffering. 

Monday, April 12, 2010

The match against Tottenham Hotspur

The match against Tottenham Hotspur is going to be very big indeed. In any cost we want to keep the hope of winning the Premier League alive. The good news is that both Manchester United and Chelsea are out of Champions League and thus, this season is not going to be a super season for any of them either. So, if we can manage to win the trophy of Premier League then perhaps we will come on top in England this season indeed.
The good news is that Robin Van Persie is going to make a come back in the next few days. I am not sure whether he will be available in the match against Tottenham but I really hope that he will be available within a week. If he can come back then it will be very good for the whole team as the team is really missing a quality striker.
I also wish that Fabregas can make a come back but most probably it will not happen. If Fabregas and Van Persie could play together then Arsenal would have been a different club this season. I am not unhappy or I have not lost hope. I am very optimistic for the next season. I just want Arsène Wenger and Arsenal board of directors understand that they have a quality team who have really become matured. If these players are in Emirates next season then there is every possibility that they will achieve some kind of glory at last.
These days, we are hearing a lot about the interest of some big clubs on Fabregas but I think that Arsenal should try to keep him because he is the main star of the club right now. 

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Now the only Target is EPL this season

In a way I am happy that we lost to Barcelona last night. However, it was not totally a one sided match. In face, Arsenal took the lead and scored the first goal with Bendtner. Then it was Messi who scored four goals and in the end the result was 4-1. I am very happy for this result because frankly Arsenal does not have the players now to play into competitions. In stead, I am happy that that now they can totally focus on English Premier League and they have good chance to either win the trophy or at least become the runners up. Now, they have to try to win every match and if they can win every match from now on then they will surely win the trophy.
I just hope that Van Persie can return any day and his return will be crucial. Last night Arsenal did not play that bad but they needed a quality striker. Bendtner is not a quality striker. 

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

No miracle for us Tonight

The match against Barcelona will start after just three and half hours and I am not expecting Arsenal to do any miracle tonight. The main reason is that they are without some of their really top players and Alex Song is the latest player to join in the long list of injury. I think that they will miss Fabregas most. Fabregas is their leading top goal scorer this season and the main player in the midfield. I can not see any other player who can replace him. Van Persie is also another player but some how Van Persie’s absence has been covered with some other players.
In today’s match, Arsenal must win. A draw is not wanted because Barcelona scored two valuable away goals. So, even if it is 1-1 score then Barcelona will ahead into the next round.
I think that Arsenal’s players and supporters should focus on the premier League totally now and try to win this title. They still have some good chance to win the English Premier League because Manchester United is without their top player Wayne Rooney. Chelsea also looks some shaky in premier league in the recent weeks. 

Monday, April 5, 2010

No Hope against Barcelona in Champions League

I am a very passionate Arsenal fan and with all my heart, I wish that we win in today’s match against Barcelona in Champions League. However, I understand the real condition and I understand that we do not have any chance. The only hope I have is now that we don’t suffer any new injury. We are already at our worst in terms of list of injured players. Any new addition would make the things very bad. Now, in league, there is hope that we can become at least runners up if not the champion. New injury will only make sure that we cannot be either of them. 

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Arsenal Updates has now PageRank 3

Right now, Arsenal is playing against Wolverhampton. 24 minutes have gone and the score is 0-0. Our players are playing well. Remember that today, they are without Fabregas and some other important players. Anyway, there is one good news for this blog. It has got Google Page Rank of 3. I started the blog on 12 March 2010. So, it just took 20 days. I like to thank Google for it. I can also find that some people have subscribed to this blog. So, I must update more often from now.
To be honest with you, my own condition has been like Arsenal for the last 8 months. I have been suffering from bad health (injury!) and two of the other bloggers with me have been out of action for quite a long time. Now, I am almost back to normal and I hope that the next season will be good for my blogs. 

Friday, April 2, 2010

End of the season for Andrei Arshavin

This announcement has come from none other than Arshavin himself. He played against Barcelona on Wednesday and there he suffered injury. It seems that the groin injury is enough to put him out of the pitch for the rest of this season. Well, I think that it can become a blessing in disguise for him. Russia has not qualified for World Cup 2010 and thus, he will have some long rest.
Arshavin did not play badly this season but his main problem was that Arsenal was often without a striker and he had to cope up with too much pressure for most of the season. 

Hobby Economist