Cesc Fabregas to Become Highest ever paid Gunner ( Arsene Wenger may increase his salary To 110,000 pounds a week)

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Arsenal handed Cesc Fabregas an unprecedented £3 million ‘golden handcuffs’ payment and upped his wages by nearly 50 per cent to £110,000-a-week to keep him at the club, 

The incredible package, which is believed to have been formalised last summer after lengthy negotiations, was agreed to compensate the Spaniard for his relatively ‘below-par’ salary.

It made Fabregas the highest-paid player in Arsenal’s history and has given the club hope that he will once again ignore advances from the Continent this summer and stay at Emirates Stadium.

In 2006, Fabregas signed an eight-year contract, which was worth an initial £60,000-per-week with annual increments built in. 

But the player and his agent Darren Dein began talks in 2008 to renegotiate the terms of the deal with the club to reflect his growing status as one of the finest young players in the world.

The board were so desperate to hang on to the player they signed from Barcelona at 16 that they finally sanctioned an unprecedented deal to not only increase his salary from £80,000-per-week to £110,000-a-week but also back-date his pay for two years to compensate him for being underpaid over that period compared to other elite Premier League players.

The result was the player received a one-off sum, equivalent to a signing-on-fee, of around £3m, which was effectively £1.5m, or £30,000-a-week, for each of those two years.

“Arsenal were so desperate to keep him,” said a boardroom source. “He has become the club’s talisman and the figurehead for the new generation. His status is similar to what Thierry Henry’s once was.

“Fabregas and his advisers know they have the club over both barrels.”


Big earners | Fabregas deal surpassed Henry's
Henry was also represented by Dein when he struck a similarly hard bargain as he contemplated whether to move to Barcelona in 2006. The switch was finally completed 14 months later.

The former Arsenal striker was paid the equivalent of £200,000-a-week during his final season in north London, when Dein was in charge of contract negotiations.

Henry received a £5m signing-on fee when he put pen to paper on the four-year deal, which was topped up by a £5m salary.

Although there was anger among some of the directors that the signing-on fee had not been spread out over the entirety of the contract, it appears that the board have been forced into a similarly tight corner with Fabregas.

Nevertheless, Arsenal are confident that the secret deal will help ward off predators, principally Barcelona, this summer.

It has taken the player near to the top of Europe’s high-pay league and has made him comfortably the highest earner at the club, above manager Arsene Wenger, William Gallasand Andrey Arshavin.

“Arsenal have been loyal to Fabregas and believe he will be loyal to them,” added the insider. “They know he can earn equally good money, if not better, elsewhere but there are two things in Arsenal’s favour.

“Fabregas is in awe of Arsene Wenger because he feels he owes his career to him and he is also a pragmatic man. He knows that he is young and Barcelona can wait.”

Although Arsenal’s transfer spending has been constrained by the construction of Emirates Stadium, that has not stopped them sanctioning big wage hikes for many of their players.

Seventeen players have been given improved contracts this season and the wage bill is believed to have increased to £115m, the third highest in the Premier League.

Arsenal looking to Sign Everton's Jack Rodwell

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has targeted Evertonmidfielder Jack Rodwell following the news that his transfer funds will be boosted this summer as the Gunners are poised to pay off the £133 million loan used to redevelop Highbury.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the Toffees' starlet, who can play in midfield or at centre-back, is a priority for the Gunners boss, who could lose William Gallas, Mikael Silvestre and Sol Campbell from his squad in the close season.

Only £2m of the loan used to redevelop Highbury into apartments is left to pay, meaning that Wenger's budget should continue to be boosted beyond this summer.

The club's overall debt is now below £175m and is almost exclusively what amounts to a mortgage on the Emirates Stadium.

The Arsenal Supporters' Trust estimate that the property now owned by the Gunners should generate a cash surplus of £45m over the next two years.

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Crime and Punishment



I joined the police force in June. I was very good but my manager said "You would not be able to go and arrest someone". However, a few weeks later, I got a job to investigate a robbery and when I got there, there was nothing wrong!

So, I went into the local shop and siad to an old man "I am an officer. I got a report of a robbery".

The man said, "Oh yes. There were a few kids in the shop and they robbed some licourice".

So I sighed and told the old man "I'll get on it right away".

When I caught the kids, I made them pay for the licourice and I went back and said "I QUIT!"

The seargent said "No, I'm sorry for all of that. I'll get you another assignment".

I said "Alright. But it better be good!".

I went and I got on it. It was a bank that got robbed and I single-handedly caught the robbers and I arrested them.

The man who owned all the money got it back and then he gave me an award. It was in the Sunday Newspaper! It said "Local Police Officer Caught Bank Robbers and Earned BIG REWARD".

By Alex Byrne

Arsenal To Bid £10Million For Manchester City Goalkeeper Joe Hart

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                                   Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will make a £10million bid for Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart as the Frenchman has seen enough shaky performances fromManuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski.



A fifth consecutive year without a trophy could put pressure on the Gunners boss to make a switch as his two goalkeepers have made some bad errors this season, according to the Daily Star.
Hart has played well on loan at Birmingham City, compiling 12 shut-outs in the Premier Leaguethis season and putting himself in contention for a spot on England’s World Cup squad.
City have one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers in Shay Given and could cash in on the 23-year-old if Arsenal intends to upgrade at goalkeeper

Arsenal And Arsene Wenger Need To Tell Fans The Truth About Failure To Spend Big Money - Frank McLintock

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Gunners legend rues failure to land title that was 'there for the taking'



Arsenal legend Frank McLintock has called on the club to “be honest” with supporters about Arsene Wenger’s failure to spend big in the transfer market. 

The captain of the 1971 Double winners believes the Premier League title was “there for the taking” for Arsenal this season if they had beefed up their squad during the last two transfer windows.

Gunners season-ticket holder McLintock says there is confusion among fans about the transfer budget that Wenger has at his disposal.

In an astonishing exclusive interview with Goal.com UK,the former defender also claimed:

•    Wenger has put too much trust in his young Gunners and should have brought in more proven talent in the last two years

•    Arsenal need three new players in the spine of their team to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League next season

•    Only Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie among the current squad would get in the 2003-04 ‘Invincibles’ team or Wenger’s 1998 and 2002 Double winners

•    Three or four of Arsenal’s side are not good enough and would get “nowhere near” Manchester United's or Chelsea’s teams

•    Wenger is the best manager Arsenal have ever had and the club must sign him up for “another five or six years”


Youth champion | Or is he forced to rely on kids?

McLintock says supporters are entitled to more information from the club about the exact state of the finances, which are reported to be healthier than Wenger’s cautious transfer activity would suggest.
“It would be nice to get a bit of honesty from the board and the manager,” he said. “We are intelligent people. Give us a break. 

“I share a box with some other people at Emirates Stadium and pay a lot of money to get into Arsenal for every home game. I’m still a big Arsenal fan and am bitterly disappointed when they get beaten.

“People are getting frustrated. It’s hard to judge whether he doesn’t want to spend the money because he rates the young players so highly or there is no money to spend.”

Wenger was criticised in January for not strengthening his squad for the second half of the season, particularly because of Van Persie’s long-term ankle injury.

McLintock observed: “I’m positive that last year he was really strapped for money. I heard that from a good source at the club. But in January he had money. 

“He is so convincing when he talks about his young players but I don’t know if he really feels that and genuinely doesn’t want any money or he is covering up and putting on a front for the club.

“I’m not into all this ‘youth’ all the time and saying next year will be better. If they are not ready, why not buy them next year?

“I’ve been consistently saying in the last two years that they need strengthening down the spine of the team.

“They could have been improved with spending around £30 million. He could have got Shay Given and Richard Dunne for £12m and a centre-forward for £15m. For a club like Arsenal, that is not an astronomical amount of money.”


Given up | Arsenal could have bought Irish keeper
McLintock was at pains to point out that he is a big supporter of the Arsenal manager.

“Wenger is the greatest manager we’ve ever had and it is right to trust him. The board should sign him up for another five or six years if they can but we haven’t won anything for five seasons,” he said.

“Sometimes you feel as if you are almost criticising the Pope when you make comments about the club.

“The disappointing thing is that the championship was there for the taking for Arsenal this season. 

“They only needed to have bought two or three players for the last two years but they have not got them for whatever reason.”

McLintock believes the current squad is a pale shadow of Wenger’s great Arsenal teams.

“How many of the current squad would walk in to the ‘Invincibles’ or the 1998 or 2002 Double-winning teams?

“Van Persie and Fabregas would be the only certainties although there would be three others knocking on the door – [Thomas] Vermaelen, [Andrey] Arshavin and [William] Gallas.


Calibre | McLintock wants more signings like Arshavin
“There are three or four players who are not good enough for a top side and would get nowhere near Man United or Chelsea’s teams.

“When you get players injured and look at the bench, there are only youngsters to come in. When you look at United and Chelsea, they have players like Scholes and Joe Cole.

“Wenger just needs more signings in the mould of Arshavin and Vermaelen, who can improve the team immediately.”

I'm Sor...I'm not sorry Arsenal, Not good enough.

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I'm not going to rage or get angry about how bad we were, I don't think we are worth my effort at the moment. I can say our attitude really does stink. However much I dislike Sp*rs, I will let it be known that they fully deserved to end that long run tonight and that they outplayed us. Well done, Sp*rs.

Their goalkeeper more than matched whatever we could roll into him despite Robin's best efforts. Their defence was like a brick wall around them white lines and I said numerous times through out the match "We won't score in that area of the pitch". It doesn't end there, Sp*rs' attack was not matched by great defending which at times looked like it was being performed on a school yard.

Sp*rs started the game like a cup-final, their crowd was like a sea of sound and support, their players we're like the last bastion of Tottenham Hotspur FC. When I watched Sp*rs, I seen a team who is wanting so much to achieve their goals of a Champions League spot. When I watched Arsenal, I seen a team who didn't seem fussed about the outcome of the game. This was also the material I was faced with at Camp Nou. Not excusable, not at all.

Tottenham closed us down in threes, Defoe was more than willing to come back into midfield when not in possession to contribute anything to the cause, Pavlyuchenko was willing to burn some energy on closing down Almunia and increasing pressure on the iffy man between the sticks. I didn't witness any of this commitment and drive from Arsenal until it was too late.

Don't get me wrong and label me anti-Arsenal because that is not the case by any means. I'm just gutted tonight and I have explained a few reasons why, which are 80% logical and 20% emotion. 

Robin Van Persie appeared and reminded us of what we have being missing, it spawns a huge what-if. But I'm tired of what-ifs. Our title hopes have took a huge blow tonight, and it's too unlikely for me to say yes too now, but what I will say is that I will follow this team until the very end regardless of the out-come and if we pull it off, it would be electric. If Tottenham now want to get the Champions League spot, they must pave the way for a possible Arsenal come back, wouldn't that be sweet?

All I know is that next season, we are for sure, in with one hell of a shout.

Till next time gooners.






St. Totteringhams Day awaits us!

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So, tomorrow we will travel to 3 Points Lane. We will win tomorrow because as we know, Sp*rs just ain't good enough, regardless of what Harry says. I'll concede that we don't have our best team available for selection, but we can still field a squad more than capable of beating this demoralised, tired and lacklustre oppononent.

Tomorrow could be a great day for us gooners. We could go second only to Chelsea in the league having played the same amount of games as all of our contending rivals, this would be making progress on our title charge as we already know we must win every single one of our remaining games, but we could now overtake Manchester United.

Not only could we go second, but we could see yet another St Totteringhams day! That's what I like to hear, our Red and White army could well do the dirty on yids meaning yet another season has gone by with false hope of bigging themselves up only to be embarrassed again. Why do you do it to yourselves? I guess we will never know.

Oh and did I mention that the flying dutchman, Robin Van Persie, will be back in the squad tomorrow? Lifes good at the moment boys, it could get so much more better tomorrow evening, and we could be on top of the world come May.

We have had those championship winning characteristics all season, we have to take this solid gold chance because I am convinced Chelsea will slip-up. It really is time for our Nasri's, Walcott's, Denilson's, Diaby's and Bendtner's to step up to the plate and become champions.

Tomorrow I'll go with 2-0 to Arsenal. Bendtner & Nasri.

Keep the faith Gooners. C'mon Arsenal.

ARSENAL: Robin van Persie's Return And Five More Reasons Why This Title Race Is Not Over

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If Arsenal are to surge to their first Premier League title since the ‘Invincibles’ swept all before them, they are going to have to do so without their talisman Cesc Fabregas and possibly William Gallas and Andrey Arshavin, too.

But Robin van Persie’s imminent return after five months on the sidelines offers hope that he can kick-start the creaking machine.

The Dutchman has returned to training and, assuming he comes through unscathed, will be expected to play some part in Wednesday’s north London derby against bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

As far as manager Arsene Wenger is concerned, once a player starts full training, he is fit to return to the first-team squad.

What the Dutchman lacks in match fitness, he can make up for with an eye for the unexpected and a freshness that could help his team-mates rediscover their zest.
Van Persie’s ability to play anywhere across the front three will also help rejuvenate an Arsenal forward line that has been unreliable in Fabregas’ absence.

The classy forward's imminent return is one of several reasons why, in less than a week, events have conspired to leave even the most cynical Arsenal fan dreaming of silverware in May. 

Arsenal Have Signed Marouane Chamakh Of Bordeaux Of A Free Transfer- Report

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has completed his first move by signing striker Marouane Chamakh of Bordeaux.
While Wenger will have £45million to spend in the transfer market this summer, the move for the French-born Moroccan international will be a free transfer, according to the Daily Mail.
Chamakh has signed a four-year; £12m deal with the Gunners and gives Arsenal another attacking option to add to Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Andrei Arshavin.
The 26-year-old has made 53 appearances for Morocco at the international level and could provide the squad with some much needed depth should the team be hit with injuries like they have this year.
In Bordeaux’s 3-1 loss to Lyon in the Champions League quarter-final first leg Chamakh scored his side’s only goal, an away goal that means the reigning Ligue 1 champions require two goals to have a chance to advance to the semi-finals.

Barca vs Arsenal 4 - 1

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                                                          Messi - The Hero
Barcelona: The game had started off in a controlled tempo for Arsenal as the wonder kids were playing weary against the Barcelona outfit. However Messi showed a little of what was coming through shots taken from the outside of the area in the 5th and 11th minutes.
Mikael Silvestre particularly looked overwhelmed during the game as his poor clearance fell right in front of Messi on the 11th minute shot that curled just over the cross bar.                                                     
However Arsenal’s controlled game came as an advantage as an unsuspecting Barcelona defence missing the influential Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique could not hold Theo Walcott’s pace and the young Englishman flew to the edge of the area before passing to Bendtner to score on the 18th minute.
Until the young Danish star’s goal Arsenal were firmly in control of the game however the goal gave the inexperienced Arsenal side too much confidence as the side started to play attacking football from there on with much of the team constantly going towards the Barcelona half.
At this point Arsenal desperately missed a leader in the team or more like leaders with the injured Fabregas and Gallas, the game could have ended much differently. Fabregas’s leading ability and Gallas’s experience would have calmed the young Arsenal side.
Arsenal literally were blown away with their own wind. Arsenal’s attacking play after the goal could have worked for most other teams but against a team like Barcelona it was almost as if the gunners had forgotten who they were playing against. Arsenals attacking play gave Barcelona more room too pass the ball around and more room for the 22-year-old Argentinian superstar.
Within 4 minutes of conceding, Barcelona was level 1-1 after Frenchman Silvestre failed to clear the ball which dropped in front of Messi who turned towards the centre of the area before shooting the ball between 3 Arsenal players and beating Manuel Almunia.
Barcelona’s attacking play carried on with Messi twisting and turning Sylvestre into the area before shooting wide on the 31st minute. However the Argentinian was again in devastating form when an Abidal cross was poorly cleared by the Arsenal defence to drop in front of Pedro who backheels it for the sprinting Messi who clears his way and puts the ball in the back of the net on the 37th minute, Barcelona Vs Arsenal: 2-1.

Lionel_Messi_after goal - nationalturk

Just five minutes after scoring his and his team second goal, Messi was again in action when Keita headed a through ball over the sleeping Arsenal defence only to meet with Messi who sprints some 40 metres with the ball as Arsenal defenders chase only for the genius to unsuspectingly lob Almunia, Barcelona Vs Arsenal 3-1.
Messi scores his fourth hattrick of 2010.
The second half started with the Barcelona side controlling the game with Messi as usual troubling Arsenal at the back.
Arsenal did have a few chances of their own with the Barcelona defence drastically weakened with the prime defenders missing, the 59th minute saw Bendtner stay one-on-one with Valdes before a fantastic Milito challenge clears the ball from the slow paced Dane.
Sylvestre was substituted off for Emmanuel Eboué, a change that I think should have came much earlier with the Frenchman performing poorly on Tuesday’s game.
Minutes after coming on Eboué was very lucky not to be sent off as his hand hit Sergio’s face while he was running behind the Arsenal player. Though it was an accident I’v seen players sent off for the same offence.
Tomas Rosicky also missed an important chance and should have done much better on the 68th minute who shot over the bar.

Arsenal players in misery after final whistle - Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Arsenal players in misery after final whistle -
The performance of both teams were clearly on the statistics that were shown on the screen with Barcelona having a huge 62% possession over Arsenal’s 32%.
From then on Messi was in action as Barcelona’s influential young star done his usual razzle dazzle twisting and turning players sometimes to shoot himself or to set other players up.
Messi’s scored his and Barcelona’s fourth goal which was also the first time in five years that a single player scored four goals in the Champions League on the 87th minute.
Messi got the ball from 35 meters out ran passed Diaby, Clichy, Vermaelen and shoots on goal from an angel only to be saved by Almunia. The ball drops in front of Messi who shoots again and scores from between Almunia’s legs.
The faces on the Arsenal trio who were humiliated during the fourth goal summed the game up for me as they all looked as they wanted to be off that pitch and never come back to the Nou Camp, Barcelona or even Spain.
When the final whistle blew all eye’s were on a special 22-year-old who literally destroyed 11 men on his own.
Arsenal did too little as year in year out Arsene wenger is always criticised for the lack of inexperienced players within the Arsenal side.
The gunners were through to the Champions League Semi Final for four minutes of the entire game when they went 1-0 up but this could have been possible after the 90th minute if players such as Fabregas, Gallas, Song and Arshavin were on.

Arsene Wenger - Messi is Unstoppable

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Mesmerised Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger compared Barcelona forward Lionel Messi to a computer console player, after the Argentine blew the Gunners away with ease.

Messi scored all four of the Catalans' goals in a 4-1 Champions League quarter-final second leg win on Tuesday night and Wenger was as impressed as anyone at the Argentine's magical display.

"He's like a PlayStation," the Arsenal boss told reporters after the match.

"I think he can take advantage of every mistake you make. Barcelona are a very good side but of course they have Messi who can make the difference at any moment in the game.

"We lost against a team better than us with the best player in world. He made the impossible possible. He has something exceptional. He is unstoppable."

The Gunners chief believes that at 22 Messi is young enough to become even better and go on to be one of the best players the world has ever seen.

"He is very young but he can achieve a lot - there are not many players who can score four goals like he did," Wenger added.
"He has six or seven great years ahead of him" - said the Arsenal Manager

Almunia - We can bounce back @ Tottenham

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Manuel Almunia is at a low ebb right now. But he expects to be smiling against next Wednesday.

That's the night Arsenal resume their Premier League title challenge with a tasty trip to Tottenham for an eagerly-awaited North London derby.

Three points there will keep Arsène Wenger's side on the right track in the Premier League while banishing any remaining Champions League blues.

Almunia expects a tough assignment at White Hart Lane as Tottenham chase the top-four finish that would book their place alongside Arsenal in Europe's premier club competition. But the Spanish goalkeeper won't give up the title chase without a fight.

"Tottenham are playing for a Champions League place as well so it will be a very tough game," said Almunia.

"It will be difficult no matter what we are fighting for, because derbies are always special whatever the position in the table. Certainly, it will be a great game.

"We should not be surprised by the atmosphere, we know it will be hostile. Tottenham are doing well, they play good football and they score a lot of goals. They are a great team and it will be difficult to beat them.

"But at least we are in the League, fighting for the top. That's what we want, to fight in the last few games, otherwise we will be very disappointed."

Tonight proves little.

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So here we are, the back end of the Arsenal Barcelona tie that promised to give the world of football a sporting showcase. It appeared that the football gods would do everything to build this tie up, and then kill it with a series of unfortunate events.

Anyone who thinks that Barcelona tought us a lesson should go unnoticed as their opinion is obviously originating from a narrow mind not capable of analysing key variables and points within this game of football.

Take Messi, Xavi, Keita and Marquez out of that game and you will quickly begin to see a more true representation of what would of happened if both teams had suffered injuries to key players. Tonight, we missed Van Persie, Fabregas, Song, Arshavin and Gallas. Add them to our team and I can almost assure you that we would of seen a very different game.

Andy Gray, give it a rest will you? All I heard out of that mouth of yours was "little magician" "little genius" "that little man" and any other noun he could place after "little" to boost his reputation with the Argentine. Lionel Messi is great, but his dive in the first half and his cheap quick free-kick has given him a label which I won't forget.

Where do we go now? We forget about this tie now, we rally the troops and we push for that title.

Till next time gooners...