Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wants young Japanese talent Ryo Miyaichi to remain at the Emirates this season and is keen to secure a work permit for the winger.
Miyaichi signed for the Gunners in January after impressing Wenger during a trial period, at which point the 18-year-old was loaned out to Dutch club Feyenoord in order to help him adjust to European football.
The young winger was part of the Frenchman’s squad during the summer's pre-season action although was unable to play in the Emirates Cup due to FIFA ruling.
Wenger is seemingly keen for Miyaichi to push for a first-team spot and challenge the likes of Theo Walcott and new signing Gervinho for a starting place this season and admits he is attempting to secure the work permit needed for the winger to play in England.
He told the club's official website: "My plan is to get a work permit for him and to put him on the pitch for Arsenal Football Club."
Arsenal's chief exectuive Ivan Gazidis has admitted Arsene Wenger's future at the Emirates will ultimately be decided by the club's supporters.
The Gunners have gone another season without a trophy and the under-fire Frenchman has been given the backing of his American chief executive, who was meeting 200 fans at a Supporters Trust meeting.
Gazidis believes Wenger has done well given the financial circumstances at the club and has backed the coach to succeed again in North London.
He said: "Arsene is ultimately accountable to the fans - they ultimately make judgment.
"If you are ever seeing the relationship between the fans and the manager break down over time then that is unsustainable, but I don't think we are anywhere near that."
"We 100 per cent support Arsene - I 100% support him and feel he has done a fantastic job in a difficult period for this club."
Gazidis added: "You have to remember that we have been up against clubs with unlimited spending power and others such as Manchester United who generate far greater revenue than we do."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he understands why fans are frustrated after a disappointing season but will not necessarily change the way he runs the club.
The Gunners finished yet another season without a trophy – their sixth in a row – after fighting on four fronts.
Wenger's men lost in the final of the League Cup, before being knocked out of the Champions League and FA Cup in the space of a week, and fell 12 points adrift of Manchester United to finish in fourth.
However, Wenger believes that there is nothing wrong with the philosophical approach from the club and only minor tweaks need to be made.
"The criticism has been sharper this year because of the impatience of people," Wenger told Arsenal TV Online.
"People are used to us being in the Champions League so we have to give them more, but we're not capable of doing that.
"People love what we do but they want us to be rewarded so that they can be convinced we do things the right way. They want proof that we do things the right way.
"For our fans the frustration was that we were so close to convincing everybody of how football can be great, but in the end not being able to deliver.
"I would call it disappointed love. It was cruel and sometimes you get excessive responses to that. I share that and understand it.
"But that doesn't mean we have to change our philosophy or the way the club is run.
"We get it 95 per cent right, but we must gain that 5% because it's so frustrating to flirt with success like we have done.
"The fans are unhappy that we didn't win the Premier League, but we are close.
"In 2003 we were also the best away team, but didn't win. We kept going and in 2004 we were very strong."
Wenger highlighted a poor run in April which saw the Gunners pick up just two points from three matches, ultimately ending their title challenge.
"I was happy with the attitude of the players and our away form," he said.
"But what was disappointing was that when we needed to push on, we could not show the nerves to deal well with some games.
"I'm thinking about Liverpool, Tottenham and Bolton. We had good opportunities to win those games and had we done, that would have been seven points more."
The Gunners conceded a total of 41 goals – a sign of weakness in otherwise a strong team and the absence of centre-back Thomas Vermaelen for most of the season certainly did not help their cause.
Wenger believes that most of the problems came from set-pieces and has identified the need for taller defenders if they are to continue the challenge next season.
"We conceded very few goals from open play, most of them were from set pieces in a way you don't want to concede goals," he said.
"It's something that's easy to correct. We need to improve the size of our squad. We need a bigger variety in the height of our players.
"We need to be more capable of fighting against some characteristics than we have been this season."
Arsène Wenger will do everything he can to ensure Cesc Fabregas is an Arsenal player next season.
The World Cup winner was strongly linked with a move back to his former club Barcelona last summer and rumours are already circulating that he will leave Emirates Stadium in the forthcoming transfer window.
Wenger was no doubt expecting to be quizzed on Fabregas when he sat down to face the press on Thursday and he reiterated his position as firmly as ever.
"That's a question I've heard already a few times in a press conference and I expect him to be here [next season]," said the manager.
"I will fight very hard to keep him here. You have always to fight when you have a player of that quality, you must always fight to keep your players, of course."
It was put to Wenger that Fabregas would want to leave north London after a season that promised much delivered so little.
"What guarantees you that if you go somewhere else you will win trophies?" responded the Frenchman.
"The biggest pride for a captain is to be committed to his club and deliver trophies with his team. A player who changes his club every time he is frustrated or when he doesn’t win a trophy, goes nowhere. I believe the quality of sports life is to be committed to your club and not just to move out when it does not go as well as you expected.
"Cesc Fabregas played 22 games this season out of 38 and we expect him to play between 30 and 38. That will make a huge difference to our efficiency [next season] as well."
Fabregas is not the only Arsenal player to be linked with a move with speculation also mounting overAndrey Arshavin's future. As far as Wenger is concerned, the Russian is going nowhere.
"Yes, I expect him to be at Arsenal next season," he said.
Arsène Wenger’s experience tells him that JackThe 19-year-old’s commitments have been the topic of much debate this week ahead of a possible double England call-up in June when the senior side resume their Euro 2012 qualifiers and the Under-21s head to Denmark for their own European Championship.
Wilshere could end his first full season with nearly 60 appearances for club and country under his belt and, although his manager has no appetite for a row with the Football Association, he suspects that the teenager’s current workload is unsustainable.
“I do not want to go into these battles any more - I did it with France,” reflected Wenger. “But I have enough experience and experience helps you only to anticipate problems. It doesn’t make you more intelligent.
“You know this car will hit the wall at some stage and you see it a little bit earlier than somebody who has less experience. I think, in the world, nobody has brought more young players through than I have and I have a good experience of what kind of stages they go through.”
That said, Wenger is reluctant to prick Wilshere’s natural enthusiasm for doing what he does best.
“I think the best way to help Wilshere is to leave him alone and play football,” said the manager.
“I don’t deny that he is a very promising player. I wouldn’t play him at 19 years of age in the first team with the number of midfielders that I have if I didn’t believe that. But let him play and what he will be, he will be.
“We are all confident that he has a bright future but it’s the first season [for him]. Let him play.”
Arsène Wenger admits Arsenal miss Alex Song - but no more so than any other player.
Song is suffering from a knee injury and was one of a handful of big names who sat out Saturday’s 2-0 defeat against Manchester United.
But Wenger refused to use his absence as an excuse after his team’s FA Cup exit at Old Trafford.
The Cameroon midfielder has not featured since the Carling Cup Final on February 27 and Wenger admits he will not be fit in time for Saturday’s crucial Premier League trip to West Brom.
“I don't think it's down to one player,” said the Arsenal manager.
“We would like Song back and we would like Fabregas back. We have now to cope with Djourou [being] out and he is an outstanding player.
"I don't know [when Song will be fit again]. But certainly not for Saturday."
On his assessment of the game… We had good control of the game. Manchester United had very few chances, they scored with almost their first attempt on goal. After that, we put them in a position they like to be [in] - on the counter attack. They are strong and they are clinical in front of goal. In the second half we had a good opportunity to come back to 1-1 and two minutes later it was 2-0. As long as you cannot come back to 2-1, they are comfortable. In the end, I cannot fault our effort. Things do not go our way at the moment. We have to keep going, support each other and come back strong. It was a strange game, we put a lot of effort in. At the moment, every goalkeeper against us is Man of the Match. I still believe, subconsciously, the disappointment of Tuesday night has played a part today. You could see something has gone, not in our effort or our attitude, but confidence wise.
On his belief that Arsenal can win the Premier League… I believe that we can do it. It is a good test for us now, to show that we can regroup, show our mental strength and respond quickly. We have a week without a midweek game, that is the first time for a long time. Unfortunately, we lost Johan Djourou for the rest of the season. It will be difficult. We have a good opportunity to show that we are solid.
On whether the season is slipping away… No. I am very disappointed. We lost three challenges in a strange way. We were not outplayed today but we were punished by a team who were more clinical than us.
On Johan Djourou’s injury… [He has a] dislocated should. His season is over.
On Paul Scholes’ tackles today… The pitch was good, the referee was good and the tackles of Paul Scholes were bad.
On his team’s mental strength… You will find out. We will have to [answer] this type of question in the next few weeks. We have to show that we have an answer to that. We are used to being questioned by our environment, we have to show we are strong enough to deal with that.
On the Premier League title race… It will strengthen our resolve at home. The Manchester United game [in the Premier League] is only important if we win our games before that. I am convinced that if that game is decisive, we have a good chance to do it at home. Before that, it’s important we respond very quickly. We go to West Brom on Saturday, we will see the first signs of how we recover.
On how the Barcelona defeat affected him… I was very disappointed but I was not affected. I thought we would qualify today. They are always very efficient and if you do not take your chances you don’t win the games against them.
Arsene Wenger couldn't hide his frustration after watching Sunderland hold Arsenal to a 0-0 draw at the Emirates, with the Gunners denied what their manager felt was a clear penalty and a goal that could have secured all three points for the hosts.
Andrey Arshavin went to ground in the area after a clumsy challenge from Titus Bramble, but referee Anthony Taylor brushed aside the appeal which left Wenger a frustrated spectator. The Russian also had the ball in the net, only to be denied by an incorrect offside call.
Arshavin was put through one-on-one with Simon Mignolet, but the assistant referee raised his flag. However, replays revealed that the attacker was onside and the goal that followed Arshavin's run should have counted, adding more disappointment for Wenger and his team.
In the immediate aftermath of the match, a seething Wenger told BBC Sport: "I am too disgusted to speak about it frankly. I believe Arshavin was not offside but what can you do?"
The two dropped points meant Arsenal missed the chance to close the gap on leaders Manchester United, who play Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
"If you cancel goals for offside when it is not offside it is difficult to win football games," added Wenger.
"It is not the first time. What can you say? We put a lot of commitment in the game.
"These kind of things have too big an impact on the Premier League and we are deeply disappointed.
"We are very frustrated because we gave a lot. Unfortunately we could not score, we tried everything but Sunderland defended very well.
"What can I do about it now?
"It is my job to deliver football games and the referee's job to give the right decisions.
"We have to take it on the chin and move on to the next game but we feel as though justice has not been done."
The Arsenal boss later told Sky Sports News: "He [Arshavin] was pushed, of course he was pushed.
"When you see the penalties we got [awarded against us] at Newcastle and then this kind of penalty is not given, but you take it on the chin and continue to fight but it is absolutely disappointing and not acceptable."
Overall, the Gunners manager could take few positives from the game but the Frenchman applauded Sunderland's efforts and their defensive display.
"They [Arsenal's players] gave a lot today, they put a lot of energy in but it was difficult," he explained.
"Sunderland defended very hard and showed not a lot of ambition because they have lost a lot of games recently, so we had to be patient."
He added: "We were unlucky with some bars and posts and as well.
"Arshavin is clean through without being offside, it's very, very disappointing. It's very difficult to take for us that in a game of this importance that that kind of decision goes against us. If it's offside, it's offside, but we are all disappointed. Definitely."
The efforts of Sunderland's Belgian 'keeper was another factor in Arsenal's misery as Craig Gordon's stand-in put on a wonderful display to keep out anything the hosts would throw at him and his display didn't go unnoticed by Wenger.
The Frenchman added: "Congratulations to him [Mignolet], they defended well, they played well, Sunderland. They gave absolutely everything, they played a cup game as well so it was tough to find space. We came out with 100% effort but unfortunately I have seen some things today that are difficult to take."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Nicklas Bendtner is in contention to start the upcoming game against Sunderland, after the striker scored a hat-trick against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup.
The towering Dane has made only two starts in the Premier League so far this season, and has in the past been vocal about not receiving enough game time.
The Frenchman also dropped a hint that the forward could be involved in the all-important Champions League second leg against Barcelona, if he puts in a strong performance against Sunderland.
"It [the hat-trick against Leyton Orient] puts him in contention to play against Sunderland. For us that is a vital game," Wenger told reporters.
"If we win it it puts us in a great position.
"But he [Bendtner] played well last year at Barcelona but what is important now is that if he plays he plays well against Sunderland."
The Gunners can put the pressure on Manchester United by reducing the gap between the two sides to just one point on Saturday.
The north London club also have a game in hand over the Old Trafford outfit, which makes the coming games very important - particularly more so as the boss has confirmed that winning the Premier League is now the priority.
And with Robin van Persie out for three weeks due to a knee injury, the onus falls on Bendtner and Marouane Chamakh to do the damage up front.
Wenger said: "We have lost Van Persie so for Bendtner and Chamakh to score is very important.
"We need them to have the level of confidence you need your strikers to have to take on the big games.
"They took their chances [on Wednesday] and did very well."
Concerning Chamakh, the manager added: "With the games here in front of us we need Chamakh.
"He had a great start to the season until the end of November and beginning of December.
"After he had a little bit of burnout and now in training he looks to have come back.
"For a while he looked very tired but it is really good for him to have scored."
Arsene Wenger insists winning the Carling Cup would be another progressive step forward for Arsenal but the Frenchman believes his side’s consistency in the Premier League is a more difficult feat.
Only Arsenal and Manchester United have finished in the top four each season for the past 12 years, although the overwhelming majority have pointed to Wenger’s side’s distinct lack of trophies – their last being an FA Cup win in 2005 – as a critical point.
But Wenger maintains a sustained place in the Premier League’s elite should be considered an achievement, regardless of the fact there may be no tangible rewards.
"Winning the Carling Cup will be like beating Chelsea, like beating Barcelona - another step forward," said Wenger.
"It is always very difficult to say whether it is harder to finish always in the top four, or to win the Carling Cup.
"The most difficult is consistency at the top, and the proof of that is that only two clubs have been able to finish in the top four for each of the last 12 years, us and Manchester United.
"It is true that winning the Carling Cup will mean we don't have to answer that question any more about whether we can win trophies.
Wenger, however, has pointed out the potential end of the club’s six-year-trophy drought will raise belief within the squad and has dismissed the status of the Carling Cup being an important factor.
"It will be important for the confidence of the team for the rest of the season."
"We have a young squad and this will do much for their confidence.
"Because people are so much after us about trophies, we want to win one, but mainly because to win it would give us a lift.
"There is a weight on the team - we have to deliver trophies because we have not won any.
"The players say: 'okay, we want to win a trophy to show you we can win one'."
"How big the trophy is everyone will rate differently. I am confident that we've been, up to now, the most consistent team because we're still in everything. So it will convince the team they can deliver more."
Arsenal will be without their captain Cesc Fabregas after the midfielder aggravated his hamstring in their 1-0 win over Stoke City and Wenger has reiterated the importance of the Spaniard in the club’s other competitions.
"Cesc is disappointed, but his disappointment is diminished by the fact that we have other main targets after this game, like the championship, the Champions League and the FA Cup," said Wenger.
"If he was playing, he could damage his participation in all the other targets after that.
"Of course, he accepts it with disappointment, but our job isn't just about good things. It's also about disappointments."
"Could Cesc play with the injury he has? Certainly not at 100 per cent - and he could make the damage much worse, then be out for three, four, five weeks maybe."
Wenger has also dismissed the idea of getting distracted over the amount of medals he has won during his time at Arsenal.
"I am a futurist, not nostalgic. I have given some [medals] away, some must be in a cupboard, somewhere. Frankly, I am not collecting at all,” he said.
Arsène Wenger still believes Arsenal can win all four competitions.
The Gunners remain the only English side still capable of winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup and Wenger sees no reason why they shouldn’t target an unprecedented quartet.
However, with the games coming think and fast, Wenger knows his ambition could be extinguished very quickly.
Arsenal continue a run of four fixtures in four different competitions when they travel to Leyton Orient on Sunday in the FA Cup Fifth Round and then next week face Stoke in the Premier League and Birmingham in the League Cup Final.
“We want to go for every single competition, I have said that many times,” reiterated Wenger.
“How far will we go? I personally believe we can go in every competition to the end. But we can as well stop very quickly.
“It’s just down to how much we believe and how much commitment we show. What I am convinced of [is] we have the hunger, we have some talent and we are committed to going as far as we can.
“I can't tell you that we do not want to do it. We are in all the competitions so we will do our best. My job is to get the team as far as it can.
“You do not choose at the moment to drop any competition, it would be silly. How far we will be capable to go, I don't know. My job is to take the team as far as we can.”
On the result… I am highly delighted because it was a special football match. The game promised a lot and absolutely fulfilled the promises between two exceptional football teams who always try to play. We were not only strong on the physical side but on the mental side, we kept resilient. We took advantage of one special piece of skill from Van Persie and the goal for the second was after some good build-up play. It was a special night. When we suffered, the fans were still very positive.
On the second leg at the Nou Camp... Tonight's result gives us a chance to go to Barcelona with belief. We know it will be a very difficult game but we will prepare well. We will be highly focused and we go to win our game. It is a special lift for my team. Our players have shown exceptional strength tonight and togetherness. This will enforce that.
On taking off Alex Song… It was a mixture of the yellow card [he received] and because I wanted to go for it. We finished with Wilshere, Fabregas, Nasri, Bendtner and Van Persie - we needed to score two goals. We took a gamble and it could have backfired and we could have lost 2-0 or 3-0 to them. It worked.
On Jack Wilshere… He was outstanding tonight. He was not fazed by the occasion in difficult periods. He took the ball and got out of the pressure.
On whether Arsenal are favourites… We are not favourites. We believe we have a chance. Barcelona are still favourites and we know tonight that we can beat them - which we did not know last year. From now on, it is important we put the game out of our mind. We have an FA Cup match on Sunday. We have to be focused.
On Barcelona's possession… The problem with their possession if that if you are a fraction late, you can be in trouble. We were prepared mentally to live with that. We normally have the ball more than the opponent but we knew tonight that they would have the ball for 60 per cent.
On what it means to the Club… I am proud for Arsenal Football Club. Everyone urged us to play differently to our nature so it is good. I believe that it can strengthen the belief in our philosophy. We are 23 years old - our average - the average age is very, very young. It is very promising for the future. Our target is to keep these players together.
On Samir Nasri's return… He became stronger and stronger. He did not look like a player who has not played for such a long time. He started hesitantly and became more confident. On good results for England in the Champions League… It is difficult to know that and difficult to compare. Tonight, we played against the best team in the world in my opinion and we beat them. But that does not take away any quality. They are still an exceptional side. Last night was a different game [between Tottenham and Milan]. But the English Premier League is strong.
On Laurent Koscielny's performance… For me, he was outstanding. He is improving.
On the prospect of facing Lionel Messi again… Who doesn't worry about Messi? That will be a task to keep him quiet but we take some encouragement from tonight. The team has a great togetherness and a great mental belief. We have to be faithful in what we try to do and that is score goals.
At last there is a little more optimism amidst the last couple of weeks dissapointments. Firstly, the classless adewhore's double charge from the F.A for both Violent and improper conduct (understatement) will definitely bring him some match ban's namely the Manchester derby at the weekend. City will surely be hurt by their numerous losses in attack with Robinho, Tevez and now Adewhore's exclusion will leave them with just bellamy and santa cruz as viable options to take on a fired up utd fresh from their comeback at spurs and looking for revenge. I don't want to waste anymore time talking about city or adewhore so on to some other good news. Uefa have today overturned Eduardo's 2 match ban for diving and I must admit it was a surprise to me that they did considering it looked like He was being made an example of but hey, i'm not complaining. I hope that the start to the season is just a blip on the radar and the boys will be back to winning starting tomorrow night against Liege who we should take out our recent frustrations on with a big win!
I'm sure I echo the sentiments of the majority of Arsenal fan's who are severely dissapointed at Arsene Wenger's lack of backbone when it comes to yet another transfer window display. The bitter pill to swallow is not just that we didn't sign anyone but also that we seemed not even close to doing so. I could be far more understanding if we were interested in a player and tried to sign him but it fell through or couldn't be agreed etc but we have just limped through this window with only Vermaelen at £10m (though he's good). I noticed that even the bottom clubs have spent near that without a wink and we still remain bloody scrooges.
Wenger has now laid all his cards on the table and by not signing anyone could seal his fate come the end of the season. The fact that he believes we have enough to compete this season with a currently weakened side and YET AGAIN lack of experience makes me worried he has lost it. Don't get me wrong I'm not expecting a transfer spree but our injury record alone not only the African Cup of Nations wold be a smart move to keep the squad fuller in case of emergency. You just have to look at Tottenham's activity to show you our lack of ambition. Why didn't we have a punt on Niko Kranjcar, he is a solid experienced midfielder and would have been a cheap yet beneficial addition to the squad.
Arsene Wenger has no excuse if we fail to deliver this season and he has had on many occasions, the option to improve or squad but Time and time again has failed. I am very, very, dissapointed with the club and yet again we have shown ourselves to be weaker in the eyes of our rivals. Thanks a fucking bunch Arsene you prat, I will no longer believe you when you say you are willing to spend money on this club you have let down your fans and you're club Shame on you, If we fail TO deliver this season I'm afraid to say I want WENGER OUT and he will have no one to blame but HIMSELF!
On another angry point, Eduardo has officially been charged with a 2 match European ban despite an apparent written defence from the club. The charge is ridiculous and has opened up a black hole of paperwork that can never be filled. I hope UEFA is happy that they've mad all this work for themselves. With this charge standing I expect to see more players charged for 2 matches I.e. the usual suspects Drogba, Rooney etc as they have the highest diving pedigree in the premiership.
It appears that the rumours of us being linked with a transfer for Rafael Van der Vaart won't go away. I think this is a good thing as he is a quality player and due to our luck of picking up loads of injuries we would be a good "experienced" addition to the squad. Apparently we are not the only club looking to snap him up as Liverpool and villa are among his other suitors. This deal if it happens will go to the wire and provide us fans with another roller coaster of emmotions come august 31st. In the meanwhile here's some video of him for you to enjoy.
Reports are circulating that Arsene Wenger has renewed his interest in the 20 year old serbian, Neven Subotic. Currently playing in the german league with Borussia Dortmund the 6ft 4in Centre Back has been touted as the next addition to Wenger's squad this season. With Fulham apparently setting Brede Hangeland's price to £15m I reckon Wenger will cease his interest and perhaps Subotic is the ideal replacement and cheaper!
I must admit I don't know anything about him really except his height is exactly what we need. Have any of you seen or heard anything about him?
Arsenal in my opinion today missed out on a good signing in Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Despite the people who say we don't need a striker because Wenger will be using a 4-3-3 formation next season,that is not a reason not to buy him. Firstly, even though I was glad to see the back of Adebayor, the fact still remains that he added to the teams goal tally and we may be a few goals short as a result. Of course we do have other attacking options in Walcott, Arshavin Van Persie etc but a player of Huntelaar's goal scoring ability alone would add some double figures to the season's tally. I'm going to be really interested to see how Huntelaar does at AC, and i will be gutted if he has a stormer.
Anyway back to the point, why is Arsene Wenger taking so long with the summer transfers? Firstly don't get me wrong I know we don't have the ability to compete financially with other teams but we should send an example with our transfer policy, which we don't. I find it embarrassing that teams like sunderland and the spuds seem to have more ambition than us in the league. Wenger was quoted as saying he wasn't the man to put the club in debt but come on, don't insult our intelligence you don't have to buy £25m plus players all the time but show some grit on the players were fighting for. The main problem I have with our transfer policy above all other things is not wenger's miserly actions but the drawn out affair that always ensues. This fact has cost us in the past and even recently, look at Xavi Alonso's transfer to Madrid, last season we only had to cough up £15m to take him but now he's worth £30m. I'm not implying Alonso would have magically transformed the team but he definitley would have helped.
On a positive note though I do believe despite all wenger's miserly reputations this season he may suprise us. Arsene seems different then he has been in recent seasons and I think last season's pressure's and criticisms could be the reason for his change of policy. The fact that Arsene had stated that he "could" break his policy to sign Vieira or publicly admitting that we lacked aspects of our game was unusual for Wenger.
To wrap it up, today we have once again been linked with Brede Hangeland but the difference this time is that Wenger has stated his interest in Hangeland publicy. This is counter to Arsene's policy of complete privacy with regard to transfers, you just have to look at all the undisclosed transfer fee's there are to see that he takes it seriously. Could this be a Wenger smokescreen for another player or has Wenger changed his stance on getting the players he wants and perhaps he has been playing possum the whole time and will make us happy!
Arsene Wenger has stated that Marouane Chamakh's potential transfer to Arsenal is effectively dead. Wenger had made a bid of £6m for Chamakh but Bordeaux have valued the player at £15m which Wenger sees as a deal breaker. Arsene also made the point that Chamakh's contract is near to expiring,
"In five months, if he doesn't prolong his contract, Chamakh will be free to talk to any club and Bordeaux won't get anything,"
And also is it just me but didn't i hear that when we were originally linked with Chamakh (I'm so fed up of spelling his name) had a buyout clause of around the 5-7m mark? Anyway, I won't be shedding any tears over Wenger's decision and hope his other statements leads the way for a better option to come to the club.
"My offer seems fair to me. Chamakh would be good, but there are other options should we wish to pursue them."
I really, really hope it's Huntelaar, as his goalscoring record is phenomenal alone and if he even halved ratio in half for a first season in england would be great!
Of course there are other options we've been linked with that would also do a great job but what do who do you think would be the best?
Anyway I'm rambling so i'll wrap it up quickly. This is the first "proper" post you could say so i'd love feedback from you guys. Cheers
Arsene Wenger has refused to rule out a move for former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira.
The lack of experience in Wenger's squad has become a talking point in recent times, particularly since the departures of Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City.
Vieira left the club four years ago, joining Juventus and later Inter Milan, but he has been linked with a move back to the Premier League after an injury-plagued 2008/9 campaign.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has made no secret of his interest in the Frenchman but Wenger believes he would only want to play for one team if he returned to England.
A pay-as-you-pay deal has been mooted and Wenger has now admitted that he will have to seriously consider the matter.
"There is a football decision and there is a psychological impact on a player of that stature that could come in," said the Gunners boss.
"But at the moment we need to look at the level of experience in your squad to make this kind of decision.
"We are nowhere near to making a decision like that, but it is a possibility.
"We do not rule it out and we do not say we will do it - and that is my decision at the moment."
Wenger remains in regular contact with Vieira and is aware that he experienced a difficult season with Inter.
"I speak to Patrick, I speak to many players who have been here because I keep good connections with them," he explained.
"He has gone through a difficult period as well in the last season. I am aware that he wants to come here.
"I think Patrick is a legend here and he would always like to come back to this club. That would be his first choice.
"With emotion you always like the club you spent time (with).
"But as a professional as well, you always give 100 per cent for whichever club you sign for."
However, Wenger insisted: "Our focus should not be who can help us from outside, but who can help us from inside.
"We need a strong start and it is important that we do not dream too much and win our games in pre-season."
Arsenal have recently been linked with these three strikers with varying sources claiming that we have already made bids for two of them. Enjoy some of their best bits and decide for yourself who you would like to see at arsenal.
