Arsenal confirm Chamberlain bid

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed the club will make an offer for Southampton's £10 million-rated youngster Alex Chamberlain.  

The 17-year-old midfielder has scored six goals in 24 games for the League One side and, rated as one of the best talents of his age group, is expected to go the way of former Saints academy graduates Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale to North London.

Manchester United and Liverpool are both reportedly interested but Arsenal are set to pounce first for the son of former England winger Mark Chamberlain.

"We will try now," Wenger said. "We need an agreement with Southampton.

"We need an agreement with the player, and we are not the only ones on the case.

"But we try as hard as we can as I like him as a player."

Father Mark said he would prefer his son to move to Arsenal, hinting that he has a similar level of potential to Walcott.

"Arsenal, with the manager there, the way they play and how they develop players I think they are the ideal choice," he told Sky Sports.

"I am his dad. I've worked with both (Alex Chamberlain and Walcott). They have both got different attributes. Theo has already played 100 Premier League games for Arsenal, played for England and has scored a hat-trick. He's a really good player.

"Alexander is a little different. He's a bit better technically. He's more of a central midfielder player than a wide player.

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Ramsey joins Cardiff City on loan

 

Aaron Ramsey has joined Cardiff City on loan until February 26, 2011.

Aaron has recently returned from his first taste of competitive football since suffering a broken leg in February 2010. He enjoyed a spell on loan with Nottingham Forest over the Christmas and New Year period, when he made five appearances for Billy Davies’ side.

The 20-year-old midfielder has now rejoined Cardiff City, the team where he began his career, for a month, in order to improve his match sharpness and fitness.

The Wales International joined Arsenal in June 2008 from Cardiff City, having been the youngest player ever to represent the Bluebirds at 16 years and 124 days. He has made a total of 51 appearances for the Gunners, scoring five times, and also signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal in the summer.

Aaron also joins Arsenal team mate Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, who is on loan with Dave Jones’ side for the rest of the season.

Everyone at Arsenal Football Club wishes Aaron the best of luck during his time with Cardiff City.

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Jay Emmanuel-Thomas joins Cardiff on loan

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has joined Championship side Cardiff City until the end of the 2010/2011 season.

The 2009 Youth Cup winning captain, 20, has scored ten times in just nine appearances for the Arsenal Reserves this term, including a hat trick against West Ham’s second string – his second in successive seasons against the Hammers.

Jay’s performances have earned him first-team appearances in the Premier League, Champions League and Carling Cup this term and he will look to continue his excellent form with Dave Jones’ side, as they bid for promotion to the Premier League.

Last season, he cut his teeth at senior level with loan spells at Blackpool and Doncaster Rovers, and a debut for Arsène Wenger’s first team against Stoke City in the FA Cup Fourth Round.

Jay, who joined Arsenal at just eight years old, was a feature of Steve Bould’s Academy side for some years, captaining the Under-18s at just 16, and leading them to an FA Youth Cup and Academy League double in 2009. He signed professional terms in July 2008 and a new long-term contract in December 2009.

Everyone at Arsenal Football Club wishes Jay the best of luck for his time with Cardiff City.

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Manuel Almunia & Andrey Arshavin set to leave Arsenal - report

Arsenal are ready to sell Manuel Almunia and Andrey Arshavin in the current transfer window, according to The Metro.

The Spanish shot-stopper has had trouble with injury and is now thought to be third in the pecking order, with Lukasz Fabianski and Wojciech Szczesny ahead of him.

As for the Russian, he has suffered an inconsistent run of form and has put in a series of under-par performances.

Arshavin has also been linked with a move away from the Emirates, with the attacker having been linked with a move to Juventus.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is reported to be keen on shoring up his back line, as injuries to Thomas Vermaelen and Sebastien Squillaci have left his defence in poor shape.

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Squillaci injury could force January signing

Arsène Wenger will move “quickly” to acquire a new centre back if a hamstring injury picked up by Sebastien Squillaci at the weekend sidelines him for a while.

Squillaci suffered a slight strain during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United and the manager says he will assess the extent of the injury before deciding whether to dip into the market.

If the French defender’s prognosis is poor, Wenger would be left with Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou as his only two fit recognised central defenders.

Although long-term absentee Thomas Vermaelen, out since September with an Achilles injury, is pencilled in for a return at the end of January, Wenger isn’t willing to take a chance.

"If he [Squillaci] has a problem then we must quickly go for a player,” said the Frenchman.

"Squillaci came off with a little hamstring problem and if we only have two centre backs then that cannot work with the number of games we have.”

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'I'd sign Beckham... but we don't need him'

Arsène Wenger would consider a move for David Beckham - but he has no room in his squad for the former England captain.

The Arsenal manager is a huge admirer of the 35-year-old and has invited the midfielder to train at London Colney in the past so he can maintain his fitness during the MLS close-season.

The LA Galaxy star has come to the end of another campaign in the United States and has been linked with a loan move after two previous spells with AC Milan. But his destination will not be Emirates Stadium.

"Of course I would consider signing Beckham but it's in an area where we do not need players," explained Wenger. "We have Walcott, Nasri, Rosicky, Arshavin, Vela and Eboue who can play on the flanks.

"I love David Beckham and when he was here [training] he was a fantastic example on the professional side. He was the first in and the last out.

"But I cannot sign anybody in January in the department where he plays."

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Arsenal Striker Robin Van Persie Linked With Shock £25.5m Bayern Munich Move

Bayern München are lining up a move for Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie , according to German reports.
The 4-4-2 Web site says Bayern boss Louis Van Gaal is keen on bringing his compatriot to the Bavarian outfit even though he would be cup tied for the Champions League.

The 27-year-old joined Arsenal from Feyenoord Rotterdam in 2004, and although his tremendous talent was obvious early on, his Gunners career has been blighted somewhat by injury.

The Dutchman returned to action in November after a two-month layoff with an injury to his left heel.

Although van Persie has only played eight games this term, he has still managed a goal and three assists.

He is contracted to Arsenal until 2014, and he is valued at €20M-30M. (IMScouting)

Robin Van Persie has had a very stop start time at Arsenal since his move six years ago, with the Dutchman missing more games out injured than he has actually started and now it appears that Bayern Munich are willing to offer a big sum for the Emirates striker and one wonders what Arsene Wenger would elect to do if indeed an offer was made by the German giants.

The 27 year old is a cult hero at the club and appears keen to fight his way back to full fitness but may well also be interested in a new challenge at the Allianz Arena. Come the summer perhaps this deal will be more relevant as the former Feyenoord man may well have either proven himself a crucial player that Wenger can ill afford to lose or he may have picked up another injury that will curtail his progess.

Marouane Chamakh has proven a great signing and has pretty much taken the goal scoring burden with the likes of Nicklas Bendtner and Carlos Vela reportedly set to leave the club, would the Gunners consider allowing Van Persie to leave as well?

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Eden Hazard wants Arsenal move, but do Arsenal want him??

It is well known in footballing circles that Eden Hazard wants to move to Arsenal, something he hinted at in his recent comments about his future. Some sources have claimed that he will definitely join the club in the summer after he asked for another season in France last time round, however I hold no information of my own to validate or quash those claims.

Arsenal is the most attractive option for him, he knows he will get a chance whereas looking at other clubs stockpiling players like Real Madrid and Man City make him really wonder if he will get his chance. This hardly does much to wrong claims that Arsenal is a “creche” but if you have a player of Eden’s quality wanting to join it has to be seriously considered… surely?

There have been varying reports of interest from Arsenal in him, even so long as two or three seasons ago he was touted as a future Arsenal signing, however there has never been anything concrete from Arsenal’s front. Only a few brief inquiries and visits from scouts.

I could see the benefit in signing Hazard, especially with the Arshavin contract situation not exactly being clear cut at the moment despite talk of it being a longer contact than first thought. We do not have a wealth of natural options down the left hand side, actually, we don’t really have any at all and Hazard would provide that option.

He wants to join so its down to Arsenal to stump up the cash and place their faith in him. Lets see what happens.

***

I’m delighted we have drawn Barcelona in the next round of the Champions League, it’s a win – win situation. If we beat them we would shut a lot of people up, if we lose its not unexpected and we can concentrate on more realistic trophies. The game would come just off the back of the Carling Cup final… what bigger confidence boost could we have than having just secured some silverware? Lets hope that is the case.

For what it is worth I really don’t rate our chances in Europe because of our leaky defence, its a competition where you need a lot of defensive stability and we just can’t offer that. However, Barcelona will fear us and I hope we go in with a different approach to last time.

***

There is a lot of chatter about giving Ryan Shawcross some abuse tomorrow – why serve to pump him up? A wall of silence would be more unexpected. What is the betting an Arsenal player will hit the headlines with a controversial tackle tomorrow? It would be just typical…

***

For now, the game against Stoke is just about the most important game we have been in this this season. With us games tend to be lost in two’s and we just can’t afford for that to happen. Three points is the best way to hurt Stoke, Shawcross and Pulis.

Til next time.

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Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner to be shipped out on loan to Everton in January - report

Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner will be farmed out on loan toEverton in January, with a view to a permanent move, according to the Metro.

With the arrival of Marouane Chamakh and the return to fitness of Robin van Persie, the Danish centre forward has seen himself slip off Arsene Wenger's radar.

Wenger is also rumoured to be interested in both Lille's Eden Hazard and Freiburg's Senegalese striker Papis Demba Cisse, thus freeing Bendtner for a move away from the Emirates.

Everton boss David Moyes is said to have made enquiries as to the young forward's availability and a loan move would certainly help take some pressure off the team's struggling front line.

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Ramsey joins Nottingham Forest on loan

 
Aaron Ramsey has joined Nottingham Forest on loan until January 3, 2011.

Ramsey recently made his long awaited comeback since suffering a broken leg in February, successfully coming through 45 minutes for the Reserves against Wolves on Tuesday. He is joining Billy Davies’ side on loan to gain match fitness and sharpness.

The 19-year-old midfielder joined Arsenal in June 2008 from Cardiff City, having been the youngest player ever to represent the Bluebirds at 16 years and 124 days. He has made a total of 51 appearances for the Gunners, scoring five times.

Already a key figure in the Welsh national team, for whom he has made 11 international appearances, Ramsey signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal in the summer.

Everyone at Arsenal Football Club wishes Aaron the best of luck during his time with Nottingham Forest and we all look forward to seeing him once again in an Arsenal shirt in the New Year.

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Arsenal Complete Signing of “New Cristiano Ronaldo”

Arsenal have completed the signing of Ryo Miyaichi, a 17-year-old Japanese wonderkid touted as being the “new Cristiano Ronaldo”.

The signing will go through in December 2010, though the youngster will not be able to make the switch until he is granted a work permit to compete in the English Premier League.

The paperwork for his work permit is reportedly completed and submitted, with Arsenal simply waiting on confirmation before bringing the player to North London.

If his work permit cannot be granted with immediate effect, Arsenal are set to agree a deal with Salamanca, whereby the player would play for the Spanish side until he fulfilled the criteria that made him eligible to compete in the Premier League.

Arsenal have a long and established loaning relationship with Salamanca, as Spanish work permits are more easily accessible for non-EU players. Having only played competitive fixtures for Japan Under-15s and Under-17s, Miyaichi is expected to be filtered through the loaning process at Salamanca.

After being impressed by the youngster in the summer of 2009, Arsene Wenger has apparently offered Miyaichi a five-year contract that he will be able to sign when he turns 18.

“For us, it’s very important that Asia is represented at our club,” Wenger stated.

“The problem we have in England at the moment is that we have difficulties to bring in the non-EU players. Before they are internationals so it makes the work for the young players very difficult but we will try to bring him in here.
”Miyaichi is currently recovering from a broken leg, but is set to return to full training in January.”

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Henri Lansbury joins Norwich City on loan

England Under-21 International Henri Lansburyhas joined Championship side Norwich City on loan for 28 days.

The 20-year-old midfielder enjoyed an eventful 2009/10 campaign, scoring five times in 39 appearances during a season-long loan at Watford. This impressive form earned Lansbury his England Under-21s debut in November 2009 and a first Premier League appearance for Arsenal, against Fulham on the final day of the season.

He has become a regular at Under-21 level and even starred as an emergency goalkeeper in the second half of the recent match in Germany.

The energetic, technically-gifted midfielder has continued to progress this season. He was involved in the first team’s pre-season training camp and featured in the Carling Cup Third Round win over Tottenham Hotspur, scoring his first senior goal for Arsenal when he netted the opener at White Hart Lane. He’s also been a recent regular for Neil Banfield’s Reserves.

Other highlights of his young career include an FA Youth Cup winner’s medal in 2009 which followed hot on the heels of a successful three-month loan with Scunthorpe United, then in League One.

Enfield-born Lansbury joined Arsenal at just eight years of age and this temporary move sees him return to a club whose youth set-up he was part of during the late 1990s. He signed a new long-term contract with the Gunners in January 2010.

Everyone at Arsenal Football Club wishes Henri the best of luck during his time with Paul Lambert’s team.

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Ashley Young Poised To Quit Aston Villa And Join Arsenal In January

Aston Villa winger Ashley Young 
is set to sign for Premier League 
title contenders Arsenal after 
refusing to sign a new 
contract at Villa Park, according to reports.

The England international is reportedly 
looking to make the switch to the 
Emirates in the January transfer window, 
as reported by talkSPORT.

The 25-year-old insisted he would 
confer with the Midlands club regarding 
a new deal at the end of the season as he 
currently has one year left on his current contract.

However, reports suggest Arsene Wenger will snap up Young 
despite Villa manager Gerard Houllier’s desire to keep him.

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Wenger ends Chamakh transfer, Phew

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

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Senderos transfer looking likely

Everton have confirmed they are in talks with Arsenal over the £6 million signing of Swiss international centre-back Philippe Senderos as they begin to prepare for life without Joleon Lescott.

The Goodison Park club’s chairman, Bill Kenwright, this morning revealed talks are “ongoing” between the two clubs, though contrary to reports in Switzerland, “nothing has been concluded”.

Senderos, who spent last year on loan at AC Milan, is surplus to requirements at the Emirates after the arrival of the Belgian international Thomas Vermaelen and thanks to the emergence of John Djourou.

Senderos would be a direct replacement for Lescott, who yesterday informed manager David Moyes of his desire to move to Manchester City.

The player is expected to write to Kenwright this week to explain his reasons for wishing to bring his three-year spell on Merseyside to an end, though he has, so far, stopped short of handing in a formal transfer request.

Lescott may be forced to do so, though, thanks to Moyes’s unwillingness to part with a player who has developed from a Championship-level hopeful to England international regular under his guidance.

It is believed Moyes informed the player yesterday that he would not be allowed to leave.

City, who have already had two bids, worth £15 million and £18 million, turned down by Everton, will wait until the player has formalised his intentions before returning with a third bid.

Sources at Eastlands have confirmed that Mark Hughes’s interest in the player is “still alive” but admit they are waiting to see how the dispute between player and club resolves itself before acting.

Should Everton refuse to allow Lescott his move, Hughes is likely to switch his attentions to Roma defender Philippe Mexes or Chelsea’s Brazilian international centre-back Alex.

Moyes, though, may find the prospect of around £22 million, the amount City are prepared to offer, too good to turn down for a player who wishes to leave.

As well as Senderos, the Scot has been offered the versatile Toulouse defender Albin Ebondo and is thought to be tracking Standard Liege midfielder Steven Defour - a target for Real Madrid and Liverpool - as well as Swedish U21 international Rasmus Elm.

Sourec: Telegraph

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Kolo Toure Video interview

As a final farewell here's Kolo's first interview since his transfer from the gunners. Bye byeking kolo.

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Kolo Toure completes transfer

Kolo Toure has signed a four-year deal with Manchester City after sealing his £15million switch from Arsenal.

The 28-year-old is believed to have agreed a £120,000-a-week deal deal after Arsene Wenger confirmed Sportsmail's exclusive story that the Ivorian is the latest big name player to leave the club this summer joining Emmanuel Adebayor.
Toure played for Arsenal on Monday night in a pre-season friendly in Hungary. The move would take City boss Mark Hughes' spending close to the £100m mark.

But the spree will not stop there, with Everton defender Joleon Lescott and West Ham's Matthew Upson also in their sights, while reports in France link them to Roma's Philippe Mexes.

Arsenal by contrast have made just one signing, central defender Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax, and have also sold Emmanuel Adebayor to City for £25m.

Wenger hinted that he will make more signings before the transfer window closes.

'I am more focused on getting everybody fit for the start of the season but we are looking at opportunities as well,' he said.

'There are still some pre-season games to see what we really need. When the time comes we will do something.'

Toure becomes the latest big name to sign for City after Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry.

They will now look to challenge Arsenal for a place in the Barclays Premier League's top four.

Source: Daily mail

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