Arsenal and Liverpool will both be out to claim their first win of the new Barclays Premier League season when they lock horns at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

And ahead of the hugely-anticipated match, Liverpool full-back Jose Enrique spoke of his belief that all was not well with the Gunners.

Arsenal talisman and captain Cesc Fabregas completed his transfer to Barcelona earlier this week and Samir Nasri is expected to follow him out of the Emirates with a move to Manchester City seemingly on the cards.

Enrique, who was himself the subject of a transfer this summer when he moved to Anfield from Newcastle, will get the chance to see what effect the turmoil has had on the Gunners first hand when his new side travel to north London on Saturday in the Barclays Premier League.

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"I think it's really difficult for them because I think maybe Nasri will go (as well)," he told www.liverpoolfc.tv. "He is a good player for them too.

"Fabregas has gone already and when you lose your best players it's bad for the team. More in terms of mentality, because they have other really good players."

Enrique can sympathise with the Arsenal players having been at Newcastle when first Andy Carroll, now his Liverpool team-mate, and then Kevin Nolan departed for pastures new.

"Arsenal is an amazing team and I think they'll buy players soon before the end of the market," he said. "But it is hard.

"At Newcastle we had the same with Andy Carroll and after that Kevin Nolan. For the players it's really hard when you lose your best players."

Enrique's old club also face a stiff early-season test as they travel to Sunderland for a Tyne-Wear derby.

Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi has scored six goals against Sunderland, including two in a 5-1 win at St James' Park last season, and he will get the opportunity to add to that tally.

Manager Alan Pardew told the club's website, www.nufc.co.uk: "Shola has been here a long time, he's lived in the area, and the passion from the fans which can get into the players cannot be underestimated.

"Everywhere you go you get reminded, and Shola has had that for a number of years.

"So he knows this is a massive game for the club and he probably gets himself up as high as he would for a cup final.

"That bodes well, and he will start on Saturday, I make no bones about that. He will be in the starting line-up."

Chelsea will have new signing Romelu Lukaku available to face West Brom after the 18-year-old striker completed his move from Anderlecht today.

Midfielder Jon Obi Mikel has also declared himself available despite his father's kidnapping in Nigeria, but goalkeeper Petr Cech has been ruled out for three to four weeks after picking up a knee injury in training.

Also on Saturday, Aston Villa host Blackburn, Swansea entertain Wigan and QPR, who were today taken over by business tycoon Tony Fernandes, go to Everton.

Sunday's fixtures see Stoke travelling to Norwich and Wolves hosting Fulham, while Sergio Aguero, who scored twice off the bench on his Manchester City debut on Monday, will hope for a bigger role as his new side go to Bolton.

The weekend's final eye-catching clash is on Monday, when Tottenham make the trip to Old Trafford to face champions Manchester United.Saturday

Espnstar.com

When Ivan Gazidis promised fans a busy summer transfer window I was stoked (is ’stoked’ just an Australian term or do you lot in England use it too? Just in case you don’t it means very excited). He mentioned elements of our squad departing the club, and I assumed he meant players like Almunia, Squillaci, Denilson et al.

Almunia missed all of the pre-season searching for a new club. Surely that’s a good thing? Well, with around a fortnight until the window slams shut he remains a Gunner. How hard can it be to dispatch him? Apparently very hard, since there have been barely any whispers of a deal let alone any interested clubs.

Denilson is a similar case. Rumours of a swap and cash deal for Shakhtar’s Willian were followed by amusing tales of Shakhtar only wanting the cash. Funny, unless you’re an Arsenal fan. The best we could manage is to farm him out to Sao Paulo, his boyhood club. The Tricolor Morumbi must regret that after his two red cards so far. As for Squillaci, well, I doubt we could sell him even if Wenger wanted to. He’ll be a drain on the Arsenal payroll for a year or two yet sadly.

Alarmingly, it does appear that Gazidis was actually referring to players such as Nicklas Bendtner, Gael Clichy and Emmanuel Eboue. Gael’s gone to City to ‘win’ things and earn a hefty wage for the privilege of doing so, whilst Eboue was offloaded to Galatasaray without much fanfare at all.

In the case of Nicklas Bendtner (The Mysterious Case of Nicklas Bendtner by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has a pleasant ring to it) the Dane has been reduced to being linked with Stoke, Newcastle or Sunderland in his search for regular game time since being pushed down the pecking order by the woeful (and lazyish) Marouane Chamakh. As things stand no deal has been made and some clubs such as Sporting Club of Portugal have even strenuously denied any links to him. Ouch.

Now compare the players mentioned in the last few paragraphs. If you could pick either trio, which would you have? Yes, me too.

Even more alarmingly, Gazidis may have been subtly referring to players most gunners considered crucial to the club six months ago. Cesc left for Barca at the start of the week, but we all knew that would happen one day, and we did make a lot of money from it (even though Wenger says an open market would have generated more – thanks for that Cesc).

The departure of Cesc would be softened by the ability of Nasri, if only Nasri actually played for us and wasn’t public enemy number one in Islington. It’s hard to decipher which statements (inflammatory or conciliatory) are his since so many keep getting reported, but the one obvious problem for all Arsenal fans is Samir’s refusal to sign a new contract.

Whilst his sale would be devastating for Arsenal who will need a playmaker in the post-Cesc era, to let him leave for free in one year when he has so many cashed-up suitors right now is equally problematic. If I ran the show (oh, how we all want to live that dream for a day) I would let him leave now for a hefty sum and reinvest it. Instead I predict that Wenger will let him leave for a hefty sum but not reinvest it. Well, at least not on experienced and proven players anyway.

The start of the summer transfer window was also exciting for the prospect of new, quality players. Gervinho was the name on everybody’s lips and it was practically a done deal from day one. However, since then we have replaced the aforementioned players (well, the ones we have successfully offloaded at least) with some more Wenger-style children. Carl Jenkinson is a 19 year-old full-back, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is a 17 year-old winger/forward, and Joel Campbell is a 19 year-old forward. Players for the future certainly, but not the kinds of signings that stir up fans and strike fear into opponents. Especially given the departures.

At the start of the transfer window Gunners worldwide licked their lips over the prospect of Christopher Samba or Gary Cahill partnering Thomas Vermaelen in the heart of Arsenal’s defence. Neither has even had a concrete offer made for them. To a lesser extent many fans would probably even settle for Scott Dann, Phil Jagielka or Per Mertesacker. Anybody must be better than Squillaci.

With Cesc gone and Nasri seemingly set to follow, a creative presence must be purchased for the central midfield berth. So far Wenger has baulked at Juan Mata’s price tag and played down links with Jadson, despite the player tweeting about the prospect of good news and his manager acknowledging Arsenal’s interest. Mmmmm, frustrating.

With Clichy now located at Northern moneybags Manchester City, Gibbs and Traore will share the responsibility at left-back. However, Gibbs is injury prone and Wenger has never given Traore an extended run in the senior squad let alone the starting eleven. When Jose Enrique was angling for a move away from Newcastle it was Liverpool who made the move to snap him up, not Arsenal. Let’s hope that doesn’t come back to haunt us.

Furthermore, if Bendtner leaves, our goal dependency will ride almost entirely on Walcott, Gervinho and Van Persie since it is almost guaranteed Chamakh won’t score. Even if Bendtner stays many fans want Wenger to buy a proven goal-scorer. How come some Russian club I’ve never heard of can afford Samuel Eto’o but a Premier League club that regularly reports record profits can’t?

Ivan Gazidis was brought to the club to help build our brand and image. I have no doubt he is doing a pretty good job, and will probably continue to do so. But the best signing Arsenal could make in my (ultimately superfluous) opinion would be none other than David Dein. Let that sink in for a while. I don’t have a major in business or economics, or pretend to know the ins and outs of how Arsenal FC functions, but I do think that Arsenal’s real problems only started after David Dein was ousted.

Even iconic figures like Thierry Henry bemoaned his departure, and surely that should have signaled concern? In some quarters Arsene Wenger is criticised for wielding too much power, and some doubt that Gazidis is the man to rein him in. They don’t doubt that Dein was capable though, and somebody really needs to prompt Wenger into making the odd high profile (by that I mean quality and proven winner) signing.

Why shouldn’t Dein and Gazidis be able to work alongside one another? Dein could balance Wenger in the power stakes, especially when it comes to transfers and budgets, whilst Gazidis could continue his good work on enhancing Arsenal’s image and marketability.

For me it ultimately comes down to this situation: At the start of the transfer window the club confirmed that Wenger would have a substantial budget to buy players. Selling the likes of Clichy, Eboue, Cesc and (probably) Nasri can only have inflated that budget to ‘dizzying’ heights (Wenger’s words, not mine). There should be no excuse for missing out on a Samba or Cahill, Mata or Jadson, due to a little haggling over price.

Somebody (David Dein) needs to remind Wenger that despite his mostly impressive transfer history, there is an old adage – ‘if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys’. At the moment our squad is becoming littered with talented, young chimps. Whilst they will develop under Wenger’s tutelage, right now we need to dangle a few bananas and attract some alpha-male gorillas.

thegunninghawk.com

August 18

After witnessing more and more problems in the final third against Udinese, two strikers are today linked with a possible move to Arsenal.

According to Metro, West Bromwich Albion’s Peter Odemwingie is ready to leave the Baggies if a “top club” makes an approach. The Nigeria International was heavily linked with a move to the Emirates last month and with Marouane Chamakh clearly not the answer for when Robin van Persie is not available, a striker is a must if we are to be competitive this season.

In other news, Eurosport reports that Lille striker Moussa Sow wants wants to leave the Ligue 1 champions for Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal. The French-born Senegalese striker said, “I want to play at Arsenal, I think my game is best-suited to the Premier League. It is my dream and I want to be playing Champions League football.”

And before moving on to today’s poll, a look at yesterday’s results in which we collected more than 2,000 votes and with Liverpool’s Joe Cole getting a high number of negative votes from our readers and with Eljero Elia enjoying more than 800 positive replies.

As always, please let us know your preference on today’s linked players and don’t be shy to join the discussion in our newly-launched Arsenal forum.

Player Profile

Peter Odemwingie

Date of birth: 15/07/1981

Place of birth: Tashkent

Age: 30

Height: 1,82

Nationality: Nigeria, Russia

Position: Striker

Foot: Both

Market Value: £7m

Moussa Sow

Date of birth: 19/01/1986

Place of birth: Mantes-la-Jolie

Age: 25

Height: 1,80

Nationality: Senegal, France

Position: Striker

Foot: Right

Market Value: £9.7m

Thegunninghawk.com

Arsene Wenger could find himself in further disciplinary trouble after communicating with the Arsenal bench during their 1-0 Champions League play-off first-leg win over Udinese.

The Frenchman received a one-match touchline ban for abusing Swiss referee Massimo Busacca in the last-16 defeat to Barcelona last season.

Wenger's post-match criticism saw him banished to the stands for this evening's match, although he could find himself in further trouble for communicating with the bench.

Arsenal checked with UEFA that Wenger could send messages to the coaching staff via a third party.

As a result, first-team coach Boro Primorac passed instructions from Wenger to assistant manager Pat Rice on the touchline throughout the first period.

However, UEFA warned Wenger at the break he was contravening the rules and as a result he withdrew from communication.

After the match, the Gunners boss felt that as he had not been involved in the match in the usual way he would not attend the post-match press conference.

Wenger will have been frustrated by the way his team were unable to go on to dominate the tie after taking an early lead through Theo Walcott.

Arsenal laboured to a 1-0 win over the Italian side, which left more questions than answers over life after Cesc Fabregas.

Wenger had called for a response from his young squad following the sale of their captain back to Barcelona and it seemed he would get just that when Walcott swept the home side in front after only four minutes.

However, from then on, Arsenal never really got into any sort of rhythm as Udinese grew into the game.

Goalscorer Walcott is happy with the narrow lead heading into next week's second leg and is keen to move on from the sale of Fabregas.

"We've just got to carry on," he said. "It's time to move on. He was a great player for the club but he's gone.

"We still have some very talented players in the squad here and we believe we can achieve something this year.

"We're in a great position but it's far from over. We didn't finish it off.

"But we dug in and gave absolutely everything. That's two clean sheets in a row now, and we're capable of winning over there."

Walcott has been dogged by his controversial comments about Fabio Capello this week and, while he refused to comment on the matter, he gave the onlooking Italian a reminder of his talent.

"It was nice to get the goal. I want to get more goals this season," he said. "It was a great ball from Aaron (Ramsey).

"Hopefully the boss will play me up front now, I don't know. I could have had a couple more but the keeper made some spectacular saves.

"We're going to find it difficult over there but we're very happy with the result.

"That's the most important thing."

While Arsenal will happy with the clean sheet, the victory came at a cost as Kieran Gibbs and Johan Djourou picked up injuries.

Gibbs picked up a minor hamstring injury and was forced off at half-time, but replacement Djourou was forced off after just 10 minutes with a similar complaint.

Both players are now doubts for this weekend's match against Liverpool.

espnstar.com

Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has expressed his delight in scoring the winning goal in his side's 1-0 Champions League first-leg play-off win over Udinese.

The 22-year-old, who has attracted controversy after his comments about England manager Fabio Capello in his autobiography, gave the onlooking Italian a reminder of his talent when he skilfully stole in behind the Udinese defence to tap home Aaron Ramsey's cross in the fourth minute.

Speaking after the match, Walcott insists he is slowing inching back into full fitness and hopes to score more goals for the Gunners.

"I'm still coming back from my ankle injury. The goalkeeper's made an absolutely fantastic save. It's early days, it's my first 90 minutes, and I'm very happy with the result. That's the important thing.

"I was to get more goals. It's a great ball Aaron's played for me. Hopefully the boss will play me up front."

It was a battle for Arsenal in midfield, but Ramsey feels they can get a positive result in the return leg in Udine.

"We tended to drop off a bit and there were gaps appearing but we dug in and gave absolutely everything tonight," he said. "We believe we're capable of going over there to win.

"The most important thing is a clean sheet. Our defence was solid, like at the weekend. I believe we can get the result."

The Gunners will travel to Italy for the second leg next week.

espnstar.com

Arsenal striker Gervinho will serve his three-match ban for violent conduct after the Football Association dismissed his appeal.

The 24-year-old Ivory Coast forward was sent off in the second half of the goalless draw at St James' Park for striking Magpies midfielder Joey Barton following what the home side claimed was a dive in the penalty area.

The Gunners lodged a claim on Monday that the standard three-game ban was "clearly excessive", but an FA regulatory commission heard the case on Tuesday and ruled that the punishment should stand.

"Arsenal's Gervinho has had his three-match suspension for violent conduct confirmed today," read an FA statement.

"The player was sent off during Arsenal's fixture against Newcastle United at St James' Park on Saturday.

"Arsenal subsequently lodged a claim that the standard punishment of three matches was clearly excessive.

"A commission heard the claim today and dismissed it, meaning the player must serve a three-match suspension with immediate effect."

The FA charged both clubs with failing to control their players following the ill-tempered opening fixture on Tyneside.

Arsenal midfielder Alex Song faces a separate charge of violent conduct after his stamp on Barton which was missed by referee Peter Walton.

Gervinho will miss the games against Liverpool, Manchester United and Swansea - and Song could also be hit by the same retrospective punishment.

Barton, meanwhile, received a yellow card for his part in the melee, and as such has already been sanctioned.

The controversial midfielder admitted on Twitter that he "went down easily" following Gervinho's slap.

espnstar.com

Arsenal have agreed terms for Emmanuel Eboue's transfer to Turkish side Galatasaray.

Ivory Coast international Eboue had been expected to leave the Gunners this summer after he struggled for first team action last season while he was not handed a squad number ahead of the new campaign.

"Arsenal have agreed terms with Turkish side Galatasaray for the transfer of Emmanuel Eboue," a statement on the Premier League club's website read.

"Everyone at Arsenal thanks Manu for his contribution towards the club and wishes him the best of luck for the future."

Eboue has signed a four-year contract with Gala on a deal the Turkish club has claimed is initially worth €3.5million.

The 28-year-old's departure ends a six-year stay in north London after he joined from Belgian side Beveren in 2005.

Eboue found himself down the pecking order at Arsenal last season when he managed just 13 league appearances and his exit loomed likely as he remained out of favour in pre-season.

His departure comes a day after Cesc Fabregas completed his protracted move to Barcelona while Samir Nasri is also expected to leave before the transfer window ends.

Eboue made 216 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal and scored 13 goals.

espnstar.com

Arsène Wenger says Nicklas Bendtner could be involved against Udinese on Tuesday night even though the Dane may still leave Arsenal.

Bendtner has been strongly linked with a move away from Emirates Stadium this summer and the manager has confirmed that his future could lie elsewhere if he finds the right club.

The 23-year-old admitted that he was after a move while on international duty recently but Wenger revealed on Monday that he might feature in the Champions League this week.

“In his interview Bendtner said he was gone, but I checked and he’s not gone at all!” he said.

“I promised I would let him go if he found the right club and that has not changed because when I make a promise I keep it.

“But if he doesn’t find the right opportunity he will stay and fight for his place like everybody else. He looks sharp in training.”

Arsenal.com

Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour believes the Gunners need to strengthen the defensive department and sign three or four players before the transfer window shuts down.

Speaking to the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, the Englishman explained that the first month of football is vital for the Gunners as if they fail to get off to a good start then fans will ask more questions and manager Arsene Wenger will have to deal with “big problems”.

On what the Gunners need, the 38-year old replied by saying that he is hoping for three, maybe four new signings as midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri have to replaced if they leave adding that new defenders are needed as they conceded way too many goals last season.

Parlour concluded by describing last season’s lost Carling Cup Final as a disaster and the main reason why manager Arsene Wenger is under heavy pressure adding that last season’s campaign was maybe the first time in which the Frenchman was under pressure to deliver.

On what the Gunners need, Parlour said:

Wenger needs to hit the ground running. The fans are waiting for the first five or ten games and if the results don’t go well everything will be a big problem for Arsenal.

I’m still hoping there will be three or four more players coming in before the window closes and then there’s a little bit of hope of a good season.

But the likes of Nasri and Fabregas are hard to replace. You look around the world and who can come in to replace them? There aren’t many.

Arsenal still need defenders. They will always create chances with the players they’ve got but they need to shore up the defence. Their problem last season was leaking silly goals and they have to improve that. Arsenal need to make themselves harder to beat.

Every manager is under pressure, except probably Sir Alex Ferguson. I would have said Wenger was in that category but last season was probably his first most frustrating.

He knows they were so close to doing well, but losing the Carling Cup final was a disaster and finished their season.

Thegunninghawk.com

August 15

One of the best strikers of the English Premier League and a 21-year old winger are today’s players linked with a possible move to Arsenal.

According to The Sun, the Gunners are ready to let midfielder Samir Nasri join Manchester City but only in exchange for striker Carlos Tevez. As sensational as the rumour is, one cannot deny that the Argentina International is just what Arsenal need to solve their problems in the final third although to be said is that the 27-year is reportedly so homesick that wants to leave Eastlands and return to Argentina.

In other news, Metro believes that Arsenal are ready to make a move for Marvin Martin and Andre Ayew as soon as Cesc Fabregas joins Barcelona. The 21-year old French-born Ghanaian plays as a winger, but can also play as a striker although in all fairness if there is one position where the Gunners need no new signings, it is indeed on the wing.

And before moving on to today’s poll, a look at Friday’s results in which we collected more than 1,800 and with Jadson getting 767 positive votes but also 214 negative ones and Bryan Ruiz getting 505 vs 317.

As always, please let us know your preference on today’s linked players and don’t be shy to join the discussion in our newly-launched Arsenal forum.

Player Profile

Carlos Tevez

Date of birth: 05/02/1984

Place of birth: Ciudadela

Age: 27

Height: 1,73

Nationality: Argentina

Position: Striker

Foot: Both

Market Value: £35m

Andre Ayew

Date of birth: 17/12/1989

Place of birth: Seclin

Age: 21

Height: 1,76

Nationality: Ghana, France

Position: Striker – Left Wing

Foot: Left

Market Value: £8.8m

Thegunninghawk.com

Bacary Sagna saw a marked improvement in Arsenal's defensive performance as they kicked off the season with a 0-0 draw at Newcastle.

Arsène Wenger's side could not find the winner they deserved at St. James' Park on Saturday but their organisation and resilience at the back earned them a clean sheet.

Wojciech Szczesny's goal was hardly threatened during the 90 minutes and Sagna praised his team-mates after the final whistle.

“I think it was very important to start the season with this kind of game," he said. "We were very consistent throughout and I think we were all defensively aware, from the forward players to the back four. 

“Even if we had setbacks during the game we fought hard until the end, and we have to keep showing that kind of spirit if we want to win things. 

"This is how we want to play all season, and it was a good start.”

Read the full interview with Bacary in the Official Matchday Programme for the Udinese game on Tuesday.

Arsenal.com

It sounds bizarre but for the second season in a row, one of Arsenal’s new signings was forced to end his game prematurely after seeing red, Laurent Koscielny last season and Gervinho yesterday.

Speaking on the incident, manager Arsene Wenger explained that the referee had to show the same colour for both players adding that Joey Barton, as it was the case last season, escaped with a yellow card when he should have seen red.

Asked about the performance of centre backs Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny, the Frenchman joked that had the Gunners conceded he would have been bombarded with questions about why he signed no defenders and that the two deserve credit for a top class performance.

Wenger concluded by saying that he is not against spending money provided his scouting team can find players who can improve the squad with the Arsenal boss again insisting that he has a big squad available and that if players are sold they will be replaced with “top quality”.

After the 0-0 draw, the manager said:

[Gervinho's red?] I think I saw two yellows or two reds but not one yellow and one red. There is a link between the incident [and Diaby’s sending off last season]. He got away with a yellow card both years.

[Koscielny and Vermaelen?] If we had conceded a goal I would have been bombarded with questions about why I don’t buy a centre back! They have to take credit.

I am not against spending money if the players we buy can improve our squad. We have a big squad and if some players leave we will try to bring players in. We request top quality and we are not scared to spend money.

It is important that there is a love between the fans and the players. The players have shown a commitment that deserves the support of the fans. In 15 years, look at the quality of players I have bought to this club.

Thegunninghawk.com

Disappointingly Gervinho’s debut ended up with a red card. It kind of remind me of Koscielny debut against Liverpool which ended up with same fate. As always Barton did what he does best and provoked him and Gervinho fall for it. I was surprise Barton only got away with only a yellow though. Some said it’s only fair because Song should have been sent off for the intentional foul he committed on Barton earlier in the game. Now make of it what you will, but I don’t see how that is relevant.

Wenger had this to say:

“I think Gervinho didn’t deserve the red card personally. I dont know why Joey Barton has grabbed him at the throat to get him up. I think thats a yellow card. I feel the referee has not seen it and the assistant has not seen it properly. I am 100% sure the referee has not seen the incident so I would like to know who made the decision. Will I appeal? I will have a good look at it but I am tempted to say yes.”

Well I say good luck with the appeal. Even if Barton provoked Gervinho, Gervinho still slapped him on the face. However, as Wenger mentioned I don’t think any of the refs watched the incident themselves.

Before the sending off Gervinho had a good game, showed us that he has skill and at times could be exciting but lacked that final touch. All his passes and crosses ended up in no man’s land. I’m sure as the season goes on he will gain more confidence and understanding with his teammates.

Speaking of the game, I’m not so sure if there is much positive to take from this game. We were solid defensively. If I was to give man of the match to any of our players it would have to be to Koscielny. He was solid in the back, dealing with everything that came his way. He was also commanding in the air winning all the aerial balls which is good to see. It seems to me that Vermaelen and him are forming a very good partnership in the heart of the Arsenal defense. This however don’t mean we don’t need another defender. Our third and fourth defenders are nothing to relay on.

Our midfield saw most of the ball but had no clue what to do with it. The Denilson syndrome was on display, too many side way passes. It was obvious that we are missing some creativity in the middle. Wenger has come out and said we are not going to sign Mata and are not talking to Jadson. Unless he has someone better in mind to give the midfield life, then we will be served with most of the same for the rest of the season.

Also, today it was evident young Wilshere is very important to the team and the sooner we get him back fit the better it will be. Nobody tried anything ambitious, and it was saddening to see we weren’t able to create any clear cut chances. Their goal keeper didn’t have to make any decent save and he was playing against Arsenal. How odd is that? Now we just seat and hope that Wenger is ready to bring out his checkbook and buy some quality players. Oh why haven’t we yet signed Cahill? He scored for Bolton today and had a very good game too.

What did you make of the game? Let’s hear your thought in the comments.

dgooner.wordpress.com

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that attempts to sign Valencia winger Juan Mata have failed.

Mata has been a target for Arsenal for much of the summer but Wenger says the Spain international will not be moving to the Emirates Stadium.

"We will not do [a deal for] Juan Mata. I don't have to give a reason," said Wenger.

The Frenchman, who looks set to lose Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri over the next few days, also distanced himself from a move for Brazilian playmaker Jadson, who is valued at around £10million by his club Shakhtar Donetsk.

"We are nowhere near on Jadson. We are not talking to Shakhtar about him," said the Frenchman.

The position Arsenal fans would like to see strengthened most urgently is central defence, which has been the team's Achilles heel in recent seasons.

Christopher Samba, Scott Dann, Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka have been linked with the Gunners throughout the transfer window, yet there have been no new arrivals in the position.

Wenger insists finding the right players is problematic.

"We have specialised people who work everywhere. Every club looks for centre-backs in the whole world," he said.

"People with unlimited resources look for a centre-back. We are not in a supermarket where you go to a shelf and you ask 'where are the centre-backs or the strikers?'

"We are today in an international market where all over the world people look for the same players.

"Massive clubs have scouts all over the world and if they don't find anyone, in the end they come to us. You don't need to be a genius to understand that.

"We will have a new centre-back by the end of the transfer window because Thomas Vermaelen only played five games last year.

"To buy just for the sake of buying - you won't find me there.

"If I'm convinced the player has the quality, I will always do it if he's better than the players we have."

Wenger, who has named Robin van Persie captain for Saturday's clash with Newcastle, denies Arsenal lack leaders on the pitch.

"You always hear that [criticism] but football is not about one magical man who can make miracles when things go badly," he said.

"I think what would be very nice is to have 11 leaders."

Espnstar.com

Arsenal Football Club has agreed terms with Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa to sign teenage striker Joel Campbell.

The 19-year-old who was in the Costa Rica squad for the recent Copa América and the Under-20 World Cup, has chosen the Gunners despite strong interest from a host of top European clubs.

Born in the Costa Rican capital San José, Campbell is predominantly left-footed and has made six full international appearances, scoring twice. He scored on his debut in a 5-0 win over Cuba at this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, helping his side to the Quarter-Final of the competition.

Campbell added a second to his tally against Bolivia in the Copa América. He has also scored ten times in twelve appearances at Under-20 level, including two goals in three appearances in the Under-20 World Cup in Colombia.

Campbell has had two seasons in his native Primera División, where he played for Deportivo Saprissa and on loan at Puntarenas, making a total of eight league appearances.

Deportivo Saprissa is one of the top clubs in the CONCACAF region and has won the Costa Rican Premier League a record 29 times. 

The transfer is subject to the completion of formal agreements and processes.

Arsenal Manager Arsène Wenger said: “Joel Campbell has already shown that he is a player with great ability, and has also performed well on the international stage at a young age. We look forward to the formalities of the transfer being completed and working with Joel when he joins us at Arsenal."

Arsenal.com

Aaron Ramsey believes Arsenal can prove their critics wrong and enjoy a successful season.

Arsène Wenger’s team have been tipped by some to drop out of the Champions League places in 2011/12 but they were written off last summer too and still secured a top-four finish after challenging strongly for the title.

That defeat at the Carling Cup Final denied Arsenal a trophy but Ramsey is confident they can go one better this time around.

“People are entitled to their own opinions but I think and the team thinks that we are more than capable of winning something this season,” he told Arsenal Player. 

“We're going to believe that we can and not listen to any of the negative comments that people are saying. We're confident in what we can do and I'm sure we'll show that this season.”

Arsenal.com

Arsène Wenger would not be drawn on possible transfer targets at his pre-match press conference on Friday because he is concentrating on this weekend’s Premier League opener against Newcastle.

A number of names have been linked with a move to Emirates Stadium this week with Birmingham defender Scott Dann the latest player being suggested by the media.

Wenger did not rule out further additions this summer but refused to comment on any speculation ahead of Saturday’s trip to St. James’ Park.

“I believe the best thing for us, one day before the season starts, is not to focus on the possible transfers,” he said.

“What we want today is to focus on the players who play tomorrow and not the players who do not play."

Arsenal.com

August 12

A striker and yet another one to replace Cesc Fabregas in midfield are today’s players linked with a possible move to Arsenal.

According to Sky Sports, FC Twente’s Bryan Ruiz is a target for Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. The 25-year old is quoted as saying that “there is a team that is showing interest” with the Costa Rican apparently available for £7m.

In other news, ESPN believes that if captain Cesc Fabregas leaves this month to join Barcelona then Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Jadson could be the one to replace him. Whether this 27-year old with experience in Brazil and Ukraine is the answer to all our midfield problems is yet to be seen but for sure is that if the Catalan leaves then we desperately need to replace him.

And before moving on to today’s poll, a look at yesterday’s results in which we collected more than 1,500 votes and with both players, Shinji Kagawa and Danny Welbeck getting an interesting amount of positive votes from those who voted.

As always, please let us know your preference on today’s linked players and don’t be shy to join the discussion in our newly-launched Arsenal forum.

Player Profile

Jadson

Date of birth: 05/10/1983

Place of birth: Londrina

Age: 27

Height: 1,68

Nationality: Brazil

Position: Midfield

Foot: Both

Market Value: £7m

Bryan Ruiz

Date of birth: 18/08/1985

Place of birth: San José

Age: 25

Height: 1,86

Nationality: Costa Rica

Position: Striker

Foot: Left

Market Value: £11m

Thegunninghawk.com

On Thursday afternoon, Arsène Wenger gave Arsenal.com the following team news:

on Walcott...

“Theo is back in the squad, this is much quicker than I thought.”

on Van Persie, Vermaelen, Gibbs - all went off against Benfica...

“From the players who played in the last game, everyone should be available.”

on Wilshere...

“Jack Wilshere has been put in a boot. He has an inflamed ankle and it is difficult to set any specific date on his return, but we hope he will be back soon.”

on rumours around Ramsey and Arshavin getting injured on international duty...

“From the internationals, everyone is alright. I am positive on all of them, so they should be able to travel tomorrow. Many of them have played 45 minutes to an hour.”

on Diaby...

“Abou Diaby is slowly improving. As well, it is difficult to say when he will be back, but we know he will not play before the end of September.”

on the condition of the squad at this stage of season...

“During pre-season we were more disturbed by transfer noise than injuries. We already knew that Diaby would not start the season, but he is improving steadily. We did not know that Wilshere would not start the season, that is our only bad surprise. But it is not a threatening injury, it is an inflamed ankle and we hope he will be back with us soon. Overall, this has been the best pre-season medically for a long time.”

Arsenal.com