Amshhhterdam Man!

Right then ladies and gents, I'm not gonna be posting for a couple of days (unless I go to an internet cafe) as I'm off to Holland for the Amsterdam Tournament.

Hope to see some of you out there - if not you can catch it on Sky Sports 1, or one of the Sky Sports channels anyway!!!

Enjoy!!!

AW To Give 'Counselling'

Le Boss is reportedly going to give counselling to some of his players after the departure of Patrick Vieira.


"We have all been touched by the departure of Patrick Vieira but slowly we are getting stronger and stronger on that side," AW told The Guardian.

"I think Patrick leaving was a little bit more unexpected this year and at the start it was a bit of a shock for the players. At the moment we are more focused on the physical and technical aspect of our game but the closer we get to the real competition the more we will have to work on the psychological side of things."

"I feel the final part of our pre-season preparations will be mainly focused on that. It takes a bit of time but I am very positive. We have faced these problems many times and dealt with them. And I am confident the team has the strength to overcome it."

Terror Suspect Loves Arsenal

Anyone recognise this

c*nt...?

Freddie 99 Per Cent

Le Boss says he is 99 per cent sure that Freddie will sign a new deal.

The Gaffer said: ""Freddie is very close to an agreement and I think we are 99 per cent there.

"I am very pleased because, after losing Patrick Vieira, we cannot afford to lose any more players, we have been working on our stability and it is very important in that respect to keep the players we have."


Is it me, or does AW sound a bit unsure about the sale of Vieira to Juve now?



Your thoughts....?

Gilberto May Miss Community Shield

Gilberto is apparently a possible doubt for the month's Communtity Shield match against Chelski.


AW said: "Gilberto will start training on Tuesday, but that is not much time and he could be short. It depends on what kind of shape he comes back in."


I'm not really bothered about the CS it's a Mickey Mouse trophy, as long as he's fit for the start of the Premiership - anyway, tradition has it that whoever wins the Shield doesn't win the league that season. Lets hope Chelski win!!!

;o)

Baptista Not Keen On Highbury Move

Can't be bothered writing about it. It's gone WAY beyond a joke now. Full story

here

Jose Backs AW's Vieira Decision

Jose has backed AW's decision to sell Patrick Vieira...


He stated; "I will say one thing, before he was with Wenger, Vieira was not the player that everyone has seen here for the last few years and the it was the same with Henry.

"Both blossomed under this manager (Wenger) and I have no doubt he will do the same with other youngsters who come here.

"The boss knows what he is doing and knows how to get the most out of young players.

"Here we have footballers with great futures ahead of them who are already performing at a high level like Cesc and Senderos, I think that they will ensure that Arsenal continue to be amongst the big teams."

On Le Boss he continued: "He is truly an incredible person."

"Although from the outside he gives off a cold image and seems a distant person, in the dressing room he is not."

"He is always looking out for us, concerned about our best interests and looking to create the perfect atmosphere."

"In football it's not normal that you are offered such long contracts, so when Arsenal offered it to me I didn't think twice," he continued.

"For me, it's a demonstration that they believe in me and want me around for many years.

"Now it's up to me to pay back that confidence and the great way they have treated me.

"There was contact with Real Madrid, I can't deny that, but when Arsenal offered me a contract extension I was the first person to say yes, I wanted to stay here even with Madrid interested."


He also spoke about Roman Abrom*vich's Millionaires...

"They are not that good and are not so far away from everyone else," he added.

"There's no doubt they have a great team, but we faced them twice last season and drew both games and they also had some luck against us.

"Arsenal can be as good as any other team and can fight for every trophy.

"You have to recognise that Chelsea have put together a great team, but we also have our weapons."


Once again, I'm glad Jose has signed for such a long time...I've no doubt he is gonna be one of the best talents we have ever had.

JOSE ANTONIO!! JOSE ANTONIO!!

Captain Fantastic Backs Le Boss

Probably nothing you guys don't already know by now - so I'll keep it brief. In a nutshell our new skipper Thierry trusts AW to deliver.


"I'm sure Arsene has a few things up his sleeve," Thierry told The Sun. "There's no doubt that he will sign some more players that few people have heard of. But they will go on to become great players.

"Of course it's a blow to lose Patrick, you can't hide from that.

"But as we saw last season, alongside Patrick there are lots of able youngsters. They showed a lot of quality and are getting better.

"More importantly you have to trust Arsene Wenger. How can you not trust a man who has won four FA Cups and three league titles?

"He has proved he has a fantastic eye for a player. No-one had heard of Patrick Vieira when he signed."


As the saying goes....Arsene knows!

Le Boss Denies Dacourt & Davids Reports

No real surprise here...AW has denied any interest in signing either Olivier Dacourt or Edgar Davids.


When asked about Dacourt, he said: “No, there is no truth in that at the moment. I am happy with what we have. I will add what I feel is really needed. Numbers-wise we don’t need to add players but if we find a special player we’ll take him."

On Davids (pictured), he added: “Again there is no real truth behind that. There are a lot of players on the market. We have a big squad and we’ll look for maybe just one addition.”


More on www.arsenal.com....

Sol Going Nowhere

Just a quickie....AW has stated Sol is not going anywhere. Nothing we didn't already know, but I guess he's gotta squash these reports before they get out of hand!

"I am not willing to sell him," he told Arsenal.com.

"I want him to come back to fitness and play for us.

"At the moment, he can't do that but he is a part of my plans.

"I very much want Sol to come and fight for us."


So there you go...

Baptista Deal 'Close'

Yet more on the Baptista epic...

We are apparently very close to securing a deal to bring 'The Beast' to Highbury. After all this fuckin' around he better be worth it!!!

Del Nido told the www.marca.es website: "We still have not concluded an agreement between both clubs but what I can say is that Arsenal are getting close to the financial figure we could accept.

"They have already more than doubled the 12 million euros (£8.3m) they started with and it would surpass the fee we got for the sale of (Jose Antonio) Reyes. But obviously the agreement is between three parties."


Yawn.....as usual, watch this space...

Sol Man to Miss Start of Season

Sol is going to miss the start of the season. He is still being troubled by an on-going calf injury that kept him out at the end of last season.


"Sol is injured, simple as that," said Le Boss.

"It is difficult for him to miss pre-season because he had trouble last year as well.

"He was never completely fit last season and for me it is a big worry because it means he cannot have a normal preparation.

"He needs that preparation and it is very annoying for him as well.

"Hopefully he will be able to start working on his fitness again next week.

"But because Sol has not played for so long, it is impossible that he will be able to start the season."


Don't worry guys and gals - we've got Kolo and Big Phil Senderos! I'm sure we'll be fine....!

'Beast' Booed By Fans

I know I said I wasn't going to post anymore on the Baptista saga, but I didn't think it would be such a shite day news-wise...!

'The Beast' has launched a verbal attack after he was jeered following Sevilla's game against Pilas on Thursday night.

Sevilla won the game 5-1, with Baptista scoring 2 of his sides goals. However, after the game he was booed and whistled by much of the 2000 strong crowd.

"Those who are whistling me now don't even know why they are doing so," he said.

"I don't have to prove anything to anyone, I've already done that in the league for the past two seasons.


Is this good news for us...or are you as sick of the speculation as I am?!?! ;o)

Le Boss: Bobby Will Stay

Le Boss is confident that Bobby will remain a Gunner, despite there being no resolution regarding his contract.

"At the moment the situation is quite stable," said the Gaffer.

"We have no interest in him from anybody and we want him to stay."

As you're all no doubt aware, Bob has been linked with Galatasaray and Juventus recently.

"Baptista Pivotal" - Ramos

Sevilla coach Juande Ramos has described Julio Baptista as "pivotal" to their success...

"Baptista is a pivotal player for Sevilla," he said.

"Every coach wants to have the best footballers in his side.

"We all want him to stay but on the other hand, we are aware of the situation he is in, so we will have to wait and see.

"The club want him to stay, he apparently wants to stay and unless a big offer comes along, the signs are that he will stay."

Ramos added: "A late transfer would be the worst case scenario for us.

"We wouldn't have time to replace him - but I hope it doesn't come to that."


I'm really starting to get the arsehole with all this now...I'm getting sick to death of all the speculation and fucking around.

CAN WE PLEASE SIGN SOMEONE IF ONLY TO STOP ALL THESE POINTLESS, TRUTHLESS STORIES!!!!!

ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kanoute Rates Diarra

Spud hitman Fredi Kanoute has reportedly claimed that 24 year old Lyon midfielder Mahamadou Diarra could go some way to filling the recently departed Patrick Vieira'a boots.

"There is a little bit of a comparison with Vieira. They both have good ability on the ball, they defend well and they are strong," he told the Evening Standard.

"He's also a competitive guy and really likes a good challenge. He is the complete player in the sense that he recovers well and chases a lot of balls. But his passing skills are also very good.

"It's very rare when you can see a player who can do so much. He has proven he can do it in the Champions League. He's a ball winner but for him it's not just about defending, he attacks as well and is capable of delivering very good balls for the strikers."


To be perfectly honest, I'm not too familiar with his work - and can we trust anything from the mouth of a T*ttenham player?!?!

What d'ya reckon?

Are We Looking at Dacourt?

Skysports.com have just reported that Le Boss maybe looking at replacing Patrick Vieira with Roma's Olivier Dacourt.

Read the full story

here

We're Not Gunning for Guti

We are not going to sign Real Madrid's Guti despite the 28-year-old's agent indicating he favoured a move to Arsenal.

Le Boss said "I am not looking at Guti at all. I cannot say any more about it. It is either yes or no and in this case it is no."

SO THERE!

Le Boss Still Interested in Starlets

Le Boss has confirmed he is still very much interested in young duo Alexandre Song and Armand Traore.

Alexandre Song, who is the nephew of Rigobert, played in last nights 5-0 demolition of SC Weiz in Austria. He has been flagged to help fill the void left by Patrick Vieira. It is understood AW is considering a €4M swoop for the Cameroon international, but he insists on being sure before making a bid.

He went on to admit he was still trailing Traore but dismissed claims made last week that he had already tied up a deal for the Monaco youngster.

When quizzed about Traore, he continued: "That's a true story, it's not over yet but we have an interest in the young boy, yes."

Hleb: 'For Me It Was Only Ever Arsenal'

New boy Alexander Hleb has stated he never had any doubts about become a Gunner, despite Chelski trying to screw us and sign him before he signed for us.

"When I heard about Chelsea's interest I didn't give it a thought," he stated.
"For me, it was only ever Arsenal.

"Many people seem to think nobody will be able to compete with Chelsea but I beg to differ.

"I've come to Arsenal to win as many honours as possible. I want to win every trophy going, home and abroad.

"Maybe Chelsea have more money and a bigger squad, but that's not the most important thing.

"The goal Arsenal set is very simple - to win everything there is to win."


GOOD MAN!!!

Guti & The Beast

Just a quickie....I don't know if there is any truth to this whatsoever, but on my short drive home from work just now I heard on TalkSport that DD has flown out to Spain to secure the signings of both Julio Baptista and Guti.

Is this more crap, or is something about to happen?

Tonights Team News Announced

Tonight we have a friendly against Weiz, if you've already been on Arsenal.com you'll know this...tonight's lineup is as follows;

Mark Howard
Lauren
Pascal Cygan
Philippe Senderos
Justin Hoyte
Robert Pires
Mathieu Flamini
Alex Song
Alexander Hleb
David Bentley
Thierry Henry

SUBS

Vito Mannone
Ashley Cole
Kolo Toure
Johan Djourou
Jose Antonio Reyes
Sebastian Larsson
Dennis Bergkamp

I'm out on the piss tonight, so unfortunately I won't be able to watch the game or post. Hope everyone who watches enjoys, I'd also love some feedback on some of the younsters/new guys....'til tomorrow Gooners!!!

Crouch 'In Same League As Henry'

I know this isn't really anything to do with us, but I had to add for it's comedy value.

In a nutshell, Mickey Mouser Jamie Carragher reckons Peter 'Lanky Streak of Piss' Crouch deserves to be bracketed in the same league as TH14!!!

That's priceless!!!!

Real After Bob?

Real Madrid are rumoured to be lining up a bid for Bobby Pires, surely this is total bollocks.

Anyone else heard anything?

Guti Wants To Be a Gunner

We are reportedly in talks with Real Madrid about signing their out of favour midfielder Guti.

His agent Zoran Vekic revealed to Skysports that Highbury would be his client's favoured destination despite reported interest from both Everton and Tottenham.

"After Real Madrid he would like, if England was to be his destination, to play for Arsenal. He likes their style, the team spirit they have and the fact that they have a great coach."

It looks like Guti really wants to become a Gunner, but do we want him?

What do you think...?

Baptista Blows Out Move to London

Julio Baptista has ruled out a move to the capital;

"I have never said that I wanted to leave or that I didn't want to stay at Sevilla," said Baptista during a press conference.

"I have come here to work and to play here a further season. I don't know what is going to happen this year, but I am calm.

"There is interest from several clubs but I am happy here and I have to take that into account.

"In August, I will get my papers in order to get Spanish nationality and I will no longer take up a non-European place, which is very important for me."


He did admit to speaking with Le Boss though;

"It was a fast conversation, in order to get to know each other and that is it," he said.

"But I told him that I had the opportunity to get my passport, which is very important for me."

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?!?!?!?

What's Going On With Ash?

Reports are coming out stating that Ash's contract extension is merely to buy the board more time to convince him not to leave.

"We have got time to consider it again if he wants to go," said Peter Hill-Wood

Reports out earlier today state that Ash may leave for Real Madrid next summer, and that the board offered the 12 month extension only to make sure his value doesn't depreciate too much before then.

Gala Still Gunning for Bob

Galatasary claim they're still in with a chance of signing Bobby...

President Ozhan Canaydin said: "I can't say the transfer is a done deal but I can say there's a 50 percent chance. We've made good progress. Things are not as they're said in the newspapers.
"Pires has three offers on the table and we're the last one. Pires has a year on his contract with Arsenal. His aim is to leave on a free transfer and he's told us that he's solved this problem. We'll have some kind of result this week."

Why on earth would Bobby want to go and play in Turkey? I admit he's getting on a bit now, but he could have his pick of clubs in Italy or Spain. It doesn't make much sense to me....what do you reckon?

Latest Ashburton Grove Pics

The lastest pics of our new home can be found on the official Arsenal website, or by clicking

here

Seb Svard Joins Vitoria Guimaraes

Sebastian Svard has signed for Portugese outfit Vitoria Guimaraes. He joined us in 2000 from FC Copenhagen, but has failed to make an impact since his arrival.

The 22 year old Danish defender made just two starts and four appearances in total.

SWP Signs For Chelski

I know this isn't really related to AFC, but....

Shaun Wright-Phillips has signed a five year deal with Chelski. All I can say about that is..... money talks. Do Chelski need another winger? Do they fuck! They simply buy up all the players they don't want to play against...and job done. Easier games for them.

They have reportedly paid £21M for him. Now don't get me wrong, I think SWP is a class player - but he is NOT worth £21M, not yet anyway.

Oh well...!

Sp*rs Bid for Bap

Can you Adam & Eve it?!?! T*ttenham have put in a £13.8M bid to try and sign Baptista!

"The most important offer that we have received is that of T*ttenham, of more than 20million euros," said a statement on Sevilla's official website.

I'm sure, given the choice 'The Beast' would rather join us than go to Shite Hart Lane.

What do you reckon?

Ash Pens New Deal

Ash has signed a one year extension to his current deal. Which after all the 'tapping up' shit earlier and the departure of Patrick Vieira comes as some very welcome good news.

Ashley said: 'I am now looking forward to another successful season. We are all determined to regain the Premiership and title and I can't wait for the season to start now.'

Neither can we Ash!!! ;o)

Tel Gets Skipper Role

I'm delighted to hear that Thierry Henry has been named as our new Captain. I reckon he's gonna do an excellent job.

I'm sure you'll agree he's a Gooner through and through.

Well done Tel!

Philippe Christanval Joins On Trial

Story taken from arsenal.com....

Arsenal included two unfamiliar faces in the team for Saturday's friendly at Barnet FC.

Philippe Christanval has joined on a week's trial after he was released by Marseille at the end of June. The 26-year-old centre back won the French title during a four-year spell with Monaco.

He then joined Barcelona and his form at the Nou Camp was impressive enough to earn him six full caps for France. However, injury hampered his move to Marseille and they parted ways by mutual consent recently.

The other new boy was Vito Mannone. The 17-year-old keeper has signed for Arsenal from Italian side Atalanta.

Arsenal starting eleven against Barnet: Howard, Hoyte, Christanval, Cygan, Lauren, Reyes, Hleb, Flamini, Henry, Bergkamp, Pires.

Half Time: Gunners Lead Barnet 4-0

To be expected I guess! First half goals courtesy of Hleb, Henry (pen), Bergkamp and Hoyte.

More to come...!!!

Hleb Scores After 2 Minutes

The new boy scores on his debut after less than 2 minutes! NICE!!!

Hleb Set for Gunners Debut

New signing Alexander Hleb is set to make his Arsenal debut today when we play Barnet in a pre-season friendly. You can watch the game live on Arsenal TV, click

here

for details.

Cygan Fears Henry May Do a Vieira

Pascal Cygan has made known his fears that Thierry may be the next player to leave us following the departure of Patrick Vieira;

"I can foresee the possibility of Thierry leaving as a result of Patrick's departure," he told The Sun. "Vieira has given Arsenal so much and this transfer is a fair way of paying him back.

"I have heard people say that boss Arsene Wenger wants to sign two international class players. But if it means losing Pat for him, what the hell is the point?

"Patrick will leave behind a huge gap and I don't see who will be able to replace him. The training ground will be a sad place without him."

Let's hope he's wrong....

Are We On the Verge of Signing Baptista?

It is being reported that we are on the verge of signing Julio 'The Beast' Baptista. A second bid of around £13.5M was rejected by Sevilla yesterday, but it is claimed that we are very close to reaching a deal which will see Baptista move to N5.

"It looks increasingly clear that he will not remain at Sevilla," admitted club president Jose María Del Nido.

'Sevilla accept that the 23-year-old will leave this summer and a deal is set to be finalised soon’ reported Saturday's Guardian, with The Times adding: 'The clubs are very close to reaching agreement on a fee of about £15million, although they are haggling over the payment schedule.

'Arsenal will pay an initial fee, with further instalments that will be in part conditional on success in Europe. The deal is also conditional on Baptista obtaining a work permit. He has 11 caps for Brazil and is applying for a European passport.'


Watch this space!

Going For a Song

Story from skysports.com...


Arsenal are set to land Bastia's much coveted Cameroonian youngster Alexandre Song.

Following the sale of Patrick Vieira, Gunners chief Arsene Wenger has wasted little time in moving for the highly-rated defensive midfielder.

The 17-year-old, who rejected Middlesbrough at 13, has been tracked by Manchester United, Internazionale and Lyon in recent months.

However, Wenger has now stepped in and is firm favourite to land Song - nephew of former Liverpool star Rigobert Song.

"Indeed Alex wants to play in England," confirmed Bastia chairman Louis Multari.

"We have started to talk with Arsene. I think we will make it happen. We should sell him."

Song still has three years left on his current contract with the Corsican club, but they have now agreed to sell him for €4 million (£2.7 million).

Jose and Gael Sign Long Term Deals

Jose Antonio Reyes and Gael Clichy have today both signed long term contracts. Jose has signed a six year deal, which will keep him with us until 2011 and Gael has extended his stay until 2010.

After signing his new contract, Jose said: “I am so happy to have extended my contract with Arsenal and I’m looking forward to having many more successful years with the Club. I working hard in pre-season training at the moment and am getting ready for next season, when I will do my best to help the Club challenge for all the available trophies.”

Beast Bid Back On?

Reports are coming out stating that we may try to sign Sevilla's Julio 'The Beast' Baptista again.

We had a bid worth 12m euros turned down previously, but with the cash acquired from the Vieira deal we may have a bit more to play with this time. Also, the arrival of striker Salva Ballesta in Sevilla today could see the club reconsider their decision to keep Baptista.


Sevilla president Jose Maria Del Nido said earlier this week: 'His (Baptista's) agents are continuously sending us messages saying he does not want to renew his contract and that he is not happy.

'If he leaves the club it is because of him and not because we want to put him on the transfer market.

'We have not received any different offers to what we had last weekend - there are several English clubs interested.

'Sevilla will still try to extend the player's contract but if he does not want to then we will listen to offers.

'I hope no-one forces Sevilla to accept a bad offer just because it is convenient to the player. I think the Baptista situation is very clear. I can't add anything except I don't know any footballer who wants to leave a club and then has not left.'


Interesting....

So Who's Gonna Replace Vieira?

Story from football365.com...

Jermaine Jenas is the favourite to replace Patrick Vieira at Arsenal, according to the papers.

With Gilberto Silva and the young pair of Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini the only central midfielders on Arsenal's books following the sale of Vieira, Arsene Wenger is already on the lookout for a replacement.

'A youngish signing seems inevitable as Wenger combines his drive for the present with an eye on the future', says The Guardian.

'Newcastle are expecting an offer from Arsenal for Jermaine Jenas,' the paper adds, with the Daily Mirror in agreement: 'It is Jenas, Newcastle's emerging England star, who tops the wanted list to replace Vieira.’

Such is Arsenal's determination to sign the England international that they 'will use Sol Campbell as bait to sign Jenas', reckons The Sun.

Campbell, though, is widely expected to take over from Vieira as the club’s captain.

Another leading candidate to replace Vieira is Lyons midfielder Mahamadou Diarra (pictured). However, the 24-year-old signed a two-year contract extension with the French champions last week.

Marseilles' 18-year-old Samir Nasri is another possibility, as is Julio Baptista, the Sevilla striker who began his career as a midfielder.

One option already available to Wenger is to use Kolo Toure as a midfielder again, although that seems unlikely.

Wenger has already urged the Highbury faithful to "trust" him. While history shows that few high-profile players sold by Wenger, such as Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit and Nicolas Anelka, progress after leaving Highbury, it also indicates that pre-guessing Wenger’s work in the transfer market is a risky endeavour.

Petit, for instance, was a left-back at Monaco before being converted into a midfielder by Wenger, while Vieira was a relatively unknown 19-year-old Frenchman with a dodgy knee languishing in the AC Milan reserves.

Bob: "It's the End of An Era."

Bobby Pires has spoken about his disappointment following the departure of Patrick Vieira yesterday;


"I am disappointed because Patrick was a very important player to us," Pires told Le Parisien.

"His departure is a big loss for the club.

"At first, it will be a bit strange in the changing room and in the stadium where we will not hear the fans chanting his song anymore.

"It is the end of an era. It is a whole period that leaves us, not only Patrick Vieira.

"But I am also happy for him because it is a new big adventure, a new challenge.

"He leaves for a big European club, maybe he needs to do that. Anyway, I wish him a lot of success."


Vieira's move was completed this morning after agreeing personal terms with Juventus. He will be missed, but I'm sure Arsene has something up his sleeve. ;o)

Sad Wenger Asks for Trust

Story from setanta.com...

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted he was sorry to see captain Patrick Vieira leave Highbury after a £13.7m fee was agreed with Juventus.

The Gunners boss, however, promised supporters the club would just be as strong next season, saying: "I share the sadness with our supporters that Patrick has left us, but on the other hand I would say to them trust us and support us. We'll be strong next season. We will not disappoint you."

He added on Arsenal.com: "Patrick was a great player for us, one of the greatest in the Club's history and I feel I had a special relationship with him because I made him come here. I think his impact, not only at Arsenal but in English football overall was just tremendous.

"Patrick will always be special for Arsenal Football Club, always in our hearts and our minds. All I can do is thank him for all he gave to the Club and wish him well in his career."

It's Finally Happened

Arsenal have agreed a fee of €20m with Juventus for midfielder Patrick Vieira.

The 29-year-old, who has been at Highbury since 1996, will join the Italian club if he agrees personal terms.

A statement on the club’s official website www.arsenal.com read: “Arsenal Football Club can confirm that terms have been agreed for the transfer of Patrick Vieira to Juventus for a total fee of €20m.

“At this stage, Patrick is now finalising his personal terms and conditions with Juventus.”

Vieira Joins Juventus

I have just heard that Patrick Vieira has joined Juventus for 20million euros (£13.7m)

More as it happens....

Sir Trev Hails Young Guns

Trevor Brooking has stated that the rise of Cesc Fabregas and Matthieu Flamini may persuade Arsenal's hierarchy to cash in on Paddy.

“I don’t know if I’m surprised Patrick Vieira might be leaving. The rumours about him going have been around for a few seasons now. When they began again you hoped it would not be another drawn-out saga,” said the Football Association’s director of football development.

“But now it looks like it might be the right decision long-term if Arsenal get the money they want.

"Patrick was very good in the second half of last season but his form dipped before that.

“If they do sell, I’m sure Arsene knows who he wants to invest the money in. He will look to strengthen the squad overall – I don’t think it will be spent on one player.

“He already has two outstanding youngsters in Flamini and Fabregas. Whether he feels they are ready to take over in the midfield remains to be seen.”


What do you think...are Cesc and Matthieu ready for the big time?

Are We Gunning for Jenas?

Reports coming out claim we are lining up a bid for Magpies midfielder Jermaine Jenas. If these are true we're not gonna get him on the cheap, in fact Souness says it will take something special to obtain his signature;

"If we were to sell Jermaine, which is the last thing on my mind, it would have to be for a lot more money than Patrick Vieira is being sold for - if it is £12million - because he is 22 years old and he has the potential to be one of the best midfield players in the world," he said.

"He maybe he does not have the aggression that Patrick Vieira has, but he has certainly got the athleticism, technically he is good - he is an outstanding player.

"But it would take a lot more than £12million to buy Jermaine Jenas, and I do not think anyone has that kind of money right now."


What will happen? We shall see...!

Will He or Won't He?

Is all this just the usual summer speculation about Paddy, or is he really off this time? If reports are to be believed, a deal with Juventus is all but done. However, Ian Grant, who writes for ANR thinks that may not be the case....and he might just be right....

Read what Ian Grant thinks

here

Juve 'Close' to Signing Paddy

Story from teamtalk.com...

Italian giants Juventus have confirmed they are close to signing Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira - but are "not interested" in Robert Pires.

Juve general director Luciano Moggi said: "We are on the verge of signing him, the deal should be completed this afternoon."

The Bianconeri have ruled out a move for Vieira's Gunners and France team-mate Pires, however.

Moggi added: "We are not interested in Pires."

Reports in the Italian press on Thursday morning suggested Vieira will sign a four-year contract after the clubs agreed a fee of 14million euros (£9.6m), although Moggi would not confirm the details. Apart from Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood admitting he had heard of the Juventus interest in Vieira and saying it was still his gut feeling that it would be turned down at a board meeting next week, there has been no response from the Gunners.

Vieira was on the brink of joining Real Madrid a year ago but the London club's commitment to keeping him despite a £25m-plus deal, was a big factor in him changing his mind at the last moment.

This time, neither vice-chairman David Dein, the real power behind the throne at Highbury, nor manager Arsene Wenger have yet come out and publicly stated their desire to retain Vieira, who still has two years to run on his contract which is now believed to make him the highest earner at Highbury.

F.A. Hit Back At Moaninho

The Football Association today blasted Jose Mourinho over his claims about Chelsea’s treatment and Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein.

Chelsea boss Mourinho claimed the Gunners have been given an easier ride with the Premiership fixture list and insinuated that the presence of Dein on the FA’s board had implications for the Blues.

The FA today branded Mourinho’s comments “unnecessary, unhelpful, bad for the image of the game and inaccurate“.

In a statement on www.thefa.com, the FA said: “The FA is extremely disappointed with the comments made by Jose Mourinho to the media yesterday.

“At a time when the football authorities are collectively striving to improve behaviour at all levels of the game, some of those views expressed by Mourinho are unnecessary, unhelpful, bad for the image of the game and inaccurate.”

In May, Mourinho was fined £200,000 by the Premier League over the Ashley Cole tapping-up saga – Chelsea were also fined £300,000 – after a complaint by Arsenal but he insists his club get a raw deal.

However, the FA statement goes on to point out that Dein has no influence on the FA’s disciplinary bodies.

It said: “The Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein is one of four members of the FA board representing the FA Premier League. The four Premier League representatives are elected by the 20 member Premier League clubs (including Chelsea) to represent their views within the FA.

“We would like to state categorically that Mr Dein does not have any involvement within the FA’s disciplinary or compliance functions. It should also be made clear that he is not a member of the FA’s disciplinary committee.

“Therefore, Mr Dein does not have any input into any decisions to charge individuals or clubs with breaches of FA rules, nor in any judgement or punishment administered by a disciplinary commission.”

Mourinho could yet find himself in disciplinary trouble again before a ball has even been kicked in the new season as the FA are scrutinising the remarks to see whether they warrant any action.

The statement added: “If any club or official has any comment or complaint to make about the role of any individual within the game, there are channels available to do this through clubs to the football authorities – not by individuals in a press conference.

“The FA is currently studying the comments made by Mr Mourinho.”