The Emirates Cup: Ones To Watch

Gedion Zelalem is expected to star at the Emirates Cup

In this post I shall look ahead to this weekend's Emirates Cup and discuss who are the players we should be keeping an eye on at the forthcoming tournament. This year sees Arsenal joined in the competition by Galatasaray, Napoli and Porto. The inclusion of Galatasaray has sparked debate amongst fans. With parts of the Turkish fans known for the violent antics (just look at the Uefa Cup final between Arsenal and Galatasaray in 2000), many Arsenal fans have questioned why such a side was invited to our own tournament. Is our marketing team really that out of touch with the club's history?

Anyway enough of that, hopefully the real talking point will be what occurs on the pitch.

Undoubtedly one of the players to watch this weekend will be Gonzalo Higuain, a player many thought would be wearing an Arsenal shirt by this time. As it turns out he will be wearing the famous blue of Napoli, a sight that will most likely annoy many of the 'Wenger Out Brigade'. I expect Higuain to be one of the stars of the tournament. His predator like movement should compliment the artistry of Hamsik, another of Napoli's star players, and I expect the pair to cause defences all sorts of problems over the two days.

Both Porto and Galatasaray will also have some talent on display. The Turkish outfit will most likely rely on the star duo of Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder. During his time in the Premiership Drogba was the nemesis of the Gunners, scoring against us on numerous occasions. Although he may not be the player he once was, I still expect Drogba and Sneijder to be a major threat in the tournament. In terms of Porto, the Portuguese Champions may also field a one time Arsenal target. The Brazilian play-maker Bernard, apparently a target for Wenger, is widely expected to sign for Porto in the coming days - meaning he may make his non-competitive debut this weekend. Bernard will be match fit and raring to go as the season in Brazil is in full swing, for this reason if he does sign for Porto I would expect him to get some game time this weekend.

As for Arsenal, I have gone for three youngsters to steal the show this weekend: Chuba Akpom, Serge Gnabry and Gedion Zelalem. All three went on the Asia tour and Zelalem in particular caught many people's eye. The 16 year old dazzled fans with his defence splitting through balls and composure in possession. Without doubt he is a future star. Chuba Akpom is another youngster who will be desperate to impress. The tall, rangy striker has the knack of being in the right place at the right time. His poacher like play is something we haven't seen at Arsenal for some years and if he can replicate his goal scoring exploits of the reserves in the first team, then we may have a talent on our hands. As for Serge Gnabry, the German star has a bit of everything. He is best deployed off the front man, allowing him the space to run at defends or thread through balls to on rushing team mates. I expect Serge to play a key role in our Carling Cup team this season and as such he should have a prominent role this weekend.

One final point, Yaya Sanogo should be included to play this weekend so we can expect to see the Frenchman in action for the first time.

Many thanks,

Come on you Gooners!

Transfer Update: Bernard, Cesc and Suarez

Suarez is said to want a move to North London

I thought tonight I would post a transfer update for you all, so we can recap on what has occurred and look towards the hopefully bright future.

In terms of what has happened so far, well there is very little to report in terms of official signings. At the moment our solitary signing remains Yaya Sanogo. The young French striker has arrived on a free transfer from Auxerre, meaning at this point in time we have yet to open Wenger's transfer war chest.

Deals have been close though, very close.

Higuain is a prime example. Everything had been agreed with the player and Arsenal were merely looking to rubber stamp £24 million move with Real Madrid. However this suddenly all changed. Madrid moved the goalposts and demanded that we pay £31 million for Higuain, the fee Napoli eventually secured his services for. Consequently we pulled out of the deal and made Luis Suarez our number target.

The saga that is running over the Uruguayan appears to be one which may last a while. The Gunners have had two bids rejected.The second bid, which was over £40 million, has activated a clause in Luis' contract - allowing him to speak personal terms with us while we agree a fee with Liverpool. Rodgers and co are insistent that Suarez is not for sale, however they did also state that "every player has his price"...

A key factor in this saga may well be the role of the diminutive Brazilian Bernard, a supposed target of both Arsenal and Liverpool. If Liverpool were to sell Suarez it may well be that Bernard becomes their number one target, for the simple reason that they already have a replacement in Sturridge and a back up forward in Iago Aspas. Therefore they may target another playmaker, to help feed the poacher like play of Daniel Sturridge. Perhaps Liverpool would be more inclined to sell Suarez if we agreed to back off Bernard and allow them to sign a placement for the want-away Uruguayan.

Note that this is just my theory, but it seems a possible outcome.

Finally a word on Cesc. Is he coming back? Well after towards comments from the Catalan club it would appear no. As the new Barca boss has categorically stated he is not for sale.

However in the last few hours Sky Sports News have reported some intriguing developments. It turns out their is £35 million release clause in Cesc's contract, something previously unknown to us.

The one club who are allowed to activate it? Arsenal.

Watch this space.

Come on you Gooners,

Many thanks

The Cesc Fabregas Saga - An Explanation

Where is Cesc off to?

With the news breaking that Manchester United have lodged a £30 million bid for Cesc Fabregas, I thought I would write a post explaining how any deal could work.

Arsenal's Position

When Cesc left Arsenal two years ago the Gunners assured that should the Spaniard ever wish to leave his boyhood club they would be right at the front of the queue. Indeed they most certainly are when you examine the deal they have in place.

1) As soon as ANY CLUB bids for Cesc Fabregas, before that club can talk to the player, Barcelona must inform Arsenal of the offer and allow the London side to BUY BACK the Spaniard for £25 million.

Note here however, this is dependent on Cesc wanting to rejoin Arsenal. If he were to say no to Arsenal then Barcelona would be in their rights to listen to other offers.

2) If Barcelona were to SELL Cesc to another club, then Arsenal are entitled to 50% of any profit made from the transfer. This means that as Barcelona bought Cesc for £30 million anything they recoup on top of that original fee, half of that must go to Arsenal.

As you can see Arsenal have got themselves in a very strong position.

So Why Have United Bid?

This is something I have been racking my brains over. United are obviously confident of signing Cesc as they otherwise would not allow such a story to go public. I have devised some scenarios which I think may explain the situation.

1) United believe Cesc will reject the opportunity to rejoin Arsenal, thus allowing them to discuss a fee and terms with Barcelona.

2) United have agreed with Arsenal that if they can have Cesc for £30 million, Arsenal can have Rooney for the same fee.

3) United have activated the buy back clause so that Arsenal can now buy back Cesc for the pre-agreed £25 million, in return the Gunners will no longer show an interest in Rooney.

They are all possibly scenarios, indeed some more far-fetched than others, but United must have some game plan as the whole world knows how difficult it is for anyone other than Arsenal to sign Cesc.

What I Think Will Happen?

Personally I can't see Cesc joining anyone other than Arsenal. On numerous occasions he has said how he would never sign for another English club.

Maybe I'm being bias or not cynical enough about modern footballers, but I just can't see Cesc rejecting Wenger and the club that made him.

Only time will tell, but I expect Cesc will either be at Barca or Arsenal next year.

Thanks for reading, hope this cleared the issue up!

Many thanks,

Come on you Gooners!

The Suarez Bid: Audacious or Pragmatic?

Is Suarez really wanted by Arsenal?

It has come as a shock to all of us. Arsenal have had a £30 million bid for Luis Suarez rejected. Where did that one come from?

There is no denying that Suarez is a player of unbelievable talent, indeed he showcased this last season by performing well above a player representing a side who finished seventh. However there had been no talk of the Uruguayan making the switch down south to London. Up until now it was believed that Real Madrid were the front runners for his signature and it is perhaps in that statement that we can solve this rather puzzling bid from the Gunners.

It is no secret that Gonzalo Higuain has emerged as Wenger's number one striking target. Many had hoped that any deal for the Argentinian would have been completed by now, allowing the Gunners to simultaneously unveil their new star tomorrow with the away kit for the coming season. However such a dream scenario for fans and the marketing department has not materialised.

So once again we come back to this bid for Luis Suarez. Rather than an audacious attempt by Wenger to lure one of the league's top performers to the Emirates, is this just Wenger demonstrating once again how shrewd and tactical he is in the transfer market. He knows that Suarez is a top target for Madrid and that perhaps by showing an interest in him he may hurry along any deal for Higuain.

If this is the case it is an exceedingly bold move.

Simply put while it does act as a threat to Perez and Madrid, it also shows Madrid that will have £30 million to spend. I would expect them now to turn round and say "okay you clearly have the money, now cough it up and Gonzalo is yours". Undoubtedly the dialogue between the two clubs maybe a bit more official than that.

So are we now finally able to understand the reasoning behind this bid.

I believe that Wenger wants Madrid to know he has the money. He wants them to stop stalling and setting up crisis talks between Ancelotti and Higuain, talks which would no doubt rumble on for ages. By bidding for Suarez he is showing them that he has the money now and he wants to spend it, but he is also showing Madrid that if they don't act now then their own target, Suarez, could be snapped up by other suitors - not just Arsenal.

It all points to one fact, that someone has leaked this Suarez for their own benefit. Who knows it may even have been Liverpool who leaked it? In the vain hope that this would spark Madrid into action and entice them into bidding over £30 million for the Uruguayan.

Whatever the source of the leak I think it is safe to safe that is highly unlikely we will see Suarez in an Arsenal shirt next season. Indeed we shouldn't forget that his reason for wanting to leave Liverpool is to escape the English press.

Many thanks,

Come on you Gooners!

What Higuain Would Bring?

Is Higuain set to sign?

It has become a transfer saga. Such is the hype and speculation surrounding Gonzalo Higuain's next move it is unsurprising that his future has become ever present in the back pages. At this moment in time it appears as those Arsenal are the frontrunners for his signature, with some sources even claiming the deal is all but signed off. With that in mind, this post will take a look at what the Argentinian forward could bring to the club and assess whether he would be a good signing.

Just one glance at Higuain's stats and one thing instantly screams at you, goals. For his career as a whole Higuain averages a goal every other game, while for Madrid he netted 106 league goals in 188 games. For Argentina his record is even more impressive, with the striker scoring 20 goals in just 32 games.

He is a goal scorer, a poacher. Indeed this is something we have lacked for years.

During his time as manager Wenger has shied away from buying players who are poachers. Perhaps the signing of Francis Jeffers in 2001 for £8 million has put him off dipping his toes into this market again. It could also be the fact that Wenger requires all of his players to be technically capable and versatility, meaning they are able to drift around the pitch and effect the game from positions outside of their comfort zone. Poachers are notoriously unable to does this, with players like van Nistelrooy occupying the penalty box from the first to the last minute.

The signing of Eduardo in 2008 marked Wenger's decision to reignite his use of a poacher. The Croatian was a success in his early time with the club, however the breaking of his leg meant his was never able to rekindled the form he once showed. But his signing certainly demonstrated that Wenger was once again considering the possibility of employing a poacher.

If we did bring in Higuain I think he would be an instant success. The 25 year old thrives of chances and at Arsenal he would have plenty of them. He would also be the main man for the Gunners, the fulcrum of their attacking unit. This was never the case for Gonzalo at Real Madrid. More often than not Higuain would have to put up with rotating the number 9 role with Karim Benzema, something which was undoubtedly a factor in his decision to leave the club.

As to whether or not the deal will happen, I am very optimistic. Numerous sources claim that any deal is imminent and the fact that Juventus have signed Tevez and Llorente means we face no real competition for his signature.

One point also worth mentioning is Jack Wilshere decided to follow Higuain on twitter yesterday, an odd move to take considering Gonzalo does not tweet in English. Is this a sign he is set to join? Or is Jack simply trolling us? I think and would hope the former is more likely here.

Thanks for reading,

Come on you Gooners!