Sahin gone to Liverpool,Walcott on his way

                    So finally the Nuri Sahin saga has come to an end.He has chosen Liverpool over Arsenal.Yet another Arsenal target goes somewhere else.Mata,Hazard,Niang,Sahin and the list goes on.

                     The transfer season has been frustrating fans as usual.Top players leaving and the club missing out on potential targets.Agreed Liverpool got robbed in the deal but they do have a hell of a player now.Arsene claims that Arsenal aren't looking for a player like him and that we need a defensive midfielder to fill  the void that has been created by Song's departure.Well if din't need him we should not have been bidding for him.It is so clear he is just trying to save face.We were in the driving seat to sign him but our board just doesn't want to spend.They prefer to lose out on a player rather than shell out some more money.Yes we wanted to make an arrangement that would allow us to sign him permanently after the loan spell.You cannot expect Real Madrid to agree to  that unless you present them with a deal that cannot be denied which you won't see happen from this board.

                        It was only 3-4 days ago that I had written the article mentioning Sahin was on his way to Arsenal but here I am with this one stating he has signed for Liverpool.Well actually this deal occurred 3 days ago but couldn't write due  to some issues.This is how transfer dealings done over here.1 day you say something and the next day you look like  a complete idiot.Even you all would agree we are lacking in almost every department.We need a left back for reserve,a defensive midfielder and a striker with premier league experience.I know we have two good strikers in Podolski and Giroud but they will take to adjust since they come from Bundesliga and Ligue 1 respectively which are much slower than Premier League.Almost every big team has 3 or 4 strikers so that they are not strikerless in case of injuries.We have only 2(not considering Bendtner and Chamakh) who are not firing right now.So should we be satisfied with the results until they  start firing.By then we would be in the bottom half I guess.I am a very frustrated with the way things are done over here.When we bought the 3 players they said it was to strengthen the squad and after a few days they become replacements of our top players.

                         Arsene Wenger and the board  I don't know how seem very satisfied with the team and are giving a false hope to us that this team can easily challenge for the title.Well guess what we can't.Not with this team.Agreed we are defensively very solid now that Steve Bould has done a fantastic job but what about attack?You don't know when Rosicky and Wilshere will return and until then everything will be over.Title will be out of  reach then.I cannot believe what the board is doing.They have sold yet another future star,Henri Lansbury.We believe in promoting young talent and creating them into stars rather than buying star players.Of course we are not doing the latter but we are not doing the earlier as well.Selling all your best players and not  buying proper replacements then how do you expect to win anything?

                     Arsenal speedster Theo Walcott who was going to pen a new deal has now rejected one.Even he has gone frustrated and is open to transfer setting Manchester City and Liverpool on high alert.He has been given 48 hours to decide his future.And I am pretty sure that he is on his way out.We have been linked with Cabaye,M'vila and Afellay but trust me with the pace the board has been carrying out talks its unlikely we will see any of them in Arsenal red and White.One more rumour that has been surfacing is that Cesc Fabregas is on his way back to Emirates.This sounds hilarious and I fail to find any truth in this as I don't think Barcelona are going to let one of the best midfielders in the world  who is just 25.Check out the link below for details.

http://soccerisma.com/2012/08/cesc-fabregas-back-to-arsenal-the-perfect-rumour/#more-1682

                   

               Its Wednesday the deadline is on Friday.Just 3 days remaining.All i can hope is to see atleast Walcott stays and we bring one more player.Else I see this season as a disaster for us.

Sahin coming to Arsenal

                           Arsene Wenger made it clear that he was going to stick to his strategy of finding bargains on the market when he sold Robin van Persie to Manchester United this summer.He continued to sell when he transferred top midfielder Alex Song to Barcelona.Even with summer acquisitions Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla, there was unrest at Emirates after Van Persie and Song left.But even if Arsenal doesn't win the Premier League this season, Wenger has proven his worth after sealing a loan deal for Real Madrid's Nuri Sahin on Wednesday for wages plus £2 million.

                     
                    Sahin is an excellent midfielder who will combine with Cazorla to make up for Song's departure. Ever since lifting Dortmund to the 2010-2011 Bundesliga title, he's been highly regarded in world football. His precise passing, combined with his sterling vision, sets Arsenal up to do some damage with strikers Podolski and Giroud.The transfer comes after Sahin had asked if he could make a temporary move out of Madrid, having only played 10 games following his switch from Borussia Dortmund last summer.And despite interest from Italy, France and Turkey, current boss Mourinho believes 12 months in England will be crucial in the players development.'The Premier League is a good place for players to pick up certain characteristics which he does not have,' Mourinho said at his weekly press conference.

                                       Reports on Tuesday suggested that Real Madrid wanted a fixed fee of £14 million should Arsenal want to take up their option to keep Sahin on a permanent deal after his loan expires next summer, a fee which Arsenal appeared unwilling to pay. The Gunners had planned a photo shoot ahead of his official unveiling on Monday which had to be cancelled at the last minute after contract talks had stalled. A compromise appears to have been reached on his future fee and the Gunners have managed to plug the hole that appeared to be growing in their midfield with the loss of Alex Song to Barcelona. 

                               
                           Arsenal are also looking forward to offload Russian forward Andrei Arshavin after Zenit St Petersburg renewed their interest in him.Wenger will be keen to get a good sum from the sale and shift 70,000 pounds off his wage budget which the Russian is paid at Emirates.Another rumour that has impressed me is of Sevilla winger Jesus Navas.He has a buyout clause of 27 million euros but Wenger may get him in 15.This could spell the end of Theo Walcott's career at Emirates.Discussions over his contract have not progressed this summer and it won't be a surprise if he is looking elsewhere.Chelsea,Liverpool or Juventus could be the possible destinations.Walcott is looking for 100,000 pounds a week wage which Arsenal are clearly not willing to offer.I personally would love to have Navas in place of Walcott but this is some sort of a risk.Apparently the Spanish winger was to join Chelsea in 2006 but the transfer din't materialize since he suffers from chronic homesickness.This is the main reason he has stayed at Sevilla all his career.Lets see how this transfer rumour ends up.

Song-a betrayer or a victim of filthy board?

                   Arsenal have agreed terms with Barcelona for the sale of the midfielder to the Spanish side.The 24-year Cameroon International will fly to Nou Camp for agreement on personal terms and undergoing medical.Barcelona released a statement stating the fee for Alex Song is 15 million pounds and that he will sign a deal for five years and the release clause would be 80 million euros.Eight first team players have left Arsenal in the last three years(Adebayor,Toure,Gallas,Clichy, Fabregas,Nasri,Van Persie and Song).There is something terribly wrong in the management that all the top players are leaving year after year.When you compare the current lineup with the one three seasons ago you can see that except one or two players we have all different players.You can't let your top players go year after year and hope to win titles.

                  But what is the real problem?Is it the players who have just forgotten the meaning of loyalty or is it the board?We have two sets of arguements over the topic.There is enough evidence that players like Adebayor,Nasri and Clichy were  not happy at the club and went where they will get paid much more than Arsenal and they hide this small thinking by claiming they want trophies.There is no doubt that what the board is paying the players is very less and our wage structure needs to change if we are not land some huge players and eventually some trophies.But betraying your club which has given you the name and put you on the map for a rival club just for more is no less than a sin as well.You can't blame Wenger in these circumstances.Ofcourse he has made mistakes in the past and we all know how adamant he is but he has done very well given the budget and players leaving every year killing his dream to build a world class team.He buys some players to strengthen the squad but his best players leave and those new signings turn into replacements from additions and we are back to square one.

                    Now lets see other side of the story.According to Daily Telegraph Alex Song has lashed out to the officials saying that Alex Song was sold because he was unprofessional,lazy and often late for training.A source close to the player said: “Alex was massively committed to Arsenal. He loved the club and was dying to sign a new contract.“We tried six times to renegotiate it, but they kept saying it had three years to run. They’d say things like, ‘we’ll sit down in September, October’, when at first they had said it would happen in the summer.“Then Barcelona came in and yet Alex still said he wanted a new contract. When they said we would all sit down on September 1, that was the final straw.“That shows disrespect to the player. Barcelona is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You have to jump on that train when it comes.”

Song, 24, has signed a five-year deal worth £70,000 a week.At Arsenal he was getting £55,000 a week which is way too less considering he was our 2nd best player.I don't know which side of the story is actually true but in the last few days I have started believing that maybe its the board behind sale of our top players and that now they making excuses to save their a**es since the noise is getting louder since every one knows Song is not a type of player who will abandon his team for money.But if this is true then there is only one direction Arsenal will go(down) and we will have to forget about trophies for some years.While Alex Song has gone his likely replacement at Arsenal, Real Madrid’s Nuri Sahin, 23, is expected to agree a season-long loan today and there are rumours linking Yann M'Villa and Fernando Llorente to Arsenal.I highly doubt it that all three will be coming.Let me know your thoughts.

A NEW BEGINNING

                 A new season is upon us bringing a new hope and loads of expectations from the lads.Its a home game against Sunderland.The effects of RVP departure are still there and we have may have yet another departure in Alex Song if latest reports are to be believed.What is most important right now is to leave the RVP news behind and move on.He was going to go anyway if not United then Juventus maybe.We have had   a good summer transfer window and the manager has bought well.We have got 3 world class players in Podolski,Giroud and Cazorla which have been impressive in the pre-season.So we have every reason to believe and stay optimistic that this is going to be our year and finally the trophy drought will come to an end after 7 long dreaded years.

                Lets have a review of our available options for the opening game.Koscielny unfortunately will  miss the season opener following a minor problem.So in the defense we have Sagna,Vermaelen, Martesacker,Gibbs,Santos,Jenkinson and Djourou and Szczesny as our no.1 and Fabianski as no.2.In the midfield we have Cazorla,Ramsey,Diaby,Song,Arteta,Coquelin and Walcott,Chamberlain, Gervinho, Podolski,Giroud,Chamakh in the frontline.

                    Our attacking would depend a lot on Wenger's decision to play Giroud.Giroud is a young and very talented but a bit inexperienced so i highly doubt if Wenger will give him a start as he will take some time to get accustomed to the rigors of the premier league.So i guess it would be a 4-3-3 attacking formation.

Szczesny

                   Sagna/Djourou              Vermaelen                   Martesacker              Gibbs/Santos

                                

                                                                          Song/Diaby

                                

                                                        Cazorla                          Arteta/Ramsey

                        Walcott                                                                                          Gervinho

                                                                             Podolski

                          And if Wenger is to take chance and start with Giroud then we may see a different formation altogether.It may be a 4-4-1-1 or  4-4-2 as well so  that we can take advantage of Giroud's heading capability.I don't know what he is going to do but this lineup looks quite good and should not have any problem getting all the 3 points.If I were in his place I wouldn't start with two strikers as Sunderland even away can defend very  well and there are many chances that they may just park the bus in front of the  goal.So we would need more midfielders to break the deadlock.

                           Coming back to transfers Alex Song looks set  to join the Catalans.RVP's departure was expected since a long time following his emergence as one of the best strikers last season.So it had been coming and the worst part is that our loss has become Man Utd's gain thus bolstering their attacking lineup.

But the news that Alex Song ants to go has come as a shock.Before this I considered him a one of the loyal players who will stay at Arsenal come what may,a true Gunner just like Jack Wilshere.He has been at the club since 2005 and was bought for around 3 million from Bastia.

                           When he was signed he was 17 year old raw talent.With all due respect to him at that time he was really awful.He was a defensive midfielder but his tackling was bad and he could not intercept.Arsene Wenger has created what he is today.He owes it to Wenger and Arsenal that is one of our biggest assets today.He can be an enforcer when needed,can tackle well,intercepts opposition moves very well and he can give beautiful ground and lofted passes as we saw last season.He had an incredible 11 assists and scored 2.He has been a very important member of our squad since the last couple of seasons.It will be a deadly blow for us if he leaves.It will be very difficult to find a player to fill his shoes that too on such a short notice.He can play as a defender as well as an attacking and defensive midfielder.I would hate to lose such  a  wonderful player to the Barcelona c**ts.I just hope he stays because his departure will again see sadness and gloom over Emirates and the morale will be low again just like the start of last season.Lets hope for the best and focus on the Sunderland game and beat the hell out of them.My predictions 3-1 to the Gunners.May this season be the new beginning of another glorious era of trophies and silverware.                                                          

Van Persie chooses Monday over Saturday

                  Robin Van Persie is set to complete a 24 million pounds move to Manchester United after Arsene Wenger sanctioned the sale of Arsenal captain to Old Trafford on Wednesday evening.The only good news is that the saga is finally over and we can move on now.

                       For the past month there has been confusion,outrageous bids and one clear message-that the Dutch forward is on his way out.He made it clear to Arsene Wenger that he would not be extending his contract at Arsenal and saw his future elsewhere.Where his future lay was a mystery as Wenger had a set amount for him which drew attention of many top clubs like Manchester United,Manchester City,Lyon,Real Madrid,Paris Saint Germain and Juventus.United,City and Juventus were looking the top contenders and Juventus seemed to be leading the race.

                        After all the drama the result is in front of us.Robin Van Persie is set to join United on a 4 year contract which will  offer him 200,000 pounds a week  after the fees of 24 million pounds has been agreed.The reason which he gave us is that Arsenal lack ambition or that our ambition doesn't match with his.If that was the case then he should have stayed since we bought 3 world class players(Podolski,Giroud and Cazorla).These 3 signings speaks volumes of our ambition to win trophies.Now isn't he just another player who kisses the badge and then leaves the club.Here is a list of the injuries he had during his time at Arsenal.

                        Van Persie has been injured for almost every season and has been absent for long spells from our ranks.Very few managers will have the patience and keep faith in such an injury prone player and will try to offload the player after a good season.Arsene Wenger always stood by him throughout his injuries and he was always our no. 1 striker after departure of Henry.And this is how he is repaying our love and faith by moving to our fiercest rivals' home.Out of all the clubs he chose our title rivals Manchester United.No wonder Arsenal have lost a quality player but the fact that we have lost him to our English rivals worries me.

                        The capture of Van Persie is regarded as a major coup by Ferguson and senior figures at Old Trafford,who regard the signing as a response to City's recent dominance in the transfer market and a sign of club's ambition to recapture the premier league title.Many professionals have been quick to praise Ferguson for his managerial shrewdness once again.But I can tell you Ferguson will only have him until he continues his rich vein of form.He by no means is Arsene Wenger to stand by him through all his injuries.

                They say they have both Batman(Wayne Rooney) and Robin now but we have our Verminator.All the best Robin for your career at Old Trafford which by no means can be as good as you had here and you will soon realize it when we finish above United this season and maybe throw a trophy or two in your face.

Arsenal want Belgian star

            Olympiakos frontman Kevin Mirallas has revealed that his agent is in talks with Arsenal.Premier League rivals Liverpool have reportedly also shown interest in him.The forward has been impressive since joining from Saint-Etienne two years ago.The Greek club have stuck with their price of 6 million pounds for the starlet and not a single penny less than the specified amount would do for them.Reports have linked him to the Emirates previously as well but Mirallas has now confirmed that there has been contact between the two clubs and that his agent is in talks with Arsenal but he insists that he would be content and happy at Athens if the deal doesn't come through.

                     The Belgian International has been a revelation at the Athens club netting aplenty and helping his club win back to back domestic titles in his two years.Mirallas was the top scorer in Greece last term with 20 goals.Whilst he was used as an orthodox striker but he play on the flanks as well and such adaptability could further cement his place at the Emirates.

                       Wenger wants deadwood clear out with Vela already gone and Bendtner,Park and Chamakh likely to follow soon.He would welcome this Belgian star with open arms to bolster our attacking options even if Van Persie stays.Getting him for 6 million pounds sounds like  a bargain.Wenger should definitely go for the striker with all guns blazing and not leave things for the future as we have suffered so many times in the past because of such attitude.And if Van Persie leaves then this can prove to be a very important signing as our players get injured at the wrong time and having a player of such quality on the bench would be crucial.

                   It is rightly said selling of Van Persie is win as well as defeat for Arsenal.Its obvious that we don't want to keep a player who doesn't want to stay but selling our star player to one of our biggest rivals would be suicide.My take would be to retain Van Persie even if it means letting him go next season on a free.Arsenal new boys have been really impressive in the friendly against Cologne.Cazorla,Giroud and Podolski were brilliant in the 4-0 drubbing.A truly dominant performance by the Gunners.It speaks volumes of what we are about to get this season.Lets keep faith in our team and our manager.Come On You Gunners!!!

Cazorla finally confirmed!!!

        It has been a very good morning for Arsenal fans as it is official now that Santi Cazorla is an Arsenal player now.It was certain that he was ours but it was almost a week since we have been awaiting the confirmation.The delay in confirmation was raising questions on the credibility of the information we had till then and that a U-turn can be on the cards.Its such a relief that it  has been confirmed finally.Its like the day after getting a package that you were anxiously waiting for.You are glad that it has arrived and the wait doesn't seem that long now.He is signed for an undisclosed fee on a long term contract.If reports are to be believed then he is signed for an amount around 15 million on a 4 year deal.He is definitely one of the,if not the,best signings of this summer.Malaga's financial problems initially delayed being finalized but he is now on course for his Arsenal debut in the Sunday's friendly against Cologne after the announcement was made.

               

               Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said:"Santi Cazorla is a great signing for us.He is a player with good experience at both club and international level,who will add significant quality to the team.He is versatile  

who can comfortably play on either side of the pitch as well as centrally.He has good pace,is gifted technically and will be a huge asset to the team."

                  Cazorla who was voted as Spanish player of the year in 2007 said:"I am so happy to be joining Arsenal.This is a club with great players,fantastic stadium and huge support.The club has one of the best  managers in football and their style of play is recognized and admired all over the world.The squad is very good here and we want to fight for titles ad win titles.The club has made a big step to sign players to have a better team and meet the expectations of the fans.I am very happy to be here and hope to win titles with Arsenal."

               Cazorla joined Malaga last year for 19 million pounds.The playmaker's performances in guiding the club to 4th spot in La Liga and qualification for Champions League should have increased his value.However last week Malaga released last week via club website claiming that a period of "internal financial restructuring" was required to meet UEFA's incoming Financial Fair Play  regulations which meant that Cazorla was available for a cut price.Cazorla can soon be joined by another La Liga midfielder Nuri Sahin.Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has already given the green signal that the Turkish International can leave Bernabeu this summer.But Manchester United is also keen on signing him after being snubbed by Lucas Moura.Lets hope we don't lose to them in a bidding war like the last time(Nick Powell).Come On You Gunners.