Tonight sees Arsenal welcome Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium for a pivotal game in what has been an unusual season for both sides.
United, so used to being at the top of the tree, a team that had an inevitability about them every time they pushed for that late winner, are now a shell of their former selves.
Arsenal on the other hand, were a team that wasn’t just always the bridesmaid, but more of a flower girl, content with qualifying for the Champions League season on season – a club which rarely dipped into their swelling coffers to buy their way to success. That was until Mesut Ozil.
And both are now experiencing differing fortunes. While Arsenal have often lead the way in the Premier League this season, Manchester United have bumbled from disaster to disaster, culminating in the 2-2 draw with bottom of the pile Fulham last time out.
But it’s not all rosy at Arsenal. After getting hammered by Liverpool and failing to make any additions in the January transfer window apart from an injured Kim Kallstrom, people are starting to question their ability to make a real title push.
Which is all the more reason why tonight’s game is so important for both sides. An Arsenal win and their season is back on track, while United fans will find it increasingly hard to defend David Moyes. On the other hand, a United win and dour Scot Mark II will buy himself some time, while Wenger will rue not breaking the bank in January to sure up their tilt at the Premier League.
And a draw? Well there’s only been two draws in the last 10 Premier League matches between these two, but if that does happen tonight, we’ll be no closer to an answer.
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If you can’t wait till kick off, here’s our big question of the day for you to get involved with: Is David Moyes the right man for the Manchester United job?
Remember you can follow it all in real-time on our LIVE Blog here!
Liverpool youngster Suso has revealed he wishes to stay at Anfield and does not want to leave under the Bosman ruling when his deal expires at the end of this season.
The Spanish teenager was brought to the club in 2009 by ex-Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez. The winger admits he feared for his chances at the club following Benitez’s exit in the summer of 2010.
“Rafa was the one that called me and convinced me to go to Liverpool when I was at Cádiz but soon after he left. The truth is, I thought that might be a problem and that things might get worse,” he said.
Three bosses later, Suso has finally progressed to finding a role in the first team under Brendan Rodgers, who has fielded the talented youngster three times in the Premier League so far this season.
The Spaniard appears to be enjoying life under Rodgers, and is happy at Liverpool.
“Brendan Rodgers is a coach that if you prove to him that you can perform, if you work hard, he has no problem in putting young players in the team. I have started three times and things are going well.
“I’m happy here, very comfortable. This is the ideal club for me in every sense. This is like a dream for me.
“We have been talking about a contract since the start of the season. We’re nearly there – we’ll sign soon” he added.
The Liverpool manager clearly rates Suso highly, and admits he rejected offers for the winger over the summer.
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“We did have a couple of offers for Suso in the summer, but I always said I didn’t want him to go.
“He’s in the last year of his contract, and it’s something we will look at,” said Rodgers.
Marko Arnautovic is a fan-favourite mostly because he’s been West Ham’s best player in a season where there have been precious few positives to hold onto.
David Moyes managed to ‘get a tune’ out of the Austrian in a way that Mark Hughes failed to do, and indeed Slaven Bilic at the start of the campaign. But although his revival should be celebrated, we shouldn’t totally forget the first few months of the year when Arnautovic had first joined the club.
Like many temperamental talents, Arnautovic can be both a talisman and a liability. His petulance is the flipside of his inspiration, ‘the mad side of genius’ is how Jonathan Pearce described it when commentating on Eric Cantona’s infamous ‘kung-fu kick’ against Crystal Palace in 1995.
For Arnautovic, his highs are not as high so his lows are not quite so low. The worst this season was a thuggish elbow on a Southampton player in one of the season’s opening games.
The problem wasn’t so much the force behind the misdemeanour, though, but the stupidity of the act. With his team 2-0 down, just a week after being thumped 4-0 at Old Trafford in the opening game of the season, the very worst way to compound the misery would be to get yourself sent off.
Worse still is doing it with only 33 minutes on the clock – they say a two goal lead is the most dangerous (though that’s clearly rubbish), and there was always a chance the Hammers could get back into the game.
Indeed, they did. Two goals from Javier Hernandez saw them level it up before a last minute penalty from Charlie Austin gave the points to Southampton. But you have to wonder just what would have happened had the Austrian stayed on the pitch. And what effect it might have had on the rest of the season.
The point here is not to castigate Arnautovic but rather to ask whether or not Manuel Pellegrini – a manager whose personality exudes calmness and moderation – would be disgusted at seeing one of his recognised star players sold off to Manchester United before the Chilean has even had the pleasure of managing a game.
Sure, Arnautovic would be a forceful and potent weapon under a manager with a penchant for attacking – almost perfect for ‘the Engineer’ in some exciting ways. But losing him may not be the end of the world – so long as he was adequately replaced.
So should West Ham sell? Well, therein, most probably, lies the problem.
West Ham fans would not (very justifiably) be delighted at seeing one of their best players sold but the main issue would surely stem from the fact that recruitment in recent years has been absolutely terrible – there is no reason to trust the board to bring in a proper replacement.
But think of the players Manuel Pellegrini relied on at Manchester City: Jesus Navas, Gael Clichy, Eliaquim Mangala. They are certainly not considered top players – indeed, some are probably punchlines in English football – but they are also ‘nice boys’ who don’t do petulance, they are players who follow the manager’s orders and buy into how he wants to play.
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You wonder if Arnautovic’s mentality wouldn’t be a recipe for disaster with a manager like that.
For what it’s worth, if I were Pellegrini, I wouldn’t sell. But only because of the Hammers’ history with new signings.
But then why would you take the job if you didn’t trust the board? And that’s why – if there’s any truth to the rumour – we might well see Pellegrini sanction a sale on the basis that there’s money available for a more down-to-Earth replacement.
As Arsenal prepare to take on Bournemouth this weekend, all eyes are nominally focused on last season’s encounter between the two. But that’s just a ploy.
Last January, Arsenal and Bournemouth played out a 3-3 draw which saw the Gunners come back from three goals down to equalise with just minutes to go. Perhaps the biggest story from the game was Olivier Giroud’s equaliser, which he celebrated with a scorpion kick celebration, wasting time as the Gunners looked to find a winner in the closing seconds.
If that was the biggest story, the lasting image, however, was that of Alexis Sanchez throwing a strop on the pitch at full-time, clearly frustrated at his side’s lack of ability to fight on in the Premier League title race.
That, and Sanchez’s rumoured interest in a move to one of the two halves of Manchester is the focus of the interest in this game. Which rather leaves both managers off the hook.
After so long in charge it’s only natural for Arsene Wenger to have had many potential proteges who have come and gone, falling by the wayside. For a long time, potential successors to the Frenchman have included the likes of Patrick Vieira and Remi Garde in the past. There are plenty of other examples, and this weekend’s opponent Eddie Howe has been mentioned in the same sort of way for a long time now.
Yet in the last few months, Howe’s achievements at Bournemouth have started to be questioned slightly. From heralding the fact that this was a man who was able to bring a team of players he picked up in League One to Premier League safety, Howe hasn’t really kicked on. The Cherries are in the midst of a battle for survival again this season, but the telling part isn’t in their league position – outside of the top six, pretty much everyone is involved in the survival battle royale – but the squad.
Bournemouth’s team is hardly the same side as when they came up, but Howe’s ability to succeed in the transfer market is certainly questionable.
Since their arrival in the Premier League Bournemouth have broken their transfer record each summer. That’s thoroughly unsurprising, and indeed exactly to be expected. Most promoted teams do that, and when you get established you can spend even more thanks to your season in the big time. Over the last two or three years – happily enough for the Cherries – Premier League spending has gone through the roof thanks to the recent TV rights deals.
And yet despite bringing in nominally better players, Bournemouth’s transfers haven’t changed their squad to the extent you might have expected. Max Gradel, Juan Iturbe, Lys Mousset and Lewis Grabban are just some of the names to have come into the Bournemouth side since their promotion, and all have been either bought in or loaned with the aim of boosting the profile of a side which was still filled with players who came up with the club.
By now, then, that’s the main point to stand against Howe’s management.
Indeed, you might think that a modern manager is only partly to blame for failed transfers. After all, directors of football and chief scouts – people Arsenal fans are hearing more and more about these days – are the ones bringing in the players at most clubs. Most managers just manage. But that’s the point: Howe was perfectly adept at getting the most out of the players he took to promotion. Since they achieved that heady success, he’s been unable to build further.
Not being able to build more than one winning team at a club is hardly the worst crime in the world. But the whole point of suggesting Howe as Wenger successor was the fact that he seemed so suited to carrying on Wenger’s work, ushering in a new dynasty. The evidence of what he’s achieved at Bournemouth shows that whilst he’s done a great job, it’s questionable whether he’d be a good fit at the Gunners. And as such, the links seem to have cooled.
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When Wenger does finally leave – we’ve been saying that for years, but he can’t go on forever… – it looks like it’ll be a coach with the worldwide profile of a Carlo Ancelotti or a Thomas Tuchel, not one like Howe. And that’s not because the Premier League is biased against English coaches, it’s simply because there are now serious questions over Howe’s abilities to manage at the very top level.
This weekend’s game will see all eyes on Alexis Sanchez, and last season’s game gives media outlets a chance to focus on that. But if it weren’t for that thriller of a game, we’d more than likely be talking about Wenger, and probably Eddie Howe’s fitness to succeed him. And the Cherries’ coach certainly has the Gunners’ current fine mess to thank for that.
On the other hand, for the Gunners, the list of possible successors has changed: whereas it used to be about men who could carry on the Wenger dynasty, it’s now starting to look like a list of men who can fix years of rot.
After investing over £1 billion to tackle Sky, something that Setanta, ITV Digital and sister channel ESPN never managed to achieve, BT Sport seem like a worthy competitor in the sports broadcasting arena after they happily marked three months on air last Friday.
BT have secured the rights to air 38 Premier League matches per season along with top notch fixtures from the Serie A, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga. The next target is to bring over the Champions League whilst Tottenham Hotspur, Wigan and Swansea feature every Thursday night along with other Europa League matches.
BT Sport invited Football Fan Cast to go behind the scenes last week at their state-of-the-art studios in Stratford to watch Des Kelly’s newest show Life’s a Pitch whilst also having a look at the SPFL Review show.
This was not my first visit at the Olympic Park’s football Disneyland. It is a place where former Real Madrid player Steve McManaman is sitting one one place and then all of a sudden you get the chance to interview former England goalkeeper David James whilst the legendary Michael Owen is standing on the other corner. Everywhere you look you see one of the greatest football personalities that have now hung their boots and put on their suits.
I entered their CGI-looking studios which are swarmed by high technology discovered by BT Sport’s Chief Operating Officer Jamie Hindaugh. BT have three studios together, where they all form the biggest TV studio in the UK, which two of them feature sports shows and the other one is the LED pitch where the veterans lace their boots for a few minutes to recreate some key moments of a match.
It was now time to meet the executive producer of Life’s a Pitch Mark Aldridge who acts as Des Kelly’s eye in the sky. He has been on the TV business for 18 years but this is the first ever brand new company he has joined.
“It’s a pretty exciting place to be. There’s a buzz here which feels unlike anything I’ve ever worked in before,” said Mr Aldridge who described the show as a combination of journalism with an extra dose of humour. He also admitted that his favourite part is when the former Daily Mail columnist gets under the guests’ skin.
“A journalist being funny is much easier to sell than a comic trying to be a journalist. By the time I met Des he was very very excited. He was hungry to do it.”
Darrell Currie met me at a conference room after wrapping up the SPFL Review Show, which also featured the former Liverpool midfielder Gary McAllister who is now a pundit. A very energetic young man that loves the Scottish Premier League outlined his thoughts about the SPFL and also talked to me about his “absolutely brilliant” time at BT Sport.
“I’m lucky enough to have been right at the very start of this channel. I’ve never seen a studio space like that, and I’ve been to many studios around the world. It’s absolutely fantastic. You will hear people say that this is a legacy of the London Olympics. We’re trying to give so much exposure to so many different people.”
He believes that Celtic are “the shining light of Scottish football” but one of the big stories now is Rangers’ journey back to the League and that the club is greatly missed by the SPFL as well as their derby against the Scottish champions, which will be “absolutely explosive” next time it comes around.
Mr Currie praised the “absolutely stunning” support from Hearts fans to the club but admitted that relegation seems very likely and survival would be a miracle. However, if The Famous drop down they will definitely return because “they’re too big of a team”.
It is now time for the SPFL Review Show’s presenter to go home and for me to meet the presenter of Life’s a Pitch. The former Daily Mirror Editor meets me with a giant smile fixed on his face and a very warm handshake. He is wearing a blue suit with white stripes, looks a little like Jay Leno, and is absolutely lively and energetic for a man that anchors a late show four times a week from Monday to Thursday.
He does get a bit tired sometimes but that is just natural as he enjoys doing the show. The first couple of weeks were a little more difficult for the Fonz but now all the pieces have come together. However, he jokingly disclosed his worry that his guest Brian Moore, former rugby player, might be “a right grumpy git”.
“BT Sport is good. Very supportive. They let us do things that would probably cause more sleepless nights than most programs if you were a worried boss because we joke about things,” said the award-winning journalist.
“Humour is always risky. I’ve been around long enough to know where to draw the line. I like doing this because it’s what I wanted to do.”
That was the 47th show for Life’s a Pitch and the presenter seems to have completely adapted after he humorously described the show as him interviewing the former Arsenal and Everton striker “smiling” Kevin Campbell and the Daily Telegraph’s “Pit Bull” Brian Moore.
The show is solely concentrated on football and is consisted of press reviews, where the panel will read today’s and tomorrow’s back pages, straight live reactions, consisted of a discussion regarding major football events, and of course humour, which features funny videos, tweets and of course Des’s tricks.
The first ever show had former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp sitting on a car-door chair whereas another episode featured former England manager Graham Taylor accidentally getting hit with a newspaper in the head as part of the show’s scenario of delivering the papers by bike.
The former BBC man also warned us that the Halloween episode would include a crowd wearing Martin Keown masks in front of the Arsenal veteran himself. “We want the tone to be jokey because we don’t want to just sit there and say ‘I thought the left back’s performance was particularly good tonight.’ We want to say: ‘What was he doing there?!’
“It is a very subjective show and I try to make it that way so we are not bland, you might not agree with everything in it but at least it might have something that will make you laugh.”
That night’s show featured an extensive conversation about the Capital One Cup results, especially those regarding Chelsea’s win and Fulham’s elimination. There were also a few funny videos as well as an interesting remark about Emmanuel Frimpong’s “daft” tweet.
The panel was consisted of Campbell, Moore and journalist Sheridan Bird which brought some freshness in contrast to the mainstream shows dominated by pundits.
“That is an institution, we’re not. We are a new show and I would just be bored if I was applying that institution all the time. Ian Stone was in last night and he is a nice comedian.
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“If something serious though happens we will do it properly as a proper news story with proper journalism. We’ve had ex footballers in here and we found one or two of them a little difficult but most people engage in it and everyone that’s been on the show has enjoyed being on it.”
The moment I finished the interview, the Fruit Machine stands up and tosses me a brick. It took me a couple of seconds to realise that it was a dummy brick but I immediately understood that I just fell victim to a Des Kelly trick.
Kevin Campbell though was not intimidated as I had a little chat with him while his former team was playing Chelsea in the background. He was indeed very confident as even when Juan Mata made it two for the Blues he just laughed it out, while Brian Moore started to dance.
“I am not nervous but I am definitely excited. I’ve never been on BT Sport before. I love doing TV work and it’s a good show. Listen, I can work with that (Des’s unpredictability). I don’t worry about that because funny things happen on TV anyways so you’ve got to be flexible and that’s what I think I am.”
It was now time for the show to begin. The presenter and his guests take their seats while an audience of 20 stands on the right. My interview fixer takes me to the gallery where the executive producer commences the countdown, the set gets completely silent, everything is in place and it is lights on. Showtime.
Swansea welcome Everton to the Liberty Stadium on Saturday lunchtime looking to recover from their first defeat of the season suffered at Aston Villa last weekend.
Swansea defender Ashley Williams faces a race to be fit for the game having been suffering with an ankle injury. His loss would be a blow to Michael Laudrup who is already without the injured Neil Taylor, Kyle Bartley and Gary Monk. Chico Flores will also serve the second of his three match suspension.
Everton will be without Darron Gibson, who is suffering with a thigh injury. Nikita Jelavic is an injury concern after he was hurt in a collision with his own teammate Leon Osman during Monday’s draw with Newcastle.
Despite last weeks defeat, its been a superb start to the season for Swansea. Only Manchester United and Fulham (10) have scored as many goals as the Swans this season, who are infact unbeaten in their last five home games.
Summer signing Michu has been the star of the show so far for Laudrup’s men, and will be looking to score in his third consecutive home game for the club.
David Moyes brings his side to Wales in decent form also. His side have in fact lost just one of their last 13 Premier League matches.
Leighton Baines was on the scoresheet during Everton’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle on Monday night. It was the fullbacks tenth goal since August 2010, making him the highest scoring defender in the Premier League during that period.
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According to reports in The Sun, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is planning a big summer clear-out and is willing to sell attacker Anthony Martial if the club receive an offer of around £70m, and Everton should make an ambitious bid to bring him to Goodison Park.
What’s the word, then?
Well, after a trophy-less campaign The Sun says that Mourinho is ready to get rid of the deadwood, and Daley Blind, Luke Shaw and Matteo Darmian could be among the names to depart alongside Martial, who has fallen out of favour following the arrival of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January.
The Sun says that the Portuguese boss will be handed any transfer fees received to spend on new players, and the club would be willing to accept £70m for the 22-year-old forward.
Meanwhile Everton, who are also targeting a move for £120,000-a-week Premier League attacker, could be set for another huge summer in the transfer market as they look to gatecrash the top six party in the top flight, with the left wing position perhaps seen as one of the priorities given Yannick Bolasie has struggled following his return from injury.
How has Martial done this season?
The France international was more of a regular starter in the opening months of the campaign, but he has found getting a spot in the XI particularly difficult since the addition of Sanchez during the January transfer window.
The 22-year-old once again started on the substitutes’ bench in the FA Cup final defeat against Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday, getting just 17 minutes on the pitch to try and make an impact.
Martial ended the season with 11 goals and nine assists in 45 appearances in all competitions, while his lack of game time and form ultimately cost him his place in his country’s squad for the World Cup.
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Would he be a good signing for Everton?
He would be an amazing addition for them.
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Despite his struggled for United this term, the 22-year-old has shown in the past the real quality that he has in terms of pace, skill and finishing, and there is no doubt that he could be the Merseyside outfit’s marquee player if he moved to Goodison Park.
He is an attacker that would excite the home fans, and be influential in their bid to muscle in on the top six clubs in the English top flight.
Marcel Brands was only confirmed as Everton’s director of football earlier this month, but he could make himself an instant Toffees hero by completing this huge £70m deal.
According to the Daily Mail, West Ham United are on the verge of launching a £25m bid for Swansea City centre-back Alfie Mawson.
What’s the story?
West Ham boss David Moyes is expected to be given funds to improve his squad in the January transfer window, and the Scot has previously suggested that he will look to bring a new centre-back to the club in the early stages of 2018.
Mawson has been linked with the Hammers in recent weeks, and according to the Daily Mail, the London club are now readying an offer in the region of £25m.
It is understood that Swansea have already rejected an offer of £18m as they hold out for the best possible deal.
The report claims that West Ham have offered £20m upfront with £5m in add-ons as they look to secure Mawson’s signature when the winter window opens for business.
Is £25m fair for Mawson?
It has been a rotten season for Swansea, with the Welsh outfit rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table following their 5-0 defeat at Liverpool on Boxing Day.
Mawson has been Swansea’s standout player this term, and has gone from strength to strength since joining the Welsh club from Barnsley in the summer of 2016.
At 23, Mawson is the right age when it comes to development, and whilst £25m is a big price for a centre-back that does not have an awful lot of experience at the top level, it could turn out to be a smart piece of business from West Ham.
Good in the air, strong and with a decent turn of pace, Mawson has the potential to develop into a very good centre-back over the next few seasons.
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Swansea will want a fair price as they potentially head for the Championship, and it seems that West Ham want the deal signed and sealed as soon as possible.
Wilfried Zaha has appeared to be a ray of sunshine among what has been largely been a bleak pre-season for Manchester United. The importance of results in the lead up to the league season shouldn’t be overstated, but it is clear in any case that David Moyes’ start for the Premier League giants has been far from easy. Zaha’s early promise could well prompt a temptation to fast track the youngster into the Premier League side, but would such a move be too much too soon for Zaha?
The Ivory Coast born winger joined United as part of a £15m deal from Crystal Palace in January this year. The young Englishman joined on a five and a half year deal having spent the majority of his youth based in South London. However, when Sir Alex spoke of the deal, the onus was very much on potential.
“We like to sign players with potential. We develop players and that’s been proven many times. Hopefully the boy enjoys it here,” Ferguson said.
The Football League Championship PFA player of the season spent the back end of the last year spearheading Palace’s successful assault back towards the Premier League. A player who shows on-field maturity beyond his years and footballing talent to be marvelled at; is he ready for the first team?
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The 20-year-old has so far coped with every challenge that the game has thrown at him. Impressing at both club and international level, he appears a young man to approach everything with a degree of calm and ease. With Manchester United going through something of a transitional phase post Ferguson perhaps this is the kind of player to really forge out Moyes’ new era at the club.
Suggestions are that Moyes will indeed persevere with the youngster in the first team, with early indications that a loan move remains unlikely at the moment. Keen to develop the player with the experience of a Ryan Giggs still in an around the squad, remaining at United for the mean time could be the best bet.
The risk with any young talent is that they are involved too much too soon. While Zaha may be ready mentally for the Premier League, he is not at a stage physically to cope with the rigorous demands week in week out. Yes United could well do with his talents at the moment; Nani appears close to the exit door, Giggs is in the twilight of his career and Valencia’s form has taken a dive of late. However, excessive exposure now could hinder Zaha in the long term and this is a risk United must weigh up carefully.
There has been a long line of players whose careers have suffered burnout as a result of heightened expectations at such young ages. Players such as Raheem Sterling have been rushed in to cover for first-team inadequacies in the short term but forced to suffer longer-term injury and burnout in the process. Michael Owen is another example of a player who was accelerated into the first team fold, and yes he was extremely successful. The long-term costs of his early successes were only really felt during the back-end of a career that never saw his early promise truly materialise. So will United learn from the lessons of the past?
I believe they will. David Moyes is an experienced manager who knows how to get the very best out of his resources. If he wants to create a dynasty at the club it is important that he shows a degree of patience regarding the development of Wilfried Zaha. Similarly Manchester United are a club that has great experience and success in respect of developing young stars and I believe that their approach will be just as restrained and cautious. United are hardly a club without the squad to alleviate pressure from its youngest assets, and I believe that additions will be made to bolster what they already possess.
Smaller clubs with a greater reliance on one man may well be tempted to drive a player like Zaha into the ground and whilst United appear to be desperate for some attacking quality at the moment I don’t believe they will be reckless enough to run the risk of burning out a future star.
So yes Zaha represents one of the most exciting talents that United have captured in recent times. Whilst United face one of the toughest seasons in memory I do not believe it is the time to panic and throw a player like Zaha into the firing line. In the short term this could be a hindrance to the club, but patience in the long run could see the development of a future star for both club and country.
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When the first international break of the season comes around it gives a club time to reflect on a their start to the domestic campaign and assess how their new faces have settled in to their new environment. For the Gunners they can look back on the first two weeks of the new term with a broad smile on their face. Three games in, no goals conceded and five points from a possible nine on the board. Not bad after a summer that saw Arsene Wenger wave goodbye to his two most influential players. A 2-0 victory at Anfield last Sunday certainly laid bare a slight modification in philosophy at the Emirates Stadium with many attributing the North Londoners’ promising start to the influence of Steve Bould following his promotion to assistant manager in place of recently retired Pat Rice. It may only be early doors but Bould’s influence has already shone through with the Gunners back four visibly brimming with confidence, structure and discipline Wengers’ new number two is rightly taking the plaudits for that. With an attack bristling with new blood, fresh energy and bags of creativity there is a sense that the club, having removed any remnants of past glories, are now ready to move forward and finally end its seven year trophy drought.
This week on FFC is Abou Diaby the man to the hole left by Alex Song in midfield and why is Bacary Sagna criticising the Gunners current transfer policy?
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Can he really be Arsenal’s new Song? – Gunnersphere
Don’t tell me that you think it’s green … – Arseblog
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Peter Hill-Wood defends Arsene and Arsenal – shock / horror | Steve Bould fan club grows and grows… – Le Grove
So we didn’t play that well then, the opposition were just poor! What Rubbish! – Highbury House
Jack Wilshere Will Surely Be Key To Arsenal’s Season – Transfer Tavern
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Quote of the Week
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“I expected the departure of Robin van Persie. We all expected it. It was ‘obvious’. But the Alex one, it was a surprise! He is 24 years old, he has three years remaining on his contract. I still do not understand. It is huge loss for the club. When you see the two best players of last season leave, you have a lot of questions. Sometimes in the street the fans talk to me. I can understand they are upset. I am just like them, I don’t understand everything. At Arsenal you come back after holidays, you make preparations, and you see two players leave and the season resumes – it has been like that since I have been at the club. I am used to it now” Bacary Sagna criticises Arsenal summer transfer policy