Mikel Arteta wants trophy challenge from Arsenal

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Aug 16, 2013

Arsenal midfielder and vice-captain Mikel Arteta believes the club can challenge for the Premier League title this season as long as they keep a high level of consistency and also sign a few players this summer.

Much to the annoyance of fans, Arsenal have had a very quiet summer despite promising big money to be spent and with just a couple of weeks left in the transfer market, the fans have every right to panic that Arsene Wenger has no plans of signing anyone at all.

Wenger missed out on Gonzalo Higuain, Stevan Jovetic and Luiz Gustavo, who all chose to join other clubs this summer and has only been able to secure Yaya Sanogo on a free-transfer.

Despite not signing big-name stars, there could be some room for optimism after last season’s final couple of months for The Gunners, as they went the final 11 games unbeaten, winning nine of them.

However, with teams around them strengthening, it is vital that Wenger does sign some new players and his vice-captain agrees.

He told The Sun: “Last year, this squad wasn’t good enough to challenge for the league – we ended up too far behind Manchester United.

“We suffered a lot of injuries in the last few years and couldn’t always put out a consistent team for 10 or 15 games in a row.

“So we can’t ignore the speculation about new signings, because it’s in the papers and we are asked about it all the time.

“I’m convinced there will be signings this summer. We already have a very strong team – and if we get new faces they will be welcome.”

Arteta also revealed the club’s ambitions for the 2013/2014 season.

“You all know Arsene Wenger – and I can tell you he’s not happy just to finish in the top four.

“When you get to a stage in the season where you are 12 or 15 points behind the leaders, you have to be realistic and admit you can’t catch up.

“That’s when the target becomes qualifying for the Champions League again. But at the start of the season, the only aim of the club, the manager and the players, is to win the league. It’s normal that the fans get frustrated – when you play for Arsenal you demand to win trophies every season – and we haven’t done that for eight years.

“We started very slowly in the last two seasons – life is very difficult when you are already trying to catch up eight or nine points in October or November.”

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt

Willian wants Liverpool move

By

Alex Batt

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Aug 16, 2013

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Anzhi Makhachkala midfielder Willian has admitted that a move to the Premier League in order to join Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool interests him after the Brazilian revealed that the Russian club are looking at selling all their foreign players this summer.

There have been reports suggesting that Liverpool are prepared to offer up to £30million for the ex-Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder, but they face serious competition from Premier League rivals Manchester United and and Tottenham.

During his days in Ukraine, Willian was actually a target for Manchester City and it is believed that Manuel Pelligrini may re-new the club’s interest in the Brazilian as he looks to strengthen his squad even further.

Anzhi’s owner is adamant on selling several of the club’s big-star names because of a current financial crisis and in an interview, Willian revealed that the club are trying to sell all of the foreign players so that they can bring in more Russian stars.

“Kerimov told us that Anzhi won’t make further investments…Russian players will join and foreign players would be free to go,” Willian is quoted as saying on ESPN Brazil.

“He made it clear that if good bids arrive, close to what he paid for the players, that he would certainly help us go.

“There was the Manchester City bid that was turned down. Now I’m waiting for a new bid to arrive in the next days from a few clubs, like Liverpool.

“If it’s really Liverpool, then it is surely a great club. I’m hopeful and very calm, just waiting for the best.

“England is my goal. I like the Premier League very much, I enjoy English football and certainly, if that happens, it will be very good for me and for my image.

“I know there have been some talks, but I don’t know the values, the agent didn’t tell me, he just said there were talks with some clubs, he didn’t name them, but I think they are English.”

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt

VIDEO: Ronaldinho backheel skills

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Johannes Johnsson

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Aug 15, 2013

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VIDEO: Kevin de Bruyne vs. France

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Johannes Johnsson

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Aug 15, 2013

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WATCH THE GOAL: Brilliant backheel goal

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Johannes Johnsson

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Aug 15, 2013

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Arsenal injury woes continue with Mikel Arteta facing six weeks on sidelines

By

Alex Batt

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Aug 15, 2013

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Arsene Wenger’s injury nightmare at Arsenal Football Club has took another hit this evening after it was announced that vice-captain Mikel Arteta will be out of action for up to six weeks after tearing his quadricep.

In his pre-match press conference, Wenger revealed that the club are awaiting news from a scan on Arteta’s injury and at first thought, they believe it was just a knock, but the scan has revealed that there is a tear in the midfielder’s quad.

The vice-captain now joins; Thomas Vermaelen, Abou Diaby, Nacho Monreal, Santi Cazorla, Bacary Sagna and Theo Walcott all sidelined with injuries, with the first three being long-term injuries.

The injury picked up by Arteta means he will miss both legs of the Champions League qualifiers against Turkish side Fenerbache and it also means he will miss the first few Premier League games of the season, including the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur.

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt

Coentrao wants Champions League football

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CLarsson

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Aug 15, 2013

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Spurs have been linked heavily with Fabio, with some reports claiming he could be part of the deal to get Gareth Bale at Madrid. Although it was a big blow for Andre Villas-Boas when the 25-year-old, was considering many teams in Europe but only those in the UEFA Champions League.

This would rule out Spurs after they finished 5^th in last season’s Premier League, Chelsea will have no such worries after finishing 3^rd last term. Jose Mourinho is an admirer of the left back according to reports.

Ales Sales

Marcelo: Neymar will not be my friend

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CLarsson

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Aug 15, 2013

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They may be a partnership for their international team Brazil but Marcelo of Real Madrid has admitted he will not be friends with Neymar when his side meet Barcelona in the El Classico. The pair both played in last nights shock result against Switzerland, Brazil lost 1-0 thanks to a bizarre own goal by Dani Alves. Marcelo had this to say about Neymar:

– That is normal. I already have that with Dani Alves. And then we are back to normal after the game. It will be the same with Neymar. He is a great friend of mine but that won’t be the case when he lines up against Real Madrid, he says.

Real Madrid, who are still targeting their marquee signing Gareth Bale, are said to be desperate to land him. When Marcelo was questioned about Gareth Bale he said very little.

– We only talk about players who are already at Real Madrid. He is still not here so for us there is no point in talking about anyone else.

Alex Sales

Southampton agree Osvaldo fee?

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Jacob Hallsten

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Aug 15, 2013

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Southampton have been looking to strengthen their squad throughout the summer and one of their main targets have been Pablo Osvaldo.
Reports in Italy now claim the Saints have seen a bid accepted for the striker. According to Corriere dello Sport a 4-year deal with a salary of £2.1m a season have been agreed.
Clubs like Tottenham and Fulham have also been linked with Osvaldo but it would seem as Southampton are leading the race for the Italian international.
Pablo Osvaldo scored 16 goals last season, making him Roma’s top scorer last season.
Jacob Hallsten

Thauvin is available for £13m

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Jacob Hallsten

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Aug 15, 2013

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The Express, believe that Arsenal and Newcastle will be tempted to bid for the winger as Marseille failed to bring him in.
“You see, at the end of the day, they (Marseille) do not want him that much.”
Reports claims that Arsenal offered £4m for the 20-year-old but it was rejected, dispite the club accepting an offer of £3m from Lille.
“We’ve always been very clear. His departure has never been either considered or conceivable,” Frederic Paguet, Lille director said.
“Florian has just arrived at the club (Back from loan at Bastia), he’s 100 percent a Lille player and we’re very happy about that. We’re counting a lot on his talent to enable the team to perform.”
Florian was one of the stars at the World Cup in Turkey this summer, scoring 3 goals in 7 appearances for France as they lifted the trophy after beating Uruguay on penalties in the Final.
Jacob Hallsten

Arsenal manager predicts open title race for season ahead

By

Alex Batt

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Aug 15, 2013

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes this year’s title race could be one of the closest in recent history of the Premier League as three of the top four club’s all have new managers at the helm.

Champions Manchester United, runners-up Manchester City and third-placed Chelsea have all made changes to their staff and have all got new faces at the helm after Sir Alex Ferguson retired, Roberto Mancini was sacked and Rafael Benitez’s time at Chelsea came to an expected end.

The hotseats at the top-three clubs are now taken up by David Moyes, who is at United, Manuel Pelligrini, who is at City and the returning Jose Mourinho, who is back at Chelsea.

One thing that has stayed the same is Arsene Wenger being the manager at the Emirates Stadium and he believes the manager changes make this year’s title race as unpredictable as ever.

“The fact that of the four top teams last year, three have changed manager will certainly create the most interest to see how they all respond to that,” the manager told Arsenal Player.

“You have less questions about Mourinho returning to Chelsea because he already knows the club and they are a stable team.

“These teams changed managers but there is a stability there [in terms of the players] so that shouldn’t create too much uncertainty.

“Pellegrini has a lot of experience, David Moyes has a lot of experience and Mourinho as well, so they will handle it very well.

“Let’s not expect presents from these clubs because that would be the wrong way to go into the championship. Let’s just think they will be as strong as ever and make sure that we are strong.”

As for Wenger, his season starts at home as his side host Aston Villa, but he believes nothing will be decided early on in the 2013/2014 campaign.

“Recently I spoke with some managers and they think it will be more open than ever,” he said. “Maybe they are right because it is difficult to make any predictions.

“One of the interests in the Premier League is that compared to all the other championships – Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Scotland, where you can predict with a 50 per cent chance of success of who will win the league – in England what makes it great is that it is unpredictable.

“Maybe that is why everyone loves it.”

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt

Arsene Wenger praises goal-line technology

By

Alex Batt

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Aug 15, 2013

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hailed goal-line technology and the Frenchman believes it will be a huge success in English football.

After years of rejecting it and putting it off, the FA and UEFA have finally made the decision to bring goal-line technology into football and it is expected to be used in this year’s Premier League campaign after being trialed out at the Emirates Cup earlier on in the summer.

The technology works by little cameras being inserted into the goal posts and then if the ball does in fact cross the ball, a little beep will be sent to the referee’s watch which will then let him know that the ball has crossed the line.

Wenger, who has been talking to the club’s official website, has admitted that he is a huge fan of the technology and he hopes it will be a huge hit this season.

“The only bumps on the road could be if something very dramatic happens between the moment the ball goes over the line and the response of the [referee’s] watch,” the manager told Arsenal Player.

“That’s a second and in a second a lot can happen in football. But there are about three incidents per year where the goal-line is a problem so let’s hope it goes well. It’s important if we want to go further that this experience goes well.”

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt

Arsene Wenger promises signings before deadline

By

Alex Batt

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Aug 15, 2013

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has once again reiterated that the club will sign players before the summer transfer window slams shut at the beginning of September.

Despite promising signings all summer, Arsenal have failed to make any major signings and even fell short of signing Gonzalo Higuain and also Stevan Jovetic.

The Gunners are fiercely linked with Bayern Munich midfielder Luiz Gustavo and also Liverpool’s Luis Suarez, but neither deal looks like it will go through with other clubs interested in both players.

Wenger has so far only managed to sign Auxerre striker Yaya Sanogo on a free transfer and the lack of activity has left the majority of Arsenal fans worried, but speaking to the club’s official website, the Frenchman admitted that the club will be busy before the deadline shuts.

“We are active,” he told Arsenal Player. “We are in a situation like Manchester United, like Chelsea, where everybody expects signings and at the moment not a lot has happened.

“There are 18 days to go, so that is a long time in the transfer market and we will be active.

“I cannot certify what the number [of players coming in will be] but we will be active until the end, that is for sure.”

The North London based club are pretty short on numbers after having a clear-out of several first-team players this summer, so signings will be needed urgently for The Gunners if they are to fight for silverware to end their eight-year trophy droubt.

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt

Arsene Wenger reveals why he let Gervinho leave

By

Alex Batt

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Aug 15, 2013

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed the reasons behind selling Ivory Coast international Gervinho this summer to Italian side AS Roma.

The Frenchman admitted that the winger lacked confidence and was in desperate need of a new challenge and that is why he allowed him to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer in a £7million move, which sees Arsenal lose out on £4million after they signed him from French side Lille for £11million.

During his two years at Arsenal, Gervinho was never able to find his Lille-form and only really turned on the style at the beginning for the 2012/2013 season, but after picking up an injury, the Ivorian never re-found his form and eventually left the North London based club.

Speaking to the club’s official wesbite, Wenger revealed the reasons behind selling Gervinho.

“I made that decision [to sell Gervinho] because he looked to play with a lack of confidence, especially at the Emirates,” explained Wenger in his exclusive interview on Arsenal Player.

“He is a very creative player, an instinctive dribbler and for that you need a lot of confidence to be completely efficient. I felt that in the last six months it was very difficult for him to express his talent in a confident way.

“Then you sit there and think, ‘Do I bring him back or does he need a new challenge to get that confidence back?’ and I did not want to stop him from getting a new chance.”

The sale of Gervinho leaves Arsenal with just three recognised wingers in; Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lukas Podolski.

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt

Estimated cost of a goal at Premier League clubs

By

Alex Batt

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Aug 15, 2013

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In the above image, you can see how much each goal costs at every Premier League home ground.

Bad news for Arsenal fans is that they spend a whopping £36.46 for every home goal.

Last season, they averaged 39.6 home goals and a match-day ticket at the Emirates Stadium on average costs £76.

The best value for money is actually at champions Manchester United. The Red Devils on average score 48.2 home goals a season with a match-day ticket costing on average £42. This means the United faithful are spending roughly £16.56 on every goal.

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt

SillySeason.com

Mikel Arteta wants trophy challenge from Arsenal

Willian wants Liverpool move

VIDEO: Ronaldinho backheel skills

VIDEO: Kevin de Bruyne vs. France

WATCH THE GOAL: Brilliant backheel goal

Arsenal injury woes continue with Mikel Arteta facing six weeks on sidelines

Coentrao wants Champions League football

Marcelo: Neymar will not be my friend

Southampton agree Osvaldo fee?

Thauvin is available for £13m

Arsenal manager predicts open title race for season ahead

Arsene Wenger praises goal-line technology

Arsene Wenger promises signings before deadline

Arsene Wenger reveals why he let Gervinho leave

Estimated cost of a goal at Premier League clubs

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