Transfer Window Countdown: 10 Days

I can't believe we are going into this new season with ten days left of the transfer window open, only for us to have signed three 'youth' players and one relatively young but good Ligue 1 winner. I therefore have decided to do a daily countdown of the latest speculation news regarding our transfers. Hopefully we will sign someone between now and midnight on Wednesday 31st August 2011, we have to.


The signing of Gervinho has been a breath of fresh air and brings a more direct approach with a player finally with the ability to go past a player. Carl Jenkinson, although a decent right back, he'll be one who can mature into something we're looking for in three/four years time. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ryo Miyachi both haven't even made a competitive appearance for Arsenal, and the way injuries and suspensions continue to build up, they'll be thrown into action.


Transfer Speculation:


Kaka -  Real Madrid


The odds have dropped from 14/1 to 10/1 for Kaka to join the Gunners on Sky Bet. He fits the bill perfectly, we need a marquee signing, a world class signing, but to sign a big player like that, it'll take time to get every detail correct. It could drag on to the last day of the transfer window. 


Riccardo Montolivo - Fiorentina


The 26 year old Italian midfielder has been strongly linked with Bayern Munich, but talks have slowed down there and now rumours of the door has now opened for Arsenal to take advantage.


Per Mertesacker - Werder Bremen


Arsenal are to offer a swap deal to Werder Bremen for Per Mertesacker, with Niklas Bendtner going to the other direction. Per would be an ideal defensive addition, with plenty of International and UEFA Champions League experience. The ever growing injury list in defense and cries of a centre back being requested form football pundits and fans, this seems like it may have some legs.

Ryo MiyachI Granted Work Permit

I don't know who's excited at the prospect of seeing Ryo Miyachi play for Arsenal in the league. To hopefully see him do what Cristiano Ronaldo did when he first arrived to the English game (albeit getting kicked to ground on every opportunity, but that was for making defenders look silly). But now we will get to see the Japanese born player this season as Ryo has been granted a work permit to play this season.


This is great news as the player brings pace, skill, and crossing ability as a natural winger. He's only eighteen but I believe he can be a force this season. But I think it's best he gets minutes on the pitch when we're two/three nil up with twenty-thirty minutes left just like Ronaldo used to for Manchester United in his early playing days. Wenger should unleash him to not be frightened to use his skill and pace for defenders to fear him, as any defender hates an attacker, especially with pace, running at them.


From complaining having no wingers in the past, we now have Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho and now Miyachi. It's something we were missing for a while as we had no natural width. We may see an improvement.


Ryo has to await for the formalities of the paperwork to be complete for him to play his first official match for Arsenal.

PREVIEW: Hangzhou Greentown v Arsenal

Match Preview

Hangzhou Greentown v Arsenal

Pre-season Friendly,

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Kick-off: 12:30

After Arsenal’s convincing win against Malaysia XI on Wednesday, today is a match they’ll be expected to win in China by a far greater margin. Once again I don’t know much about the opposition, not because I’m ignorant, just because I’ve never heard anything of them.

It’s god too see that we’re widely accepted as the Asia tour is provided with an enormous amount of hospitality, for quite frankly players who are well over paid for a job that doesn’t matter too much. You could almost say they’re treated like Gods.

Back to the match and it’ll see the usual rotation in the pre-season. Those who’ll start the match will be those who need their fitness to be increased. So we can see any line-up today.

I would personally like to see another look and Miyachi and Jenkinson for a long period today, as I didn’t manage to catch the game on Wednesday. The partnership of Koscielny and Vermaelen needs another look at also, this is because they haven’t played together for a long enough periods.

Once again the team should try as hard as possible to keep running and chasing down the opponents to use that mentality for the season ahead and also to increase their fitness ready for a busy August.

Here is what the starting team could look like:

Arsenal

Szczesny

Sagna           Djourou       Squillaci       Traore

Frimpong     Ramsey

Walcott                  Nasri                      Miyachi

Van Persie

Prediction

Hangzhou Greentown 1-6 Arsenal

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PREVIEW: Malaysia XI v Arsenal

First things first, before I get on to any kind of match pre-match build up. Arsenal have finally confirmed the capture of Gervinho, subject to a regulatory process. So we get another striker/winger who has plenty of pace and tricky. If anything this is a boost to the squad as it brings a new exciting face to the changing room. It should also push Theo Walcott to perform at an even greater level. I’m tempted to leave it at that for Gervinho as he hasn’t been fully unveiled yet on Arsenal.com. When the player does sign, I’ll be sure to write about him.

Match Preview

Malaysia XI v Arsenal
Pre-season Friendly

Bukit Jalil Stadium

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Kick-off: 13:45

So Arsenal have headed out to Malaysia to kick off their pre-season matches. They have been training out in Malaysia in temperatures of 30’C, along with humidity of 80%. That is sure to help make the players even fitter than their previous outings in pre-season in Austria.

The team that has flown out to Malaysia is quite a strong squad, although on a competitive scale this match isn’t important at all. It’s all about fitness first as becoming match fit is vital in order for the squad to maintain an extended good run of form into a long hard season in the Barclays Premier League.

There are a few big names in the squad with the following to choose from:

Goalkeepers:

Wojciech Szczesny, Vito Mannone

Defenders:

Sebastien Squillaci, Johan Djourou, Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson , Laurent Koscielny , Armand Traore, Thomas Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna

Midfielders:

Samir Nasri, Alex Song, Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky, Denilson, Aaron Ramsey, Emmanuel Frimpong

Forwards:

Robin van Persie, Andrey Arshavin, Theo Walcott, Marouane Chamakh, Ryo Miyaichi, Carlos Vela

What of the opponent, you may be asking? Well it’s a national side we’re playing and it’s going to be a select eleven or squad for Malaysia. They haven’t got many well-known football stars, however the East Asian national teams tend to have a high work ethic and I’m sure that our players will be given the run around.

As it’s our first game the players will be rotated quite a bit and we may see a strong team first half and more squad players in the second. It could also be as mixture of first teamers with squad players. Personally Arsene should try and start with his strongest team possible and even try out Ryo Miyachi, who is a very promising youngster that we all wish can stay with Arsenal for the upcoming season.

So to keep things short, here is the team I would like to see start the match tomorrow:

Arsenal

Szczesny

Sagna           Djourou         Vermaelen     Gibbs

Song             Wilshere

Walcott         Nasri            Miyachi

van Persie

Prediction

Malaysia XI 1-4 Arsenal




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Arsenal Return to Training

The beginning of the season starts now, a long way off the first Premier League match. This is because the majority of first teamers returned today at Arsenal training ground at London Colney this morning.

Pictures taken from this morning, which can be seen here, involved new faces. A laughing Ryo Miyachi, courtesy of none other than comedian and Eddy Murphy 'wanna be' Emmanuel Eboué and 19 year-old Carl Jenkinson, signed form Charlton Athletic.

There was no sign of Nasri, Fabregas and even van Persie, however his may be down to International duty. It would have a more pleasing outlook if there were actually new signings in that first training session.