Bradford City 1-1 Arsenal

By Nick Lander

Arsenal slipped to another disappointing result on Tuesday evening, suffering a penalty shootout defeat at the hands of a club 65 places below them in the league ladder.

Turning in a lacklustre display, a strong Arsenal side, who were also strongly tipped to win the tournament, slumped to defeat in the Capital One Cup.

Arsenal dominated proceedings throughout, but never much looked like scoring - despite their 28 efforts on goal. Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla both hit the woodwork as the Gunners strove to find an equaliser after the Bantams scored an early, and avoidable, goal, Gary Thompson volleying home after the away side failed to deal with a free kick from one side of the penalty area, after Thomas Vermaelen felled Nahki Wells.

In truth, despite dominating possession and the shots tally, Wojciech Szczesney was by far the more tested of the two 'keepers, saving well on a number of occasions. The Londoners lack composure and creativity when in possession and all too often failed to make the most of promising opportunities.

Olivier Giroud was out injured and manager Arsene Wenger took the decision to start Gervinho through the middle. It did not work out. Arsenal frequently managed to work the ball into good crossing positions before being thwarted by a lack of options in the box. Marouane Chamakh's introduction on the hour was too little, too late. Equally the Moroccan should not have replaced the lively Coquelin rather the ineffective and wasteful Gervinho. In all likelihood, that would also have meant that the Gunners would still have had German striker Lukas Podolski on the pitch come the penalty shootout.

Vermaelen got a late equaliser, heading home Cazorla's cross to take the tie to extra time, but in reality it should have been over long before then.

In extra time, Arsenal continued to have the majority of the play, but were unable to score a crucial second, allowing Bradford to take the tie to penalties. Cazorla, Chamakh and Vermaelen all missed, and whilst Szczesney saved well from Stephen Darby and Ritchie Jones, it was not enough to prevent the Yorkshire side from winning 3-2 on penalties.

There were chants of "Wenger out and sack the board" as the Arsenal fans filed out, but that is far from the solution. There is only so much a manager can do, sometimes the players have to look at themselves and take responsibility for a shocking performance.

Summer 2011 proved that panic buying in the transfer window is a flawed tactic, but Arsenal will need to be a serious player in the January market, or they risk falling far behind in the race for fourth. With just one win in their last six games, I believe that around £40m of investment will be needed in January alone in order to keep the squad competitive.

Arsenal are understood to be considering adding 4 or 5 new players in the transfer window, and you will be able to keep track of everything by following me on Twitter - @nlander94 - and by liking the Facebook page.

Are Arsenal after soon-to-be out of cotract stars?

 

By Nick Lander

 

There has been renewed speculation over the last few days about Arsenal's interest in Shalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The 29-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, and Shalke could be prepared to part with the Dutchman for just £6m, with the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror both reporting that the Gunners will make a move for him during the January window, having had scouts watch him on a number of occasions recently.

 

More surprisingly, the Gunners have also been linked with a move to bring Frank Lampard across London from Chelsea. The 34-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, and interim manager Rafa Benitez has confirmed that the England midfielder will not be having his deal renewed. He had been expected to move to the MLS and LA Galaxy or China, but those options now seem less likely.

 

One legend of the game that Arsenal do seem certain to sign is Thierry Henry, with Wenger having stated his desire to make arrangements with New York Red Bulls for the Frenchman to have a third stint in North London, to provide cover for Marouane Chamakh and Gervinho, who will both be competing in the African Cup of Nations in January. His fitness will be assessed when he starts training with the Gunners on his return from holiday.

 

Personally, I can envisage all of these moves happening, with Huntelaar and Henry the most probable. Both would enrich Arsenal's squad and, in Henry's case, bring a passion for the club that the players could be accused of lacking in some games so far this season. With regards to Lampard, I normally would not give this story the time of day, but when asked about it at his pre-Olympiakos press conference yesterday, Wenger was particularly cryptic; "We are in the country of Socrates. He said, 'I know that I know nothing', and that is a bit like football." On the face of it, that does sound like a denial, but usually Wenger is far more direct than that, so it could just be that Lampard will be swapping blue for red in either January or the summer.

 

After a torrid start to the season, that has seen Wenger's side win just three of their last 12, the club are likely to be far more active in the January window than normal. I am sure there will be much more speculation over the weeks to come and The N5 Blog will try to keep you up to date with it all.

 

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Jenkinson Closes on England Bow

 

By Nick Lander

 

Arsenal's emerging right back Carl Jenkinson could make his England debut in the Three Lions' friendly against Sweden next month.

 

The 20-year-old did in fact train with the England squad yesterday at Colney and is understood to have been part of Roy Hodgson's plans for the Poland game on Tuesday. However, it has been reported that an FA mix up means that Jenkinson is currently ineligible for England, having played most recently for Finland's U-21 side - who his eligible to represent through his Finnish mother - meaning that his FIFA registration is with the Finland, not England.

 

Whilst the FA are now moving to rectify this, the process will take around a month, therefore ruling him out of Tuesday's game in Eastern Europe. This is a blow for England, after Kyle Walker picked up an injury, although Glen Johnson is expected to be restored to the starting line up, after missing out against San Marino - who Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first international goal against, rounding off a 5-0 rout at Wembley.

 

When asked last Thursday about Jenkinson's England chances, Hodgson said, "Kieran Gibbs, like Jenkinson, has started very well for Arsenal.

 

"On this occasion, we decided to go with him and keep Jenkinson up our sleeves but he'll be very much in our thoughts when it comes to the next friendly match.

 

"After speaking to Arsene Wenger I am also conscious that his rise has been meteoric.

 

"He's only 20 and it's nice to temper things a little bit, but he wouldn't be out of place in the squad."

 

Chamberlain will be Arsenal's only English representative in Poland after Theo Walcott was injured early on by the San Marino goalkeeper on Friday.

 

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Colchester Capture Gunners Duo

 

By Nick Lander

 

Arsenal youngsters Sanchez Watt an Craig Eastmond, both 21, have moved down the A12 to the Weston Homes Community Stadium, joining League 1 strugglers Colchester United on 3 month loan deals. Their moves were confirmed during a busy day for the U's who also named Joe Dunne as their new manager (following John Ward's dismissal on Monday), confirmed Mark Kinsella as assistant manager and captured Jabo Ibehre on a three month loan from MK Dons.

 

Sanchez Watt begins his seventh separate spell away from the Gunners, and will be playing to earn a permanent deal as much as he will be trying to force his way into Arsene Wenger's first team plans. The striker has been on good form for the U-21s so far this season though, with four goals in as many appearances - a record he will be hoping to extend in Essex.

 

The FA Youth Cup winner is optimistic that he will enjoy a successful spell with the U's, telling their official website that "the manager plays the same formation as I’m used to so it should be good for me.

"I want to fight for my position in the team, keep my place if I get it and do well for the club and for myself. Hopefully, we can play well, pass the ball around, score some goals and push up the table."

 

He also hopes that he will be able to perform at a level that will earn him another shot at breaking into the Arsenal first team, saying, "its all about what you do on the pitch, when you're doing well, you get your chance but after that, what happens, happens."

 

Eastmond on the other hand, has had more success in breaking into the first team at the Emirates, having played for Wenger's side on 10 occasions (compared to Watt's three appearances). He has had two loan spells in the past, featuring six times for Milwall, before injury curtailed his season, and impressing in Wycome's ultimately futile attempts to avoid relegation to League 2 last season, playing 14 times.

 

Whilst his Arsenal future is considered bleak by some parties, he probably has a better chance of making the grade with the Gunners than Watt. The midfielder, who featured heavily in Arsenal's Asia tour in pre-season, just wants to get senior appearances under his belt, telling the Colchester website, "I just want to play games so I said yes to it [the opportunity to move to Colchester on loan] and I'm looking forward to the new challenge. I like to meet new teammates, and I've done that here, but I already knew Clinton Morrison very well and I've played against Freddie Sears and a few others.

 

"I want to play as much as I can in the next few months and show the manager here, and Arsenal, what I can do. Hopefully, I'll gain some good experience from my time here."

 

Both should go straight into Joe Dunne's first squad as permanent manager to face Hartlepool at Weston Homes on Saturday.

 

The duo join Conor Henderson (Coventry City) and Chuks Aneke (Crewe Alexandra) in plying their trade on loan in the division. It is understood that both Arsenal and Crewe are keen to extend Aneke's loan spell, beyond 7th October - when it currently expires. The youngster is currently serving a three match ban, after being sent off on his full debut.

 

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Henderson Seals Coventry Loan

 

By Nick Lander

 

Reserve team star Conor Henderson has sealed a loan move to League 1 Coventry City, who he joins until just before Christmas.

 

Henderson made his Arsenal debut against Leyton Orient in the 5-0 demolition in the 2010/11 FA Cup 5th round replay. The midfielder had looked set for having a breakthrough season in 2011/12, but injury put paid to his chances, and he remained sidelined until virtually the end of the season, making his return to the reserves in April.

 

Undoubtedly talented, Henderson's loan spell comes as a bit of a surprise, with Arsene Wenger rumoured to have blocked an approach for him, with Arsenal's Capital One Cup campaign in mind - which, ironically, will begin at home to Coventry on Wednesday. He has been earmarked as a player who could well make it at the club, and will be hoping to prove his qualities in his first loan spell away from the club.

 

The 21-year-old has featured heavily for Arsenal's U-21 side so far this season, playing in three of the Gunners' four games, notching three times. He has also appeared for Ireland's U-21 side.

 

He tweeted that he was "very happy" to join the midlands club, and that he "can't wait to get started."

 

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Arsenal 6 - 1 Southampton

 

By Nick Lander

 

A dominant Arsenal swept aside Southampton in their first visit to the Emirates. With four Arsenal goals in the first 40 minutes, the game was over as a contest in the first half, the Saints never really looked like scoring, until a Szczesney mistake gifted them a goal on the stroke of half time.

 

In an experimental line-up, Arsene Wenger opted to have winger Gervinho lead the line, a bold decision given the Ivorian's poor form in front of goal in the past. Olivier Giroud dropped to the bench, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was again preferred to Theo Walcott, who missed England's draw with Ukraine in mid-week with a virus.

 

The Gunners got of to bright start, scoring after just 11 minutes, when Kieran Gibbs' cross was turned into his own net by Jos Hooiveld, after it went straight through goalkeeper Kelvin Davis, who was unconvincing all game.

 

The Saints managed to hold out for 20 minutes before Arsenal got their third though, when Lukas Podolski bagged his second goal in two games, with a pinpoint free-kick from 25 yards, after Francis Coquelin was brought down.

 

On 35 minutes, Arsenal got their fourth. The influential Mikel Arteta played a delightful lobbed pass over the defence for Gervinho to run onto and fire home first time. Beating Davis at his near post. The Saints' stopper could have done better.

 

Gibbs' day got still better, as he had another cross turned into the Southampton net, this time Nathaniel Clyne was the player unfortunate enough to have those embarrassing letters 'OG' appear next to his name.

 

Arsenal were cruising, and should have gone into the break four goal to the good, but a Szczesney mistake gifted Danny Fox an opportunity as easy as he will ever have, which he eased into the net. The Arsenal goalie had come for a cross, but dropped it right onto Fox's foot, after he collided with, blameless, Carl Jenkinson.

 

Arsenal came out after the break with their foot off the gas, but in truth, Southampton offered little more than they had in the first half, although Rickie Lambert fired just wide of the post soon after the restart.

 

Arsenal's work rate had dropped, and the introduction of Aaron Ramsey shortly after the hour mark, put a bit more running into the Gunners' midfield. The young Welshman came close to scoring, brilliantly flicking the ball beyond Clyne before poking the ball around Davis, only for it to hit the far post. Arsenal were not to be denied though, as Gervinho was their to add his second, bundling the ball home.

 

Giroud and Walcott were introduced late on, and the latter added Arsenal's sixth as he swept the ball home, after Davis parried captain Thomas Vermaelen's rasping drive. His first time playing against his old club, Walcott did not really celebrate, choosing just to applaud the Arsenal cheers.

 

The Gunners desperately strove to add a seventh, and to create an opportunity for Olivier Giroud to get his first goal for the club, but nothing quite came off, the game ending 6-1 to Arsenal, who climb to third in the table.

 

Southampton old boys Walcott and Chamberlain showed a touch of class at final whistle, making their way over to the travelling fans to applaud, a gesture which was warmly received.

 

Stat of the Match: Lukas Podolski completed 100% of his 31 passes in the game, as well as scoring his free-kick.

 

Arsenal Player Ratings: Szczesney 4, Jenkinson 7, Mertesacker 7, Vermaelen 7, Gibbs 9, Coquelin 6 (Ramsey 7), Arteta 8, Cazorla 8, Oxlade-Chamberlain 7, Podolski 8 (Giroud 6), Gervinho 8 (Walcott 7)

 

My man of the match was Kieran Gibbs (left), the full back has come in for some stick in the past, but today he was outstanding. He defended well, and attacked even better, the two own goals from his crosses were deserved. Andre Santos will be lucky to oust him from the team on current form - despite his crossbar challenge success pre-match, in what is now a traditional end-of-warm-up competition between him and Chambelain!

 

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Giroud to Miss France Match

 

By Nick Lander

 

Olivier Giroud is set to miss France's opening Brazil 2014 qualifier against Finland, this Friday, according to L'Equipe. Signed from Montpellier over the summer, Giroud has looked lively for Arsenal so far, despite failing to score.

 

The French sports paper reports that he has been suffering from muscular pain, and will not train with Les Bleus until Saturday, the day after their match against Finland. "Having spoken with him and the doctor, it is a little too risky [for him to play on Friday]," said France boss Didier Deschamps. The French camp are optimistic that he will return to training on the Saturday, and be fit for their game against Belarus at the Stade de France on Tuesday.

 

If he is ready to play in their second qualifier, then Arsenal will be unlikely to be overly concerned, but if he misses that game too, then the striker is likely to be a doubt for the Gunners' game against Southampton on the 15th September.

 

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Aneke to Join Crewe on Loan

 

By Nick Lander

 

Chuks Aneke is set to join League 1 Crewe Alexandria on loan, swapping U-21 level football for the Football League. He has previously had loan spells with Stevenage and Preston North End, scoring for the latter on his debut.

 

The 19-year-old is understood to be being brought in to cover for the injured Mathias Pogba. His wages however, have been an issue, with Crewe unable to match the percentage of his wages that Arsenal wanted. Manager Steve Davis said, "They are on a lot of money and we couldn’t quite pull it off. But I know (assistant manager) Steve Bould very well and we’re trying to negotiate it down. We are hopeful it will happen. We need cover and we are waiting to hear.

 

“Arsenal players are grounded very much like ours in terms of the way they play and they’d fit in with what we do.”

 

It does seem that the two clubs have since managed to come to an agreement, with Aneke's teammate Nico Yennaris tweeting a good luck message to the powerful midfielder. Whilst Arsenal tend to start loaning out their youngsters after the League Cup campaign has started, the competition in which Aneke made his Gunners debut last season, it seems that on this occasion the club are allowing him to move before then in order to secure first team football.

 

Davis is also understood to be after a second, unnamed midfielder, and there has been some speculation that he could be Arsenal's Craig Eastmond.

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Frimpong Closes on Arsenal Return

 

By Nick Lander

 

Emmanuel Frimpong is nearing a return to action after seven months on the sidelines as a result of a cruciate knee ligament injury sustained whilst on loan to Wolves.

 

Frimpong had impressed in the Midlands, but his spell only just over a month, when he was limped off against QPR at the beginning of February. The tenacious holding midfielder has now confirmed that he is on the verge of returning to full training, tweeting, "I will be back in full training with the squad on 17th on this month. Two cruciate knee injuries couldn't end my career it's been a long 7 months."

 

The news will come as a boost for Arsenal, who are also expecting Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sagna to return at about the same time. Following Alex Song's summer departure, Frimpong may now get his chance in the first team, whilst it is also possible that the club will again try to find him a Premier League club to join on loan for the second half of the season, in order to give him more game time and experience, as had been the plan during his time at Wolves.

 

Arsenal's Capital One Cup clash with Coventry City on the 26th September may be when all three return to match action, although it could come slightly too soon. All fans will be anxiously awaiting their returns.

 

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Arsenal Endure Rubbish Deadline Day

By Nick Lander

 

Deadline day 2012 was supposed to be really exciting for Arsenal fans, 2011 had been a late sweep that heralded the arrivals of Andre Santos, Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker and Yossi Benayoun with Park Ju Young joining on the 30th. This year was all set to smash that, Arsene Wenger had conceded that he was searching for a new defender and a new midfielder and it had been let on that he was also after a new striker when Kevin Mirallas told how he had snubbed Arsenal to join Everton.

 

Despite the optimism that Arsenal would be active, it turned out that the only action that the club saw was two players leaving on loan, with Park Ju Young joining Celta Vigo and Nicklas Bendtner heading to Juventus.  Both unwanted and both unable to seal permanent moves away.

 

Going into deadline day, there had been expectation that any of Angel Rangel, Yohan Cabaye, Cheick Tiote, Michael Essien, Edin Dzeko, Ibrahim Affelay, Daniel Sturridge, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Yann M'Vila would arrive at the club, but no-one did.

 

The consensus between Arsenal fans was that it was imperative to bring in a replacement for Alex Song, who was unexpectedly sold to Barcelona, along with a new striker to try to lessen the impact of Robin van Persie's departure. Ideally the club would bring in a new defender too, with past injury crises weighing heavy on the mind as well as continuing doubts over the defensive quality of Arsenal's full backs.

 

Fans reacted with disappointment, one saying that "Gazidis and Wenger are going to face some serious questions [over Arsenal's lack of activity, whilst] making a £10m profit for the window, and arguably not replacing Alex Song or Robin van Persie properly." Another was disappointed that neither M'Vila nor Anderlecht's Lucas Biglia (who was offered to the club for just over £6m) were signed to replace Song.

 

I have seen a number of quotes attributed to Arsene Wenger about the club definitely being active in the January window if his targets were unavailable today. Surely January activity will now be a must, but for many fans the worry is that it will be too late. There was optimism that with the right couple of signings, Arsenal might have been able to challenge for the title, now there is real worry over the club's ability to finish in the top four.

 

With no goals scored or conceded, Arsenal fans will be hoping to have some of their fears allayed against Liverpool on Sunday, arguably the only Premiership team to have had a worse transfer window than Arsenal.

 

See all of Arsenal's ins and outs by clicking on the 'Arsenal Transfers' tab at the top of the page.

 

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Bendtner Seals Juventus Loan

 

By Nick Lander

 

Outcast striker Nicklas Bendtner has joined reigning Serie A champions Juventus on a season long loan.

 

The Turin club have has a nightmare summer with manager Antonio Conte handed a 10 month ban which is understood to be a factor in them missing out on their top transfer targets of the summer in Robin van Persie and Luis Suarez. They had hoped to sign one or both early in the transfer window, but things did not work out and Juve have now resorted to bringing in Bendtner for the season with a view to making the transfer permanent for £5m next summer.

 

It is the second August in a row that Arsenal have been forced to accept a loan deal for Bendtner, having been eager to get rid of him permanently. Last summer, he ended up in the North East with Sunderland, where he ended up joint top scorer at the club, but did not earn - nor want - a permanent transfer. There has been interest throughout the summer, and the Dane is understood to have snubbed at least three different permanent moves, much to the Gunners' frustration, and has now linked up with the Italian club.

In his post-signing interview with Juventus' in-house media, he describes his new club as "the biggest club in Italy" and says that he hopes to "show everything on the pitch without trying to talk too much about it." He also said that he's "humble" to be at the club. Quotes that suggest a move away from his more arrogant stance that has wound up arsenal fans so much over the last few years, and also hints that he aims to keep out of the limelight after a number of recent controversies over his off-pitch behaviour.
 

He tweeted that he is "very proud and can't wait to wear the stripes. I want to fulfil my potential here and show the fans my absolute best as that is yet to come. I am sure I will." Arsenal will be hoping for the same, and that he will convince Juventus to make his transfer permanent next July, rather than having to go through the same charade again next year.

 

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Whilst Arsenal are running out of time to make any transfers, you have plenty left to join the N5 Blog's fantasy football league on the Premier League website, using league code 13667-212189

Park Joins Celta Vigo

 

By Nick Lander

 

South Korean striker Park Ju-Young has joined La Liga side Celta Vigo on a season long loan, with a view to a permanent move next summer. He will be presented at 17:00 local time.

 

Park will join up with the Spanish club fresh from winning the bronze medal in the men's football with South Korea at the London 2012 Olympics. Celta Vigo describe him as "a player of extraordinary talent."

 

An Arsenal flop, with just one goal in the League Cup and one, substitute, Premier League appearance, Park is one of a number of players expected to depart the club today, with Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner understood to be close to leaving the club on loan too.

 

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Gunners Get Kind Cup Draws

 

By Nick Lander

 

Arsenal learnt their fate in both the Champions League and Capital One Cup (formerly Carling Cup) today, receiving fairly kind draws in both competitions.

 

Arsenal were one of the top seeds, in Pot 1 for the Champions League draw in Monaco at 1700BST were drawn into Group B, alongside Bundesliga side Shalke 04 from Pot 2, Greeks side Olympiakos (again!) and French champions Montpellier were drawn from Pot 4, handing Olivier Giroud a swift return to the club he departed for the Gunners in July.

 

Whilst not the easiest group that the Gunners could have got, it is extremely favourable when compared to the 'group of death' that Manchester City find themselves in, alongside Real Madrid, Ajax and Borussia Dortmund. All four teams reigning domestic champions.

 

The draw for the Carling Cup third round was also this evening, which has paired the Gunners with League 1 side Coventry City. Coventry advanced after beating Championship side, and midlands rivals, Birmingham 3-2 after extra-time in the second round. The tie will be played at the Emirates in the week beginning 24th September.

 

Arsenal Champions League fixtures:

     Montpellier vs. Arsenal - 18th September

     Arsenal vs. Olympiakos - 3rd October

     Arsenal vs. Shalke 04 - 24th October

     Shalke 04 vs. Arsenal - 6th November

     Arsenal vs. Montpellier - 21st November

     Olympiakos vs. Arsenal - 4th December

 

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Could These 2 Owens be the Solution for Arsenal?

By Nick Lander

Michael Owen and Owen Hargreaves. Both England internationals, both free agents. Both players Arsenal should move for?

 

Owen Hargreaves was released by Manchester City after one season at the club, which he had joined following four injury plagued years across town with Manchester United. The 31-year-old has 40 England caps and was the star of England's 2006 World Cup campaign, signing for United for £17m off the back of it. Certainly one of England's finest talents if he can stay fit and rediscover his form of 2006, Hargreaves could be a real asset for the Gunners, especially as they are on the hunt for a new midfielder, after Alex Song left for Barcelona.

 

Despite barely featuring for Roberto Mancini's side last season, he only made four appearances, Hargreaves did have a virtually injury-free campaign, missing only a week in October after getting kicked in the calf in training. Canadian born Hargreaves managed to play in about 30 training matches in his final four months at City, something which gives positive signals to potential clubs.

 

Despite having only managed to make more than 20 league appearances in a season five times so far in his career, I believe that Hargreaves would be more than worth a gamble, were the club to look to sign him on a pay-as-you-play deal, say offering £25k per week basic plus an additional £30k if he plays.

 

I would make a move for Michael Owen on similar terms too. The 32-year-old striker was released by Manchester United at the end of 2011/12, having bagged 17 goals in 49 appearances for the Red Devils over the last three seasons, which is a very good record for someone used infrequently and generally as a substitute.

 

The Gunners are still in the market for a striker, with Nicklas Bendtner on the verge of a move to Italy and a club for Ju-Young Park still being sought, and England international Owen could be of use to the club, as he would count as a home-grown player in their Premier League squad - something which is adding complications to the club's current transfer business - and has a proven goalscoring record in the Premier League. Surely worth a pay-as-you-play deal! Were Arsene Wenger to decide to move for Owen, he would have to fend off interest from Stoke and Everton, which could force the striker's wages up to a level that just is not worth the risk.

 

Whilst I highly doubt that either of these signings will happen, they are two extremely valid options in my opinion.

 

Whatever happens, the end of the transfer window is set to be very exciting from an Arsenal perspective, with 3 or 4 new players expected, plus a number of players leaving. You keep track of it all by liking the N5 Blog on Facebook and following me on Twitter - @Goonernl

 

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Gunners Linked with Boilesen

By Nick Lander

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Denmark and Ajax defender Nicolai Boilesen. The 20-year-old left back had an injury-hampered 2011/12, managing only 6 appearances, but it seems he has done enough to catch the attention of Arsenal and fellow Premier League side Southampton.

 

When asked about his Premiership suitors by ekstrabladet.dk he said: "I have not heard anything about it yet. Someone from the Dutch press told me about it 10 minutes ago that is all I know right now. Therefore it is difficult for me to have an opinion on these rumours. For now I am concentrating on my rehab here at Ajax.

 

"But, I am very flattered if it is true that a Premier League club has made an offer for me."

 

Arsene Wenger is in the market for a new defender, and would prefer to sign someone who is comfortable in any position across the back four, after the defensive injury crises over the last few seasons.

 

Personally, I doubt that Arsenal will sign the Danish international, but stranger things have happened.

 

Make sure you like the Facebook page and follow me on Twitter (@Goonernl) to keep up to date with all Arsenal's late transfer business.

 

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Roberts Links Up With Caley Thistle

By Nick Lander

 

Promising Arsenal youngster Philip Roberts is to head to the SPL to spend the first half of the season on loan with Inverness Caledonian Thistle. The 18-year-old will link up after impressing on trial last week.

 

Signed from Norwich in summer 2010, the Republic of Ireland youth international was the U-18s top scorer last season. A powerful centre forward, Roberts likens his style to that of Thierry Henry, and hopes one day to be compared to him.

 

Thistle manager Terry Butcher said: "Arsenal have agreed to let Philip sign for us until the next transfer window and we're very grateful for their help. This is the beginning of a partnership with Arsenal that will help their younger players gain first team experience with Inverness Caley Thistle in this season and the future. I am extremely thankful to Liam Brady for his first class help and assistance."

 

Roberts himself is looking forward to linking up with his new club, tweeting that "it's a great place."

 

The loan move is sure to be a good one for Roberts who will have the chance to experience first team football at a very young age, rather than the less competitive atmosphere of the new U-21s league. Caley Thistle are hoping to complete the paperwork to finalise the loan by the end of the transfer window.

 

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Arsenal Want Walcott Decision

 

By Nick Lander

 

Theo Walcott, 23, is reported to have turned down Arsenal's latest contract offer. The England winger is currently earning around £60k per week at the club, with his current deal expiring at the end of the season.

 

The club are understood to have tabled an offer of a five year deal worth around £75k per week. Walcott, however, is understood to be holding out for a contract worth nearer £100,000 per week. Still largely unproven, Walcott's form and fitness has fluctuated wildly during his time at the club so far, but his last two seasons have probably been his best. He managed 11 goals and 13 assists during 2011/12, many of his assists going to Robin van Persie, who's sale Walcott is said to be concerned about.

 

Domestically, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City have been linked with moves, but the Gunners' London rivals are unlikely to sanction a move, having already spent in the region of £80m on attacking talent this summer.

 

Liverpool is perhaps Walcott's most likely destination. A boyhood fan, the Reds are believed to be ready to match Walcott's wage demands, and he would be likely to be able to hold down a starting berth on Mersyside. City on the other hand, are interested in him as a squad player, with their £6.2m move for Swansea's Scott Sinclair stalling. They are also happy to meet his wage demands, and possibly exceed them, but he would rarely start. It has been suggested that the Citizens would include striker Edin Dzeko as part of a deal, with Arsene Wenger understood to be on the look out for another new striker.

 

The Gunners are said to be prepared to wait 48 hours for Theo Walcott to decide whether or not to accept their offer, otherwise they will be prepared to sell him for upwards of £12m on deadline day.

 

Theo Walcott looked to be on very good form over pre-season, but struggled (like most of the rest of the team) against Sunderland, and was only a substitute against Stoke. I believe he looks set for his best season in an Arsenal shirt, and that it would be a real shame to see a player who still has a lot of potential sold, especially as he is still believed to want to remain at the club. It would not surprise me if Walcott is not sold this month, even if he does not commit to a new deal, I suspect that a January sale would be much more likely were he to decline to extend his stay in N5.

 

Both parties are said to remain hopeful of agreeing a new deal soon.

 

Want to know why I think Theo Walcott is so important to Arsenal? Read my Arsenal Zone column for July here.

 

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Boateng Heads to Oxford

 

By Nick Lander

 

Oxford United have signed 19-year-old Arsenal defender Daniel Boateng on loan, initially until January 2013.

 

Boateng heads to League 2 having made one senior appearance for the Gunners, in last season's Carling Cup victory over Bolton Wanderers. He spent two months on loan in the division last term too, making two appearances for Paulo di Canio's Swindon, on their way to promotion. Boateng, who has been at the club since he was 11, also appeared for Arsenal during the Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup during pre-season.

 

Whilst inexperienced at senior level, Boateng has made 32 appearances for Arsenal's reserves/U-21 side, most recently in the U-21s 3-0 win over Blackburn at the weekend.

 

The centre back went straight into manager Chris Wilder's squad, making his debut as a late substitute in United's 3-0 loss to Championship side Leeds in the Capital One Cup - formerly Carling Cup - tonight (Tuesday).

 

Hopefully Boateng will return to the club with a wealth of experience in January or have his loan extended until the end of the season, as the U's try to attain promotion.

 

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Forset Capture Lansbury

 

By Nick Lander

 

Nottingham Forest have unveiled their 9th signing of the summer, Arsenal youngster Henri Lansbury, who joins in a permanent deal. The talented midfielder, who has also played in goal when called upon, is bringing to a close a 13 year association with the Gunners.

 

Lansbury worked his way through the ranks in North London, joining the club as an eight-year-old, as part of the same group as Jack Wilshere and Emmanuel Frimpong. The youngster made 3 Premier League and 5 League Cup appearances for the club, scoring in the 4-1 League Cup 3rd round victory at White Hart Lane in September 2010. The 21-year-old also has 14 caps for England U-21s - for whom one of his goalkeeping appearances came, after the substitute goalkeeper got sent off.

 

The youngster has plenty of football league experience, having had loan spells at Scunthorpe, Norwich and West Ham, enjoying promotion with all three. Lansbury made 22 appearances for the Hammers as they got promoted back to the Premier League last season, and will be hoping to have a greater involvement as Forest look to return to the top tier of English football, having joined on a 4 year deal, for a fee reported to be over £1m. Arsenal seem to be including hefty sell-on clauses in most transfers away from the club at the moment, and this is likely to be the case for Lansbury's too.

 

Lansbury's failure to really make it at Arsenal could be largely attributed to circumstance, he decided to go out on loan in August 2011, but failed to make any real impact in East London, and may have been better off remaining with Arsenal and trying to force his way into Arsene Wenger's first team plans. He also seemingly missed out on one last chance to prove himself, after injury prevented him from travelling on the club's Asia tour this summer - his replacement Thomas Eisfeld went on to score twice in the three games.

 

Lansbury had this to say about his move, "I am leaving a huge club in Arsenal... but the time is right for me to move on and I'm delighted to be joining a club of Forest's stature in the game.

 

"I'm in no doubt that Forest have what it takes to go up."

 

A player who I have always liked and thought talented, I am sure that Lansbury will be back in the Premier League soon, be that after a fourth successive promotion with Forest or somewhere else. I believe he will be more Seb Larsson than David Bently with his post-Arsenal career.

 

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Walcott Contract Talks Continue

Walcott has been at the club since January 2006

By Nick Lander

 

Arsene Wenger stated his optimism that Theo Walcott would sign a new contract by the end of the month in his pre-Stoke press conference this morning.

 

The Arsenal winger has been repeatedly linked with a move away from the club over the summer, with the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Southampton being linked with moves, along with a number of clubs from Serie A in Italy.

 

Currently on around £70k per week, Walcott is understood to be looking for a moderate increase in his wages as well as additional opportunities to play in the centre of the front three, as Arsenal's main striker, something which Wenger is willing to entertain.

 

So far in his Arsenal career, the England international has made 221 appearances in all competitions, scoring 42 goals. More importantly, Walcott provided 15 Premier League assists over the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons combined. That might not sound a high figure, but only Robin van Persie, Nani, Ashley Young and David Silva provided more over the same period. In addition, 2010/11 was an injury hit campaign, making his assist tally even more impressive.

 

Wenger himself is not currently involved in negotiations, but says that "both parties are around the table." Asked if he was confident that the situation could be sorted by the end of the transfer window he said, "that's what we will try to do. One way or the other, we want to sort that situation out. We want to extend his contract."

 

The Arsenal manager believes too, that both parties want to reach an agreement, "his desire, I think, as well is right. He wants to stay and we need to find an agreement."

 

Whilst a new deal may not be finalised before the end of the month, it does appear very likely that Theo Walcott will continue to turn out in Arsenal colours beyond the end of the season. You can find out why I think that is so important by reading my Arsenal Zone column from last month here.

 

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Mirallas Snub Indicates Arsenal Still Want a Striker

By Nick Lander

Everton paraded their new signing Kevin Mirallas before the Goodison faithful during their game against Manchester United yesterday. Signed from Olympiakos for around £6m, the Belgian striker revealed that the Gunners are still on the prowl for a new striker, in addition to their quest for a defensive recruit and a new midfielder.

There had been an expectation that Arsene Wenger would move to bring in a new player up front when Robin van Persie departed, but the Arsenal manager said that he had already replaced the Dutchman when he signed Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski, French and German internationals respectively. It has now emerged, courtesy of Mirallas, that Wenger does still want to add a striker to his squad. Mirallas said, "discussions were at quite an advanced stage with Arsenal but it was always clear it would be totally down to me to make the decision.

"I was convinced that what was important for me at this stage of my career, embarking on new league, is to get plenty of time on the field. I had a possibility of playing more games and longer periods with Everton."

With this revelation, the deduction that Wenger is still searching for a new attacker is a fairly obvious one, but equally is welcome news for Arsenal fans. One name that is well in the frame for a move to North London is Athletic Bilbao's Fernando Llorente, and you can read my thoughts on who could/should be signed in my August column on Arsenal Zone.

This does mean that Arsenal are looking to add players across the pitch, with the futures of Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone in the Arsenal goal still uncertain too, Fabianski seemingly having been dropped from the Arsenal bench for the Italian.

The rest of the transfer window should certainly be active and exciting from an Arsenal perspective, and you can keep track of it by liking the N5 Blog Facebook page and by following me on Twitter - @Goonernl.

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Biglia Available on the Cheap

By Nick Lander

Anderlecht's Argentinian midfielder Lucas Biglia, 26, has confirmed that he is available for just £6.3m. He was one of the players who I believe most capable of filling the Alex Song shaped hole in Arsenal's midfield, as I wrote in this article.

It had been understood that Anderlecht were willing to part with their captain for a fee between £8-12m, but the midfielder himself has now confirmed that they are after a much smaller figure, "I can leave for €8million [£6.3m] in the current market, and that is quite a lot of money - but I agreed to this transfer fee myself so I can't really complain. There are clubs ready to pay that amount but they are not better than Anderlecht so for now I focus on this club. I want to at least be playing in Europe."

The likes of Everton and Southampton are also understood to be interested in the Argentine, but with his European ambitions, Arsenal seems to be the only plausible Premier League destination for him.

Strong on and off the ball, with good technique and an exquisite touch, Biglia has both the defensive nous and creative vision to truly replace Song in the Arsenal midfield. At just over £6m he is not over-expensive either, something which will surely be a draw for Arsenal who are also looking at the likes ofYann M'Vila, who would be available for around treble the price of Biglia.

Whether he will join remains to be seen, but Arsenal are believed to have a strong interest.

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Wenger After a Defender

By Nick Lander

Arsene Wenger has confirmed that he is looking to bring in a midfielder to replace Alex Song, but also revealed that he is looking for a defensive addition too.

Talking to ArsenalPlayer after the Sunderland draw Wenger divulged that he is looking for a new defender, saying, "we are looking to bring one more midfielder in [to replace Alex Song], of course, and maybe one defender as well, because we feel still that we are short in some positions."

Nuri Sahin is expected to fill the midfield vacancy, with his signing expected to be announced tomorrow or Wednesday, after the Real Madrid midfielder snubbed interest from Liverpool and Spurs to join the Gunners for the season. Some believe, myself included, that there will be a second arrival in midfield, as a direct replacement for Song, you can read my thoughts on the candidates here.

That there are plans afoot for a defensive recruit is something which has flown relatively under the radar so far this summer, the only real speculation of a defensive addition being that Philippe Mexes may join from AC Milan in a swap deal for striker Nicklas Bendtner.

There are cases to be made for Wenger to strengthen in any of the defensive positions, some remain unconvinced by Carl Jenkinson as cover at right back (although I feel he turned in a strong defensive performance against Sunderland, and games can only do him good), whilst Kyle Bartley's move to Swansea may open up a space in the squad for a central defender. However, with Ignasi Miquel so close to becoming a permanent fixture in the first team - perhaps after spending time out on loan later this season - I doubt that this is where the Gunners are looking to strengthen.

At left back it is an entirely different prospect. Kieran Gibbs seems to be Wenger's first choice, but he has suffered a number of injuries in the past. Andre Santos was signed last summer to compete for the starting berth, but his defending has been poor at times and plain old unconvincing at others. Whilst I do not see him as someone who is about to be sold, I wonder if we may see him playing on the left of the front three more this season, as was experimented with during the Asian leg of Arsenal's pre-season.

Who will come in is a complete mystery. Mexes has been linked, but I imagine Arsenal would rather have cash for the want-away Bendtner. Another name in the frame has been that of Swansea City's Angel Rangel. With so little speculation in the press, I would expect that the defender will come in right at the last minute, maybe there will be some deadline day excitement for the second year in a row!

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Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland - Match Report

By Nick Lander

A stubborn Sunderland held Arsenal to an opening day draw this afternoon. The visitors came for a point, rigidly sticking to their game plan, achieving their aim. That they were wasting time at all opportunities in the first half of the first game of the season perhaps says something about their aims for the season though.

The game did not start as it meant to go on, Sunderland had some early opportunities as Arsenal settled down, James McLean forced a good save out of Wojciech Szczesney, the only real action he had to make all game, before debutant Santi Cazorla forcing a brilliant save from Simon Mignolet in the Sunderland goal, who tipped a fierce, swerving and dipping effort, unleashed from 25 yards, over the bar.

Cazorla came close again, Gervinho - who was lively throughout, though there was too little end product - cut the ball back, and the Spaniard fired just wide, with Lukas Podolski in attendance too, perhaps the playmaker could have left it. Nevertheless, it was a decent enough effort.

Abou Diaby was the next to go close, a surging run from midfield saw him unleash a shot from just outside the area, which Mignolet got down to well, tipping it around his right post.

Podolski was largely quiet, but went close from a free kick early in the second half. Before being replaced on the hour by fellow debutant Olivier Giroud. Giroud was immediately involved, caressing a volley over the bar under pressure after a good cross by Carl Jenkinson.

Aaron Ramsey came on for Diaby just before and Andrei Arshavin came on just after. Both looking on much better form than they have been for the Gunners of late. An increased desire and work rate from Arshavin being particularly noticeable, if he can keep that up throughout the season, he could turn out to be a key player.

Arsenal summoned just one more chance, again falling to Giroud. The Frenchman made a superb run in behind the defence, and Cazorla slipped him in with a sublime pass. The striker was well onside and in acres of space, but rushed his shot, firing into the side netting, when he really should have scored. Though, to be fair to him, it did come on his weaker right foot.

Arsenal's last meaningful effort of the game, which concluded an encouraging, dominant performance, which was not at all reflected by the scoreline. Sunderland came to get a point, and did defend well, rigidly sticking to their 4-1-4-1 formation, denying Arsenal the space in the final third that they so craved.

Whilst 0-0 was not the result that any Gooners were hoping for, the performance showed a little of what is to come. In a team that has an essentially new spine to it, the signs are more than promising, and I am sure that the cutting edge and finishes will come as the side get used to playing with each other. Stoke will be a tough proposition next week, and with Alex Song's move to Barcelona now confirmed, it would be helpful to see a new defensive addition. You can read my scouting article on who could be coming in as a replacement here.

Trivia of the week: Both Andrei Arshavin and Per Mertesacker's last competitive action for Arsenal came away at Sunderland. Returns.

Arsenal Player Ratings: Szczesney 6, Jenkinson 7, Mertesacker 7, Vermaelen 7, Gibbs 8, Diaby 7 (Ramsey 6), Arteta 7, Walcott 7 (Arshavin 6), Cazorla 9, Gervinho 6, Podolski 6 (Giroud 7)

My man of the match was Santi Cazorla (left). He was by far the most influential player on the pitch, and played an amazing 7 key passes. He was also solid defensively and had probably the most testing shot of the game. £12/15m he's a bargain. Will be in my fantasy football team by next week. Probably. Great all round performance.


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Who Should Replace Alex Song?

Anderlecht's Lucas Biglia

By Nick Lander

With Alex Song's impending departure to Barcelona, Arsene Wenger has two options. Promote from within or find a new recruit. The latter is far more convincing. While it is disappointing that Song is set to leave, it will represent a good piece of business by the club, who signed him for just £1m. It will also represent a the club's new attitude to players, which seems to be 'you are 100% focused and on board or you will be sold.' A refreshing approach in an era when players seem increasingly to hold all the power.

Promoting from Within:

The likes of Abou Diaby and Mikel Arteta may also be considered to play the holding role, but for me either would be a short-term fix, rather than a long-term solution, so there are four possible candidates to replace the outgoing Cameroonian: 

Emmanuel Frimpong - Age: 20 Arsenal Appearances (Goals): 14 (0)

Frimpong made his breakthrough into the Arsenal first team in pre-season before the 2010/11 season, but an injury to his cruciate knee ligament put paid to his first team chances that year. He came back stronger and (for the mostpart) impressed in last season, especially in the Carling Cup game against Manchester City. Physically, Frimpong is probably the most ready of the four internal candidates, but sadly another cruciate knee ligament injury (sustained whilst spending the second half of 2011/12 on loan at Wolves) means that Frimpong will not be available until October at the earliest, so whilst he may be the best solution in the long-term, Arsenal will need an immediate replacement.

Francis Coquelin - Age: 21 Arsenal Appearances (Goals): 21(0)

Coquelin has shared the holding midfield role with Alex Song during pre-season, and has performed fairly well, but may lack the physical prescence to play that role in the Premier League. Technically assured, and comfortable on the ball, most of Coquelin's opportunities came at full back last season, where he impressed. Although he did play well in midfield too, being one of the few players who emerged from Arsenenal's disastrous start to the season with any credit.

Craig Eastmond - Age: 21 Arsenal Appearances (Goals): 10 (0)

Eastmond has played the holding role in the Premier League before and did impress me. Having said that, that those games came in 2009/10 which would suggest that Wenger was rather less impressed. He traveled on the Asia tour and played quite well. With Arsenal said to be ready to listen to offers for the youngster, it is unlikely that Wenger will put his faith in Eastmond, but if called upon, I think that he would be ready.

Nico Yennaris - Age: 19 Arsenal Appearances (Goals): 3 (0)

Yennaris is far less likely to be turned to. He only made his senior debut last season, and has been mostly been used as a right back. Quite short, Yennaris isn't strong enough either, so to be playing in the holding position would be a big ask. However, he may be ready in a couple of years after spending some time out on loan.

New Signing:

Before you read my thoughts on who Arsenal could bring in, I would like to state that I am by no means an expert on French or Belgian football, and do not regularly watch it. My scouting has been done by watching a few YouTube clips of all the players, but I hope that I will still manage to paint a reasonable (and accurate) picture of their respective merits.

Lucas Biglia (Anderlecht) - Aged 25, Argentine Biglia is rated at around £8m by Belgian club Anderlecht, where he is contracted until 2015. Arsenal are believed to have had an interest in him since 2006, before he moved to Belgium. He is not the tallest player, be his is strong on and off the ball. He also is quite a skillful player, who posesses some of creative guile we are so used to seeing from Alex Song.

Yann M'Vila (Rennes) - 22-year-old M'Vila is a very good player. Sadly, he knows it and has the attitude problems of a young player who is aware of his abilities. Arrested three times in the last two years and with a number of spats with managers behind him, M'Vila's attitude is what has put off some fairly solid interest from Arsenal earlier in the transfer window. He is technically accomplished though, with a good right foot and a good passing range too. His vision is also excellent and he could be as capable as Song going forward. He also has the potential to bulk up a little more, to become a far more powerful player, and a truly menacing opponent. Rennes want at least £17m for him, were he available for £10m or under, I think he would be worth the gamble, but for that sort of figure, he is too bigger risk, and only the likes of Manchester City could afford for him not to perform as hoped.

Etienne Capoue (Toulouse) - Capoue has just one France call up to his name, and is behind M'Vila in the French pecking order, but at £9.5m he would be at least £7m cheaper. There are also far fewer questions over his attitude. To me it seems that he is the least mature of the quartet that I am suggesting, the furthest from the complete player and not quite technically at the same level. Were the Gunners making the same search two or three years down the line, he might be the man, but at his current stage of development, he seems to me to be too far off the finished article to be better than any of Arsenal's internal options.

Nigel de Jong (Manchester City) - The Dutchman has just won the Premier League and Charity Shield with City, but he only has a year remaining on his contract at the Etihad, and the Citizens do not seem to be in a rush to tie him down to a new deal. That he already has Premier League experience would be a major draw. He also has the defensive discipline that some Arsenal fans feel Alex Song is so desperately lacking, with City generally looking a better side with him in it. Despite that, de Jong spent much of the second half of last season warming the City bench as Yaya Toure was unleashed in a deeper role. Potentially available for less than £10m I am sure that de Jong would be worth a bid to test the water at the very least.

Some people may be surprised not to see Nuri Sahin's name on that list, but my understanding is that he will be brought in whatever, and would have come on loan even if Song were not leaving.

Were Frimpong not injured at the moment, I would have given him the opportunity until at least January, but that is obviously not possible. With that the case, I hope that Wenger moves for one of Biglia or de Jong. I think that either would do a sterling job for Arsenal and prove to be a really good signing.

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