Transfer Round Up

Marvin Martin, Ibrahim Afellay, Nigel de Jong, Yann M'Vila, Isaac Cuenca, Clint Dempsey, Salomon Kalou, Alessandro Del Piero, Olivier Giroud, Nick Powell. The list of players Arsenal have been linked with in the last couple of days is huge, and, quite frankly, I would be surprised to see more than maybe one of those names arrive - if any!

Coming across the Channel?

The Daily Mail have renewed the speculation, linking Arsenal with a move for Sochaux's Marvin Martin. The 24 year old Frenchman has apparently told France Football that he is "ready to go play overseas, but I have not made a decision about my future." An up and coming attacking midfielder, Martin is part of France's inexperienced Euro 2012 squad. So far, he has only earned 10 caps for Les Bleus. The Mail claim  that Valencia, Fenerbache, Borussia Dortmund, Spurs and Newcastle are also interested in Martin. His was a name that was linked with Arsenal during the season too, but I don't think that he will be joining the Gunners any time soon. With a surplus of relatively young midfielders at the club already, Arsenal will be looking to offload the likes of Abou Diaby and Denilson before anyone comes in. There are also a number of promising youngsters in the reserve set up that may be promoted over bringing in new signings, the likes of Oguzhan Ozyakup, Conor Henderson and Henri Lansbury are all knocking on the first team door.

Someone coming from Barca for a change?

Arsene Wenger is also being linked with a move for Barcelona flop Ibrahim Afellay. The Dutch 26 year old has struggled for game time since his move to the Camp Nou in Janurary 2011, and a serious knee injury limited him to just five appearances last term. A close friend of Robin van Persie, the Netherlands' national coach Bert van Marwijk has described Afellay as the "Dutch Zidane." Barcelona are reportedly after a fee of around £6m for the Dutchman, which will still represent a £3.5m profit for them. A good dribbler and crosser of the ball, Afellay can play across the midfield, although he is principally a winger, and with weekly wages of around £80k, Afellay should be within Arsenal's reach and would be a strong signing - and definitely someone who might help persuade Robin van Persie to extend his stay in N5. Though Arsenal are expected to face stiff competition from both Newcastle and Spurs for his signature.

Another Blau Grana who is being linked with Arsenal is youngster Isaac Cuenca, who has begun to break through into the Barca first team this season. Reportedly available for €10m, I really cannot see the Barca winger making the move to North London. Arsenal have reportedly been interested in him all season, although there is a belief that the majority of that stemmed from Cuenca's agent who was trying to get his client a better deal at Barca, which he has only just signed. I sincerely doubt that this story's got legs.

Cuenca is not on his way to N5

Staying with attacking players, Salomon Kalou has been touted for a move across London yet again. Wenger is reported to be a long term admirer and with Kalou now available on a free transfer, a move for the Ivorian is probably more likely now than ever. The 26 year old is entering the peak of his career, and would probably want more opportunities for first team football than Arsenal could offer him. His inflated wages are also likely to be a stumbling block in any move Arsenal might consider for him. German side Shalke are reportedly closest to securing a deal for the striker, but were he to accept a wage cut, then there might be a possibility for the Ivorian to join the Gunners, although he would be unlikely to be more than a squad player.

Arsenal's interest in rising Rennes star Yann M'Vila is reportedly cooling. At £18m, I must admit I was suspect as to how genuine Arsenal's interest was. He would have been an expensive buy to strengthen in an area where there is already good strenght and depth within the squad. A holding midfielder, were Arsenal to sign the Frenchman, it must raise serious doubts over the futures of the likes of Alex Song, Emmanuel Frimpong, Francis Coquelin and Craig Eastmond. With Song having just been voted second in Arsenal's player of the season poll too, any move to add to this section of the team would surely be to add a squad player. At the same time as Wenger's interest in M'Vila has been reported as waning, Manchester City and Netherlands hard man Nigel de Jong is being increasingly linked with a move south. De Jong has found it increasingly hard to get a start at the league champions of late, and could be tempted by an offer of first team football, but with Alex Song going from strength to strength this does not look much like something Arsenal can provide. Not only that, Manchester City have generally looked a better side with de Jong on the pitch, as it allows Yaya Toure to play in a more advanced role, where he has excelled in the last couple of seasons. It is likely that Arsenal fans would have a lukewarm reaction to his signature too, as I think many will see him as second choice to M'Vila, despite being arguable the better player. The numbers that have been suggested in the papers suggest that City might be willing to sell for less than £10m and that could well pique Arsenal's interest, although as I said, I see a move as unlikely.

Is it time for someone to swap City for Arsenal?

Arsene Wenger has also been suggested to be considering moves for Fulham's Clint Dempsey and free agent Alessandro Del Piero. At 37, Del Piero is significantly older than anyone would expect an Arsenl signing to be, however he has been released by Juventus, fresh from winning Serie A, and is a vastly experienced player who has been linked with a move to the Emirates for the last couple of months, and Italian website Tuttosport believe that Arsenal have in fact made the ageing Italian a good contract offer. I believe that he would be a useful squad player to have, he would be able to pass on his experience and advice to the many young strikers at Arsenal, and I would suggest that he would still be able to contribute 10 or so goals as a squad player, off of the bench and in various competitions. He has confirmed that he definitely will not be signing for another Italian side saying "I'm certain [my future] will be abroad." It is possible that he will join, just unlikely. I think that it is even less likely that American Dempsey will join. He has been in sparkling form for Fulham all season, and has recently expressed his desire to test himself in the Champions League, but I am unsure as to how he would fit in at Arsenal. Also as someone who is a regular at Fulham, it is unlikely that he would enjoy the same status at Arsenal, which might put him off any potential move. Fulham also have no need to sell him, so he would carry an inflated transfer fee, I would imagine somewhere between £10m and £12m.

Arsenal also have four strikers who are not first team regulars that they may look to move on before bringing in anyone new. Nicklas Bendtner has already expressed his desire to leave, and is rumoured to have a number of potential suitors in Germany, with Borussia Dortmund most closely linked. Park Ju Young has had a miserable time in North London, and looks likely to bring it to an end this summer, with UAE side Al Ain apparently interested. Carlos Vela is also expected to move on this summer, with a number of clubs in Spain interested, however Arsenal's £8m asking price could cause problems. I feel that given a good run of games, he could have made it at Arsenal, and if he cannot be sold over the summer, and gets that opportunity, I think he still can.

Marouane Chamakh is another player that many fans would like to see leave Arsenal, but I feel that he should stay, he offers the team another dimension, the aeiral presence and hold up play. I also think that he enables Wenger to switch to a 4-4-2 formation mid-game by bringing him off the bench, and we saw that happen to great effect in the recent game against Norwich. It has also been suggested that Chamakh could be used as a makeweight in a player plus cash deal for Montpellier's Olivier Giroud, who Arsenal may or may not make a move for after this summer's European Championships.

Crewe youngster Nick Powell has also had his name linked with Arsenal, although Manchester United are apparently in pole position to sign him in a £5m deal. He scored the goal in the League 2 play off final that took Crewe up, and it was an excellent finish (you can see it here), and it does seem that £5m could be a very shrewd investment. It will be worth watching his progress wherever he ends up.

It is also worth remembering that Yossi Benayoun's future is still to be decided, with a permanent move to Arsenal still a distinct possibility. Available for around £5m Benayoun made a real contribution to the team last season, and won over many fans with some good performances when they were needed. He also managed to chip in with a few vital goals. A regular towards the end of the season, it would be interesting to know if he wants to return, with the knowledge that he may well be a squad player.

A pot of around £30m was supposedly set aside to try and sign Mario Geotze this summer, before he put pen to paper, extending his deal at Dortmund. IF that pot does exist, then I would look to spend it on bringing Dutch international Wesley Sneijder to the Emirates, a fantastic, creative player, he could really excite the fans and squad ahead of the 2012/13 season. Reportedly available for between £30-35m I think the Inter Milan man would be well worth buying.

I also think that if Arsenal are in need of squad players in midfield, it might be worth looking at Clarence Seedorf. He has been released by AC Milan, and is getting quite old, but is in very good physical condition and could definitely bring something to the side. The argument that his experience would be invaluable for the younger players applies here, as well as with Del Piero.

Finally, were the unthinkable to happen, and Robin van Persie does leave, then I think that Althletic Bilbao's Fernando Llorente would be well worth a look at. A player in a similar mould to Arsenal's talismanic captain, he could be the ideal replacement, if the nightmare scenario unfolds.

Do you want any of these players to come in? What do you think of my suggestions of Sneijder, Seedorf & Llorente? Let me know through the comments & Twitter; @Goonernl

Eden Hazard joins Chelsea

Story available now on sister blog 'The 12th Man Blog' on the end of an article speculating about where he might go which was finished 10 minutes before his announcement. You can read it here: http://12thmansoccer.blogspot.com/2012/05/where-will-eden-hazard-end-up.html

Please get involved through the comments and on Twitter (@Goonernl)

Norway 0 vs. 1 England

Match report available now on sister blog 'The 12th Man Blog' just click here to reach it.

Don't forget to get involved in the discussion through the comments form or through Twitter: @Goonernl

Reflections on the England Squad

The announcement of the England squad today did not really contain many surprises. There have been clamours for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's inclusion since the latter stages of the Capello era and with a long list of goalkeepers who have retired from international duty, John Ruddy's inclusion isn't overly unexpected.

Goalkeepers (Hart, Green, Ruddy): 

Joe Hart; England's no. 1

Joe Hart will be undoubtedly continue as England's number one, a talented and consistent performer he is one of the names that will be first on the team sheet. With Ben Foster and Paul Robinson's retirements from international football, Robert Green's continued involvement in the England set up has surprised no one. The inclusion of  Norwich's John Ruddy is a solid choice, the former Everton man turning in some impressive performances in Norwich's (relatively)successful return to the Premier League. He has been included at the expense of Birmingham youngster Jack Butland, who had the backing of some columnists to be called up to the squad. He is on the list of reserves who may be called up should someone have to withdraw - something which seems to happen at least once with every England squad!

Hart will continue as England's number one, and the question is more who will act as his deputy should he pick up an injury or suspension. There is no other particularly outstanding English goalkeeper, so any faint hopes the Three Lions have of success in Poland and Ukraine surely depends on the Manchester City stopper's continued fitness.

Defenders (Johnson, Jones, Terry, Lescott, Cahill, Cole, Baines):

Roy Hodgson has decided to take just one right back to the Euros in the form of Liverpool's Glen Johnson who has been preferred to title winner Micah Richards - who I think is a more complete defender. Phil Jones will be able to provide cover there, as he has for Manchester United on a couple of occasions this term. John Terry and Gary Cahill are likely to be at the heart of England's defence as they already have an established relationship as a duo at Chelsea. Joleon Lescott will provide cover. Ashley Cole is favourite to continue at left back but Everton's Leighton Baines has had an outstanding season and will provide Cole with some stiff competition.

John Terry & Gary Cahill; established partners at Chelsea

Hodgson chose to omit Rio Ferdinand from his squad, which is understandable given continuing concerns over his fitness, and potential problems between him and John Terry - who is accused of racially abusing Rio's brother Anton. Some might have argued for Terry's omission rather than Ferdinand, but with the club relationship with Cahill already developed it is an understandable decision that should make England's defence stronger.

Midfielders (Walcott, Downing, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gerrard, Barry, Lampard, Parker, Young, Milner):

Scott Parker and Gareth Barry will travel as the two holding midfielders available to Roy Hodgson, with Parker likely to be preferred in the starting 11, if fit. Steven Gerrard has been appointed captain which means he will get the nod ahead of Frank Lampard  as England's other starting centre midfielder. Theo Walcott, Stuart Downing, Ashley Young, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be England's wide options. Personally, I feel that Adam Johnson (another player on standby) should travel rather than Downing, who has been in indifferent form at Liverpool this season, failing to assist or score a goal in the Premiership, despite making 36 appearances. Although not a regular starter at City, Johnson's form has been much more impressive, even in cameos from the bench.

Chamberlain; Uncapped but a regular for the U21s

Chamberlain is also an experimental choice. He has not been a regular starter at Arsenal this season, though he has put in some impressive attacking performances from the bench in the second half of the season, whilst impressing many with good performances from the start against Manchester United, AC Milan and Blackburn Rovers. Uncapped, he is likely to make his England bow in one of the friendlies in the lead up to Euro 2012, against either Norway or Belgium. Hodgson said "Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is a very exciting player, and he has given one or two performances that have made quite an impression on me, not least against AC Milan in the Champions League. I want to see if he can continue as he started."

Forwards: (Rooney, Welbeck, Carroll, Defoe):

Wayne Rooney is undoubtedly England's best striker and will be sorely missed for the first two fixtures of the tournament, for which he is suspended after kicking out, stupidly, in one of the qualifiers. Danny Welbeck is likely to partner him, England fans will be hoping that they manage to recreate their successful club partnership from Manchester United. Liverpool's Andy Carroll will also be on the plane to Eastern Europe, having been preferred to Peter Crouch and Grant Holt. The ponytailed frontman has been struggling for form all season, but appears to be getting back to his best following some impressive performances recently. He is likely to start the opening games where Rooney is suspended. Tottenham supersub Jermaine Defoe completes the squad. Hodgson will be hoping that he will carry over his superb form off the bench to help England at the Euros.

Daniel Sturridge is on standby, at a similar level to Welbeck, and a similar player, his omission is logical, Rooney and Welbeck already know how to play with each other, which can only be advantageous for England.

Phil Jagielka is the defender on standby and Jordan Henderson is the centre midfielder hoping that someone picks up a knock.

My Starting 11 vs. France (June 11):

What are your thoughts? Let me know through the comments below or through Twitter (@Goonernl)

Does Stoke call for 4-4-2?

Over the last couple of years, the effectiveness of the 4-2-3-1 formation that Arsenal play has often been called into question. Normally when results have not been going the Gunners' way. I have never really had a problem with it. I don't think that it has been to blame for the poor defensive record Arsenal acquired. I think however, that it might be time to change for the last couple of games of the season.

Arteta's injury is a big blow for the Gunners

There has been a terrible recent history with regards to Arsenal and injures, and just when there was a need to maintain momentum and secure third place, that jinx has struck again. Walcott and Arteta, two of the standout performers in Arsenal's resurgent team, are both out until the end of the season.

Arteta has been crucial to Arsenal's balance between defence and attack, suppressing his attacking instincts to play a holding role alongside Alex Song. His signing was questioned on deadline day, many were sceptical about his ability to replace Cesc Fabregas (Arteta really tried to distance himself from being Fabregas' replacement and has played much more of the Wilshere role this season). Fast forward a few months, he has been one of Arsenal's standout performers, and has chipped in with a few spectacular and crucial goals. Ramsey was drafted in to replace him against Chelsea, but did not impress many.

Theo Walcott has been in very good form since scoring a brace in the superb 5-2 victory over Spurs, scoring against QPR, Wolves and Aston Villa since then. Arsenal saw earlier on in the season in the home draw with Wolves how much Walcott's pace and width was missed when he is unavailable. He has been subject to a fair bit of flack over the season but had been playing well and looking like completing a full season for the first time in an Arsenal shirt.

I think that in order to retain the defence/attack balance and width that Arteta and Walcott provided the Gunners may need to switch to formation to 4-4-2. I think that there are a number of reasons for this:

1) Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: A very promising player with good technical ability, Chamberlain has displayed tactical naivety when playing out wide. He has a habit of dropping back into the central midfield role he prefers. You might be able to do that in League 1, but not in the Premier League. He also can be reckless with the ball, trying to take on one man too many, again he has not quite worked out that he is playing against Premiership defenders now.

2) Gervinho: I am not a fan of Gervinho. He lacks a first touch, any finishing ability, any ability on his weak foot and is unable to cross a football. I do not feel that he keeps up with play and is poor defensively too, often leaving his tracking back until it is too late. I would also question how well he will be able to handle Stoke's physicality.

3) Aaron Ramsey: Ramsey is never going to be at his best playing in the Arteta/Wilshere role. He is a more creative player and does lack some defensive discipline.

I believe that a 4-4-2 offers Arsenal a way out of these problems. In theory, it can work without much width (unlike what is shown in the suggested team below) which would eradicate the issue with the lack of wide players. I think that Arsenal should field the following team versus Stoke:

My team selection vs. Stoke City

 There are some changes that could be made, Chamberlain could be picked ahead of Benayoun for example. I think that Chamakh's aerial presence would be advantageous against a tall Stoke side, he would be able to act as a pivot for Robin van Persie to operate off of.

 

Another alternative, which may suit the players Arsenal have available better is to play a 4-1-2-1-2, as demonstrated below:

 

The 4-1-2-1-2 option

This might work better for the likes of Ramsey and Benayoun, allowing them to play a more central role. Both formations mean that Gibbs and Sagna would be required to provide all the width but provided Song is disciplined enough to play the holding role all game it could work.

 

Would you go 4-4-2 or stick with 4-2-3-1? Let me know through Twitter (@Goonernl) or the comments below.

 

Arsenal, Barcelona & Chelsea

Watching Barcelona passing the ball around the edge of Chelsea's penalty area for 85 minutes on Tuesday gave me a strange sense of déjà vu. That Saturday, Arsenal had spent a fair bit of time in possession, but not really going anywhere. The game plans that Arsenal and Barcelona have are very similar, amounting to pass them off the park until a gap appears in the defence and a beautiful through ball can be played. But what happens when that isn't working?

Arsenal have, on occasion demonstrated that they do have a plan B. Sort of. You know that Arsenal are being frustrated and are desperate for a goal when Marouane Chamakh comes on for the last 20 minutes and the tactics supposedly change to lump it into the box as often as possible, and hope someone gets their head on it. The point that Thomas Vermaelen starts playing up top too, is when you know things are going really badly. The thing is this is a ploy that has been working fairly well for Arsenal, wins against Newcastle and Manchester City demonstrating Arsenal's increased resilience and decreased reliance on passing the ball into the net, but what about Barcelona, what is their backup plan?

Watching Barcelona getting nowhere against Chelsea in the second half, you couldn't help but realise one of their main weaknesses. They're too arrogant. Los Blaugranas pass the ball around, expecting a gap to appear in the defence, too proud to try anything else. There seems to be this swagger about them that says: "We are the best team in the world. Your defence must let us score by presenting us with a gaping hole between the centre backs!" Chelsea didn't, Torres scored. Barcelona crashed out. But there was one thing that Barcelona did not try that may well have won them the tie; shooting from range.

In the second half, I think that Barca had two cracks from distance. Someone blazed one miles over the bar from a position where he was never really going to score and Messi hit the post. I spotted several more opportunities than that after I started trying to spot them on about 60 minutes, but Messi and co were just too proud to stoop to that level. It was the same at Stamford Bridge, pass it around, get nowhere. Other than Messi's penalty, the closest Barcelona got to scoring in the second half was when his long range effort smacked off the post. For me, Barca should have been doing that much more, get someone in space 20 or 25 yards out, and just hit it. If you do that 10 times in a game, one of those is going to go in. The law of averages says so. Forget Messi's missed penalty, forget Chelsea's resolute defending, if Barcelona had been pragmatic, they would have changed tactics, allowed themselves to shoot outside the area, and quite possibly reached the final.

Messi & Barcelona crash out of the Champions League

I do not want to take anything away from Chelsea's defensive performance, it was heroic (especially after John Terry's stupidity) but Barcelona made it easy for them. If Chelsea knew that Barca were going to take pot shots, they would have had to defend higher up the pitch and that would have given Barcelona the space that they needed to play their normal, beautiful game. It is something Arsenal have realised this season, sometimes, you just have to win ugly.

As for John Terry, he is an idiot. Not only to commit the offence in the first place, but to then claim it was an accident after. He knows full well that there are a vast number of cameras filming the game and that pundits will analyse the replays, how he thought that 'it was an accident' would cut it, I would really like to know. There was some speculation in the papers yesterday that he would not be allowed to lift the trophy were Chelsea to beat Bayern, something that was later dismissed by UEFA, but if I was in charge at Chelsea I would not let him. His stupidity so nearly cost them a place in the final he does not deserve to hold it aloft.

I have heard some people criticising the timing of Pep Guardiola's departure from Barca, but I do not think that this is a recent decision. I suspect that he has been planning to step down for some time, and recent results have maybe made that easier to do. He confirmed that in his press conference this morning too: "At the beginning of December I announced to the chairman that I was seeing the end of my era at Barcelona. Obviously we couldn't say that publicly. Now we are out of the two main competitions it is a good time to announce this. I did not want to continue with the confusion. The reason is simple: four years is enough. The new coach will give things that I am unable to give any more. To be in front of the media every three days for four years is very demanding" The Barcelona job comes with immense pressure, managing the best team in the world isn't easy. It means you are the side everyone else really, really wants to beat. Not only that, the expectation is for silverware every season, and that is never, ever easy. I am sure he'll be successful wherever he decides to go next, and I would not be at all surprised to see him back in the Barcelona dugout at some point in the future. We all forget that he is only 41! He will be replaced by Tito Vilanova, who is currently Guardiola's assistant.

Do you think that something else cost Barca? Should Terry lift the trophy? Let me know your views through my Twitter (@Goonernl) or in the comments below.

Arsenal Confirm Eisfeld Capture + Miyaichi & Gibbs

Arsenal have officially confirmed the capture of the young German Thomas Eisfeld. A 19 year old attacking midfielder, Eisfeld has six goals in twelve appearances for Borussia Dortmund's under-19 team this season. The youngster has signed on a 'long-term contract' for a reported £400k.

Wenger has said that Eisfeld has "the attitude and technical ability to be a valuable addition to our squad." He has already trained at the club and it is rumoured that he will be involved in the reserve game against Swansea tomorrow. It is unlikely that he will have any first team involvement this season Wenger stating that the club "planned to get him at the end of the season but we got him a bit earlier because he was at the end of his contract." The rest of this season is being described as an "adaptation" period.

It was reported yesterday that Eisfeld was subject to an extended medical, following a torn anterior cruciate ligament (knees) in 2009. Probably not the signing Gunners fans were wishing for, the German is definitely one for the future, but has definitely got the potential to make it.

In other deadline day business, youngster Ryo Myaichi has joined Bolton on loan for the rest of the season, where the Japanese 19 year old will take the number 30 shirt (according to Young Guns Blog). Owen Coyle said of Myaichi: "He's a young player with tremendous promise and potential and hopefully at Bolton we can give him a platform on which he can display his qualities." Fulham were also said to be interested, but Miyaichi will join up to fight against relegation with Bolton. He will not be eligible for Arsenal's visit to Bolton on Wednesday, due to Premier League rules. He has made two substitute appearances for the Gunners in the Carling Cup this season. A fantastic player who should excel at the Reebok.

Kieran Gibbs also made a successful return to training with the squad on Monday and is expected to be match fit within the next fortnight.

Do you expect these starlets to make it? Who should Wenger have taken the opportunity to bring in? Let me know on Twitter (@Goonernl) or in the comments below.