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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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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Holtby Speculation Resurfaces

By Nick Lander

There has been renewed speculation linking Schalke midfielder Lewis Holtby with a move to North London.

The 21 year old has just a year remaining on his current deal, and has not yet agreed an extension. The German (who is half-English) has been capped twice by Germany. A creative midfielder - who has been compared to Real Madrid's Mesut Ozil - has previously stated "my aim is to come to the Premier League" and it is understood that he would prefer to sign for either Arsenal or Everton, having grown up as a Toffees supporter.

MirrorFootball have suggested that Holtby could arrive in N5 as a Theo Walcott replacement, as speculation continues over his future, but that is one thing that the German hopes to avoid, he said, "I just want to focus on playing football. I like it at Schalke. I will give my best in training and the manager will decide if I am a first team player." It is believed that Arsenal are one of a host of clubs interested, including Liverpool, Everton and Manchester United.

With only a year to run on his current deal, and still largely unproven, a sub-£10m fee is probable and would represent very good value for whoever does manage to secure his services.

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