afc Arsenal Summer Transfer Window

[8BALL]

‘We are very, very ambitious,’ said Wenger. ‘Not only very ambitious but also very proud of the way we run our club.

‘For me, the size of a club is down to the size of the support. It can be the size of the cheque book to others but, for me, it’s the size of the support. You cannot question the size of the club when one player leaves or stays. That’s not linked.’

‘The official deadline is August 31, but we can create an internal deadline,’ said Wenger. ‘The transfer market should stop before the season starts.

‘Robin van Persie is a world-class striker. I am a big supporter of him and I have supported him throughout. We took him very young, he has one year left and he’s in demand.

‘It is our desire to keep him, but we’ll do what’s in the best interests of the club. If you have a decoder in your head, you can decode that.’

‘Last year, the stability of our squad was challenged,’ said the Arsenal manager. ‘This year, we have small problems. We have a squad that is solid and used to playing together. We’ve bought two strikers.

‘Last year, we lost not only two players in the transfer market but also two more through injury in pre- season — Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere. We lost Tomas Rosicky on top of that. It was too difficult.’

We are the team, certainly the only one in the world at the elite level, who give chances to young players,’ Wenger said. ‘That’s why I believe Arsenal are loved all over the world.’

Diaby will feature against a Malaysia XI on Tuesday but Wilshere is still in the gym, yet to kick a ball after a year out with ankle and knee injuries.

‘Any player still in the gym in July is not on the pitch in August, that is for sure,’ said Wenger.

‘I don’t want to give him any precise deadline. I am positive but cautious, more positive this time because there is no setback,’ he added. ‘He had his ankle problem and this created a knee problem. He needed surgery on his knee tendon. The advantage of this was to heal completely the inflammation in the ankle.

‘The ankle is perfect and the knee is doing very well. He is still in the gym. Normally, he should go out again in a few weeks.’

On Diaby, the Arsenal manager said: ‘This tour is another decider for him. How does his body resist?’ But Wenger ruled out a move for Yann M’Vila before learning more about the fitness of Diaby and Wilshere.

‘No, we wait for Diaby and Wilshere. We are not short if they are coming back. If we have setbacks, it could be different.’ On Cazorla, he was far more sly. ‘I don’t know this guy,’ he grinned.

Some interesting comments...

Good news on Wilshere, looks like no M Vila coming unless Diaby/Wilshere suffer a set back (lol) and Cazorla.. ?

[TF S4DK]

Wenger said no to Arteta, and then signed him the next day.

[MrJibbles]

"If you have a decoder in your head, you can decode that."

Cazorla would be a big signing for us.

[MrJibbles]

The Spain winger Santi Cazorla has told Arsenal that he is prepared to leave Málaga to join them. Arsène Wenger is keen to sign Cazorla, whom he monitored last summer, and he is hopeful that an offer of €20m (£15.6m) can close the deal.

Negotiations have taken place between the clubs and, although Málaga's initial response was to point to Cazorla's €45m buy-out clause and effectively discourage Arsenal's interest, the Spanish club's worrying financial situation, which could see them relegated if they do not pay outstanding debts, might force them to sell.

Arsenal's summer business has been overshadowed by the Robin van Persie saga, with the captain intent on leaving the Emirates Stadium. Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus have made bids, which have been rejected by Arsenal, who will hold out for at least £20m, and the race for his signature is hotting up.

Juventus have been back in contact with Arsenal and they have indicated that they will pay close to the £20m asking price while they could also offer Van Persie an extraordinary contract worth £190,000 a week after tax. Arsenal, if pushed, would prefer to sell to an overseas club but they are preparing for an improved offer from United. Both Manchester clubs have so far offered about £12m.

Wenger has already signed the strikers Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud and the addition of Cazorla would give him another attacking option. He is expected to sell Andrey Arshavin, with clubs in the middle east having expressed an interest, but he would still have Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gervinho in wide areas, although he has experimented with the latter through the middle in pre-season training.

Cazorla wants to leave Málaga, the club he joined for €19m last summer from Villarreal, after wages went unpaid during the campaign and promises were broken. The 27-year-old has told Málaga of his intention to depart and he has also spoken to Arsenal to tell them he is keen on joining them.

Málaga may facilitate the move but the power vacuum and inertia at the club means that the future is uncertain. If Málaga's Qatari owner, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Thani, does not inject more money, the sale of Cazorla would represent the swiftest way for the Spanish club to cover their debts. If Málaga do not settle those debts by 31 July they face relegation to Second Division B and the loss of their Uefa licence and Champions League participation.

Considering the wealth of the owners and the more than €150m poured into the club over the past two years, Málaga's inertia is baffling. Theoretically, al-Thani could resolve the crisis at a stroke. Sources at the club say that his methods are "different" and that they would not be surprised if the money turned up at the last minute but they cannot count on that. While the debt is outstanding, the Spanish league will not allow them to make any signings.

Cazorla is one of four players, alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy, Salomón Rondón and Joris Mathijsen, who threatened to make a formal complaint against Málaga during a meeting with the president of the Spanish players' union, the AFE, José Luis Rubiales, on 13 July.

After the meeting, Rubiales insisted that an "important" amount of money was still owed to some players but that others had been paid in full. The club reassured the players but, if a lasting agreement is not reached, a meeting can be scheduled on 25 July between the AFE, on the players' behalf, and the LFP (La Liga), on behalf of the club, to reach a resolution.

Villarreal claim Málaga also owe the €3.5m outstanding on the sale of Cazorla, while the Spanish tax authorities are demanding almost €7m. Public debt is not unusual for Spanish clubs but Miguel Cardenal, the president of the Supreme Sports Council, the CSD, introduced a new zero-tolerance policy in April. Both the league and the AFE signed the agreement, according to which clubs with outstanding debts other than previously accrued debts for which payment plans have already been agreed, face automatic relegation.

Since buying the club and becoming president, Al-Thani has invested over €60m in playersand taken Málaga to Champions League qualification for the first time. Now, though, there is silence. Neither the owner nor his vice-president are currently in Spain, as has been the case for much of the last year, leaving Málaga in limbo. José Carlos Pérez, the club's consejero, essentially the man running the day-to-day business, died in the spring and the general manager, Fernando Hierro, who had been forced to intervene last season when players had gone unpaid, resigned saying he was no longer "comfortable" in his role.

Meanwhile the Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner is in talks with Galatasaray.

http://www.guardian....laga?CMP=twt_gu

[TF S4DK]

MAROUANE CHAMAKH admits his Arsenal career could receive a massive boost if Robin van Persie leaves.

The Moroccan is the club’s only recognised striker on their three-match Far East tour which begins tonight against Malaysia.

Chamakh, 28, has struggled since making a stunning impact in his first four months at Arsenal when scoring seven Premier League goals plus three in the Champions League.

A free transfer from Bordeaux in 2010, he has a chance to shine as Van Persie has been grounded in England until his future is sorted while Nicklas Bendtner is also likely to leave the club.

Arsene Wenger has signed striker Lukas Podolski from Cologne and Montpellier’s Olivier Giroud. But both players have also remained in London after returning from Euro 2012.

Chamakh, asked whether he could benefit if skipper Van Persie leaves, replied: “Yes. If I am staying here with Arsenal, I will do my best for the team and give the maximum.

"Last season was difficult. We were playing with just one striker and that striker was the best player in Europe. There was not a lot I could do.

“I was upset because thought I could have played more but football is like that. Sometimes you do not have a chance.

“I hope this season I will play more than last. I have not spoken with the manager but I will soon.

“In the first six months after signing I had lots of games but after that I only played a few. Now I hope this season will be good for me and the club.

“Yes, I need more confidence. But to be confident I need to play more. I am determined to stay.”

Chamakh trained with his team-mates at Malaysia’s national stadium in front 2,000 supporters.

Boss Wenger was clearly unhappy with the state of the pitch, fearing his team could suffer injuries.

Arsenal’s players face a six-hour flight to Beijing directly after the game before playing Manchester City in China on Friday. The final game is in Hong Kong on Monday.

[mp*]

cbl

[Seydou]

Nah, that Santi story is good news.

Fakk that depressing story with Chamack.

[Da Luv Doc]

Kos has penned

a long term contract.

[Da Luv Doc]

Kos has penned

a long term contract.

[TF S4DK]

Le10Sport are running a piece where they think Arsene & Remi Garde had a pact to leak interest on Hugo Lloris to force Spurs to pay more.

[Captain Planet]

Ah the good ol' Guardian

The sweet sweet scent of credible news story

[TF S4DK]

Malaga sources have insisted to Sky Sports that they are not looking to sell Santi Cazorla, amid claims Arsenal have made a move for his services.

Despite their wealthy Qatari owners, they have been hit with financial issues in recent months which have seen some of their players, including Cazorla, go unpaid.

Indeed, Villarreal are still owed money on the deal which took him to the club last year.

With taxes also owed, Malaga have until the end of July to resolve any such outstanding financial issues. Reports have claimed Arsenal are ready to take advantage of the situation by snapping him up in a £20million deal, which is £15million less than his release clause.

Some reports in England have even claimed that the Gunners have held talks with the player.

But Malaga have told Sky Sports that they are not in the market to sell their star man.

"Cazorla is not for sale, we do not talk about rumours in the press and our plans are not to even negotiate his exit," a source confirmed to Sky Sports.

Malaga also say that they fully expect to have their financial issues resolved soon.

[gattsu]

he's not for sale = give us more money

[TF S4DK]

Not confident on that one tbh. Kinda not interested too, only thing that makes me warm to it is his age tbh.

[PsychoEazy-E]

f*ck Malaga.

If we're gonna sign him hurry up and get it done already, don't want another Mata.

[O Fenomeno]

Not confident on that one tbh. Kinda not interested too, only thing that makes me warm to it is his age tbh.

Clearly never seen Santi play

[TF S4DK]

Not even. He's Spanish, been linked with Real and Barc in the past, but for whatever they ain't made the signing, now if the signing works for us then I see them then wanting him.

Its only cos he'll be 28 this year, that it reduces the likelyhood of that happening as he can't really get that move until he's probably 30.

[O Fenomeno]

Santi hasn't made the move to Real or Barca so automatically you are unsure about him

/

He is much better than anything you have

Santi should be aiming higher than Arsenal IMO

[O Fenomeno]

Furthermore his age wouldn't be a problem

If Madrid or Barca were to sign at a later age

Age is irrelevant

[Mame Biram Diouf]

Botelho

WHO?

[BSOM]

Not confident on that one tbh. Kinda not interested too, only thing that makes me warm to it is his age tbh.

Clearly never seen Santi play

[gattsu]

he's exactly what kind of signing we need ,creativity is getting sparse

[TF S4DK]

Santi hasn't made the move to Real or Barca so automatically you are unsure about him

/

He is much better than anything you have

Santi should be aiming higher than Arsenal IMO

Again you misunderstand or just want to debate nothing... He is a player that both have looked at... Threfore they rate him. Now for whatever reason, they haven't signed him, you would think they still have question marks about him, now if he's succesful in England, it might be enough to make them go for him. Jus like how Dvid Silva moved to Man City and now Madrid wan him, why didnt they get him from Valencia?!

/

What are these words, GTFO.

[TF S4DK]

Furthermore his age wouldn't be a problem

If Madrid or Barca were to sign at a later age

Age is irrelevant

To them...

Your thinking for them... I'm thinking for Arsenal...

So we sign him for 15m (for example sake), on a 3-4 year deal, he does well for us for 2 seasons.

Gets tapped, says he wants to return home, then the argument of his fee becomes well he'll be 30 soon and he has less than 2 years on his deal, we only have to give you 12m tbh...

[mark_INIESTA_davies]

You two fix up on your trolling or I might have to start sorting out guys.

Regards the topic; Carzola reminds me of Pires.