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Arsenal submitted their Premier League squad before today’s 5pm deadline, and all contracted players who are not currently on loan have been included, with the exception of goalkeeper Manuel Almunia. Vito Mannone, however, has been included, despite currently being on loan at Hull City so that Arsenal meet the criteria for home grown players.

Manuel-almunia-006.jpg

Almunia was omitted as the club had to leave out one non-homegrown player. Thierry Henry is named, as is new signing Thomas Eisfeld, who is included on the unlimited under-21 players list. Alban Bunjaku and Jeffrey Monakana are also on the latter list as they are still contracted to the club despite having recently trialled at various other sides.

Squad (Players in bold are homegrown)

Andre Santos, Andrey Arshavin, Mikel Arteta, Yossi Benayoun, Marouane Chamakh, Abou Diaby, Johan Djourou, Lukasz Fabianski, Gervinho, Kieran Gibbs, Laurent Koscielny, Vito Mannone, Per Mertesacker, Ju Young Park, Tomas Rosicky, Bacary Sagna, Thierry Henry, Alex Song, Sebastien Squillaci, Robin van Persie, Thomas Vermaelen, Theo Walcott.

Under-21

Benik Afobe, Wellington, Chuks Aneke, Martin Angha, Zak Ansah, Kyle Bartley, Hector Bellerin, Samir Bihmoutine, Daniel Boateng, George Brislen-Hall, Alban Bunjaku, James Campbell, Joel Campbell, Reice Charles-Cook, Francis Coquelin, Craig Eastmond, Kyle Ebecilio, Thomas Eisfeld, Zach Fagan, Emmanuel Frimpong, Samuel Galindo, Ben Glasgow, Serge Gnabry, Sead Hajrovic, Isaac Hayden, Conor Henderson, Gavin Hoyte, Anthony Jeffrey, Carl Jenkinson, Henri Lansbury, Damian Martinez, Sean McDermott, Jernade Meade, Ignasi Miquel, Ryo, Jeffrey Monakana, Elton Monteiro, Rhys Murphy, Nigel Neita, Kris Olsson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Oguzhan Ozyakup, Aaron Ramsey, Josh Rees, Philip Roberts, James Shea, Wojciech Szczesny, Jon Toral, Sanchez Watt, Jack Wilshere, Jordan Wynter, Nico Yennaris.

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  • 2 months later...
Manuel Almunia has revealed that he is ready to leave Arsenal at the end of the season, but insists he wants to remain in England.

The Spanish goalkeeper began the season out of favour with manager Arsene Wenger, falling behind Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski in the pecking order despite making 175 appearances for the club.

Almunia, 34, also spent time on loan at West Ham United back in October where he made four appearances before returing to the Emirates.

The shot-stopper, who joined Arsenal in 2004, is now ready to move on to pastures new after his contract runs out in the summer and he is hopeful of making a fresh start at another club in the capital.

"I'm looking for a nice move next season," Almunia told Sky Sports News.

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"I want to start a new episode of my life."

The keeper insists Wenger is happy for him to move on once his deal runs out and won't stand in his way.

"It's a very respectful relationship and now I'm free, I can do what I like and he's happy with my work at Arsenal for ideas."

And asked if he will remain in England or move back to Spain, Almunia said: "I have got lazy to move too far, because life here in London is fantastic and I hope I can have a club to go to next season so I can stay."

I fear the I got lazy to move attitude has spread to a few of these shite players.

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  • 3 months later...

Arsenal's trophyless players are worn down by the club’s habit of selling a star man each summer.

That is according to former goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.

The Spaniard was part of Arsenal’s last trophy ­success, the 2005 FA Cup, and had to watch the likes of Thierry Henry, Cesc ­Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Kolo Toure and ­Emmanuel Adebayor go.

And with Robin van ­Persie now looking for a move away, Almunia said: “As a player at Arsenal, it is hard to see the best players go to other clubs every year.

“They have missed a lot of great players in the last few seasons.

“The first year I came to England, I thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to win a lot of things with Arsenal’ but the change then started. The club has been changing every year.

"One of these years, everything has to come together and be perfect, and now is the time for Arsenal.

“They’ve signed some good players this year, Santi Cazorla is fantastic.”

Almunia also claims he could still be Arsenal's No 1 keeper, had he not decided to play a certain game when he was injured.

The end could barely have been longer or more painful for Manuel Almunia at Arsenal, but finally the Spaniard is starting to feel loved again.

Goalkeeper Almunia last week joined Watford on a free transfer after eight years on the other side of the London Colney training ground fence at Arsenal.

During his time with the Gunners, Almunia collected an FA Cup ­winners’ medal, played in a ­Champions League final and ­produced man-of-the-match ­performances against Barcelona and Manchester United.

But, as is the case with most ­goalkeepers, Almunia will be remembered by many for the blunders and the moments of ­madness.

A disastrous home defeat to West Brom almost two years ago effectively finished his Arsenal career.

He saw old enemy Jens Lehmann brought out of retirement from the commentary box to go in ahead of him, and spent last season as the club’s forgotten man.

“After Arsenal, I just wanted to go to a place where I feel wanted, respected and loved, and made to feel like a good goalkeeper again,” said Almunia. “That’s what I have found at Watford.

“On my first day at ­Watford, the captain, John Eustace, came to me and said, ‘We needed a good goalkeeper and we are lucky you are here’. That made me feel proud and good about ­myself.

“As a person, I always felt loved and respected at Arsenal, but as a player it is different. When you don’t play you don’t feel wanted or loved and your self-belief goes down.

“Once you stop being with the team every weekend and travelling with the team, people forget you.”

Almunia still regrets the decision he believes cost him his Arsenal ­career, when he played on with an elbow injury after saving a penalty against West Brom, but eventually let three soft goals in.

“I have big regrets about that game because maybe if I had stopped playing I would have played many more games for ­Arsenal,” said Almunia.

“It was such a difficult time. At half-time I had been so happy about saving a penalty, but everything then went wrong for me, and I couldn’t understand why.

“It was so, so hard to cope with. One day you are number one and ­everybody wants you, and the next day you disappear. I am quite a ­sensitive person and I am not good in the bad moments.

“I didn’t talk to anybody about how I felt because I don’t like to disturb people with my problems. Maybe that was a mistake as well, maybe I should have talked to somebody.”

Lehmann’s Arsenal return was humiliating for Almunia after the pair had publicly fallen out during their first spell together at the club.

But 35-year-old Almunia insists he has now settled his differences with the German and only wishes well to all his old colleagues, team-mates and even the Arsenal fans who mocked and jeered him.

“I have my opinion about what happened when Jens came back and I know the truth, but I don’t want any trouble now – I have moved on,” said Almunia.

“I guess the boss was angry with me, but I never asked him or spoke to him about it.

“But I haven’t got any problem with Jens. We have a great relationship now, which is strange.

“Jens was very competitive on the pitch and in training, sometimes too much. But off the pitch he is a lovely person and our relationship ended well.

“It wasn’t a good moment for me when the Arsenal fans jeered me, and the end was very tough.

“But now I have left, all I have in my heart is good memories and good thoughts for Arsenal, the manager, the players and the fans.

“I would love to go back there with Watford. That would be my dream.”

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