Tag Archives: Cahill

Transfer rumours: Alex, Cahill, Campbell

  By jtom | 29/08/2011 - 8:07 AM | Transfer News
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Alex

Arsenal are ready to make a bid for Chelsea centre-back Alex. Tottenham have joined Arsenal in the fight to sign Gary Cahill. Owen Coyle will not sell his centre-back leave on the cheap. Striker Joel Campbell is likely to be sent out on loan.

Arsene Wenger will need to bring in players after Sunday’s 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford.

According to The Sun, Arsenal are ready to make a £10 million bid for Chelsea centre-half Alex. The 29-year old Brazilian has also attracted interest from Juventus. Arsenal would like to pay £7m for Alex, but Chelsea want £10m for him.

Alex scored that remarkable free kick against Arsenal last season when the Gunners lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Otherwise, he has had an unremarkable Chelsea career. Alex has only made 29 appearances for Chelsea the last two seasons (also counting one match this season).

According to Daily Mail, Tottenham will make a bid for Bolton centre-half Gary Cahill. Spurs will attempt to hijack an Arsenal deal by offering £8m plus a player in exchange. The report says that the player would either Darren Bentley or Sebastien Bassong.

If Tottenham steal Gary Cahill from us byoffering up a mediocre player or paying a few extra million, then the Gunners will really be in a crisis.

Spurs are looking for a centre-back after getting crushed by Manchester City on Sunday by a score of 5-1. North London is really getting thrashed by Manchester.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle is not ready to let Cahill without a fight (or negotiations) (from Daily Mail): “I can tell you I won’t buckle. I have had a chat with Gary. He knows my opinion. We don’t have to be taking poor offers. If someone makes the right offer, then we can do business.”

Coyle could be refering to the reported £6m Arsenal bid. Wenger denied the report, saying the bid was larger.

According to The Sun, Arsenal’s newest signing, Joel Campbell, is set to go out on loan to PSV. Campbell failed to get a work permit, so he will probably not be playing at the Emirates this season.

The Gunners signed the 19-year old Costa Rican striker earlier this month. Arsenal reportedly paid a fee of £900,000 for Campbell.

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Transfer News: Cahill, Campbell, Van der Wiel

  By jtom | 28/08/2011 - 8:15 AM | Transfer News
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Bolton boss Owen Coyle has asked Arsenal to make another bid for Gary Cahill. Sol Campbell would like to return to the Gunners as a player. Arsenal have been linked with Ajax right back Gregory van der Wiel.

Arsenal are set to sign striker Park Chu-young.

Gary Cahill

Owen Coyle told the press that he is willing to sell Gary Cahill after Bolton’s 3-1 loss to Liverpool: “If whoever it is out there wants to buy Gary Cahill then come and make a firm, proper offer for the lad and we will find out by the close of Wednesday if that is the case.

“There has certainly been no dialogue since the initial chat that took place on Tuesday night between my chairman Phil Gartside and Dick Law, the senior representative from Arsenal.”

Coyle went on to say that Cahill was off his game because of the “endless transfer speculation.” Bolton have opened the door for another Arsenal bid. Wenger and Bolton chairman Phil Gartside got into a fued on Friday over a reported £6m offer.

According to Daily Mail, Arsene Wenger will offer Bolton £12m for Cahill. The Gunners expect to sign the 25-year old centre-half before the end of the month.

£12m sounds like a fair bid for Cahill. Hopefully, we do not have to see more X-rated rants from the Bolton chairman and frustrated interviews with Owen Coyle.

Sol Campbell told The Guardian that he would welcome a move back to Arsenal: “It would be nice to go back to Arsenal, for sure. I trained there for a month [after leaving Newcastle in May] and have been doing regular fitness work on my own since.

“We’ve just come back from a holiday in Portugal and I was even working out then. So I’m not too far behind, all I need is two or three games to regain my match fitness.”

Campbell is trying to talk his way into a third stint with the Gunners. He was a major component of the “Invincibles” squad and played under Arsene Wenger from 2001-2006. Sol returned for a 14-match run during the 2009-2010 season.

The 36-year old free agent last played with Newcastle, making only only 8 appearances.

While Campbell will be remembered as a Gunner great, it is not the time to bring him back as a player. He has had a very difficult time staying fit in recent years, and Wenger does not need another injury-riddled centre-half. Maybe Sol could be brought in as a player-coach and help the younger players. He is certainly a better player than Sebastien Squillaci.

According to Metro, Arsene Wenger could bring Dutch right back Gregory van der Wiel to the Emirates. Van der Wiel sent out a mysterious Twitter message on Saturday: “In the plane 2 London.”

The comment sparked rumours in Holland. The 23-year old Ajax right back reportedly wants a move to the Premier Leauge. Van der Wiel sent out another Twitter message on later on Saturday: “We had a weekend off.. So im just in london to chill and watch a few games, nothing more. .”

There is a possibility that one London club is interested in the Dutch international. If he was a left back, I would urge Wenger to bring him in. But we already have Sagna (currently playing out of position on the left) and Jenkinson on the right. Gibbs plays on the left but he is constantly injured.

Looks like this rumour could be another piece of aimless specualtion, but you never know…

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Transfer Rumours: Cesc, Cahill, Jagielka

  By jtom | 14/08/2011 - 7:36 AM | Transfer News
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Pep Guardiola said yesterday that Barcelona are in “advanced” talks to sign Cesc Fabregas. Arsenal are ready to make a new push for Bolton centre-back Gary Cahill. Phil Jagielka is also still being pursued by the Gunners.

Pep Guardiola talked about Fabregas in a press conference: “Cesc is not here yet, but it [the deal] is very advanced.

“[Director of sport] Andoni Zubizarreta said there is still something missing, and so Fabregas is still an Arsenal player [for now] as he is not here.

“I don’t know if Cesc will arrive on Monday, the important thing is to think about our game in the Supercopa.”

Guardiola believes that the whole Cesc saga is a distraction to his club ahead of their Supercopa match against Real Madrid. On Friday, Guardiola halted Cesc while he was on his way to the airport. The Barcelona manager wants to hold off the Fabregas’ arrival until after Sunday’s match.

Even Guardiola thinks that Cesc is a distraction. This Fabregas drama needs to end for the good of both clubs involved. Barcelona’s behavior during all the negotiations was insulting. Wenger just needs to let Cesc go, and the constant questioning will stop.

According to The Mirror, Arsene Wenger is prepared to launch a new bid for Gary Cahill. The offer will be for £16.5m, as Wenger desperately wants to secure the Bolton centre-half. Arsenal scout Steve Rowley looked at Cahill in Bolton’s 4-0 win over QPR. Cahill scored from a long-distance curler, which must have pleased Rowley.

Adding the Bolton centre-back would do wonders for the squad. He is a young, English defender who is a threat in the air and, apparently, from outside the penatly area. The arrival of Cahill would do so much good for the mentality of the Arsenal supporters.

According to Daily Mail, Arsenal are set to make another bid for Phil Jagielka. The 28-year old Everton centre-back has been linked with a move to the Emirates all summer. Wenger has come to gripes with the departures of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas, and he may spend money strengthening Arsenal’s back four.

A source close to Jagielka told Daily Mail that he is “ambitious for Champions League football but sensible.” This means that the Everton centre-half will not force his way out of Goodison.

Check out my analysis of Arsenal scoreless draw with Newcastle, which was mared by a brawl.

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Transfer Rumours: Cahill, Bendtner, Campbell

  By jtom | 09/08/2011 - 7:50 AM | Transfer News
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Arsenal have renewed their interest in Bolton’s Gary Cahill. Nicklas Bendtner confirmed on Monday that he will leave the Gunners. Arsenal are extremely close to signing striker Joel Campbell.

According to Daily Mail, Arsene Wenger has shifted his focus back to Bolton centre-back Gary Cahill. Wenger is more determined than ever to bring in a centre-half after the injury to Thomas Vermaelen in Arsenal’s final pre-season match against Benfica.

Arsenal scout Steve Rowley was at Reebok Stadium to watch Gary Cahill in Bolton’s friendly against Levante last Friday. Arsene Wenger originally backed away from Cahill after hearing Bolton’s high asking price.

Cahill would be an excellent addition to our squad. He is younger (and better) than Everton centre-half Phil Jagielka. Wenger is looking to add strength to his defence before Arsenal’s opening match against Newcastle.

Nicklas Bendtner confirmed Monday what many had expectedfor weeks. The big striker will be leaving the Emirates. Here is what he told Sky Sports News, when asked whether he will leave Arsenal: “Yes. I want to play at a place where I’m happy and where I play every week. That’s the most important thing for every football player. Hopefully that will happen soon.

“I’ve done my part and now I’m just waiting. I can’t say anything about who I’ve been speaking to, but hopefully it will all be sorted out soon.

“I’ve done my part as good as I can, and it’s up to Arsenal now to sort it out. I can’t do anything more.”

Clubs interested in Bendtner include Borussia Dortmund, Stoke City, and several Portuguese clubs. Whoever prchase Bendtner will likely end up paying Arsenal around £9m. Hopefully, Wenger sells him quick so that he can use the money to strengthen key areas (centre-back!).

Joel Campbell could replace Bendtner at the Emirates. The 19-year old Costa Rican striker is expected to join Arsenal this week for a fee of £900,000.

Last month, reports said that Campbell had rejected a move to Arsenal. Apparently, the young striker just wanted to focus on an international tournament before making a decision on  his future.

After signing 17-year old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wenger is likely to add another youngster. The Wenger critics will be angered to see yet another kid added to the squad.

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Arsenal Transfer News: Cesc, Cahill, Nasri

  By jtom | 06/07/2011 - 7:16 AM | Uncategorized
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6 July 2011:  Barcelona are not pleased over the progress of a deal for Cesc Fabregas.  Manchester City are reportedly close to landing Samir Nasri for £20 million.  Owen Coyle wants Arsenal to make an offer for Gary Cahill or back off.  All deals could be completed before Wenger and his squad head for their Asian tour this weekend.

Let’s start with Cesc.  According the The Telegraph, Barcelona are “concerned” over slow Cesc negotiations.  Fabregas has not trained with the rest of the squad yet this week due to a faulty hamstring.  Barca want a deal done before Arsenal head to Asia, which will supposedly bring about a halt to the wheeling-and-dealing for the time being.

Of course, Cesc could miss the trip due to this hamstring.  Possibly, Cesc’s hamstring could be fine by the weekend after recent treatment.  But would Cesc be willing to make the trip if he thinks a transfer to Barca will come soon.  Surely, he will not want to return to pre-season action if he will be playing for a different club come the start of the season.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle is not happy with how the Gary Cahill negotiations are panning out: “There have been various clubs interested in Gary. That’s what it’s been it’s been – clubs coming in and talking about him. But there has been no concrete bid as such. I’ve said that to Gary as well.”

All this talk over Cahill and Wenger has not even put a bid on the table.  What nonsense!  Wenger could be preoccupied with the Cesc and Nasri ordeals, but our defence needs solidifying no matter what happens to the two midfielders.  Cahill has also drawn interest from Spurs and City.  Could they nab him before we even make an offer?

According to The Sun, Manchester City are very close to signing Samir Nasri.  The reported fee is £20 million and the reported wage is  £150,000-a-week.  Sure, The Sun are not reliable but sometimes their information is accurate.  Manchester City are starting to raid our club the way we raid Barcelona’s youth academy.

Roberto Mancini is out to make a statement.  That statement is that City will pay higher wages than Arsenal.  Of course, City supporters will claim that their club is surpassing us but don’t let them fool you.  Players these days are money-grabbers plain and simple.  They look out for themselves, and you can blame them but realize that most employees would go to a rival company if that company was offering a higher wage.  Keep that in mind.

Of course, footballers make more than any of us so we can point the finger at them, and we will.  Anyway, let’s move on.

In other news, Paul Scholes is a twit, but that is not telling you anything you don’t already know.  He recently went on a little rant bashing Arsenal.  I will not devote space to such rubbish so you can look elsewhere if you care what Scholes thinks.

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Cesc and Site Update

  By jtom | 20/06/2011 - 7:01 AM | Uncategorized
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Monday Morning: Barcelona have already contacted Arsenal regarding Cesc Fabregas but have yet to submit an offer. As you can see, I redesigned the site. In other news, Blackburn are trying to hold on to Samba despite interest from Wenger. Gervinho still hasn’t signed despite widespread reports saying he would very soon.

Let’s tackle the Cesc story first. According Peter Hill-Wood, Barcelona have been in contact over Fabregas (told to the Sunday Mirror): “Yes, they have spoken to us about Cesc. They have been in touch, but so far they have not made a bid and we do not want to let him go.

“But he comes from Barcelona so it is understandable if he wanted to go back. However, they have not made an offer so far.” The question is whether Barca will be able to meet the astronomical asking price. Wenger should not sell Cesc for anything less because the Spaniard will not force his way home.

Barcelona are in a race to comply with the new financial fair play rules. The best team in the world is not the richest team in the world. Barca pay the highest wages in the world and that is why all their homegrown players stick around instead of moving to Madrid, Chelsea, or any other super wealthy club.

Cesc is not a dire need for Pep Guardiola. While Xavi is still in his prime, Cesc will not start, which is exactly the way it is on the national team. The upper management of Barca have already stated that they will not overpay for Cesc. With reported bid of €28 million for Alexis Sanchez, will Barca even have the funds to be in the discussion?

The Clock End has a new design, and I am anxious to see how it is received. I felt like the site needed a simpler design that displayed the entire post on the front page. Please leave your thoughts on the design in the comment section.

Blackburn want to keep their captain Christopher Samba. After selling fellow centre back Phil Jones to Manchester United, it is understandable that Blackburn want to keep him. Here is what chairman Anuradha Desai told the Mail on Sunday:

“We don’t want to let Chris go. I’m confident that we can keep him and I hope he’ll stay. I know he has an ambition to play for Arsenal but I hope we can keep him for another year at least and prove our own ambition.”

Samba is 27-years old and he has a decision to make: Does he want to advance his career and play in the Champions League for a top club? Or does he want to stay loyal to Blackburn as their experienced captain? Blackburn will probably accept the cash and it may be up to Samba.

I believe Samba would better serve us at this time than Gary Cahill. Cahill is younger but we need someone with natural leadership and Samba fits the bill. He really commands the penalty on set pieces and shot-blocking monster. Cahill would be an improvement, but Samba could really turn this back four into a solid unit.

Many reports last week claimed that Wenger was 48-hours away from signing Gervinho. Where have we heard that one before? In my post on Thursday, I got a bit carried away with the optimism. Remember that nothing is ever certain until it is posted up on the official Arsenal website. Because if you believe the tabloids, we would have already signed about ten players by now.

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Arsenal to Sign Gervinho and More!

  By jtom | 17/06/2011 - 7:23 AM | Uncategorized
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Gervinho is set to announce a move to Arsenal very soon. According to a number of sources Gervinho has agreed to a four-year deal. Wenger did have to part with around £10.5 million to pry him from French Champions’ Lille. Samba is also very close to making the move as well. Both Samba and Gary Cahill are in “advanced talks” with Arsenal about a potential deal according to Goal.com.

Arsene is doing what he does best: Robbing Ligue 1 of talent. If the players isn’t French, it is a safe bet that he plays in the French League. Wenger must have many connections with Lille because Tottenham offered a similar offer of around £10.5mand it was not accepted by Gervinho. Gervinho has been wanting a move to Arsenal for quite some time and it seems like he finally has gotten his wish.

Why would Gervinho want a move to Tottenham? Lille are champions of France and will be making an appearance in the Champions League next season. The Ivorian strikers wants to play in the Premier League but only for one of the best teams.

Goal.comare reporting that Arsene Wenger is considering a move for both Christopher Samba AND Gary Cahill. If he was to bring in both, Arsene would have to kiss goodbye to around £22m. The idea is that Vermaelen would move to left back with Cahill and Samba in the middle and Sagna out on the right. Clichy would have to be sold. Vermaelen did play some left back for Ajax before he came here.

Certainly our back four would be one of the deepest in the league. Djourou, Koscielny, and Gibbs could be on the bench. Of course, either one of them could go to make way for Samba and Cahill. It is possible that Wenger is negotiating with both in case one of the deals falls through. Either way. Wenger will be spending some serious cash this summer.

According to Corriere dello Sport, Wenger is considering a move for Inter Milan striker Sameul Eto’o. Eto’o has said that he would welcome a move to England: “I have already shown that I have what it takes to play in Italy and I now have the idea of proving myself in England.”

Eto’o would certainly be a great partner to Robin van Persie, but where would that leave Gervinho. This link to Eto’o is really just a rumour but, who knows, Wenger might be trying to quite his critics.

Sebastian Larsson may be on his way back. Ivan Gazidis has meeting with Bolton’s Phil Gartside the other day and apparently Larsson may come over with Cahill. Here is what Larsson told a Swedish newspaper: “They have shown some interest and I should know more in the next few days.

“I know there is some kind of interest but I cannot currently say whether something can be done or not.

“At the moment I do not know how it is going. I know who said that they have shown an interest but the next few days will tell.”

We may all learn a lot in the next few days.

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