Tag Archives: Eden Hazard

Transfer Rumours: Hazard, Gotze, Chamakh, Shea

  By jtom | 04/11/2011 - 7:00 AM | Transfer News
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Mario Gotze

Lots of transfer rumours flying around this week about Arsenal. The two big names we are reportedly targeting are Eden Hazard and Mario Gotze. Then there is also speculation about the possible departure of Marouane Chamakh. Promising American winger Brek Shea will train with Arsenal for one month, which leads to obvious questions.

Lille star Eden Hazard recently made it clear that he is ready to leave France in the summer, with many top clubs interested in signing him. Gervinho, who played with Hazard at Lille before moving to the Emirates, would love to see the talented Belgium winger at Arsenal (from ESPN):

“Hazard is a young player with enormous quality. If he has decided to leave, it is normal for clubs to be interested, as he has the level to triumph in England.

“Eden has learnt a lot at Lille, and I believe he could succeed abroad. Where he goes is up to the clubs. But it will be a big operation.”

We will likely miss out on Hazard. Lille have already been offered large sums of cash from PSG, with Inter and Milan lurking. Chelsea are also interested, so that pretty much rules us out. Maybe Wenger and the board will splash the cash, but recent history says that won’t happen.

Another brilliant young player is on our radar. Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze may be on his way to London. Remember that we pushed to sign the 19-year old midfielder in the summer. If Dortmund fail to qualify for the round of 16 in the Champions League (and therefore lose out on that cash), then they may be open to selling their midfield maestro according to the Mirror.

According to the Daily Mirror report, Dortmund will look to get £17.5 million for Gotze. Surely, the German champions will want more than that for the talented youngster. In a few years, Gotze has the chance to be on of the best midfielders in the world. I’m dreaming of a future midfield occupied by Wilshere, Gotze, and Ramsey. Gotze has all the tools necessary to replace Cesc.

Sevilla are considering maing a move for Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh according to the Daily Mail. The Morrocan has been useless since his bright start at the Emirates last season. Everton also want Chamakh, but they only have enough cash to bring him on loan. It is rare for Wenger to give up on a player after only a year and a half with the club, but he may make an exception.

Brek Shea will train with Arsenal for one month after two USA friendly matches against France and Slovenia. The 21-year old American winger will serve as a guest at our club because his MLS season has ended. Shea has been drawing attention from many of the top English clubs, including Manchester United and Liverpool.

For now, this is a training assignment and not a trial, but that could change very quickly. If Arsene rates Shea highly after watching him train, then who knows what will happen. Shea has impressed scouts while playing for the USA and FC Dallas.

That is a recap of some of the bigger Arsenal transfer rumours from the last week. Some will criticise me for talking about transfers in November, but January will be here before you know it. Check back tomorrow morning for a full preview of the West Brom match.

 

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Transfer Rumours: Hazard, Vargas, Dempsey, and more!

  By jtom | 31/08/2011 - 8:16 AM | Transfer News
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Dempsey could join Arsenal by the end of the day

Eden Hazard could make a move to Arsenal if Lille land Joe Cole. The Gunners are also interested in Juan Manuel Vargas and Clint Dempsey. Arsene Wenger is still looking to sign David M’Vila, Marvin Martin, and Christopher Samba before the deadline.

With deadline day here, almost all the transfer rumours involve Arsenal and Spurs. Both North London clubs suffered heavy defeats on Sunday, with Arsenal falling to United by a score of 8-2.

According to Metro, Lille could consider selling winger Eden Hazard if they pull off a loan move for Liverpool’s Joe Cole. Arsenal would have to pay around £26 million for Hazard, which would shatter their transfer record.

There is also a rumour on Twitter that Hazard has demanded a move to the Emirates. He wants to leave Lille after the French club sold many of the key players from last season’s double-winning side. Sounds familiar, except that “double-winning” part.

According to Skysports.com, Arsenal have made ”enquiry” for Fiorentina left winger Juan Manuel Vargas. The Peruvian star can play at left back, but he excelled with Fiorentina as a left winger. Think Eboue with the ball skills and the ability to score from long-range. The 27-year old has 34 caps with Peru.

Fiorentina are reluctant to sell Vargas but sources say that the Gunners could change the Italian club’s mind with a £12m bid. Vargas has attracted interest from many of the top clubs in Europe.

According to Goal.com, Arsenal are serious contenders to sign Fulham striker Clint Dempsey. The 28-year old has scored 40 goals for Fulham since arriving in 2006. Dempsey has earned 77 caps and scored 22 goals for the United States. He scored the equaliser against England’s Robert Green, who let the ball through his legs, in the 2010 World Cup.

Dempsey is an experienced Premier League player who can play a number of positions. He can be played as a striker, central attacking midfielder, or winger. The American could be a nice addition to add depth to the aquad. Fulham value Dempsey at £10m.

A source close to Dempsey told Goal.com: “The deal seems like a very real possibility, but will come down to how quickly the two sides can agree on the selling price.”

Fulham are open to selling him after signing Bryan Ruiz.

According to The Guardian, Arsene Wenger is still trying to bring David M’Vila, Marvin Martin, and Christopher Samba to the Emirates. If the Gunners are unable to sign the two French midfielders, they may go after Florent Malouda and Yossi Benayoun from Chelsea.

Arsenal have already submitted a £22m bid for M’Vila, but his club, Rennes, are asking for more. The 21-year old defensive midfielder already has 11 caps for France.

Marvin Martin is a 23-year old central midfielder for Sochaux. He is known for his creativity and vision.

Surprisingly, Arsenal are still tracking Blackburn centre-back Christopher Samba. I thought Wenger was done buying defenders after the signing of Per Mertesacker. Samba wants to play in the Champions League. He had better get to the Emirates quick.

Benayoun and Malouda were both linked with Arsenal on Tuesday.

We have finally reached deadline day as everything hangs in the balance for Arsenal. They have already signed Park Chu-young, Andre Santos, and Per Mertesacker in the last week. What more surprises are yet to come?

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Transfer Rumours: Hazard, Sneijder, Cahill

  By jtom | 26/08/2011 - 7:45 AM | Transfer News
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Eden Hazard

Arsenal are close to signing Lille winger Eden Hazard. The Gunners may also make a move for Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder. Arsene Wenger has made a shockingly low bid for Gary Cahill.

According to French reports, Arsenal have agreed to terms with winger Eden Hazard, but not with his club Lille. Arsene Wenger has been tracking Hazard all summer. The tranfer fee could be sorted on Friday (today), and Hazard could be arriving in London very soon.

Mercato365 is reporting that Lille rejected a €30m bid from the Gunners. Sources say that Arsenal are set to raise their offer to €35m. Eden Hazard has already agreed to a contract, and is now waiting for Lille to make a decision.

Rumours were apparently circling on French radio that the deal was already complete. Eden Hazard would be an excellent addition to Arsenal, but I want to see official confirmation on Arsenal.com before reporting that the deal is done.

According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Arenal are considering a move for Wesley Sneijder. Sneijder has been targeted by Manchester United, but the Gunners could hijack the negotiations using the Fabregas and Nasri money.

Inter Milan is believed to want around £35m for their Dutch star. If Wenger buys Sneijder, then the transfer fee would likely shatter the Arsenal record.

The Gunners could make a strong statement by signing Sneijder. The 27-year old attacking midfielder should be able to slide into Cesc’s role with ease. Some would say that Sneijder is an upgrade over Fabregas. Inter Milan are looking to sell him, but will Arsene Wenger shell out that kind of cash?

According to Daily Mirror, Arsenal have had an offer of £6m for Gary Cahill rejected by Bolton. Bolton value their centre-back at much more than that, and rightfully so. It was a simple decision for Bolton to turn down the offer, which was ridiculously low.

Arsene Wenger needs to stop the silly games and get to buisness. He knows that Bolton would never consider £6m for Cahill. There are only six days left until the end of the transfer window, and it seems like the Gunners are no closer to get a centre-half then they were in January.

Of course, this was from Daily Mail, so their is a chance that the report is false.

Keep checking “The Clock End” for all the latest Arsenal transfer news and rumours leading up to deadline day. The Gunners have been linked with Yann M’Vila, Kaka, Marvin Martin, Phil Jagielka, Eden Hazard, Gary Cahill, Wesley Sneijder, and others in recent days. It is set to be a busy week at the Emirates, if not with actual transfers, than at least with rumours.

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Transfer Rumours: Zarate, Hazard, M’Vila, Martin

  By jtom | 23/08/2011 - 7:00 AM | Transfer News
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Arsenal are negotiating with Lazio for striker Mauro Zarate, but he may be out of the Gunners price range. Arsene Wenger could sign Eden Hazard and Yann M’Vila, but the deals hinge on whether the Gunners qualify for the Champions League group stage. Arsenal are also targeting Sochaux midfielder Marvin Martin.

According to FootyBunker.com and other sources, Arsenal are talking with Lazio about 24-year old forward Mauro Zarate. Many clubs are interested in the Lazio man, including Newcastle and Spartak Moscow. It is believed that Zarate would welcome a move to the Emirates.

According to journalist and pundit Gabriele Marcotti, Arsenal met with Zarate’s agent two weeks ago. Marcotti said on Twitter:

“Arsenal met Zarate agent 2 wks ago. Lukewarm. Priority was sorting Cesc/Nasri. Prob don’t like 20m pricetag either.”
 
Arsene Wenger should not shell out £20m for the Argentinean striker. Zarate is not even an out-and-out striker. He is also not a prolific goal-scorer.
 
Some sources are saying that Lazio want around £10m. For that price, Wenger should purchase him as insurance for Robin van Persie, for the Dutchman is more injury prone footballers on the planet.
 
 According to The Independent, Eden Hazard (Lille winger) and Yann M’Vila (Rennes defensive midfielder) will make a decision on whether to make a move to Arsenal after the Gunners play Udinese on Wednesday. Both players want to see Arsenal qualify for the Champions League before committing to a transfer.
 
 
In the case of Hazard, it is understandable why he would like to wait. Lille won Ligue 1 last season and earned an automatic spot in the Champions league group stage.
 
Rennes finished 6th last season and did not qualify for European play. Why is M’Vila reportedly waiting for the Arsenal result? Other clubs may be interested in him, or maybe he is just reading too many British tabloids, which continue to bash Arsenal and Arsene Wenger day after day.
 
According to The Independent, Arsenal are close to signing Sochaux midfielder Marvin Martin. Martin, unlike Hazard and M’Vila, will not wait for the Gunners to complete their match against Udinese. The French play-maker would likely cost around £10.5m.
 
Marvin is a small player, but he makes up for it with his terrific vision. Last season, Martin had 17 assists and 3 goals for Sochaux in 37 Ligue 1 appearances. He has been compared to Xavi, even earning the nickname “Petit Xavi.”
 
The 23-year old has three caps for France, and has two goals. Martin was fantastic for France against Ukraine. He came on as a substitute and scored two goals and assisted on another in a 4-1 victory.
 
Martin could be an excellent addition to our side. He is a creative midfielder who can help heal the wounds after the loss of Cesc Fabregas and the likely loss of Samir Nasri.
 
Ultimately, we want players that are pround to wear the red and white. It freightens me a bit when I see reports saying that the arrivals of Hazard and M’Vila could hinge on Wednesday night’s match. Do these players really want to play for Arsenal? Or are they just using our club as a stepping tone?
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Transfer Rumours: Hazard, M’Vila, Jagielka

  By jtom | 22/08/2011 - 7:48 AM | Transfer News
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Eden Hazard

Arsenal have submitted bids for both Eden Hazard (Lille) and Yann M’Vila (Rennes). Arsene Wenger is targeting Phil Jagielka as Everton’s financial problems rise.

According to Daily Mirror, Arsenal have put in a bid of at £20m-plus for Lille winger Eden Hazard. Hazard is one of the highest-rated young players in Europe, and has been linked with a move to the Emirates in the past.

Some are saying that Lille want £26m for Hazard. Manchester City’s offer for Nasri is between £22-25m. Wenger must be sure that Hazard is a real star and a Nasri replacement before he spends that kind of money.

I have not seen much of Hazard. He looks good on Youtube clips, but so does every player. Last season, the 20-year old Belgian helped Lille win the French double, scoring 10 goals and assisting on 12 in all competitions.

Remember that Arsenal bought Gervinho from Lille earlier in the summer for £10.5m. The French club may not want to break up their entire title-winning squad.

According to Daily Mirror, Arsene Wenger has submitted a £15m offer for Rennes midfielder Yann M’Vila. On Sunday, we learned that Arsenal has interest in the 21-year old defensive midfielder, but now we hear that a bid has been submitted.

Rennes do not want to sell M’Vila, but they are not regarded as a top French club. They have a top youth academy that producing former-Gunner Sylvain Wiltord among others.

Arsene Wenger had better bring in M’Vila quickly. Arsenal could really use the defensive midfielder in the up-coming matches, with both Emmanuel Frimpong and Alex Song suspended for the Manchester United game at the weekend.

According to Daily Mirror, Arsene Wenger views Phil Jagielka as the best solution to Arsenal’s centre-half problems. Everton have already rejected two Gunner offers for Jagielka, but they could succumb to Arsenal due to financial pressures.

Everton want £20m for Jagielka, and it will be Wenger’s job to lower that price. With Everton’s debt piling up, that may not be hard to do.

The Evertonians booed their team after a 1-0 loss to QPR. They were jeering the ownership more than anything. If the owners sell Jagielka, Everton fans will have even more to be angry about.

Arsene Wenger wants Jagielka as his first choice, but he has not given up on signing Bolton centre-back Gary Cahill.

We are entering another big week for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. There are many questions still to be answered, and, hopefully, some of them will be answered in the next seven days.

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Transfer Rumours: Ribery, Hazard, Dann

  By jtom | 21/07/2011 - 7:17 AM | Transfer News
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Every morning there is a fresh set of Arsenal rumours hot on the table.  The Gunners are looking to capture Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery.  Arsene Wenger has not yet given up on signing another Lille star.  Arsenal could look to Birminham’s Scott Dann as Cahill negotiations stall.

New rumours are circulating around French winger Franck Ribery.  According to sources, Wenger could obtain Ribery for just £22 million, far lower than expected.  Munich are looking to offload Ribery after the 28-year old suffered another injury-riddled campaign

The French connection is surely at work here, as reports suggest Ribery would be delighted to work with Wenger.  Despite the injuries, Ribery was able to score 11 times and gain 21 assists in 32 appearances in all competitions.  That is great production.

We all have heard to Ribery-to-Arsenal rumours before.  The difference this time is the numbers.  Bayern wanted at least £40m or more for Ribery in the past.  The asking price has been lowered considerably, and it could be the right time for Wenger to strike.

Arsenal are not done chasing Lille winger Eden Hazard.  After securing Gervinho from the French side, Wenger has turned his attention to Hazard.  Paris Saint-German are believed to be the front-runners for Hazard, but the Gunners may break up the deal.

Hazard is one of the bright young stars in Europe today, which means he will be expensive.  Reports are saying that Wenger will have to fork over £22m if he hoped to pry Hazard out of France.  The £22m number is popping up quite a bit.  It is possible that the Hazard and Ribery rumours were blended together, or not.

Birmingham City centre-back Scott Dann is on Arsene Wenger’s radar.  Arsene is not thrilled with how the Gary Cahill negotiations are going, and he may look elsewhere.  Reports say that Arsenal are ready to offer £10m for the 24-year old defender.

Apparently, Bolton are not budging on their extremely high asking price for Gary Cahill.  Sure, Cahill is a good young centre-back, but he is not worth £25m.  Centre-halfs traditionally are not rated as highly as strikers, centre-midfielders, etc.  Bolton need to get off their cloud.

Dann just does not seem to be a viable solution to our centre-half conundrum.  He only has two years of experience in the Premiership.  Dann is a decent player, but is he really any better than Laurent Koscielny?

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