Reports say that Juan Mata is not interested in moving to White Hart Lane. The Valencia winger would rather move to Arsenal. Arsene Wenger “likes” Mata but has not yet made an official bid.
According to Goal.com, sources close to Mata say that he would snub a transfer to Tottenham. Mata would rather stay at Valencia or move to Arsenal. He is not interested in a move to Spurs despite interest from Harry Redknapp.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp recently confirmed Tottenham’s interest in the 23-year old Spanish star. Redknapp is willing to pay £19m for Mata.
Why would Mata want to move to White Hart Lane? Valencia finished third in last season’s La Liga, only behind powerhouses Madrid and Barcelona. Valencia are automatically qualified for the Champions League. Mata is not interested in wasting his talents at Spurs.
Tottenham cannot lure the talented Spanish winger from his current home. Spurs will be competing in the Europa League next season. A player of Mata’s quality demands Champions League play. Valencia have also won more recent silverware than Spurs. And Harry Redknapp’s squad will not even compete for the Premier League title this season.
Okay, time to end the anti-spurs rant. So what does this mean for Arsenal? It means that Wenger will not have to worry about Redknapp stealing his player away. Mata is happy to wait for a potential Arsenal offer.
Arsene wants to get the Nasri and Fabregas situations sorted before he moves for Mata. If Fabregas or Nasri leaves, expect Mata’s signing [...]
Cesc Fabregas left the Arsenal-Boca Juniors Emirates Cup match at half-time. This incident only further fuels speculation about Cesc’s rumoured move to Barcelona. The Spanish skipper left at the right time, as the Gunners blew a two-goal lead.
According to Mail on Sunday, Fabregas stood up and walked out of the game before the start of the second half. He followed a Arsenal official out of the Emirates Stadium and into a car. The departure could signal a bigger announcement, which could happen any day now, sending Cesc to Barcelona.
Not many people realized Cesc had left, so there were no questions posed to Arsene Wenger during the post-match press conference. This is certainly an interesting developement, and it supports Wenger’s decision to sit Cesc out of the Emirates Cup because of the captain unsettling behavior.
Not only did Cesc walk out, he walked out without an Arsenal shirt on. Fabregas was just wearing a shirt with a an advert for brand of jeans. According to the Mail on Sunday report, Cesc hopped into a silver Jaguar and was whisked off the scene.
Does Cesc Fabregas still care about Arsenal Football Club? Leaving a match early is certainly not appropriate for an injured or “unsettled” player. Maybe Fabregas was trying to make as point to Wenger and the Arsenal board.
Or maybe Fabregas just had something important to do. It was an friendly match after all. Hopefully, some media outlet will ask Cesc why he left the match early. Every Gooner [...]
Arsenal let a two-goal lead slip in the second half against Boca Juniors. Robin van Persie and Aaron Ramsey were the goal scorers for Arsenal, but the lead was wiped away by goals from Lucas Viatri and Pablo Mouche. Arsene Wenger spoke after the match about recent transfer speculation.
Gervinho used his electric pace to set up Robin van Persie for the first goal of the match. The Ivorian put a cross right into the Dutchman’s lap, and RVP finished it off in the 29th minute. Gervinho was the centre of many Arsenal attacks this afternoon.
Carlos Vela set up Aaron Ramsey for the Gunners’ second goal in the 46th minute . The Mexican made a brilliant run around three defenders before he was finally taken down. The ball rolled to Ramsey, and the Welshman fired it into the back of the net. Ramsey has shown a lot of confidence leading up the the season.
Two quick goals in the second half from Boca Juniors negated all of Arsenal’s hard work. Juan Roman Riquelme is a midfield general, and he was at the centre of Boca’s attack.
In the 68 minute, Lucas Vitari cut Arsenal’s lead to one with a powerful shot past Vito Mannone. The goal was a result of a give-away from Sebastien Squillaci. How is Squillaci still getting playing time?
Then, three minutes later, Boca substitute Pablo Mouche scored the equaliser, much to the dismay of the Gooner faithful. Mouche out-muscled Johan Djourou and was alone with Mannone. The keeper [...]
Abou Diaby will miss up to 10 weeks while recovering from an ankle operation. Diaby has not played in any of Arsenal’s preseason friendlies and now will be forced to sit out the start of the season.
Arsene Wenger broke the news: “Abou had ankle surgery during the break. Normally he should be back eight to 10 weeks after his surgery, which means the end of August.”
Normally, no one would worry about the absence of Diaby. Many would rather see him sold, but Arsene Wenger could run into depth problems in central midfield. If Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri leave, Wenger will be left with Wilshere, Ramsey, Song as the viable candidates for the position.
Similar to Theo Walcott, the ankle problems starting bothering Diaby at the end of last season. Hopefully, Diaby is able to make a full recovery by September. Whatever you think of Abou as a player, nobody ever wants to see a footballer begin the season in the stands.
Tottenham have submitted a offer for Arsenal target Juan Mata, in an attempt to keep him away from the Emirates. Arsenal are launching a new and improved bid for Everton’s Phil Jagielka. Despite reports, Joel Campbell has not agreed to a move to Arsenal.
According to The Guardian, Spurs have submitted a £22m bid for Valencia winger Juan Mata. Mata has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, but this Tottenham effort could sway Valencia and Mata towards White Hart Lane.
Arsene Wenger has not yet made a formal offer for the 23-year old Spanish star. The boss seems to be waiting on the Cesc Fabregas saga to make a decision. £22m is more than what Arsenal are expected to offer, but Mata would prefer a move to the Gunners where he can compete in the Champions League.
Mata’s contract says that Valencia must sell him to any club that offers more than €21m. Tottenham’s offer exceeds that amount, so the decision will be Mata’s. Will he decide to wait on Arsenal or head to Spurs?
Some media outlets are reporting that Arsene Wenger is considering signing Juan Mata and Phil Jagielka in a terrific double swoop.
According to Daily Mail and other sources, the Gunners are ready to make a fresh offer for the Eveton centre-back. Wenger is willing to pay £15m for Jagielka but will try to secure the England international for £12m first according to Goal.com. David Moyes is likely to reject this bid, just as he rejected [...]
Arsene Wenger and Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood want the Cesc Fabregas-Barcelona saga to end quickly. Hill-Wood said that Barcelona need to stop “messing about” or Arsenal will end talks. Wenger will not include Fabregas for the Emirates Cup squad because the captain is “unsettled.”
Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood is clearly frustrated with the Barcelona negotiations for Cesc (told to Daily Star): “They have been messing about for a year and a half now and they have got to make up their minds. The ball is in their court. They have made one bid of around £26 million and another rather tentative one.
“If they want to buy the player they are going to have to pay the right price – and when you look at what is being paid elsewhere I don’t think what we are asking is at all unreasonable.”
Hill-Wood also declared that Arsenal are “close” to calling off the talks all together with Barcelona.
Strong statements from the chairman on Cesc Fabregas. Either Barca need to pay up or leave our captain alone. Pay the £40m asking price or go home. Fabregas is not demanding a transfer and Arsenal are willing to keep him.
Arsene Wenger will not play Cesc Fabregas during the Emirates cup, as Wenger waits for Fabregas to make up his mind: “He will not be involved because at the moment he is not settled. He is coming back from an injury and is not settled with us.
“You know all the speculation which is around [...]
Arsenal will be taking on Boca Juniors of Argentina and New York Red Bulls during the next two days. Thierry Henry will make an emotional return to the Emirates. Arsene Wenger has good news on the progress of Theo Walcott’s injury.
The Emirates Cup is a two-day, four-club tournament that takes place at Emirates Stadium. The four teams are Arsenal (of course), Boca Juniors, New York Red Bulls and Paris Saint-Germain. This preview is centered around Arsenal, who will take on Boca Juniors later today and New York Red Bulls tomorrow.
Cesc Fabregas will miss the Cup due to on-going transfer negotiations with Barcelona. Theo Walcott will sit out due to an ankle injury, but Arsene Wenger does have good news: “It is better than expected. He is ten days out.”
When asked if Walcott will be healthy for the start of the season, Wenger replied: “He could, we are hopeful.”
Arsenal will play Boca Juniors today at 16:20 BST. Juan Roman Riquelme plays for Boca now but he was starring at Villareal when the Gunners played the Spanish side in a 2006 Champions League semifinal. Jens Lehmann saved Riqulme’s penalty late in the match which could have brought Villareal level. Here is what Riquelme said yesterday about the incident:
“It was one of the saddest memories of my career and one I will always remember. I thought we were stronger than Arsenal and deserved to play in the Final. We were quite unlucky, I missed a penalty and Arsenal managed [...]
AC Milan have dropped out of Cesc Fabregas race due to a ”hyperbolic transfer fee.” Barcelona players are still confident that Fabregas will join them at the Nou Camp this season.
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani told the media yesterday that Milan are not after Cesc: “I understand that Fabregas is an Arsenal player and not a Barcelona one. There will be no battle between Barcelona and us for him. His transfer fee is hyperbolic and he’s not one of our objectives.”
If AC Milan are calling a transfer fee hyperbolic, then Barcelona must be sweating right now. No one ever really thought Fabregas would move to Italy, but it is good to see another team drop out of the Cesc race. It is clear that the pressure is on Barcelona to pay up and sign the Arsenal captain.
Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique made news yesterday after talking about Cesc: “All signings have their due process of negotiation – some are easier and some more complicated.
“Clearly he’s an important player for Arsenal and it’s normal for them to try and keep him on their team. I think we should let the negotiation run its course and we’ll see if he’ll join us or not.”
Then it was Xavi’s turn to talk about Cesc, when asked how Fabregas could impact Thiago Alcantara: “We have a long season and I believe there are games for all players. As Pep said once, central midfield is our strength and Thiago is compatible with Fabregas. I don’t think it’s fair [...]
Arsenal are close to a £9 million deal sending striker Nicklas Bendtner to Sporting Lisbon. Arsene Wenger has publicly stated that the Gunners are shopping Bendtner, who has not featured in any of Arsenal’s three preseason matches.
A suitor has finally stepped up to purchase Bendtner, and we can all be glad about that. The Danish striker, known for his astronomical ego, has not lived up to Arsene Wenger’s expectation. Wenger is trimming the heard and that means Bendtner must go.
With the arrival of Gervinho and emergence of Ryo Miyaichi, there is no longer a need for Bendtner. The 23-year old has had some success playing on the wing, but with his height (1.95 m, 6 ft 5 in), he is an ideal frontman. Bendtner and his agent (also his father) have been pandering for a move for some time.
If this deal goes through, Arsene can use the extra £9m to reinforce his bids for centre-backs Gary Cahill, Christopher Samba, and Phil Jagielka. Bendtner will get more playing time in Portugal. This is a good deal for everyone.
Christopher Samba has ambitions to play Champions League football with Arsenal. Samba stated his wishes publicly yesterday as he pushes for a switch to the Emirates.
Here is what Samba told The Sun yesterday: “A player who has no ambition to play at a higher level has made a mistake and chosen the wrong sport.
“I don’t know what is happening with Arsenal because I am not dealing with it and it’s not my problem.
“At the minute I am still at Blackburn but it would be a big lie if I told you ‘everything is good and I don’t want to play in the Champions League’.”
Samba is being honest with Blackburn, but will the Rovers be willing to let their hulking centre-back go? If not, Wenger should aggressively hunt Samba, because he is exactly the type of defender we need. Someone who is willing to sacrifice his body for the ball, and someone who is more about strength and power than technique. And Samba is that player.
Christopher Samba is a captain and a leader, and there is a difference. Some skippers are just the best players on their team (Cesc Fabregas, David Beckham), and others lead by direction and example (Samba, Tony Adams).
Samba wants to play in the Champions League, and Arsene Wenger admits we need a defender. What more are we waiting on? Get a deal done Arsene!
Signing Juan Mata and Christopher Samba in the same week would be a serious statement from Arsene Wenger. [...]
