Arsene Wenger is confused about the UEFA rules regarding a touchline suspension. Wenger said he tried to respect the rules, but the the guidelines were not made clear to him.
During Tuesday’s match against Udinese, Arsene Wenger seemed to be using his assistant coach, Boro Primorac, to send messages down to Pat Rice. Primorac was busy using his mobile phone throughout the match.
Wenger told Arsenal Player: ”It was difficult because you didn’t really know what the rules were. They told us first we could communicate through my assistant and at half-time it was not like that. It was a bit confusing.
“It is a real concern because up to what level can you stop someone doing their job?
“I did not feel I had done a lot. We tried to respect the rules as they are set by UEFA but, of course, it is very difficult to see how you can stop someone having an influence.
“What is true is that you can’t go to the dressing rooms but I did not do that.”
Apparently, Wenger was told by UEFA that he was allowed to use Primorac to contact the bench, but at half-time, he was told to stop. UEFA need to sort out the regulations and make them clear to the managers before they impose this sort of ban.
It must be hard for Wenger to sit in the stands and watch his squad play. Every minute he must be thinking about something he could have said to the players; how he could have made a difference in the match.
Hopefully, UEFA take the blame and do not suspend Wenger again. They need to make the rules clear and concise. Arsenal supporters blame Arsene Wenger for many things (sometimes rightfully so), but Wenger is not at fault here.
Arsenal and Manchester City have a transfer deal in place for Samir Nasri, but the Frenchman would rather be at Old Trafford. According to reports, Arsenal are interested in Lazio striker Mauro Zarate. Everton admit that they may have to sell star players, which could open the door for the Gunners.
According the The Guardian, Arsenal have an agreement with Manchester City for the transfer of Samir Nasri, but Nasri will not play for City against Bolton at the weekend. There are still a few details to sort out before the deal is complete.
Arsenal will reportedly sell Nasri for £22m. The French midfielder is expected to make £180,000 a week at Eastlands. The Gunners were only willing to give him £90,000 per week, and Nasri became frustrated with negotiations. Nasri is leaving the Emirates for money, and money only.
According to Daily Mirror, Samir Nasri is already looking to leave Eastlands. He has told friends that he would rather sign for Manchester United. Nasri will settle for Manchester City and their oil money.
Samir Nasri is the definition of a disloyal footballer. First, he leaves the Emirates for money. Now, he is talking about his love for Manchester United, before he has even joined Manchester City. He will join City, but he prefers United. I do not want “Nasrat” on my team.
According to Corriere Dello Sport, the agent for Lazio’s Mauro Zarate is in London holding talks with Arsenal. The 26-year old Argentinean striker would cost the Gunners around £10m. Zarate wants to leave Lazio after the recent influx of forwards.
Zarate has spent time in the Premier League. He went on a loan spell with Birmingham City, and scored 4 goals in 14 matches. Last season, Zarate netted 9 goals and 7 assists in 35 appearances in Serie A.
Most Arsenal fans will not be elated if Wenger goes for Zarate. The Lazio striker does not have a great goal-scoring record, with 25 goals in 103 apearances for the Italian club.
Everton chairman Bill Kenwright hinted that the club may have to sell players because of their finacial situation. Here is what he told The Sun: “We knew this summer we were going to get to a point where things were going to be very, very tight and we knew we had to trade.
“There has not been a lot of trading in football itself this summer and we have not been able to trade yet and that is the reason we have not brought in a new player.
“The world is in a recession and I don’t know any business that is not suffering at the moment. I include football in that, apart from the financial elite in the game.”
Everton is under pressure to sell star players Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines. They could be sending a signal to Arsene Wenger that they are open for negotiations. Jagielka has been linked with Arsenal quite frequently this summer, while Baines has not been in the Gunner rumours too often.
With the injury to Kieran Gibbs (and his history of injuries), Baines would be a great addition to our backline. Arsene Wenger needs to sure up the back four with the Nasri and Fabregas money. Everton could be looking for buyers, while the Gunners are in desperate need of defending.
Manchester City are set to sign Samir Nasri. Chelsea are now in the chase for Arsenal target Juan Mata. Marseille say they are open to Mathieu Valbuena talks with Arsenal.
According to BBC and other sources, Manchester City are very close to signing Samir Nasri. Reports say that a deal could become official in the next 24 hours. Sources say that the deal would be worth £25m.
Manchester City will have to pay a high price for the Arsenal star. Nasri has had only one great season in England, and he looks to cash in on that success. City are willing the pay Nasri a much higher wage, and Arsenal must use the transfer fee to strengthen their team before the end of the month.
According to The Guardian and other sources, Chelsea have joined the hunt for Valencia winger Juan Mata. Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham are rumoured to be after the 23-year old Spainish star.
According to Daily Mail, Chelsea had a £22m bid rejected by Valencia. Valencia may be determined to hang on to their star. Or maybe Chelsea will just have to hand over a few million more.
The time is running out on Arsene Wenger. If he sells Nasri, he needs enough time to sign a replacement. With Chelsea chasing Mata, Wenger’s options may be running thin.
Marseille sporting director Jose Anigo is willing to discuss midfielder Mathieu Valbuena with Arsenal: “It’s been six years since Mathieu Valbuena joined the club. If Arsenal wants to buy him, the discussion can be opened.”
Valbuena is a versatile player who can play as a centre attacking midfielder or on the wing. The 26-year Frenchman is not a goal-scorer, with only 20 in 175 appearances for Marseille. But Valbuena has scored 2 goals in 8 caps for France.
The Gunners were also rumoured to have interest in Andre Ayew, but Anigo said those negotiations will not happen:
“Andre Ayew is not for sale. There is certainly a clause [in his contract] but the clause has a time limit which has expired. If you want to buy, you pay a different price than that set at the start. Andre Ayew has a long way to go for us. ”
Marseille could shove Valbuena in Arsenal’s face to attempt to sway the Gunners away from Ayew. The 21-year old winger Ayew had 13 goals in all competitions. Interstingly, he is the son of African football legend Abedi Pele.
Marseille are just like Arsenal. They do not want to lose young players. They would rather have Wenger sign Valbuena and hold onto Ayew for a few more years. And we know that Wenger will not overpay for Ayew.
Arsene Wenger said Wednesday that he is not frightened to spend £30 or £40 million if he finds the right quality players. But should we believe him?
Wenger told Sky Sports News on Wednesday: “I will pay £30 million I will even pay £40 million if I find the right players. But it’s not a question of money, it’s a question of quality we find.
“I think I have a wrong reputation of not wanting to spend money – I do not want to spend money for average players.”
Arsenal certainly have a reputation for not spending money. What kind of player would Wenger spend £40m on? Maybe some kind of Lionel Messi and Nemanja Vidic hybrid. A player who is both the best defender and best attacker in the world. A footballer never before seen on a pitch.
Wenger continued: “And we are not frightened to spend money when we think it’s right.
“Our fans have more reasons to be proud of this club – the values here, the way the club is run, what the club is built (upon) – than being angry with the club.”
Our club is pure class. Arsenal do things on principles and not oil money. There is a system and not just an endless flow of untraceable cash.
Wenger went on: “Of course we want to deliver trophies, of course we want to win trophies, who wouldn’t want (that)?
“But we feel we were very close last year and my regret of course is that we didn’t do it but we are battling on all fronts and a bit unlucky on all fronts I think.”
The Gunners were only a Szczesny-Koscielny miscommunication away from winning the League Cup. But that moment typified Arsenal’s problems. Lack of leadership, poor defending, and a penchant for blowing games late on.
Back to Wenger: “When something bad happens to you there is only one way to respond as a club – with unity.
“Football is difficult enough if you are united. If you are not united, you have no chance.”
So basically, Arsene, only Manchester United have a chance at winning trophies? Seriously, Wenger should watch his word choice because the press are experts on twisting quotes.
If Arsene Wenger is not afraid to spend £40m, then Arsenal should be able to add at least one quality defender and a replacement for Samir Nasri. Gooners want to see it to believe it.
Arsenal have announced the transfer of Emmanuel Eboue to Galatasaray. Carlos Vela and Pedro Botelho have both been loaned to Spanish clubs.
Emmanuel Eboue has signed a four-year deal with Turkish club Galatasaray. In a way, it is sad to see Eboue go. He was a colourful part of our side for six years. But then you remember his mistake against Liverpool late in injury time, and you are happy he is gone.
Arsene Wenger needed to sell some of the spare parts. Eboue can be useful to a club because of his versatility; he can play both right-back and and right-wing. But Arsenal no longer have a use for him with the addition of Carl Jenkinson.
Eboue made 214 appearances in the Arsenal shirt and scored 10 goals in all competitions. His best season was in 2008-2009 when he made 44 appearances, scored 4 goals, and had 6 assists. The Ivorian international only played 27 games for the Gunners last season.
Emmanuel Eboue is a colourful character, but it was time for him to leave the Emirates.
Carlos Vela is going on loan… again. This time, the 22-year old Mexican striker will be playing at Real Sociedad. Last season, Vela spent time with West Brom on loan, playing in only 8 games, but scoring two goals. He has also been on loan spells with Osasuna and Salamanca while with the Gunners.
Vela will end up in La Liga one day. He could really contribute to a mid-table side in Spain’s top league. Vela could come around eventually, but how much longer will Wenger wait for the Mexican striker to fulfill his potentional.
Pedro Botelho will also be joining a La Liga club on loan. The 21-year old Brazilian wing-back has be loaned to Rayo Vallecano. This is Botelho’s fourth loan spell but, unlike Vela, he has never made an appearance for Arsenal.
Both of these loan deals are for the entire season.
Samir Nasri said he will leave Arsenal very soon with ”bitterness” and “anger” on his Facebook account. Then, Nasri, on his Twitter, said that he never made the comments.
The French midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester City. Nasri has not yet played in any of Arsenal’s two games this season.
Here is what Nasri said on his Facebook account: “I’ve been very disappointed by the supporters last weekend. I am still an Arsenal player but I will certainly leave very soon. It’s nearly done.
“But I will leave with bitterness and anger in my heart. I am proud for having played with the Gunners during the past three years. Thank you all for your messages and support.”
Nasri later said on Twitter: “Just to make things clear i dont have a facebook so i never said i was leaving with bitterness the guy who said that use a fake account.” [sic]
How does anyone really know what social media account is real? Instead of clearing things up, Nasri just made it confusing. The press is already running with this story, so the fan reaction will become more and more negative towards Nasri.
How do we know his Twitter is not fake? How do we even know Nasri exists anymore if he never steps foot on the pitch?
This will be a terrible break-up when the deal finally goes through. Samir Nasri has set himself up for a career full of hate from North London, and he deserves it.
Nasri, from his “official” Twitter account, called Arsenal fans “disrespectful” after the Newcastle match. Nasri is going to Manchester City to get their oil money, and no Gooner will respect that.
Arsenal narrowly defeated Udinese in the first leg of the Champions League Play-off on Tuesday. Theo Walcott’s early goal was the only tally of the match. Arsene Wenger may face action from UEFA after he contacted the bench during the match.
Theo Walcott broke the tension at the Emirates early with a goal in the 4th minute. Aaron Ramsey made a run down the flank, and then curled a low cross into the box. Theo Walcott volleyed the ball into the net. It is was good finish from Theo, who looked dangerous the entire match.
Udinese were clearly not afraid to play at Ashburton Grove. They lived up to their billing as a free-flowing, counter-attacking side. Antonio Di Natale lofted beautiful chips into the box for his teammates, but the Italians were unable to convert. Pablo Armero, a quick wing back, was the best performer from Udinese, using his work-rate and pace to create a variety of chances.
Gervinho seems to be unable to cross or shoot without hitting the nearest defender. The Ivorian has great ball control and pace, but once he approaches the box, he either holds onto the ball for too long or smashes it into the closest opponent.
Udinese decided to play four in the back instead of three, which was customary for them last season. Their attack was fluid, particularly in the second period, and was fueled by a number of skilled wing players, like Armero, Mauricio Isla, and Giampiero Pinzi.
Arsene Wenger will again be subjected to the ire of UEFA. According to The Guardian, Wenger relayed messages to Pat Rice on the pitch through phone conversations. Arsene believed that he could use coach Boro Primorac to communicate with the bench. UEFA warned Wenger at half-time to stop the communications.
But Primorac continued to talk on his mobile phone, and UEFA likely found this suspicious. Pat Rice even began looking up to the stands for Wenger. Arsene refused to hold his usual post-match press conference, thinking that his suspension should apply to that as well. It was probably just a sly move to anger UEFA.
The papers today have come up with some of the most blatant Arsenal-bashing headlines to date. For example, The Sun are running an article titled “Steven Howard warns Arsene Wenger over has-Beans.” The general consenus in the press is that Arsenal are lucky to have won the match, and that they are in big trouble.
Arsenal suffered two injuries to their back four. Kieran Gibbs, on of the Gunner glass-men, was taken out at half-time due to a sore hamstring. His replacement in the match, Johan Djourou, succumbed to a hamstring injury and Carl Jenkinson was brought in for him in the 56th minute. Wenger may have a makeshift defence for the upcoming Liverpool match.
If Manchester United had edged Udinese by a score of 1-0, then all the pundits would be applauding their bravery, experience, and winning mentality. If we do it, then of course that is not nearly good enough If Arsenal ever narrowly beat a team, then the Wenger empire is ready to crumble.
In reality, Arsenal did not have their best performance, but considering the absences of Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri, and Jack Wilshere, it was not a terrible outcome. Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey understand the importance of a clean sheet in the first leg (told to Sky Sports).
Walcott: “Yeah of course, but the most important thing was a clean sheet and our defence was solid yet again, just like at the weekend.
“It’s nice to get the goal, but they’re a strong team and we’re going to find it difficult over there, but we believe if we play the same football we can get the right result.”
Ramsey: “I think it was important to keep a clean sheet tonight, but they were a good opposition, it was a difficult test for us, but we came through it and scored a goal.
“But it’s still far from over. We’re going over there with a game to go and hopefully we can finish the job off.”
Walcott also reiterated his desire to play as a central striker, saying “That (striker) is where I want to play this season…” He has done this in the past.
In fact, Walcott would have had a brace had Samir Handanovic not made a terrific save. In the 91st minute, Gervinho made a brilliant run around the Udinese defenders before finding Theo nestled in the penalty area. Walcott tried to curl it into the far post but Handanovic had it covered.
Arsenal got a decent result Tuesday night. They did not concede a goal, and are in the right position to finish off Udinese. The second leg in Italy will still be very tense and exciting, but the Gunners handled their business at home. Hopefully, with the addition of Robin van Persie and Jack Wilshere into the squad, Arsene Wenger squad can move onto the group stages.
“He is a leader through the way he plays, through his attitude and through his desire to win. He’s been at the Club a long time and he’s a technical leader as well. Thomas Vermaelen will assist him, it’s the decision I have made and I’m confident the group will respond to it.”
Van Persie is ready to wear the armband, telling Arsenal Official Matchday Programme: “As captain you are an ambassador for the Club and I’m ready for that. I’ve been in the game now for more than ten years, so I know how this world works.
“When I was 18 I didn’t have a clue! Every day I was always surprised by something, when I went to training or when I had a game, every day was just one big surprise for me. How people reacted after the game – the fans, players, media – it was all a surprise to me, I was just thinking about playing football.
“But now I know how things work and I understand that certain actions have consequences. I know that quite well, I feel experienced, so I feel ready for this. I know that every single player represents their club anyway, everywhere you are, 24/7. I’ve been dealing with it for a few years now, so I know what my part is. ”
Van Persie is the right choice. The Dutchman has been with the Gunners since 2004, and is one of Arsenal’s more experienced players at the age of 28. He is more vocal than Cesc Fabregas, who was a disaster as the Gunners’ skipper. Robin likes to say what is on his mind, and hopefully he will tell off players when they make mistakes.
Some do not like a striker wearing the armband, but RvP was the obvious choice as successor to Fabregas. Thomas Vermaelen would have been a decent selection, but he has only has 39 games as an Arsenal player.
Van Persie has been plagued by injury in the past. With any luck, the Dutchman will be able to fend off ailments this campaign and lead the Gunners to glory. He should receive a confidence boost after getting the armband.
Samir Nasri called Arsenal supporters “disrespectful” after their behavior at the Newcastle match. Nasri’s comments on Twitter were meant with criticism from Arsenal Supporters’ Trust.
Nasri has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester City. The French midfielder has reportedly refused to negotiate a new contract at the Emirates.
Here is what Nasri said on Twitter: “I heard what the fans were singing about me on saturday and it is really disrespectful because i’m still a arsenal player.” [sic]
Tom Payton from the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust responded to Nasri’s comments in The Sun: “Nasri’s tweets are inappropriate.
“As Wenger has said, only players committed to Arsenal should play for the team.
“As he clearly isn’t committed, he needs to leave. Arsenal are bigger than any one player.”
Payton is right. If Nasri had actually played for Arsenal in the Newcastle match, Gooners would not be tough on him. He clearly wants to go to Manchester City for higher wages, and no Arsenal supporter is going to respect him for that.
Nasri should have dismissed rumours on his Twitter account, not gone after the supporters. If Nasri promised to stay with the Gunners, then his critics would go quiet. But he knows that a move to City is close, and he does not want to ruin his big money move now.
Arsene Wenger assured the media on Monday that Arsenal are not frightened to buy players, but he wants quality players. Wenger seems frustrated with the constant media attention on his transfer policy.
Here is some of what Wenger said at his pre-match press conference yesterday: “Everybody says to me, ‘Buy’ and I’m not against it. But when I ask, ‘Who?’ then there is a no-man’s land.
“What I want to say is we are not frightened to spend money but we have to be convinced that the player is better than what we have. Just spending money is not a target that is defendable. I don’t know if you watched our two centre-backs [Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen] at Newcastle on Saturday but I’m not convinced we have a lack of quality there.”
Arsenal need help in central defence. There is no getting around it. Just because injury-riddled Vermaelen and mistake-prone Koscielny made it through Newcastle unscathed does not mean that they are good enough to win the Premier League.
Wenger believes Arsenal need to bring in quality: “That is our main concern, to bring quality. We have quality, but want to add more quality.”
The problem arises because Wenger cannot bear spending considerable cash on any quality footballer. Then, he seems to convince himself that his squad is good enough without adding any more players. Arsene, quality cost money in the market these days.
Arsene Wenger said the fans should consider the long-term stablility: “Rather than convicting this club, the fans have more reason to be proud of the whole situation here. We have built a team and a stadium in such a short space of time, we have a strong financial situation and we always survive at the top level.
“We focus on the players we have and we believe we have enough strength. I saw all the games over the weekend and I don’t see why we should be suddenly afraid of anybody in England.”
Ashburton Grove does help sustain our position as a top European club, but we, supporters, have a right to be angry. Gooners are paying the highest ticket prices in all of Europe, and they want trophies instead of talk. We do not need to be afraid of anyone in the Premier League. We just need to beat them.
Arsene Wenger is confused about the UEFA rules regarding a touchline suspension. Wenger said he tried to respect the rules, but the the guidelines were not made clear to him.
