Thursday, April 25, 2024
Home Blog Page 135

Official: Arsenal announce shirt number of Bernd Leno

By
Sri Aswin
-
Bernd Leno

Arsenal’s summer signing Bernd Leno has been handed the number 19 shirt ahead of the Gunners’ upcoming pre-season tour of Singapore.

The Germany international joined the Gunners from Bayer Leverkusen earlier last month but the club had not confirmed his squad number for the 2018/19 season.

However, it has now been revealed that the 26-year-old will don the number 19 jersey for the upcoming campaign and this reflects the same date when he joined the club – June 19.

Meanwhile, Leno also made his first-team debut at the age of 19 when he was on loan at Leverkusen from Stuttgart and hopefully, the shirt number bring him happy memories in the coming years.

Leno is likely to start between the sticks during Arsenal’s league opener versus Manchester City on August 12 but before that, there should be some movements in terms of the back-up options behind him.

Both Petr Cech and David Ospina have been linked with possible exits from the Emirates Stadium but judging by the former’s recent comments, Ospina appears the most likelier to leave the club.

Cech had received the offer of being Napoli’s number one shortly after the departure of Pepe Reina but the 36-year-old has recently confirmed that he has turned down the approach with his aim of competing for the number one role next term.

On the other hand, Ospina has been of strong interest to Turkish club Fenerbahce in recent weeks and it seems very likely that he will leave the Gunners after becoming presumably the third-choice shot-stopper for next season.

Lucas Perez could play left wing for Arsenal next season

By
admin
-
Lucas Perez

Arsenal still do not have a natural left winger in their team. Sanchez was doing a good job in that position but he has now been sold to Manchester United after refusing to sign a new contract.

Aubameyang played in that role at the tail end of last season and many agree playing the former Dortmund star in that role is a waste of his talent as he is better off as the top nine.

Welbeck and Iwobi also at some point of last season played in that role but to be honest, none of them is good enough.

Hence it is not a surprise that Arsenal have been linked with the signing of so many high rated wingers in the same. The likes of Gelson Martins, Cristian Pavon, Martial and a host of other talented wingers have been linked so far.

However, according to the very reliable BBC journalist David Ornstein, Arsenal are likely to have finished their transfer business once the signing of Lucas Torreira is finalised. This to so many, myself included, is a big surprise.

I personally thought Emery will go all out to bring in another winger and bin Welbeck while retaining Iwobi who Emery is reportedly a big fan of.

It could, however, be that Emery’s unwillingness to bring in another wing forward is that he trusts Lucas Perez who spent last season on loan in the La Liga. There have been reports in the media since Emery took over that the Spaniard will be given a chance in the team and Ornstein’s tweet could further prove that Emery will give the former Deportivo la Coruna player the chance he wasn’t afforded under Wenger.

Perez is currently back to pre-season training with Arsenal and should he prove himself in training, he could well be given the chance to be Arsenal’s first choice left winger next season. He signed for Arsenal in July 2017 for a fee reported to be £17.1m. He has been a target for a number of EPL clubs including Newcastle United and Everton.

22-year-old star finally confirms Arsenal transfer move, as he jets into London

By
Nithyanand
-

The departure of Uruguay from the World Cup is sure to have made Arsenal fans happy. The reason for this is that it allows the club to finally complete the signing of Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria.

Now, that he is free of national duty, he can go ahead and become an Arsenal player and he is set to have his medical today, as per reports in Metro.

The midfielder did not go back to his hometown as he and the Gunners decided to get the formalities out of the way. Torreira is expected to arrive in London and at long last, Arsenal will be able to confirm him as one of their own.

A deal between Torreira, Sampdoria and Arsenal is said to have been in place long before the start of the World Cup. This will ultimately prove to be useful for the Gunners as they would have had to pay more if the deal was done after the tournament.

Regarding his move to London and not being able to travel with his teammates, this is what Torreira had to say:

‘I would have been very happy to be able to return to Uruguay with my teammates, but this is a fantastic opportunity [to join Arsenal] and I do not want to waste it.’

It is nice to see a player be so enthusiastic about joining the club as it shows that Arsenal can attract players even now. When the deal for the 22-year-old midfielder is made official, he will become the fourth player to be signed by the club in this transfer window. It is a show of ambition from the Gunners as the player will have many more admirers after his performances in the World Cup.

The Unai Emery era has not yet started but it seems to be an exciting path for the club. With the signings that the Gunners have made, the future does sound a lot more promising than many people thought it would be like. Today could be day where that excitement increases with the confirmation of Torreira.

Unai Emery revolution excites Arsenal fans ahead of next season

By
The Long Shadow
-
Unai Emery

Ok, he may not have been the first choice name on the lips of the majority of Arsenal fans, but Unai Emery has begun to make supporters believe that the club can return to the top.

Although his English still needs a bit of work, it’s clear that the Spaniard is not about to consider failure as an option and he has spoken with passion regarding his vision for Arsenal football club.

It’s not going to happen overnight but the coach has injected optimism into the proceedings and with his recent additions. It appears, to even the most jaded fan that the former PSG manager has no intention of starting his first Premier League campaign on the back foot.

The purchases so far have been solid with the additions of Leno and Lichtsteiner but it’s the signing of Sokratis and the sublime Torreira that are increasing the belief in the direction in which the club are heading in.

If you’ve been living in a cave for the last few weeks , you may not have been privileged enough to have witnessed Lucas Torreira’s outstanding performances for Uruguay. The diminutive midfielder has shown an appetite for the game which has been lacking in the holding midfielder role for many years at Arsenal. He is relentless in pursuit of a lost ball and proved to be a thorn of misery in the life of Ronaldo.

Nipping at the heels, smothering opportunities, constantly breaking up play and clearing the lines. If this deal is concluded, Emery has pulled of a stroke of genius and at only 22 years of age, there is so much more to come. After his recent performances, I wouldn’t rule out a rival bid and it may take much more than the suggested £25/26 million to get the deal over the line.

So , what’s next? A new midfielder to replace Cazorla and Wilshere and you can take your pick of the names in the media, but Benaga is still high on the list of candidates. Emery is also keen on another centre back due to Laurent Koscielny’s longterm injury, to provide cover and increase the competition.

Again , there have been a host of names in the mix, but I suspect that Emery and Mislintat are currently looking at individual World Cup performances to evaluate others.T he media’s projected spend for Arsenal of £50 million, now seems to be a fanciful figure, with the prospective purchases of those that are said to be of interest and those deals already secured. Arsenal fans have ever right to feel excited and look forward to the new season.

Lucas Torreira to complete Arsenal transfer move: Medical and contract details revealed

By
Nithyanand
-

It looks like Arsenal have finally got their man as Lucas Torreira is set to be confirmed as a Gunner, according to reports in the Express.

After Uruguay crashed out of the World Cup, the player was given the chance to travel to London and seal the deal. Now, the details of the contract have been revealed and it has thrown up some interesting information.

The midfielder has not gone back to his country as he and Arsenal have decided that it would be better off to get the medical and other formalities done first. The report also states that the midfielder will sign a four-year contract.

This was confirmed by the national team as well who put out a statement detailing the travel plans of the team.

This is what they had to say:

‘A charter flight will return 17 of the 23 players that make up the squad. Carlos Sanchez, Lucas Torreira, Gaston Silva, Martin Silva, Cristhian Stuani and Rodrigo Bentancur will not return with the delegation,’ the statement read.

It is good that Arsenal have decided to conclude the deal now rather than wait for a later time. If they had done that, it would have only made fans feel a little more nervous about the whole deal. Now, fans can relax and wait to see Torreira holding the Arsenal shirt.

From what we know about the contract details, it appears to be quite a steal for the Gunners given the way things are going these days. We live in a time where the market is so inflated that some of the money being quoted is really crazy.

In such a scenario, Arsenal have done really to get a player of the caliber of Torreira at such a price. The midfielder was an important player at the World Cup as he was able to show his defensive and offensive talents.

It is only a matter of time before the player is announced as a member of the Arsenal squad. Torreira will become the fourth signing that Arsenal have made this summer and it will be the first player who is not a defender or goalkeeper.

Why Unai Emery might just win the Premier League for Arsenal next season

By
George
-
Unai Emery

Last season was invariably a disaster for Arsenal as a club, finishing 6th in the Premier League, ducking out of all major cups, and topped off by being Arsene Wenger’s final season at the club.

While every fan should try and remain an optimist, last season was tough for the hopeful, but will next season be different? I believe it will be, here’s why:

No one can deny that the attacking line-up for the Gunners looks remarkable on paper. Led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabbing a remarkable 10 goals and 4 assists in just 13 Premier League appearances, things look promising.

As well as this, the Gabonese front-man is supported by a host of talents such as Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan with even further depth in the likes of Danny Welbeck.

Even with all this talent up-front, no team can rely solely on an attack, and last season proved this, without a solid base in midfield and consistent chance creation, no team can come out on top.

Under Wenger, Granit Xhaka was often playing as a sole defensive midfielder, which left him in a bad position to work as a playmaker and made it near impossible to be an effective defensive addition. With Lucas Torreira confirming he will sign for Arsenal soon, Xhaka can play freely in a paired role, allowing the midfield to play a strong and creative game.

With Torreira coming, the defence will surely benefit from the support in midfield, but not nearly as much as the benefit of new signings Sokratis and Stephan Lichtsteiner. The North London side’s defensive record was arguably the biggest factor in the team’s failure last season, conceding a terrible 51 goals, more than any other top 6 side.

The experience coming in with these two experienced defenders could be absolutely vital in the League conquest after the summer, this defence could be bolstered further if Turkish Wonderkid Caglar Soyuncu signs for the club, adding depth and talent.

On top of all of this, having new keeper Bernd Leno could be a game-changer, after Petr Cech had a very mixed season last year, making several high profile mistakes. Overall, it is obviously far too early to call anything, but if it’s going to be any season, it’s this one.

5-year deal, medical tomorrow: Arsenal reach agreement to sign Matteo Guendouzi

By
Sri Aswin
-
Unai Emery

Arsenal are reported to have reached a surprise agreement to sign young French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi from Lorient in the current transfer window.

The north London side have been hot on the trail of Sampdoria’s Lucas Torreira since the close of the previous campaign and BBC’s David Ornstein recently confirmed that the deal is close to completion.

In the same update, he happened to suggest that the Gunners are also ‘likely’ to pursue a young midfielder for the future.

It appears that Guendouzi could be the one with French journalist Mohamed Toubache-Ter confirming a transfer agreement for the 19-year-old.

As per his tweet, the Gunners are said to reached an agreement over €8m fee plus add-ons for the France youth international and the deal could be announced by Monday where he is scheduled to undergo a medical.

It is yet to be known whether the source is truly legit but Sky Sports News has recently provided an update confirming that there is indeed some interest from the Gunners in the Frenchman.

Guendouzi is basically a defensive midfielder by trade and he managed 21 appearances for the Lorient senior side in the season just past.

His primarily strength has been highlighted as his ball interception skills, as per Whoscored, it will be interesting to see whether he is considered a part of the Unai Emery’s squad next term.

Earlier last month, Emery had been linked with a move for former player Yacine Adli from Paris Saint-Germain but the Frenchman decision’s to pen a professional deal with Les Parisiens seems to have turned the club’s attention to Moroccan-born Guendouzi.

Official statement from Uruguay hints that Lucas Torreira will be joining Arsenal very soon

By
Nithyanand
-

Arsenal have been quite busy in the transfer window having signed three players so far. They are looking to add a fourth to that mix in the form of Lucas Torreira.

And based on the information coming out of the Uruguay national team, it appears that a move is becoming closer and closer., according to reports in Metro.

Regarding the departures of their players from Russia, this is what the team’s official statement said:

‘A charter flight will return 17 of the 23 players that make up the squad. Carlos Sanchez, Lucas Torreira, Gaston Silva, Martin Silva, Cristhian Stuani and Rodrigo Bentancur will not return with the delegation,’ the statement read.

This can be interpreted as a sign that Torreira will be heading to London to complete a deal with the Gunners. Otherwise, there would be no real need for him to stay back as he could have gone home.

Perhaps, the club and he thought that it would be best to finish the formalities of the deal and then go on a holiday. This is plausible given the news that we have been hearing.

The midfielder was very impressive in the World Cup campaign of Uruguay where he provided them with a solid base in the middle of the pitch. They were a little bit unlucky to be knocked out at the quarter final stage as they were playing well in that match too.

After their elimination, Torreira was asked on what his opinion of Uruguay’s campaign was and he had this to say:

‘Being part of this squad in this World Cup, the truth that it was something magnificent,’ he said.

‘We go home with our heads held high because we knew how to leave everything until the end.

The performances of Torreira have only enhanced his reputation as a midfield dynamo. Arsenal fans will be really excited that such a player is going to join the club. And given the financial details that are being quoted, it seems to be quite a steal for the Gunners. All we can do now is wait for the official confirmation to be made.

This £40m rated left winger could be a key signing for Arsenal this summer

By
admin
-

Having signed Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Dortmund and Leno Bernd from Bayer Leverkusen, Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer from Juventus and looking increasingly likely to sign Lucas Torreira from Sampdoria, if there is still one area Arsenal needs to bolster, it is the left wing position.

The Gunners lack a real left wing forward having sold Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United and it affected them in the number of goals they scored they scored last season.

Of course, Aubameyang can play in that role and did actually play in it for some games last season but he is wasted in that position. He is better off top striking.

Although Arsenal also have Iwobi and Welbeck who can play in that position neither of them is good enough for a side that wants to compete in the top four.

I personally was hoping Welbeck will play well at the World Cup in order to increase his market value and fetch Arsenal at least £25 million that can be spent elsewhere.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t played much for England so far but he is still able to command a fee in the region of £20 million especially if the Three Lions eventually win the Cup. Arsenal in my opinion simply have to sell some players and that includes Welbeck in other to bring in a proper winger to the team.

Going into next season without having signed another winger(unless Emery intends to sign another striker and play Aubameyang as the left winger) will be suicidal.

The likes Of Lucas Perez, the aforementioned Welbeck, Elneny, Joel Campbell and Chuba Akpom could be sold to fetch Arsenal some money that can be spent on a left winger. And Arsenal may actually not look too far for a classy left winger should they really want to sign one.

Manchester United’s Anthony Martial reportedly wants out of Old trafford and the sale of Sanchez to the Red devils last season and the exit of Wenger could well make doing a deal with the Red half of Manchester possible now.

Ever since the news of Martial wanting to leave Old Trafford broke, he has been often talked about by Arsenal and United fans on twitter. The Transfer Hound’s hot-o-meter ranks him as the third most talked about player in relation to a transfer on Twitter right now. Most United fans would hate to see him go while Arsenal fans certainly won’t mind him at theirs.

Martial is certainly not a bad player and will be a massive upgrade on what we currently have. He merely needs a move to a club like Arsenal who appreciate attacking talents like himself. The Frenchman has been one of the most talked about player on twitter since the news broke that he could be leaving Old Trafford and it is a testament to how highly rated he is among both Arsenal and United fans.

He may not be doing well under Mourinho but everyone agrees that’s because he hasn’t been trusted under Mourinho. A bid of £40 million which Arsenal can easily raise from player sales could well be enough for Arsenal to sign the former AS Monaco star.

Lucas Torreira flying to London for Arsenal medical ahead of £26m move

By
admin
-

Just a few days before the start of the World Cup news broke that Arsenal have reached an agreement with Sampdoria to sign highly rated defensive midfielder Lucas Torreira from the Serie A club side.

Napoli were also said to be interested but the Gunners moved quickly, agreed to pay more than his reported release clause.

Although the deal was agreed between the two clubs, the North London club decided to wait till Torreira finished his assignment with the national team at the World Cup.

This lead to some anxiety among Arsenal fans(myself included) who feared the deal may be hijacked by other clubs if Arsenal do not move quickly. Now it appears the wait is over. This is as various reports from South America today seems to be confirming the player is on his way to London to undergo a medical with Arsenal.

The player is now on his way to England to undergo a medical with Arsenal. This was confirmed by an Uruguayan journalist. Here is the tweet:

The tweet translated to: “The midfielder Torreita travels to Moscow and then to London to perform the medical examination with arsenal and sign his contract. Halfway through the week, he returns to Uruguay.”

Only yesterday BBC journalist David Ornstein confirmed the player is on the verge of signing for Arsenal after the Gunners reportedly reach an agreement with his current club Sampdoria.

The Mirror reported recently that a £26m fee has already been agreed with Sampdoria and a four-year contract has also been settled.

In the three World Cup matches where he started, he has impressed a lot with his ball-winning ability as well as the way he can pick out a pass. From the looks of it, he will fit right into the Arsenal team as a midfield trio of Xhaka, Torreira and Ramsey is a frightening prospect.

Now, all that remains is for the move to be made official and for the player to arrive in London. Based on his performances at the World Cup, it is safe to say that Arsenal fans will have high hopes for Torreira. And with the way the new set up is working, everything seems to be in place for him to be a success.

1...134135136...326Page 135 of 326
© Arsenal Fever. All Right Reserved 2021.