22-year-old midfielder drops major Arsenal transfer hint, as club ready £44m bid

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21-07-2018

These days, due to the presence of social media, everybody’s action have become more transparent. Anything that you do is recorded and this is more so the case with footballers who are always under the public eye.

Any small move that they make, people will notice it and spread the word. The same thing seems to have to happened to Kingsley Coman who liked a comment that linked to the Gunners.

In recent times, there have been a lot of reports that have linked the Frenchman to a move to the Emirates, including a recent one which said Gunners are ready to make a £44m bid. And by doing something like this, he has only added to the speculation.

To be honest, not a lot should be read into these things but one can’t help but feel a little excited by what Coman decided to do. As far as getting the player is concerned, it will depend a lot on who Arsenal are able to sell as that will raise the necessary funds.

The 22-year-old midfielder really fits the kind of player that the Gunners need at the moment as he is someone who is fast, direct and a very good dribbler. There are not too many players in the current Arsenal squad who can do what the does.

Unai Emery has spoken about being open to signing players despite the five that the Gunners have already brought in. The major obstacle apart from the price is whether Bayern Munich would be willing to let him go.

If Coman does join the Gunners, it would be bit of a coup for them as they are getting someone who is full of potential. But, that depends on a lot of other factors so we will have to wait and watch. The Premier League will start next month and Arsenal have to make sure that their business is done by then.

Arsenal make five-year contract offer to 27-year-old star, Unai Emery wants player to stay

By

Nithyanand

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20-07-2018

One of the most pressing issues that Arsenal have to deal with this season is the contract negotiation of Aaron Ramsey.

The midfielder’s contract gets over at the end of the upcoming season so, it is essential that the Gunners find a solution for it right now. Now, reports from the Daily Star suggest that in order to tie down the Welshman to a new deal, Arsenal are willing to offer a five-year extension.

It has to be noted that no agreement has been reached as of now as the negotiations between the player and the club are expected to go on a little bit longer.

Manager Unai Emery has been asked about the situation regarding Ramsey and from what he said, one can make out just how highly he thinks of the Welshman. During his press conference before the Boreham Wood game, he was asked about this and he said:

“I’m very happy with him. For me, every day, every training session, he has the ambition I want. He’s working with a quality, the type of ability that I want. I want to work with him.”

To their credit, Arsenal have been a little proactive in dealing with the issues that exist in the midfield. They have signed two players in Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi. It must be mentioned that this transfer window has also seen two players in the form of Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere leave the club.

So, if they do not solve this issue quickly, the Gunners will end up finding themselves in a very precarious position and that is something that they will look to avoid.

It goes without saying that Ramsey is a crucial member of the squad and it is essential for the club to extend his contract. By some chance if he does leave, a replacement has to be brought in at the earliest. And given how close we are to the end of the window, decision have to be made soon.

Official: Arsenal make announcement that 23-year-old has agreed new deal

By

Nithyanand

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20-07-2018

It was clear to everyone that Arsenal needed to do something about their goalkeeping situation this season.

The previous year saw Petr Cech commit many mistakes that no first choice keeper should make. As a result of this, the Gunners went out and got the German Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen.

To add to the goalkeeper’s mix, youngster Deyan Iliev has agreed to extend his contract at the club, as per Arsenal’s official website.

The 23 year old has been at the club for about six years now and has signed an extension that will increase his stay by a few years more. It is hard to see Iliev be the first choice for the club as there are better and more senior keepers ahead of him.

Solving this keeping conundrum is going to be one of the biggest challenges that new manager Unai Emery will face and when he was asked about what he wanted to do, he said:

“I want to work with Petr Cech, with Bernd Leno, with Emiliano Martinez, with Matt Macey, with Ospina. It’s clear that we have [a lot] of goalkeepers but we want to work in the future with three goalkeepers in the first team. Now, I want to look, I want to work every day with all the goalkeepers and then I am going to decide for [who is No 1].”

It has to be noted that the name of Iliev was not mentioned there as Emery even made it a point to mention Matt Macey. So, the extension of the contract is an indication that the keeper will probably be sent out on loan.

He is at an age where he needs to play regularly and those regular chances will not come if he does stay at Arsenal. The reason for this is that there are far too many players who are ahead of Iliev in the pecking order.

There are a few weeks left in the transfer window, so it will be interesting to see what happens to the keeper. It goes without saying that Iliev is a talented, commanding player who deserves to be a regular for a team. But, given the way things are going with the Gunners, it seems that he may have to look elsewhere if he is to progress his career.

Arsenal should issue ultimatum to Aaron Ramsey over new contract

By

Nithyanand

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20-07-2018

When the 2017/18 ended, it was clear that Arsenal had a lot of issues to deal with before the next season started.

One of them was to prevent a contract situation like the ones that Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez had from reappearing. But, despite the best efforts of the club, there may be a repeat of that situation with Aaron Ramsey.

The Gunners have to make a decision sooner rather than later so as to ensure that the club is in a stable situation. They only have two options at this point as they can either try and extend his contract or sell him.

If they choose the latter option with Ramsey, Arsenal will have to be quick in getting a replacement for him. The signs that are coming from the club indicate that they are looking at extending his deal and that is good news for the club as well as the fans.

New manager Unai Emery was asked about the midfielder and he had a lot to say about Ramsey. It was clear to see the esteem in which Emery held the Welshman. He said:

‘I’m very happy with him. For me, every day, every training session, he has the ambition I want. He’s working with a quality, the type of ability that I want. I want to work with him.’

This does not sound like Ramsey is being forced out of the club as it is clear that Emery wants to use him in the squad. He only has a year left on his contract so the powers that be have to be quick in their decision making. The manager himself mentioned this as he said:

“This is one question for the player and for the club,” he said. “In my opinion, I’ve said to Ivan [Gazidis], Raul [Sanllehi] and Sven [Mislintat] that I think he’s an important player for me.”

Though he may have some critics of his own, Ramsey remains one of the most important players in the Arsenal team. He has played a pivotal role in Arsenal ending their trophy drought so he has already left his mark at the club. If he does extend his contract, he will go some way in cementing his legacy at the club.

Arsenal express interest in signing M’Baye Niang, after forward’s impressive World Cup

By

Nithyanand

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20-07-2018

Now that the defense, midfield and goalkeeping situation has been taken care of, Arsenal can finally turn their focus towards getting in players for the forward line.

There have been a few names doing the rounds, but a new name is added to that list in the form of M’Baye Niang, according to reports in Tutto Mercato Web.

As per the reports coming out of Italy, the Gunners have decided to bring Niang to the Emirates and have established contact with his club, Torino. The £17.5m forward who can also play as a winger impressed while playing for Senegal at the World Cup and that has caught the eye of the Arsenal scouts.

Having signed five players so far, it may appear that the Gunners are done with their transfer business but new manager Unai Emery has not closed the door on further arrivals. When asked if there was any specific position that he would like to target, he had this to say:

“We signed the players who we needed and only if one player is a big opportunity for us will we sign them. We are also thinking about the players who were with us last year and whether we need them to stay with us.

“We will only sign another player if there is an opportunity to bring in that one player, or two players. We will only sign a player in the next month if he’s a big opportunity.”

There are other clubs that are interested in signing Niang, so that makes the situation a little more complicated for Arsenal. But, if he is to sign for the Gunners, it appears that someone might end up leaving the club. The Torino forward is a little different from the players that Arsenal already have in that position.

Arsenal have been very active in the transfer window as it is, but it encouraging to know that they are far from done with their pursuit of other targets.

There are a few weeks left for the transfer window to end and it is very plausible that we will see some form of movement happen before it ends. Whether that ends in Niang joining the Gunners is yet to be seen but no matter, it has already been a memorable window.

Mesut Ozil heads to London to join Arsenal training

By

Nithyanand

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20-07-2018

Due to the signings that Arsenal have made this season, most of the focus has been on them and not so much on the players that are already part of the squad.

But, one player who can never seem to escape the spotlight is the German Mesut Ozil who has decided to cut his holiday short and join the Arsenal squad.

After the German team exited the World Cup at the group stage, Ozil was heavily criticized but to be honest, most of it was unfair. So, the player went on a holiday possibly to clear his mind and just get away from all the distractions.

The German will now be looking forward to starting his preseason preparations with the Gunners. It is important for the fortunes of the club that Ozil plays well as he remains a very influential figure. The way in which he is going to be used by new manager Unai Emery is not clear at the moment but he did have a few things to say about his plans for the German.

“We are here to help every player,’ Emery said when asked how he will ‘fix’ Ozil’s form.

“For me it’s the same for one player as it is for 25 players. To help them. For us Mesut is a very important player.

“I want to work with him with a new way and with an ambition to continue with this quality and help with this quality, getting better with the team.

“I think last year was a difficult year for all, not only for Mesut. I think it is for the team. They finished sixth in the Premier League – not the position we want.”

And now given the fact that Ozil will be joining the squad, Emery has the chance to put his ideas into action. Fans will be hoping that he is able to get the best out of Ozil as that will certainly have an impact of how the Gunners perform.

A big reason for the German cutting his holiday short is the fact that his teammates have told him how good the new training methods by Emery are. The way the players have responded has been very positive and that has clearly made an impression on Ozil as well.

Danny Welbeck attracts transfer interest from Everton

By

admin

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19-07-2018

When I heard Arsenal might offload Danny Welbeck, I was, to put it mildly, relieved. Then in the very same week, it was rumoured that Arsenal CEO, Ivan Gazidis, was being sounded out by AC Milan, I had to pinch myself, it felt like Christmas had come early.

Gazidis is highly unlikely to leave, unfortunately, he appears to be looking at a lasting association with the North London club, which is deeply annoying, having allowed Arsenal to go into decline for so long.

I digress, let’s get back to Danny Welbeck’s proposed departure from Arsenal to Everton, which was disclosed by Mirror. The report states that the English forward is attracting interest from Everton. Daily Mail, claimed a few days back that Welbeck could leave the club this summer.

The former United man is a dedicated professional and by all accounts, is an extremely likable lad but he has never really made his mark for the club. Striker? Winger? Squad player? No one is really sure and that includes Welbeck himself.

Welbeck was a last minute Wenger purchase in 2014 for £16 million and it is safe to say, his arrival came as a surprise to many. It had all the classic hallmarks of a Wenger panic deal, remember Yossi Benayoun’s loan deal in 2011, and even worse, Kim Kallstrom, complete with a back injury in 2014.

The 27-year-old was surplus to requirements at Manchesbecause,d because , then Manager, Louis Van Gaal, thought he needed too many opportunities to score and squandered the majority of opportunities he was presented with. At the time, van Gaal came in for a lot of criticism for the sale but, allowing for periods of injury, Welbeck has vindicated the Dutchman.

26 goals in 123 appearances over four seasons, is hardly a spectacular conversion rate.
To those that are about to cite his work ethic, I do not dispute his contribution but he was sold as a ‘striker’. So why the poor return ? Why is Welbeck so goal shy ?

He continues to hoof over the bar at close range. He is unable to sort his feet out in the box, loses balances and is indecisive when in front of goal. He manages to get himself into space and find gaps in the opposition’s defence but it’s the lack of end product that has hampered the 28 year old.

Some Gooners will contest what I’ve just said but he should have achieved 20 goals per season but has failed to do so and with Lacazette and Aubameyang in the squad, there is no need for him. Would anyone of a sound mind put Welbeck in the Arsenal side ahead of either of those two ? No , you simply wouldn’t.

If Arsenal were to get close to his original asking price , it would be a fantastic piece of business. More realistically, £10 or £12 million would be the probable sum of return but it allows Emery the clout to fund one last purchase, with Monreal and Ospina also likely to ship out before the window closes.

Journalist claims David Ospina has agreed terms with Besiktas

By

Nithyanand

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19-07-2018

Arsenal and their focus has been pretty much on incoming players as those who have left are gone because of their contract ending or retiring or being loaned out.

But, a player could be on his way out and that would be David Ospina who is now virtually the third-choice keeper after the North London club signed Bernd Leno.

Colombian journalist Esteban Jaramillo, who Ospina follows on Twitter, claims that the Arsenal keeper has agreed terms with Besiktas.

Here is the tweet:

. @D_Ospina1 ya le dio la palabra al @Besiktas está pendiente de la firma. Es el club que más lo seduce por encima del @SevillaFC y el @sscnapoli . Hasta ahora su destino es el equipo turco.

— Esteban Jaramillo O (@estejaramillo) July 18, 2018

When new manager Unai Emery was asked about the goalkeeping situation at the club, he had this to say:

“I want to work with Petr Cech, with Bernd Leno, with Emiliano Martinez, with Matt Macey, with Ospina. It’s clear that we have [a lot] of goalkeepers but we want to work in the future with three goalkeepers in the first team. Now, I want to look, I want to work every day with all the goalkeepers and then I am going to decide for [who is No 1].”

From that statement, it seems that Ospina will stay but we all know how the transfer window plays out. Reports suggest that the Gunners are trying to make other signings and perhaps, some players will be sold to make funds available.

If that is the case, then there is a very real possibility that the Colombian will depart to another team. He is not short of options at the moment as Sevilla, Napoli and Besiktas are looking at getting the player to join their team.

The chances of the £40,000-a-week star being the first choice at Arsenal are very slim given that the club has just signed Bernd Leno. The German is expected to be the new first choice with Petr Cech being the backup. Unless we see the veteran goalkeeper make a move away from the club, it looks like Ospina will be the one to make way.

If it was to end that way, Ospina can be proud of the career that he has had at the Emirates. He has been a reliable player for the Gunners whenever he has been called upon. Though he was never the first choice for a long period of time, he was content to help the squad. So, if the Colombian does indeed make a move, he will leave with the best of the Arsenal team as well as the fans.

Arsenal to make £44m offer for Bayern forward Kingsley Coman

By

Nithyanand

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19-07-2018

The Gunners have solely focused on the midfield and defense when it comes to their transfer dealings.

This has resulted in them buying five players who fit into those departments while not a lot has been said about their interest in the forward area but that could change with Arsenal interested in bringing in Kingsley Coman from Bayern Munich, according to reports in the Bein Sports.

New boss Unai Emery has not closed the door yet when it comes to new players and perhaps there is a reason behind Coman being linked with the Gunners.

At the moment, Arsenal do not really have an out and out winger with the only player who comes close to that being youngster Reiss Nelson. The report claims that Unai Emery is keen on the player.

The £44m price that Bayern Munich want for Coman seems to be the major obstacle for Arsenal to clear but if there are any outgoing players, that will boost their pursuit. Emery was asked about signing more players, and he made a very interesting observation.

He said: “We signed the players who we need, only if one player is a big opportunity for us to sign we can do it.

“In this moment I think the squad is complete… To sign [a player] in the next month? Only if he is a big opportunity.”

Coman would possibly fall into that category of a big opportunity as he is a young, exciting player who has already made a mark for himself at the highest level. It is not easy to play for clubs such as Juventus and Bayern Munich but he has been able to impress whenever he has gotten a chance.

The Frenchman has struggled with injury in the recent past but his talent has always been apparent. Perhaps if Emery is able to convince Coman to come to the Emirates, it will provide a boost to his career. He will fit in well with the squad that is already here and his directness as well as the blistering pace that he has will be a real asset.

Official: Porto announce that Arsenal striker has agreed deal to join

By

Nithyanand

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19-07-2018

The problem with having a lot of players who are talented is that it is difficult to make place for all of them.

Someone or the other will miss out and they may be looking for an opportunity elsewhere. One such player is Kelechi Nwakali who has joined the Portuguese side Porto on a loan deal, according to Express.

Nwakali joined the Gunners in the year 2016 but his time has been spent away from London.

In both the seasons since then, he has been in Holland for a couple of loan spells. The Nigerian is very highly rated and that is the reason why Arsenal are unwilling to let him go on a permanent basis.

Porto confirmed the move for the youngster who had this to say about his decision:

“My main goal is to develop and evolve as a player. Improve my qualities and the other aspects that I know I need to correct to help me grow in the way I play.

I think FC Porto is the right place to evolve as a player. There are good players, young people, and I think I’ll grow up here.

I know FC Porto very well, because one of my football idols has played here: Deco.

He was a midfielder that I loved to watch play and I really hope to be able to meet him one day and tell him the importance he had in my desire to be a football player.”

The Nigerian is the first player to leave on loan in the Unai Emery era as he will continue his footballing education at another club. There are suggestions that a few other players will also make a move away from the club at least on a loan basis. If they remain at the club, it is not going to be easy for them to get a chance and, being on the sidelines is not going to help anyone out.

Nwakali impressed during his time in Holland as he showed why Arsenal decided to buy him in the first place. This is another chance for him to work his way into the plans of Emery who might think of using him next season.

There are only a few days left in the transfer window so Arsenal will have to move quickly to get all their deals done. And maybe, we will get to see more players such as Nwakali being moved on loan. All the fans can now do is, wait and watch.