Madrid Waiting for Ancelotti to Approve Higuain Sale
Arsene Wenger is ready to break the bank and sign Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain in a club record deal but would require the transfer to be approved by Carlo Ancelotti, who looks set to take over as the new Real Madrid boss.
A total of 17 goals in 47 football matches for Arsenal's French international striker Olivier Giroud isn't an exceptional return, but it's not that bad either. However, when you consider the Gunners paid out £9.5 million for him from Ligue 1's Montpellier last summer it could be considered disappointing to some supporters.
It is widely known that when players sign for new teams in new leagues, they oftentimes need a year to settle and become accustomed to their new club and their new surroundings. Adapting to the speed and physical nature of the English game can sometimes make or break players, and Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud had to do just that after joining the Gunners from French side Montpellier this past summer.
Following up on the speculation last night that Arsenal are close to signing a deal for Marouane Fellaini while, at the same time, Arsenal Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis was bragging that Arsenal could afford Wayne Rooney if they wanted to, former Arsenal footballer Stewart Robson says that Wenger shouldn't be handed the £70 million war chest because he'll simply waste the money.
Juventus are reportedly in pole position to land Fiorentina star Stevan Jovetic after tabling an offer of £15million in cash and two of their own players. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
Arsenal FC were hoping to sign the highly-rated Montenegrin this summer but the Old Lady have stolen a march on them by offering the Viola a part-exchange offer which includes versatile Chilean Mauricio Isla and one of Sebastian Giovinco, Alessandro Matri, Fabio Quagliarella or Luca Marrone.
After an amazing run in the final two months of the season in which The Gunners went 8-0-2 to finish fourth and qualify for Champions League, the transfer rumors have already begun to swirl around potential offseason moves for Arsenal.
Last season, The Gunners welcomed Spanish duo Santi Cazorla and Nacho Monreal from Málaga, German Lukas Podolski from FC Koln, and Frenchman Olivier Giroud from Montpellier; who combined for a total of 123 matches started, 46 goals (of 102), 35 assists, and $58 million.
Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud (Google Creative Commons)
Last season Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud was still plying his trade in the French Ligue 1 Orange with Montpelier. At that time he was preparing for what would be a nerve racking final day of his club's campaign that saw them lift the French title with a victory over Auxerre on the last day of the 2011-12 season.
Wenger Not Leaving Arsenal; Could Stay Beyond 2014
Arsene Wenger has denied that he would leave Arsenal this summer and hinted that he could even extend his current deal, which only has one more year remaining after this one.
It was recently speculated that the Gunners boss could leave the North London club at the end of the season to join Paris Saint-Germain.
Wenger Concerned About Giroud and Podolski's Disappearing Act in Tough Games
Arsene Wenger is satisfied with the way Arsenal's new strike pairing of Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski has performed in their first season at the club but is concerned by their struggles in difficult games, according to a club insider.
Arsene Wenger has revealed that not holding a guard of honour for Manchester United was never an option for his Arsenal side, and they will show the newly crowned Premier League champions the traditional respect they deserve.
Arsenal FC's appeal to overturn the red card shown to Olivier Giroud in last weekend's 1-0 win over Fulham has been rejected by the FA, and the striker is now banned for the club's next three games.
The FA today released a statement on the appeal Arsenal made for Olivier Giroud's sending off at Fulham this weekend. Giroud appeared to have slipped before going into a challenge with Stanislav Manolev, but his challenge was just over the ball and caught the Fulham player's ankle. The FA released this statement on the appeal:
Following a Regulatory Commission hearing today, Arsenal's Olivier Giroud has had his claim for wrongful dismissal rejected.
In the end, there was only one Dimitar Berbatov danger that got us worried for a while but otherwise, it was the nature of our performance that left a lot to be desired. A slim solitary goal win was the final outcome and it was the crux of our objective at Craven Cottage yesterday.
The result was a lot better than the performance on Saturday April 20 when Arsenal snuck in and out of Craven Cottage and took three points from cross town rivals Fulham. An argument could be made that if Fulham didn't have Steve Sidwell sent off in the 12th minute of play then points would have been dropped.
A must win game. It's a common saying and in reality, if any team aspires to be a good team, then every game is a must win. It is also a must win game today against Fulham because we want to remain in the Champions League for another season. We have to beat or match the result of our closest challengers and because Chelsea beat Fulham on Wednesday, we must now do the same.
This was our game in hand and a chance for us to increase the gap between us and the other two teams, as well as deal Everton the crushing blow to their dreams of a top four finish. The final result meant that we didn't quite achieve the target that we wanted. However, let's not kid ourselves here.
The menu of the day featured a main course of Arsenal vs Everton at the Emirates in London on Tuesday April 16, but it failed to live up to expectations. The rather uneventful match saw both teams drop two valuable points in a 0-0 draw. Arsenal remains in third place for now and should be regretting the missed chances they had in the game, especially for French international striker Olivier Giroud.
Arsenal will host Everton Tuesday at The Emirates in a crucial showdown between two teams fighting tooth and nail for a top four finish and a spot in next season's Champions League.
The Gunners moved into third place after a 3-1 victory over a tough Norwich City team on Saturday in a brilliant offensive performance.
We are Arsenal and there's no point in doing things the easy way. We provide all the hallmarks of a great movie despair and fear turned into jubilation when the odds are overcome. Well, maybe not to that cinematic level but somewhere along the lines because that was what happened yesterday against Norwich.
Once Arsenal's big guns all took to the pitch late in the game the club woke up in time to slam home three late goals for a 3-1 win over a pesky Norwich side. The three points move the Gunners into third place for the time being with 59 points as they leapfrogged over London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea.
Arsenal scored three times in the last five minutes as they came from behind to defeat Norwich City 3-1 at the Emirates to leapfrog Spurs and Chelsea and move into third place in the Premier League.
With Tottenham Hotspur not playing this weekend and Chelsea playing Manchester City on Sunday in the second FA Cup semi-final, the Gunners took advantage against their struggling opponents.
It's no secret Olivier Giroud has had anything but a warm reception this season at Arsenal.
After his summer move from Montpellier where he led the French side to a league title and a Champions League spot while finishing the league the top scorer, many considered his relatively low transfer fee to be a steal for Arsenal.
During our poor start to the season and generally throughout the season Arsène Wenger has faced many criticisms, one regular complaint is about players we should've or could've signed.
I myself don't mind a bit of "I'd like to see him in an Arsenal shirt" chat from time to time.....but unlike ArsèneI only have MotD highlights, and media hype to go by.
During our poor start to the season and generally throughout the season Arsène Wenger has faced many criticisms, one regular complaint is about players we should've or could've signed.
I myself don't mind a bit of "I'd like to see him in an Arsenal shirt" chat from time to time.....but unlike ArsèneI only have MotD highlights, and media hype to go by.
There were a couple of comments in the Villa match infographic post which suggested I look at Liverpool's aerial stats. It's a valid concern, given that Liverpool have often struggled against aerially dominant strikers, whether Benteke, Carlton Cole, Jon Walters, or Olivier Giroud, seemingly more susceptible to crosses and set plays.
The match day was designated to celebrate the contribution of one David Rocastle and the 3 points earned was a fitting tribute to the legend. We needed to keep the momentum going and we did just that. 3 points was no more and no less than what we deserved yesterday, from our performance.
Every Tom, Dick and Harry has had a go, so why can't Big Raddy?
However, this post is not just about the pitch and boardroom No, this review will go elsewhere... For example, what did we think about the team kit this season? I thought the home kit was excellent but was disappointed by our away colours.
Puma evoSPEED 1.2 football boots - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
The Germany-based sports goods manufacturer, Puma, have introduced the all-new evoSPEED 1.2 FG. The latest in a series of performance boots that help players maximise their speed on the pitch.
For the first time, the boot will feature the brand name itself on the side of the boot instead of the formtripe Puma's iconic trademark.
A quick Saturday round-up for you. Firstly, some quotes from some mad people who are genuinely looking forward to tomorrow's game against Newcastle.
Arsene Wenger: Sometimes you think it would be nice to have a game with no pressure, but when you have one you think, 'let's get it back, it's so boring'.
We have arrived at the point of the season that I refer to as "the abacus stage." When the finishing line is in sight, our brains are abuzz with equations. We make mathematical hypotheses based on fixtures remaining and projected results. Our calculations are complicated by psychology. Even in areas of the table that seemingly don't affect you, cross references are made.
I had a feeling, looking at the fixtures, that this was one we might drop points in. Everton are traditionally difficult opponents, and so it proved again last night.
Their defending, coupled with our lack of efficiency in front of goal, meant the deadlock was never broken and although we piled on the pressure in the last 20 minutes, we couldn't find a way through.
It almost feels as if we're judging Lukas Podolski for the first time in an Arsenal shirt yet surely it is too late for first impressions. After the 1-1 draw with Manchester United in which Podolski finally got his opportunity up front, it's still not clear whether he's the answer.
It was actually Podolski's second start as the focal point of Arsenal's attack, having began the season against Sunderland in that role and then again in the defeat to Swansea late last year, although for only 40 minutes alternating with Gervinho.
it seems somewhat quieter this morning. Hopefully there are a few Manchester hangovers, some of which include acute food poisoning and 72 hour ebola as they ready themselves for the trip to play us on Sunday.
The Arsenal news yesterday was not particularly good as Olivier Giroud's red card appeal was rejected.
In the end, it wasn't really a tackle that Olivier Giroud made which earned him a red card. It was over the top only ever so slightly, and when Giroud saw the colour of the card he was incredulous. But in an age where digital motion capture means every 50-50 tackle if timed a teeny bit late is accentuated, he had to go.
After a period in which we've had to wait a full week between games, it seems something of a novelty to have midweek football.
Everton come to town in what's, on paper at least, our most tricky fixture of the remaining 6 aside from the visit of Manchester United. The Toffees come with genuine aspirations of Champions League football themselves.
Welcome to a brand new week and there's some interesting stuff from the manager regarding a couple of his forwards to get us going.
Lukas Podolski came off the bench to have a big impact on Saturday, but there's been plenty of chatter about him and his future. He's been sidelined, somewhat, through injury and the form of others, but Arsene Wenger doesn't talk like a man who is willing to write off a player he paid £12m for just a year ago.
In the 11+ years I've been writing Arseblog, and about Arsenal, I don't think I've ever experienced such an outpouring of anger ... after a win. Yes, there have been days when people's frustration has gotten the better of them, but usually it's when we drop points, lose cup finals or important games, or find our season over midway through November.
*boilk*(with thanks to the good people of Kentucky).
Morning all and welcome to Friday. Instead of preparing for Arsene Wenger's press conference this morning, it rather unusually took place last night and the boss gave the latest injury update ahead of the Fulham game.
welcome to a brand new week, a brand new month, and with three points tucked safely in our belts from Saturday's thumping of Reading, we're in decent shape ahead of our next game. That's a trip to West Brom next weekend and I suspect it'll be a fairly quiet week leading up to it.
