This January's Arsenal transfer news was relatively quiet at the Emirates Stadium, with Thierry Henry returning to the club on loan from New York Red Bulls and German teenager Thomas Eisfeld arriving from Borussia Dortmund for a modest fee.

However, activity has not always been this sedate at Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger making some surprising and at times, blockbuster signings in January.

This January's Arsenal transfer news was relatively quiet at the Emirates Stadium, with Thierry Henry returning to the club on loan from New York Red Bulls and German teenager Thomas Eisfeld arriving from Borussia Dortmund for a modest fee.

However, activity has not always been this sedate at Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger making some surprising and at times, blockbuster signings in January.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has alleviated concerns about Arsenal's perennially high injury list, stating that it is about to shorten in the coming days.

Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski made a long-awaited return in the goal during yesterday evening's 3-2 FA Cup win at home to Aston Villa and Wenger believes that midfielders Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere are also recovering better than expected.

Football is supposed to be a glamourous career. Scoring goals in front of adoring fans and all that crap. Not if you're name is Khairul Amri it ain't though.
The poor bastard spends most of his time injured. He's 27 in March, should be at the peak of his powers but guess what? He's gonna be out for the next 12 weeks with another injury.

Many Arsenal fans may have already given up on ever seeing Abou Diaby in an Arsenal shirt again after his continuing series of ankle problems, which started just after he arrived at the Gunners in 2006. He was apparently close to a comeback last month but Arsene Wenger announced that he had he had had [.

It's January, and in the footballing world January means only one thing. The winter transfer window, where player names are bandied about as potential new players and the ones we love to hate are bound and gagged in hopes that someone will take them off our hands.

For the next twenty one days, rumors will abound.

The good thing about the festive period is that any disappointments can be quickly offset. Today we face QPR having dropped a couple of points against Wolves and it's crucial we take all three today.

In terms of the team news I was expecting some changes today, the most obvious of which was a rest for Robin van Persie.

The Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby was hailed as the "new Patrick Vieira" when he arrived at Arsenal five years ago, but he immediately broke an ankle which it would appear has never fully healed. He has never made more than 20 appearances for the Gunners in a season, and has made more comebacks than Frank [.

Yoann Gourcuff has been linked with a move to Arsenal for a long, long time.
Since the summer this 'rumour' has grown bigger than Gervinho's forehead and won't go away despite Arsene Wenger denying it will happen.
Wenger's reason for not bringing in Gourcuff is that Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby will be back from injury soon and there will be a lot of players in the midfield area.

Tom Goom is a physiotherapist and Gooner. He loves Arsenal, cheese and shooting thirty yards over the bar. He hate grass munching, racist centre halves, and former Manchester United strikers who look like Black Beauty's ugly diving younger brother.

This week, the grisly details of Abou Diaby's ankle injury:

May 1st 2006.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealed that midfielder Abou Diaby is again injured and will be out for at least ten days. Speaking to Arsenal Player as well as in his pre-Wigan press conference, the Frenchman explained ...

Good morning to you.

We have the Carling Cup to contend with this evening and we take on the richest club in the world, with the biggest, most expensive squad in the world, and a manager who is complaining about a fixture pile-up. To be fair to Roberto Mancini, he's got a point. Playing Sunday then Tuesday is tough for any team but when you can replace all 11 players and call on the likes of Kolo Toure, Kolarov, Dzeko, Adam Johnson and others who didn't start the game against Liverpool then it does make life a bit easier.

There was something poignant about the moment, mid way through the second half, when Arsène Wenger made his first two substitutions.

Gervinho and Abou Diaby were bouncing on the touchline: primed, eager and ready while the fourth official fiddled with his number board.

Three yards away from them, on the pitch, a small Russian man was standing on his own, looking downcast and waiting for the inevitable appearance of the number 23 on the official's board.

While Abou Diaby and Tomas Rosicky look to have been confirmed as available for the Gunners, Fulham Arsenal's opponents on Saturday evening have far more significant injury concerns. Republic of Ireland international Damien Duff is out of the clash at the Emirates with a calf problem and countryman Stephen Kelly's groin injury keeps [.

Written by FatGingerGooner

Champions League week 5 and ze Germans were the visitors to London town in the form of Borussia Dortmund. Fresh from a fantastic 1-0 win against league rivals Bayern, they came into the game full of confidence and looking for the win that would put them right back in Group F contention.

A Robin van Persie brace secured Arsenal's progression from Champions League Group F with a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates Stadium.

After a frenetic first half which produced little, Van Persie gave his side a 49th minute lead with a clinical header after fine work out wide from the inspired Alex Song, before the Arsenal captain doubled his tally from close range four minutes from time.

Diaby has to be in the shadows, for now

I'm sure by now you've all heard or rather, read the interview that Arsene Wenger did on L'Equipe. Or if you can't read French like I am as well, then thank god there's Arseblognews who has come out with the translated interview without looking for a headline.

Arsenal vs Stoke City: Can Gunners finally make a comeback? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Arsenal host Stoke City in the Premier League this Sunday as the Gunners will be hoping to maintain their fine recent form. Statistically speaking, it looks like Arsenal will edge this meeting. Arsene Wenger's charges have won five of their last six games but the Potters will prove a stern test as they have enjoyed a strong start to their season with just two defeat in their first 16 competitive matches of the season.

Team news, manager quotes and match facts ahead of the Champions League Group F fixture between Marseille and Arsenal at Stade Velodrome.

TEAM NEWS

Marseille lacked the services of playmakerMathieu Valbuena at the weekend as they drew 0-0 with Toulouse, but the the diminutive midfielder.

Arsenal travel to the Stade Velodrome tonight in a champions league clash against Group F leaders Marseille. The Gunners go into this match knowing that anything less than a win could seriously hamper their chances of moving onto the next stage.

However things do not look too good for Arsenal as number of their key players are major doubts for the fixture.

By Alan Duffy

Arsenal seem to pick up more injuries than a team at the Geriatric Twister World Championships. Currently tucked up in their sick-beds are Thomas Vermaelen, Jack Wilshere, Abou Diaby and Bacary Sagna amongst others. However, in order to make more room for the Gunners' sick and infirm, the club have extended their medical facilities.

Match facts, team news and quotes ahead of the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Sunderlandat the Emirates Stadium.

TEAM NEWS

Bacary Sagna's ankle injury sustained against Tottenham means he has joined Jack Wilshere, Abou Diaby and Thomas Vermaelenon the injury list, but defenders Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny are available.

At last the chance to write about something other than rumour, tittle tattle and economics. And what a game we have today, none of that nerve wrenching, gut mangling, behind the sofa stuff of our last match against the lowlife bottom feeders today we welcome those fine upstanding men from the frozen wasteland of Sunderland, who will be looking to gift us 3 points in their push for relegation.

Morning chums!

Football returns tomorrow. For some. The rest of us have to wait until Sunday to sit around hungover and watch Arsenal, but it's coming. And with that comes the news. The life-blood of this very site. Stuff about Arsenal. It's marvelous. Arsene Wenger has been talking about various things and we can pore over every word, examing them, analysing them, and seeking to be offended at the slightest little thing.

The injury-curse blighting Arsenal's season struck again on Monday when goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny pulled out of the Poland squad for two upcoming friendlies against South Korea and Belarus with a bad back.

Szczesny, 21, who has played six time for Poland, was due to meet up with his international team mates this week but the official Polish FA website (www.

By Tony Attwood Theo is injured, Gervinho is injured, Koscielny is injured, plus all the others you know about, like Sébastien Squillaci, Jack Wilshere, Abou Diaby, Yossi Benayoun, Thomas Vermaelen, and Johan Djourou. So who have we got left? Goal - no problems Central defence: Alex Song plus Per Mertesacker with Ignasi Miquel in reserve.

A day after Manchester United announced that both Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez won't be fit for Tuesday's UEFA Champions League match against FC Basel, Arsenal revealed it has some injury problems of its own.

Gervinho (hamstring), Theo Walcott (knee) and Laurent Koscielny (ankle) have all been ruled out for the Gunners' match against Olympiakos on Wednesday, joining a crew of teammates on the sidelines.

Limbering up for the next challenge

Normally that would mean that the team is flying. Not necessarily in a physical form but in terms of form, confidence and results. A good continuous run of positive results would probably equate to a team in flying condition. In this instance, I'm referring "full flight" to the numbers and quantity.

Amidst all the fun of making up our fantasy teams for the new look Arsenal, one name has been conspicuous by its absence: Abou Diaby.

It's understandable in a way: we have lots of shiny new names to play with in our hypothetical formations.

Do Artex and Benny Yoon displace Li'l Jack and Aaron when all are fit?

So all of the players have returned from international duty and manager Arsene Wenger has been assessing his squad ahead of the home game against Swansea City tomorrow. Definitely out are Thomas Vermaelen, Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby who as we all know are sidelined through injury, but added to that list is Tomas Rosicky.

The achilles tendon: A vital "push off" that helps in a change of position

When does one go from saying that a single instance is happenstance, two is a coincidence, to three or more is a bloody epidemic? Add ankle injury to the list of eventualities an Arsenal player must face including taxes, lack of titles, departure, and death.

Wenger has more injury headaches to deal with before the big game against Manchester United this Sunday. Wenger already has to deal with the suspensions of Alex Song, Frimpong and Gervinho. While Abou Diaby and Wilshere will miss the game due to injuries. It is now being reported by the Guardian that Thomas Vermaelen is [.

This Guardian picture says a thousand words: Defiant and in denial

Something rankles about an Arsenal ankle.

The ranks falling foul of a ankle injuries swells as Jack Wilshere joins Robin van Persie, Thomas Vermaelen, Kieran Gibbs, Abou Diaby, Theo Walcott, Thomas Rosicky, Andrey Arshavin, and Aaron Ramsey in the present squad to be kept out for substantial periods of time through injuries to that specific anatomical structure.

Arsène Wenger appeals for calm after Liverpool defeat | Paul Hayward

The Arsenal manager needs to dispel the mounting sense that the club are in for the toughest season of his reign Appealing for calm, Arsène Wenger said: "We live in circumstances where every defeat is absolutely a disgrace – an earthquake.

Liverpool may never have a better time to end their miserable away run against Arsenal but manager Kenny Dalglish insists his team will not under-estimate Arsene Wenger's side.
The sale of captain Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona earlier this week and the impending departure of Samir Nasri to Manchester City have only added to the Gunners' problems.

Liverpool may never have a better time to end their miserable away run against Arsenal but manager Kenny Dalglish insists his team will not under-estimate Arsene Wenger's side.
The sale of captain Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona earlier this week and the impending departure of Samir Nasri to Manchester City have only added to the Gunners' problems.

Match Preview: Arsenal vs Liverpool

Liverpool will travel to the Emirates tomorrow in an attempt to rub salt into the Gunners' wounds. Arsenal will be without several of their first team regulars, most notably Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri who went in search of greener pastures, which makes this the perfect time to play the London outfit as the club goes through a stage of sheer turmoil.

Tomorrow is the first day of the traditional Emirates Cup, a two-day pre-season tournament held in London, featuring Arsenal and three fairly big sides. This year we'll play Boca Juniors and Thierry Henry's Red Bull New York; Paris St. Germain will also take part.

(Be sure to also read Homey's transfer/news round-up)

Who designed this cartoon?

By FRANCO PANIZO

The U.S. men's national team isn't the only one introducing a new head coach to its fan base.

Argentina has appointed Alejandro Sabella as manager of the Albiceleste. Sabella replaces Sergio Batista, who was let go earlier this week after leading Argentina to a disappointing and early exit at the Copa America it hosted earlier this month.

As an update to our earlier post: BBC Sport - Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby sidelined for 10 weeks Midfielder Abou Diaby will miss the start of Arsenal's season after having ankle surgery during the summer. Diaby, 25, has been troubled by the injury since the end of last season and was absent from the club's summer tour of Asia and a training camp in Germany.