CESC FABREGAS has pleaded with boss Arsene Wenger to sign a midfield hardman.

Arsenal skipper Fabregas misses tough-tackling Mathieu Flamini who quit the Gunners last summer for AC Milan and has not been replaced.

Many fantasy games don't allow more than a couple of players from the same club, so I've limited this list in a similar way. Here are my solid-gold fantasy selections for the 2009/10 Premier League season (one player per club only):
Arsenal - Nicklas Bendtner
There are many Arsenal players with excellent fantasy credentials, but I would choose perhaps a slightly less obvious option.

The club currently has five international strikers plus two more forwards who will be more comfortable playing as a striker. Is it time we re-assessed our strike force and attacking midfielders and played players in their rightful positions?

Carlos Vela will develop into a good striker, whether he becomes a scoring sensation in the Premier League is questionable.

By AriesAndrey Arshavin has been talking on his personal web site about the Portsmouth game. He revealed that indeed the Arsenal players relaxed too much after the quick two goals that were scored in the first twenty two minutes."We started the meeting well. I think that our two quick goals went a long way in deciding the game.

Football365.com has this great winners and losers feature and this is my take on their post this week

Winners
Arsenal
As impressive as Everton were dreadful, Arsenal players and fans will have gained plenty from their resounding victory at Goodison Park: confidence, defiance, belief in their new formation, and the reassuring cushion of three away points.

Eboue is the player Arsenal fans love to hate, but little has been mentioned of one of our summer signings, the experienced France defender Mikael Silvestre. The story is that he was at Manchester City undergoing a medical when Arsene called him, and offered him a two year contract at the Emirates. At the time Silvestre [.

There has been a lot of hope and anticipation around Carlos Vela. He had a good pre-season tour, so we expected to see what the Mexican can do in the Premier League. With Nasri, Fabregas, Walcott and Vela linking up I expected to see many a defence cut to shreds.

Unfortunately Vela was never given the opportunity in the league.

Every fan looks anxiously at the transfer window and starts to wonder who we will sign, when will we sign anyone and who is leaving the club. For Arsenal fans this is more relevant this summer. We know from the rumblings around the dressing room, the stands and even in the board-room, that a failure to win something this season will see top players leave next summer and Arsene's future will definitely be brought into question.

This week's seven matches averaged less than 13,800, about 2,100 less than last year's Week 7 matches.

A busy sports weekend to say the least; NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs, Hattan/Pacquiao, and the Kentucky Derby.

The weather was OK. A bit chilly with rain at kickoff of the Toronto match, but that didn't stop 20,000 from showing up and they were rewarded with the sun as the game wore on.

It was been revealed today in many newspapers that Arsenal are wanting Wolfsburgs top form striker Edin Dzeko for a fee of around £8 million. The player himself has said nothing on leaving but indicated earlier in they ear that a move to the premier league would be good.

Although with Man City's muscle in the money department it could be hard to sign anyone if we're against them!

Gunners players find eet's seemple to mock team-mate Arsenal players have found a new way to tease Russian team-mate Andrey Arshavin. The squad apparently enjoy joking that he sounds like the Compare The Market meerkat. A "club source" told The Sun: "A few of the first team lads started it off and now the joke has spread [.

So said Roy Keane when asked if he could go back for one game in his career, and I think it's apt. There's no doubt we've fallen off a bit in the last couple of seasons, but Arsenal still has more wins against Manchester United since Alex Ferguson has taken the reins than any other club in the Premiership, and for me this rivalry hasn't lost any of its ferocity.

Gallery, Images, Photos & Pictures of Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas 2009/2010 Season. Teams/Clubs: Arsenal Players/People: Cesc Fabregas Events/Matches: Arsenal v Hannover 96 Friendly Match, 2009.

Gallery, Images, Photos & Pictures of Arsenal's Jack Wilshere 2009/2010 Season. Teams/Clubs: Arsenal Players/People: Jack Wilshere Events/Matches: Arsenal Training Session, 2009. Arsenal v Atletico Madrid Emirates Cup, 2009. Arsenal v Dinamo Kiev Champions League, 2009. Arsenal v Manchester City Barclays Premier League, 2009.

The Offside's Main Page decided to compile a list of the "100 Best Players of the Decade." I thought it might be of some interest to you, especially since Arsenal is out of action for a couple of weeks. It was voted on by all of the Offside's bloggers, as well as readers. I will say that I thought the criteria was a little vague it was simply to name the 20 best players who played in the decade.

This is a simple new reminder to all Arsenal-highlights.co.uk members, contributors and the general public:

- We will be posting all Arsenal FC news stories throughout the summer so just because there's no matches it means you won't have to leave

- We will keep you up to date with all transfers and gossip which is occurring by bringing you regular transfer news

- Informing you of all fixtures like pre season

- FINALLY BEFORE YOU KNOW IT PRE-SEASON WILL BE STARTING AND YOU'LL GET QUALITY HIGHLIGHTS AGAIN!

Gallery, Images, Photos & Pictures of Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky 2009/2010 Season. Teams/Clubs: Arsenal Players/People: Tomas Rosicky Events/Matches: Arsenal v Atletico Madrid Emirates Cup, 2009. Arsenal Training Session, 2009. Arsenal v Barnet Friendly Match, 2009.

Arsenal enter the new with a new Chief Executive, and just as well. The board never replaced Dein as we all know and we have been left with a mess if laughable proportions.   Last season we lost Flamini because we told him at the beginning of the season a new contract will be given to him [...]

What has happened to Nasri? When he joined he was skipping past defenders, weaving his way through opposition and more importantly, he would shoot. As soon as he saw the goal, it would be bang shot after shot.   He scored on his debut, and against Manchester   United he shot twice and scored, he was not fearful [.

In 2003 Arsenal signed a young Swiss centre back, Philip Senderos.  It took time for Senderos to make into the first team as he had to get past Keown, Campbell, Toure and Cygan (yes do not laugh but he was part of the Invincibles).   Senderos was always a player who needed a run of games to [...]

Once more unto the breach Hill-Wood has ventured, but this should be the last time we allow him to comment on matters outside of the boardroom (which he has made a complete mess of anyway).    This time it is Fabregas' clothes and his entry onto the pitch that have riled our old Etonian chairman.  Our [.

This season was set up for Diaby to partner Fabregas in central midfield and show everyone finally that he is the player we have been looking for. Wenger has played Diaby behind the striker or on the wing, but central midfield is the place for him. When he has played in central midfield, he has [.

Match Reports

ESPNSoccernet: Title in the bag

Telegraph: Carlos Tevez seemingly waved goodbye to Old Trafford as Manchester United claimed their 18th league title with an uneventful 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal.

Man of the Match

This is a tough one because all the players played so well.

Arsenal most important newcomers this summer will not a new centre half nor will it be a rugged no nonsense midfielder. The most important players in our pre-season will be Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo.

Never in football injuries has a hamstring injury taken so long to be sorted out.

Robin van Persie's contract expires in summer 2011 and the club has been locked in contract negotiations all season. The club appeared to have offered the Dutch striker £75,000 a week, but van Persie is stalling over signing a new contract.

There was talk earlier that he wanted a buyout clause, which was as low as €5 million.

Now that we have seen the back of Emmanuel Adebayor, Arsene has £25 million to recruit a replacement, but do we need another striker?

Arsene Wenger has plenty of attacking options at his disposal before he even has to look elsewhere.

Robin van Persie showed us what he was capable of doing last season, when during our dark months of December and January he either created or scored every goal.

As a sign of respect to the previous wearers of the number 25 and to ensure that any future owners of the shirt are not inflicted with the same syndrome, Arsenal FC should consider retiring the number 25 shirt.

The two previous owners of the number 25 both went through the same career path at Arsenal.

And God said, Let there be beer. And there was beer.

And Arseblogger saw the beer, that it was good: and lo he did drink the beer.

And while God was off inventing firmament for the earth and fowl to multiply, Arseblogger did invent the *boilk* and the *boilk* was bad and he could still taste last night's chips.

By 1970's GoonerWatching during those opening 25 minutes you wouldn't have thought that Arsenal's supremacy would eventually have been so easy.Wolves were pressing the midfield areas of the pitch with gusto and determination not allowing the Arsenal players room to turn. And if it wasn't for good defending and Berra's inability to head towards Arsenal's goal, when presented with a free header,

Theo Walcott joined us on the back of much hype and controversy. Arsenal were prepared to pay in the region of £16 million (eventually he cost £9 million because we paid earlier than agreed). Arsenal beat Liverpool and Chelsea for the youngster's signature something that still riles Benitez.

A young man has developed into a vital cog in our team, this man has been slated by fans and pundits in the past, but now we pull our hair when Wenger does not pick him. The player in question in Cameroon international, Alexandre Song.

Wenger bought Song from Bastia, had him on loan for a season and eventually paid €3.

Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia told Spanish magazine Don Ballon how Arsenal players make jokes of transfer rumours when they come out in the media.

The Spaniard said:

We are not affected by transfer speculation and sometimes it is a good thing for us because we make jokes about it when it comes out in the press.

Patrice Evra is quickly making a bit of a name for himself where Arsenal are concerned, after comparing their recent display against us as boys compared to men. It must have been hurtful to hear but if we're honest, it was a fairly accurate assessment. Arsenal were on their home turf and we totally bossed the game.

Nicklas Bendtner has come a long way this season. He started as our third choice striker, with Eduardo out injured. But he has ended up as arguably our most effective striker; this will make Wenger's decision as whether or not to sell Adebayor slightly easier.

Bendtner started the season as the Carling cup striker, but slowly progressed as a first team starter and scorer.

Fran Merida joined Arsenal in the summer of 2006 after an amazing disappearing act! Merida spent over a year away from the Nou Camp in a plan devised by his agent to ensure that he did not sign a new contract with Barcelona.

The coaches at Arsenal were and still are highly impressed by young Spaniard.

Gallery, Images, Photos & Pictures of Arsenal's Robin van Persie 2009/2010 Season. Teams/Clubs: Arsenal Players/People: Robin van Persie Events/Matches: Arsenal v Rangers Emirates Cup, 2009. Arsenal v Atletico Madrid Emirates Cup, 2009. Arsenal Training Session, 2009. Arsenal v Villareal Champions League, 2009.

Gallery, Images, Photos & Pictures of Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner 2009/2010 Season. Teams/Clubs: Arsenal Players/People: Nicklas Bendtner Events/Matches: Arsenal v Portsmouth Premier League, 2009. Arsenal v Atletico Madrid Emirates Cup Cup, 2009. Arsenal v Manchester United Champions League, 2009.

Manchester United comprehensively beat Arsenal during last season's Champions League semi-final. We battered them at home but the match finished with just a 1-0 advantage thanks to the Man of the Match performance from Manuel Almunia.

At the Emirates the game was over after ten minutes with Park Ji-Sung and Cristiano Ronaldo giving us a 2-0 lead.

It was one of the most bizarre scenes you'll see in a football match if not comical. After Arsenal scored an equalizer in the game against Manchester United, the goal was called back because of William Gallas being in an offside position. Wenger then kicked a water bottle along the touchline in frustration.

When Arsene decided not to re-enforce his midfield one of the reasons was the progress made by Arsenal's other Spanish youngster Fran Merida. Arsenal fans and coaches have been waiting for the youngster to make that final leap to the first team squad, with some coaches believing that he has the ability to be a better player than Cesc.