As long as Arsenal `finish the job`, as Arsene Wenger put it, and beat Newcastle United on Sunday, Arsenal fans can sit back and look forward to a pleasant summer for the first time in years. Without the fear of selling the captain or the best players and with a transfer war chest for Wenger to add some of those `top, top` players he has been talking about.
When Arsene Wenger agreed to let Johan Djourou leave Arsenal in January to play for the Bundesliga club Hannover, he may have been hoping that one of the young players coming through the ranks at Arsenal would step up and push for the first team. One of the most promising of the academy defenders is now likely to be playing against Djourou next season, as Martin Angha has signed a pre-contract agreement to play for Nurnberg from next season.
Johan Djourou has once again stated his desire to stay in Germany with the Bundesliga club Hannover, as he is plasying regularly and getting back into form, following ten league starts since moving on loan from the Gunners in January. Arsene Wenger had seemed reluctant to let him go, telling the 26-year old last summer that there was a place for him in the team to keep him at the Emirates.
Arsene Wenger is on the lookout for a new central defender for his Arsenal squad. With an estimated £70 million burning a hole in the Fremchman's pocket, Arsenal fans are hoping for some big name additions in some key positions, and central defence is one of the most crucial.
The Gunners are currently operating with just three first choicers in Koscielny, Vermaelen and Mertesacker.
All of the talk and information coming out of Arsenal Football Club suggests that the days of scrimping and saving to pay off the Emirates Stadium are over. The latest financial figures show a big cash reserve and good profitability, with new sponsorship money on the way. It is not just the money to be able to compete with the big spenders over transfer fees that has seen Arsenal lose it's best players and miss out on big name signings, however.
Arsenal will be signing at least one defender this summer, that much is clear. With Squillachi's contract due to end and Johan Djourou hoping for a permanent move to Hannover where he is currently on loan, Arsenal have just three centre backs. Even if you think they are good enough, that leaves the Gunners one short in the squad, but most Gooners would agree that Arsene Wenger needs to sign a central defender who will improve the starting line up, not just be cover.
There may be some news after all for Arsenal fans, although nothing is official yet. Arsene Wenger may be finalising a deal to bring the centre back Fernando Amorebieta from Athletic Bilbao. The 27-year old is a Venezuelan international but has lived in Spain's Basque country for most of his life.
Arsenal have let Johan Djourou go out on loan to the Bundesliga club Hannover for the rest of the season, and Arsene Wenger will happily let the move become permanent. That leaves Arsenal with just three proper centre backs, bhecause I do not class Squillachi in that description. The Gunners do have some talent in the under-21s, but really need at least one more quality defender in the squad.
Why Wenger can't afford to let M'Biwa go to Newcastle by KJ
As I write this article, Newcastle are apparently close to signing Montpellier captain Yanga M'Biwa for a measly £6.8 million. Arsenal have been in for the Frenchman since the summer and it's a massive surprise to most Arsenal fans that we aren't interested in him for such a low fee.
Arsene Wenger said yesterday one of the main things for Arsenal to do now was to hold on to the players we have got. After releasing Marouane Chamakh and Johan Djourou on loan, Wenger says he will not let anybody else leave until he has some new recruits to replace them.
I hope he does not include the Brazilian midfielder, Denilson, in that statement, because he is already on loan at Sao Paulo on Brazil and it seems that the club and the player are keen to make it permanent.
Arsenal have already released a couple of players on loan deals during this transfer window, with Marouane Chamakh off to West Ham for the rest of the season and Johan Djourou joining Hannover in the German Dundesliga. There have been expectations that Squaillachi and Arshavin might also be on their way out of the Emirates, but Arsene Wenger has said that Arsenal are not looking to offload any more players at the minute.
Don't worry Arsenal fans, Arsene Wenger is not just sitting on his hands while rival teams snap up players like Demba Ba, Lewis Holtby and Daniel Sturridge. Arsenal are like a cheetah on the African savannah, lying in wait, coiled like a spring ready to pounce. Any old antelope won't do, however. We are waiting for the juiciest, most succulent prey to come along.
Arsenal were expected to sign a few players in the January transfer window anyway, but they have already agreed deals with West Ham and Hannover for Chamakh and Djourou until the end of the season. With Squillachi and Arshavin also expected to leave, either permanently or on loan, Arsene Wenger has even more options and wages to play with.
Arsenal have made more room in the dressing room and freed up more wages for new players by agreeing a deal with the German Bundesliga side Hannover that will see Johan Djourouu play for them until the end of the season. Arsenal fans were probably hoping that the deal would be a permanent transfer, but if the Swiss international plays well for them it probably will become so.
There has been a lot of early activity in the transfer market already. This includes Arsenal shifting Maroane Chamakh on loan to West Ham for the rest of the season. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. Djourou looks certain to join Hannover on loan and the club is doing it's best to shift Squillaci and Arshavin to free up the wages for some arrivals.
Arsenal have today successfully negotiated terms with two teams which will see both Marouane Chamakh and Johan Djourou leave the club on respective short term loans.
Chamakh has joined fellow London club West Ham United and will be looking to provide support in the Hammers strike force as they look to push up the table.
Johan Djourou is set to leave the club. To be honest, I think this is a shame for the club. Djourou was loyal to Arsenal having come through all the ranks and he was determined to do well for the club and take us to the next level. Djourou played an important role in the side back in the 2010-2011 season, and he was out best centre back at times.
Arsene Wenger declared to Johan Djourou this summer that there would be a place for him in the Arsenal side this season, but the Swiss defender has realised that he will have to leave the Emirates if he is to have any chance of playing regular football. The president of the German club Hannover has told the newspaper Bild that they have been having talks about taking Djourou to the Bundesliga.
This must be the shortest injury update for Arsenal in the last five years! Arsene Wenger has reported that their are NO new injuries this week, and with nearly all the longterm injuries back on the training field in could mean that Wenger's has the biggest squad available ahead of tomorrows game againt Wigan.
It seems that Arsenal are gearing up for the beginning of the transfer window on January 1st, and the first player to be shown the door is expected to be the Morrocan striker Marouane Chamakh, after the Telegraph revealed that "Sam Allardyce met with Chamakh's agent Pierre Frelot on Friday night and expects the green light from Arsenal,"
Wenger has already clearly hinted he would allow the Morrocan to leave last month when he was discussing the arrival of Thierry Henry, when he said: ".
I don't think I will be the first Arsenal supporter to say that Tuesday nights disastrous performance against league 2 Bradford was one of, if not the worst of recent years.
We lacked leadership, technique, pace and above all the will to win the game at any cost.
There is a transfer story today claiming that Arsenal are ready to make a swoop for Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa from the French champions Montpellier in January. The Gunners were linked with the French international in the summer, but the club resisted and the 23-year old, who is the club captain, decided to stay and help them defend the Ligue 1 title and compete in the Champions league for the first time.
The Arsenal defender Johan Djourou has been a Gunner for his whole career, apart from a loan spell at Birmingham City, but it looks like that could be coming to an end. There was talk of the Swiss international defender moving on this summer, with a few Serie A clubs interested, but Arsene Wenger assured the 25-year old that there was still a role for him at the Emirates.
You couldn't make it up. Arsenal have been struggling with injuries since the start of the season and it never seems to get any better. The absence of Kieran Gibbs who was injured against West Ham, had a very detrimental effect on the Arsenal defence, just as the Gunners were putting a good run together, and the nervousness spread throughout the team.
Take a second and think...what if no one had left Arsenal? What if all the players that are still influencing their new teams (or would still have a place in the Arsenal team) were still at Arsenal? Guys like van Persie, Nasri, and Fabregas. Or how about Cole, Toure, and Hleb? Though the names of some of these players will make Arsenal fans worldwide shudder and most likely hurl expletives at their respective computer screens, it's hard to disagree that nearly all of these players played massive roles at Arsenal.
Rumours are starting to pick up that Djourou could be on his way out of Arsenal very soon. It was reported that Napoli scouts were at the Switzerland game against Iceland. They were there scouting Djourou as a possible recruit.
The swiss international defender Johan Djourou spends more time playing for his country than he does for Arsenal, and his international manager told him in the summer that his place could be in jeopardy if he doesn't start playing regularly for his club and if Arsenal won't play him then he should move to another team to get more game time.
Johan Djourou of Arsenal FC (Photo by Victor Fraile/Getty Images)
Johan Djourou has been in and out of the Arsenal line-up for the better part of the past several seasons. However, after the addition of Per Mertesacker last season and the general use of Laurent Koscielny as the third center half when needed he has appeared no more than a bit part player.
With the dreaded interlull still boring everyone to death, Arsenal fans have little to do but wait around for the latest international injury to hit the club. So with things so quiet then the papers obviously have nothing better to do than fill the back pages with dubious Arsenal transfer rumours!
The news that one of Arsenal's defenders could be the subject of a transfer to Serie A in Italy could be better and it could be worse. It is not Koscielny, Mertesacker or Vermaelen, so that is a great relief. On the other hand, it is not Sebastien `the Squid` Squillachi so that's very disappointing.
Its not something new that Johan Djourou has found himself relegated to fourth choice centreback at Arsenal. With the likes of Koscielny, Mertesacker and Vermaelen showing exceptional form, it seems as if Djourou's only chance of football this season will be in the League Cup or if players are dropped through injury.
Arsene Wenger has named his 18-man squad fro the third round of the Capital One cup against Coventry City tonight. The main surprise, for me, is that Laurent Koscielny is not included. The French international central defender has been unable to get his place back to due to the excellent form of Per Mertesacker.
The wonderful Capital One Cup tie against Coventryis coming up tomorrow and Arsene Wenger will have the chance to give a run-out to some of Arsenal's reserves and youngsters, but we don't want him to put out a team that may be beaten as it is still a possible trophy at the end of the day.
I am certain that Andrei Arshavin will figure in this game, because if he doesn't then we will know for sure his career at Arsenal is over completely.
Arsenal defender Johan Djourou is being scouted by Roma according to reports in Insidefutbol. by AM Switzerland played their world cup qualification group match against Albania, which they 2-0. Arsenal defender Johan Djourou featured in the match and according to reports Roma's scouts were present in that match to watch Djourou and his team mate [.
It was not a great night for Arsenal players on international duty but the best news for Gooners is that there are no more injuries to worry about. The only two Gunners who played whole matches for their countries were Thomas Vermaelen and Johann Djourou. Arsene Wenger will be pleased that Djourou got some game [.
The fourth-choice Arsenal centre-back Johan Djourou was given a contract extension by Arsene Wenger at the end of last season, but was still linked with a move away this summer in search of regular first-team football after the Switzerland coach threatened to drop him if didn't play often. It seems that Wenger persuaded him to [.
Do Arsenal need Djourou? by TS Johan Djourou, the most under or over rated player in the Arsenal
squad-depending on who you ask, of course,- reportedly still has a part to play at Arsenal despite
being linked with a move away from the club in the summer. Napoli were interested in the player and
were [.
We all know that there is not a lot of news about during the extremely annoying international
break, but some of the headlines have certainly made me laugh. The best one in my eyes was the one
that said: "Chamakh Not Suffering From Malaria" and I couldn't help having a giggle. Why stop
there? What [.
The magic of the cup, up for the cup, Wemberlee, wearing yellow ribbons – here we are again on third round weekend, and I still love this competition to bits. Wenger Mark I loved it to bits too and was rather good at it – four-times winner of it, and it should have been five given how we were mugged in 2001.
The magic of the cup, up for the cup, Wemberlee, wearing yellow ribbons – here we are again on third round weekend, and I still love this competition to bits. Wenger Mark I loved it to bits too and was rather good at it – four-times winner of it, and it should have been five given how we were mugged in 2001.
