Arsenal should say 'hello' to transfer kitty

Nine points from 3 games over the Xmas period, featuring two tough away games at West Ham and Newcastle and the difficult visit of the manager less Cardiff, trying to impress their manager-in-waiting, Solskjaer. So we can't moan, can we? Even Rosicky has had a man-of-the match performance (versus Newcastle away) so that's when you know anything is possible!
But when you're on the crest of a wave, that's when you've got to look out for the next trough. That possible dip may come in the shape of a lack of depth in the squad: quel surpris!
The scary thing about this is Arsenal being linked to Berbatov by The Sun. Yes, he has talent, but what would he do to team morale? I'd urge Wenger not to bring in the temperamental Bulgarian, who lacks the fighting spirit typified by Arsenal's 2013-2014 team.
However, it looks like Wenger will have to consider bringing someone in as a stop-gap signing to fill the boots of the injured Giroud and Bendtner. It's either that or we have to rely on the returning Podolski, who will take time to get back to his very best.
Other options are playing Theo Walcott through the middle, but Wenger's been reluctant to do this on a regular basis. I'd even consider put Gnabry there, but that might be too much pressure for the youngster to bear.
The best case scenario would be to buy Suarez from Liverpool, as he could play up by himself or behind a main target man like Giroud (when he returns to fitness). Somehow, I can't see it happening, so it's just wishful thinking, unfortunately. Our bid would have to be astronomical for the Reds to consider selling and, despite the Ozil fee, we generally do parsimony better than extravagance when it comes to transfers.
If there's any real chance of Thierry Henry coming back though, I wouldn't rule that out. It's always good to see Le Legend at the Emirates in the crowd, but the best place to see him is out on the pitch.
One thing's for sure: we need to do out business early with the FA Cup game against the revitalised Spurs upon us. My guess is we'll wait until transfer deadline day and reassess the situation then, before dipping into the transfer kitty. In fact, it's the sort of 'Kitty' we don't say 'Hello' to very often.

Rosicky keeps on not surprising me!

Strange headline, I know. Blame Wenger. He inspired it by saying Rambo keeps on surprising him.
Meanwhile, after some his lapses tonight I can say the opposite about Rosicky. I admit he plays a part going forward, albeit a small one: he's a link in the chain. However, defensively he's a liability. He doesn't track back and he's tackling is tokenism, which often leaves him prone on the ground or giving away silly fouls. Two consecutive poor clearances, when we were under the cosh against Hull, had a lot of fans groaning.
I was watching him closely throughout. Of course, he has good technique, but I lost count of his wayward passes. He wouldn't qualify for a Denilson award for misplaced passes, but he was more than half way there tonight.
Luckily, when Flamini is in the team we can carry an under-performing midfielder. Old Flames sweeps up any danger in front or behind the back four so effectively.
Further forward Ozil's come in for some flak lately. Yes, he needs to stop sulking when he gets fouled and get real: the game is physical here! Yet, unlike Rosicky, Ozil can play a killer pass and score the odd goal, so I can forgive his occasional laziness and poor attitude.
Meanwhile, for one night only Bendtner was a revelation. Okay, I'm exaggerating but it was fun to see him score again.
Perhaps 2-0 could be the new 1-0!

Arsenal's Higuain deal hijacked? Ryo not off to Feyenoord, yet!

Don't shoot the messenger. It hasn't happened yet. But Arsenal's protracted signing of Gonzalo Higuain could hit the buffers, in my opinion, if a certain other London club come in and offer him better terms. I don't think Spurs will do that, but Chelsea are certainly capable of it, financially, especially now that they've been outbid by PSG for Cavani. We need to get this Higuain deal done a.s.a.p., but Arsenal don't do 'asap', unless the 's' stands for 'slowly'.

Maybe we're waiting to offload Park, Campbell and Bentdner before we sign Higuain so we can save on wages. Bendtner is inching ever nearer Frankfurt, we hear. He'll probably be loaned out. Surely one of those 'six' interested clubs can put a deal together. Obviously, German clubs are keen to take our players on loan: Djourou's got a German club for next season as has Coquelin. So while Djourou's going to Hamburg for the entire season, 'Coq-au-vin' will be out in Freiburg.

Mannone was quick to get a club, wasn't he? I wish him the best of luck at Sunderland. Not sure they'll do well under di Canio, but I think our ex-keeper will do his bit (if given the chance) to help them stay up. Surely, his exit means Cesar's arrival. It's been much heralded, but the trumpeters are sick of tooting the same tune! Bring Cesar in, Arsenal! Stop faffing around!

Another player we've been linked with and lost, it seems is Tin Jedvaj. With a name like that, he's got to be good...for a laugh. Let's hope Spurs are not getting the last laugh, if they sign him for £6.5m, as has been reported. They've already signed Paulinho, who had a decent Confederations Cup tournament, so might be a good acquisition.

One player who wasn't a good acquisition was Park Ju Young. It looks like Celta Vigo won't be having our former number 9 back, which isn't surprising given he went AWOL at the end of last season. He won't be doing that for 4 weeks, as he's doing some obligatory military service. If only the South Korean Army would pick up the bill for his wages, we'd be in an even better financial position to sign someone.

But no. I have more exits to report . . .

Ryo Miyaichi. Don't worry, folks! I don't believe he's leaving. Not yet, anyway. Wenger's been waxing lyrical about Ryo's attitude pre-season. If he impresses in Japan, I reckon we'll keep him. If he doesn't, that's when I'll take the Feyenoord link seriously. Of course, they want him back, especially as they have a sudden wideman shortage: Boertius has a serious knee injury and Sekou Cisse could be leaving. Nevertheless, Ryo's not their first-choice replacement for the pair. The Dutch side want Liverpool's Oussama Assaidi. The problem is the Reds won't loan Assaidi out, they'd rather do a permanent deal.




And that's where we come in! Well, only if Ryo is up for grabs on loan and right now he's not! He's even been pictured on the official Arsenal.com website with Fabianski. So unless we're flogging the pair, two-for-one, it's as Hall & Oates would sing: 'Say No Go'.

Meanwhile, that very player, Sonogo has a number 22 shirt to go with his ready-made song. His arrival could mean curtains for Joel Campbell, though. The Costa Rican striker is unlikely to rejoin Real Betis, apparently, so the media are linking him with Crystal Palace and West Ham. The question is how will our London rivals get Campbell a work permit if we couldn't manage it? I'll leave the media to ponder that, as clearly they haven't thought it through.

Talking of shirts, Diaby takes the number 24. Finally, a sensible number. Let's hope he plays more sensibly, and manages to string a few decent games together for a change now.

Despite my lack of faith in him, Diaby's staying at Arsenal, of course unlike Emmanuel Frimpong,who could be on his way to Fulham. Then there's Gervinho off to Marseilles and Chamakh to Levante.

And Wenger to PSG. Next year. I don't believe it, personally, but Le10Sport are reporting it, so it must be 'vrai'!

Diaby's physique/Arsenal's Theo policy

Hello again Gooners!

Some people call this the 'interlull' and I'm inclined to agree. Life's just not the same without a bit of Premier League action. Internationals just don't do it for me. They used to, but those days have been and gone, perhaps never to return.

The most interesting thing about internationals now is watching Arsenal players in a different context. It was good to see Cazorla on the scoresheet for Spain, but it's been Diaby getting all the plaudits for another outstanding performance, this time for France, which he capped with a goal. It prompted Didier Deschamps to call him a 'complete' [insert word here]. Don't forget, Deschamps is pleased with Diaby, so it's not going to be a rude word! Okay, it was 'midfielder'. Quite a compliment. Nevertheless, he might be too exhausted for France's next game. A match winner one day and in the sickbay the next. Yes, we know all about that at Arsenal.

Diaby's physique is suddenly a much-discussed topic. Guy Roux said that Diaby 'is mounted on two matches with a spot of glue in the middle', which is another pretty graphic way of saying he is 'quite fragile'. Apart from that caveat, Guy appreciates Diaby's 'vision' and his ability to 'eliminate four or five players in a row'. I think something was lost in translation on that last part, as otherwise it would conjure up visions of Diaby twirling around like a Darlek shouting 'exterminate, eliminate!' Or something like that. And Diaby's nothing like a Darlek. Not in build. Not in viciousness. So Darlek he ain't.

Marcotti and Cascarino have been less glowing in their praise of Diaby, describing him as 'not bad'. They've had a lot of abuse from Arsenal fans for speaking their minds, but I don't see the problem with them calling it how they see it. That's what pundits are for, surely.

Stewart Robson, still in the Arsenal Player (TV) wilderness after criticising Theo Walcott (a bit too much by calling him an athlete with a pair of football boots, or something like that) agrees with Roux, Deschamps and Wenger about Diaby. I'm still in the Marcotti and Cas camp for now. The jury's out and I remain to be convinced that Diaby will offer much. Before his injury, he wasn't a world beater. He was 'not bad', in my opinion. He had something about him, a bit of flair, if you like, but he was too erratic for my liking. Not solid enough defensively and not devastating enough going forward. If you wanted to play keep ball in the middle of the field, then Diaby seemed to have a lot going for him. If you wanted to keep a clean sheet or score at the other end, I didn't really value Diaby's contribution very often.

Of course, the injury inflicted upon him was horrific. No wonder he was 'shaking on the bench because he was scared of getting injured again'. Only last year, Renand Longueve described Diaby as having 'the right leg of a 10-year-old'. The 'glue' in his middle must be under a lot of strain. It's bad enough being 'mounted on two matchsticks', but when one matchstick is bigger than the other you're likely to have a lot of problems.  

I'm not sure if it was because of the physical problems of having two different sized matchsticks, but since his injury, he's been mostly ineffectual for Arsenal, apart from against Liverpool, when he played out of his skin. Even 'Deckchair' Denilson did that occasionally. I think Diaby's got more to offer than Denilson though, so don't get me wrong on that. And with quality midfielders around him like Cazorla and Arteta, he's got a great chance to look a better player than he really is. A bit like Michael Carrick at Manchester United. It's the exceptional players around an average player that can elevate the ordinary. After all, it's a team game.

One player who can't get in any team right now is Andrey Arshavin. He won't play for Russia unless he's a first-team regular, and hands up who can imagine that happening at Arsenal?

Even Marouane Chamakh might be higher than Arshavin in Wenger's pecking order. Even Chamakh with malaria. No scrub that! It's not malaria, it's a virus.

Maybe it's the same thing that struck down Fabianski. It's strange the Pole can make it on the bench for his country, but against Liverpool it was Martinez on the bench and Mannone deputising for Szczeny. Please don't think I'm complaining about the team selection. Far from it. Mannone's a much safer than Fabianski in my opinion and Martinez is one for the future. Fabianski is one for the scrapheap, unfortunately. Our former number one, Almunia, let in a load of goals at Watford the other day, so it makes you wonder how good Wenger's judgement has been when it comes to bringing in keepers. Richard Wright looked a good keeper before he joined us, but then when to pieces. I have admit, I'd have signed Wright myself. And Pepe Reina. We could have had him for £20m, apparently, but look at him now. They're a temperament breed alright, but I've seen enough of Fabianski to last me a lifetime. I mean, I don't know who's more nervous when he plays, him or me! Anyway, I've not seen enough of Mannone and Martinez yet, but I've got high hopes for both of them. And James Shea. So maybe we're going to be alright in that department in the not-too-distant future.

Another department that gets debated a lot is the wing department. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may have had a great first half for England, but Roy Hodgson's annoyed with him for stepping off the gas once he knew he was getting subbed. At least, the Ox made an assist while on the pitch, while 'contract rebel' Theo Walcott did the same after replacing his Arsenal team-mate. All good for both players' confidence, although the Ox will get a dressing-down for switching off from the England boss. And Theo should get rebuked by Arsenal for not signing a new deal. Or maybe the unofficial policy is to leave Theo on the bench until he does sign a new deal. Not a bad policy, if true.

Or maybe we'll loan Theo out to get him off the wage bill. That would be as foolish as offering Arshavin on loan or on a free transfer. Oops. Oh yeah, we did that already. Thanks to the great meerkat in the sky, our little meerkat made in his image stayed at the Emirates. Now we have to hope that the great meerkat has a word in the lug-hole of the economist from Strasbourg University who picks the team.

One player who leaves on a month's loan with everyone's blessing is Chuks Aneke. He looks a decent prospect and has had spells with Stevenage and Preston, but now has a chance at Crewe. We all wish Chuks well.

Another loanee is Nicklas Bendtner, but it came as some surprise to hear he might return to play for Arsenal again. Absence makes the heart grow fonder it seems, and Bendtner is back in Wenger's good books: 'We believe in him and that is why we gave him to Juventus on loan'. And there I was thinking it was because Juve wouldn't pay enough up front to make the deal permanent. Having said that, I think 'Super Nick' could become an excellent centre forward one day. It would be nice if it's at Arsenal, but I doubt it will be, unfortunately.

The next player who could get offloaded is Francis Coquelin, if he's not in the team prompto. After just 3 games, he's impatient for his chance. He will take stock in 6 months, he says. Everton, QPR and Aston Villa have all been credited with an interest in a player I rate, but the question remains: is he better than Seb Larsson? I'm not so sure he is. So that could mean the exit door will beckon for ol' Coq-au-vin.

Coming in could be Bordeaux's Yoan Gouffran. He's 26 now and needs to start realising his potential. He's available for £3m in January and will be free if we can wait until the summer. Fulham, Villa and Everton are monitoring developments and my guess is we are too.

Montpellier defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa seems more likely to go to Newcastle in January, all of a sudden. Are we bothered? He turned us down because he wanted a dream move to AC Milan. That never happened, of course, due to the Italians only offering £4.75m for him. He'll be available on a free in the summer, if the Newcastle interest is not what the media would have us believe.

Then there's Anderlecht defender Cheikhou Kouyate. As well as ourselves, Newcastle and Man City are apparently interested. Some sources say we 'held talks' with him. He says he 'had a good feeling about contact from Wenger and Arsenal'. I could say that a séance. So no, I don't believe this story. At all. So there!

That's all for now folks!

Arsenal FC transfer round-up

Welcome to The Loose Cannon, or WTF as some rude cyber warrior would rather call it. Now I know how Arsene Wenger must feel when he gets stick! Serves me right, I suppose for being so critical of his team and transfer policy. However, I don't feel so critical this season as we've already bought wisely and it looks like we may continue to do so.

Everyone is asking the latest about Nuri Sahin and his prospective loan move from Real Madrid. It seems that there are a number of other clubs in the hunt for the Turkey international, and Arsenal appear to still be in pole position. Yet if Manchester United come calling, it's hardly a foregone conclusion that he will move to the Emirates Stadium. AC Milan and Liverpool are also reportedly interested. Spurs, apparently, made an approach but it was rejected by Sahin.

Another player we could be signing is Malaga's Isco. Spanish club are ready to sell all and sundry and by all accounts we could do a lot worse than sign this winger for £8 million, especially as the Walcott is continuing to be linked with a move away to his boyhood favourites, Liverpool. For that would be "one in one out", if it comes to pass.

Something similar could happen with the Alex Song situation. Barcelona clearly want the player, as otherwise why would some many of their footballing stars come out and say that they want him? If Song does go for £20 million, which would make him about £8 million overpriced in my book, then most of the media are claiming we would sign Yann M'Vila to replace him. This is a little strange given that Arsene Wenger has denied being interested in the France international. Then again, he said something similar about five months before signing Andrey Arshavin, but some Arsenal fans have pointed out the Russian may been foisted upon him by the board of directors. I can't believe that Wenger is not in control of team affairs, which would include selection of players to join his squad, but anything's possible in the world of football.

Other players leaving the club include Nicklas Bendtner, who could be about to sign for AC Milan, according to the Corriere dello Sport. Interestingly, the paper goes on to say we will receive cash plus long-term Arsenal transfer target Philippe Mexes, who is reportedly earning €4.5 million per year. France international is now 30 years of age, which is normally a bit too old for Arsene Wenger's liking, so this still sounds like pure paper talk to me.

One deal that is incredibly more likely is that taking Carlos Vela to Real Sociedad. In fact it's so likely that it is a done deal! Finally the club have confirmed that it's happened, about a month or so after we read in the newspapers, and once again the transfer fee is undisclosed.

One transfer fee that won't be undisclosed perhaps is the amount Arsenal receive for Robin van Persie, should he leave. Manchester United are going to have to pay £20 million or he will be going nowhere, it seems. However, Manchester City and Juventus haven't given up the chase complete yet, no matter what Roberto Mancini says to the contrary.

I'm not quite sure why the media claim that Alex Ferguson missed Manchester United's Hanover victory on Saturday night to close a deal to sign Robin van Persie and then next thing you know is the want-away Dutchman is playing in a friendly in Cologne. Surely it would make more sense for Fergie to just wait until that match was over and then approach him.

There is still the school of thought that believe van Persie. Like Wayne Rooney's transfer request, it the Dutchman's refusal to sign a new deal could just be a cry for help. I'm not sure I buy into this theory completely but it remains a possibility. After signing three quality players in this transfer window it's about time the U-turn happened. As if it doesn't soon, we can kiss hopes of van Persie staying goodbye.

Arsenal in for Ganso, Neymar, Cazorla or M'Vila? Henderson goes to Hollywood!

This time ,"Hello again Gooners" is changed to "Hello again doing this" by Dragon's voice-recognition software. So it is improving. Well done Dragon!

Talking of dragons, the first-team squad are bound to see a lot of them out in the Far East as we look forward to games against a Malaysia XI (24 July, 2:45 PM on ESPN), Manchester City (27th of July, 1 PM on ESPN) and Kitchee (or "kitschy", according to Dragon). The latter game kicks off at 10 AM on 29 July. And the final pre-season friendly is against Cologne away from home on 12 August, kicking off at 4 PM. It will also be televised "live" on ESPN. That game takes place just six days before our opening fixture of the season at home to Sunderland on 18 August. Sadly that won't be televised. I say sadly because I won't be at the Emirates to see that game. But I'm determined to see it "live" somehow. In the worst-case scenario, I will watch it one or two days later on Arsenal Player. There won't be so bad if Stewart Robson is summarising.

Anyway, being the impatient type of person that I am, it was impossible for me to wait that long to watch Arsenal in action, so I took myself to Boreham Wood FC. It was not my first visit, but it was my first trip by train to the place made famous by Elstree Studios. Plaques of Cliff Richard, Christopher Lee and Barbara Windsor punctuated my walk from Elstree station to Meadow Park, but little did I know I would be entertained by some of the best "Hollywood balls" I've seen at this level of the game. Just to make myself clear here, by "Hollywood balls" I mean the kind of raking passes that we at Arsenal usually associate with the likes of former Gunners superstar Liam Brady. In fact, a lot of young players attempt these "Hollywood balls" and fail miserably because they try them at inappropriate moments in that only indicates a lack of skill. That's why sometimes or should I say often I complain about players trying to play these kind of passes. But Conor Henderson was not guilty of this. Henderson was by far the best player on the pitch in the first half and based on this display he should be playing first team football. The Ireland under 21 international midfielder is approaching his 21st birthday and if Arsene Wenger has no intention of playing Henderson in the Arsenal first-team then he should loan him out. Just like Liam Brady, Henderson has a magic wand of a left foot. He may not possess Brady's dribbling skills, but he has a good engine and I anticipate a very bright future for this young prodigy.

The other player worth an honourable mention was playing for Boreham Wood. Left winger Graeme Montgomery really impressed me throughout. The former Dagenham and Redbridge midfielder setup Omer Riza's opening goal, which put Arsenal one behind. The 24-year-old would have to be man-of-the-match as he shone in both halves. At his age, it will be difficult for Montgomery to ever play Premier league football, but he deserves a chance to play at a much higher level, that's for sure.

So who in the Arsenal XI also deserves more recognition? Once again, the goalkeepers impressed. Damien Martinez is may have conceded a goal, but aside from that the 19-year-old Argentinian put on an excellent display.

Similarly, his second-half replacement James Shea didn't put a foot wrong. No wonder he's been involved with the England squad and I'm expecting big things from the 21-year-old. One of the good things about Shea is he commands his penalty area. Like goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts from the sidelines, Shea is very vocal. In stark contrast, the rest of the Arsenal team was silent throughout.

So who else impressed? Chuba Akpom was fouled for the first penalty and scored the second, so he made a reasonably good impression. He did get nagged for his positional play, so at this stage am not sure how well he will fit in with this Arsenal reserve team.

Kristoffer Olsson belied his tender years with a superb finish after an individual run into the box. The 17-year-old Swedish midfielder certainly looks to be a bright prospect. As does Hector Bellerin. We didn't see much of the Spanish right back, but to be a poet and not know it he looks as sharp as a tack. The only other player who impressed me in the Arsenal line-up was Martin Angha, who looks remarkably like Neymar of Brazil and Santos, which brings me nicely on to the transfer news.

Neymar was incredibly impressive on Friday night playing for the Brazil Olympic side against Great Britain. Why oh why can't we sign somebody is good as Neymar? I know the answer and I think we all do. Money. Neymar is 20-years-old and already has 18 caps for Brazil and nine goals. What a great investment he would be! Unfortunately, big business has beaten us to it with third-parties already buying up 45% of his rights for around €14 million. Just to break even on their investment, these third parties are going to demand a €28 million transfer fee for him. To double their money, they will want €56 million. That kind of prices us out of the market, doesn't it?

Paulo Henrique Ganso should be a lot cheaper, although the 22-year-old has a €50 million buyout clause in his contract. Nonetheless, he is expected to join ourselves, Manchester United or Spurs. Tottenham may have a lot of money to spend when Luca Modric makes his move elsewhere.

Apparently, were much more likely to sign Santi Cazorla from Malaga. The Spanish club have a lot of money but allegedly they have not been paying their players or the taxman on time, according to well respected Spain-based journalist Graham Hunter. So could the 27-year-old winger be on the way to Arsenal? I'm not sure Arsene Wenger would like another repeat of the Jose Antonio Reyes situation. That diminutive but skilful wide man found it difficult to adjust to the violence of the Premier League and perhaps Cazorla would have similar difficulties. However, Reyes was much younger and much more inexperienced when he joined us and than Cazorla is now, so finger may decide it's worth the gamble.

Yann M'Vila, meanwhile, is on somebody's shopping list. Rennes are reporting that negotiations are ongoing regarding the defensive midfielder's transfer. We should find out soon whether Arsenal's reported interest is genuine. Given that Jack Wilshire will be out until September or October or possibly even later than that with his ankle and knee problems and that Thomas Rosicky will be out for six weeks with a heel problem, it makes perfect sense to bring in an experienced midfielder.

It could be argued we also need a right back, as Bacari Sagna will probably not be fit enough to start the season. However, he is expected to return to the first-team at the end of August.

We will also be one striker lighter, as Nicklas Bendtner is expected to complete a £7.5 million move to either AC Milan or Galatasaray. That money could be useful to provide additional transfer funds for Arsene Wenger.

I don't expect there will be much more money in the pot following the news that Ryo Miyaichi will probably go to Bolton on another year's loan now that Ajax have pulled out of the running to sign him. I would have liked Miyaichi to spend some time in the company of former Arsenal superstar Marc Overmars, who could teach the youngster a thing or two about wing play. However, I'm not sure how much input Overmars has on the training ground, so maybe Ryo hasn't missed out after all.

Anyway, that's all for now. Until the next time, "Up the Gooners!"

Bendtner Mark II is on form before Arsenal switch?

After a play-off weekend, it was always likely that we would be talking about one of the star players on show. Given at Crewe Alexandra's record of producing good young players, it is no surprise that Arsenal and Manchester United are being linked with matchwinner Nick Powell.

The teenage midfielder will not be 19 until March, yet as already clocked up over 50 games in the league for Crewe scoring 14 goals in scoring 14 goals in the process. His goal for Crewe in the League Two play-off final opened the scoring and showcased what looks like a prodigious talent: a good first touch with his right foot to set up a volley with his weaker left foot.

There has been transfer speculation linking the England Under 18 international with a move to Arsenal for more than two years. His performance at Wembley indicates that he is certainly one for the future, but whether it will be at Arsenal remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, another so-called long-term Arsenal transfer target Mohamed Diamé is also being linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium. The 24-year-old Wigan defensive midfielder is, apparently, in London looking for a new club now that his contract is about to expire. I think he would make a good squad player but I'm not sure Arsenal will be prepared to offer him regular first-team football, and that's why I think he is more likely to choose another London club like Fulham, for example.

Another 24-year-old midfielder who could be joining us, according to the Daily Mail, is Odil Ahmedov of the Russian league. He is currently playing for Anzhi Makhachkala, who are interested in signing Robin van Persie. The way this story is going the next thing I expect to see in the newspapers is Anzhi conclude sensational swap deal with Arsenal, with the Uzbekistan International joining us and our Dutch talisman leaving us with our bank balance in super surplus again! Not really! But I thought I should put my thoughts into writing in case it does happen, in which case I will say "you heard it here first". The good thing about Ahmedov is he has been quoted as saying the following: "I want to try in England or Spain. Clearly all the clubs in Spain and England are wonderful, but I would like, if I had the choice, to play at Arsenal."

The same newspaper is suggesting that Robin van Persie is almost certain to leave. An unnamed Arsenal source said: "Arsenal know it's not about money even if they offered them personally what [Man] City can pay it would make no difference if he doesn't believe the club can challenge the trophies."

Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, remains convinced that van Persie will stay. He told Fox Soccer: "I am confident you will see Robin van Persie in the Premier league and I'm very confident you will see him and red and white." The problem I have with that comment is Manchester United also play in red and white! Surely we will not sell our best player to the team that finished just one spot above us in the league! However, stranger things have happened in football so the unexpected never really surprises me.

One striker we want be so sad to lose is Nicklas Bendtner. It sounds like our Great Dane already has a number of options on the table. He is quoted on Sky Sports as saying: "Yes, I have talked to other clubs. I have told all the clubs that I want to wait until after Euro 2012. We have got plenty of time to sort out the future." It seems that German champions Borussia Dortmund are very interested in signing the 24-year-old Denmark international striker. I know he has a reputation of being a bit of the bighead, to say the least, but I'm still not sure that he want become a big star one day. He's never going to be a Thierry Henry, yet he still offers an aerial threat in a similar way to Andy Carroll at Liverpool. If Super Nick returns to Arsenal, I for one will not be disappointed as I think the best is yet to come.

Finally, there's an interesting article on Jeorge Bird’s Arsenal Youth website which questions the club's policy of signing non-EU youngsters and then loaning them out to get a work permit elsewhere. Without stealing his thunder and going through the article in detail, I will say he mentions Carlos Vela, Pedro Botelho (who is on his fifth loan spell in Spain now), Bolivian international Samuel Galindo, Ryo Miyaichi and fractured-leg victim Wellington. It's well worth the read so I suggest you have a look for yourself.

Just before I go, I'd like to mention that I saw Arsenal transfer target Olivier Giroud play for France against Iceland as a substitute. He certainly made a difference setting up two goals which turned a certain defeat into a not particularly well deserved victory. Based on what I saw, I'd say Giroud is not blessed with blistering pace, but he's good in the air and has a deft touch on the ground. A bit like Nicklas Bendtner!

Huge Arsenal bid for Hoilett? - toilet-paper news

You can't believe what you read nowadays and that goes for broadsheets as well as red tops. And local papers that take stories from broadsheets. Check out The Jarrow & Hebburn Gazette, which runs a daily transfer news column. Nothing wrong with that, but best to get the facts right.

Blackburn's Junior Hoilett is a free agent this summer, according to The Metro and everything else I've read and heard, so it's not going to break the bank to get him. There may be a nominal fee payable to Blackburn for development costs because of the player's age, but that will be it.

Therefore, it makes the notion that we will have to offload Nicklas Bendtner, Denilson, Sebastien Squillaci and Johan Djourou to free up cash to sign Hoilett all the more ludicrous. Although it's supposedly in The Times, it's Hoilett toilet-paper news to me!

Laughable links on the transfer front for Arsenal

Some people call the summer transfer window 'the silly season' and with good reason judging by this story in the Daily Mail. I can guarantee Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero will not be joining Arsenal, not matter what the anonymous reporter is reporting to the contrary. It's hardly worth discussing, as who can imagine Arsene Wenger bringing in a 37-year-old offensive player? Still, the story was good for a giggle.

Equally laughable is the story on Goal.com where we can read that Juventus have pulled out of the race to sign Robin van Persie. They never had an earthly! The non-story goes that Juve now prefer Uruguay international striker Edinson Cavani, who is 25-years-old and won't have such hefty wage demands. He cost Napoli about 17m euros two years ago, so won't be available any cheaper than that given his recenbt goalscoring record. However, he should have a decent resale value, which is something you can't say about van Persie.

While we're having a giraffe (okay, 'laugh' for the uninitiated) what about Junior Hoilett, as suggested by Red London? Well, he's got flair and he's only 21. Also, he's out of contract at Blackburn this summer, but I understand a nominal fee will be payable due to his age. However, if he does join us, he may have to settle for being a squad player, but should he join Reading (who are also reportedly interested) then he could be virtually guaranteed a full season of Premier League football. The guy is ambitious: he turned down playing international football for his native Canada for the chance of playing for England, so who's to say he won't choose Arsenal over Reading? Personally, I can't see us moving for him. Sorry to say, I think he's the sort of player that Harry Redknapp will be interested in, so don't be surprised if he ends up at Spurs. I'll qualify that by reminding you that Harry loves wingers, whereas Wenger buys strikers (like Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner) and sticks them out on the wing - a questionable policy, if you ask me.

There could be a fire sale at Blackburn following their relegation and one of my fellow guests on the Gooner Podcast said Arsenal should make a move for ex-Spurs keeper Paul Robinson as a back up keeper with Lucasz Fabianski seemingly offski. I think that would be a great call, but it's more likely that Robinson will move to West Ham to take Robert Green's place, if the latter moves away on a free transfer. We've been long linked to Green, so I think we might actually bring him in as a potential first choice keeper. It was grim reading watching Sky Sports the other day as they flagged up how we've been getting progressively worse defensively every season. Wenger has to turn that around and hopefully we won't start courting experienced keepers again this summer only to baulk at the price.

The Arsenal FC departure lounge is busy

Well, according to Just Arsenal it's a proper exodus this summer, 'movement of the Gooners/Jah People' in Bob Marley-speak.

It's hard to argue with Just Arsenal's assessment of the situation: 8 must go! Or is it? For what it's worth, here's my take on it.

1) Sebastien Squillaci - I'd like him to go for one reason alone: I really struggle to spell his name. Is his first name with two 'e's or two 'a's? I'm sick of looking it up! And don't get me started on his surname. Not sure he'll be missed that much, but I've seen worse squad players than than SS, so I don't mind if he stays and sees out his contract, especially as I don't think he's got much re-sale value.

2) Lucasz Fabianski - I think the world knows how I feel about this bag of nerves. Obviously he's got talent and no doubt he shows it regularly on the training ground. But he hasn't done so for Arsenal when it really matters...on the pitch. He might thrive at a smaller club, but I'm not even too sure of that. He's a nice guy but always looks like he'll concede, flap, or make the grass beneath him turn a shade of brown. Let him go!

3) Manuel Almunia - How he ever became Arsenal's number one, most of us will never know, but let's not forget he had one good season. He'll leave on a free without a doubt.

4) Nicklas Bendtner - Okay, he's not as good as he thinks, but strikers need confidence and he has that in abundance. He also has some talent, so although he will leave this summer for a decent fee, I can see his sale haunting us in a few years' time.

5) Denilson - Although he's shown fleeting moments of something above mediocre-ness, it's never been enough for me. He cost a lot and we won't get much for him unfortunately. Won't be missed.

6) Andrey Arshavin - One of the most technically gifted players I've ever seen. A pocket genius, but it's all gone wrong for him at Arsenal. Played in the wrong position until he lost confidence and spoke out and got dropped and so on. Spiralled into decline so must go. I will miss him, but don't think Arsene Wenger or most of the fans will.

7) Marouane Chamakh - Started brightly and turned abysmal so quickly I'm still reeling. We have to let him go.

8) Carlos Vela - Mexicans haven't done well in the Premier League for some unknown reason. Vela had it all, but ended up much more of a disappointment than Peter Marinello, who was also hailed as a potential superstar back in the day. It's adios amigo!

How long will Arshavin stay at Arsenal?

My prediction is not long. I can see him leaving in January, if things don't pick up. I can see him leaving if he keeps getting subbed and keeps having to sit on the bench and if he keeps being played out of position.

All Andrey's best mates have left. He says he gets on with all the players, and I feel sure he does, but nonetheless I'm worried he misses class acts like Cesc Fabregas and (dare I say) Samir Nasri. He even misses Nicklas Bendtner, for reasons we might not be able to fathom.

Super Nic was rarely that 'super' for us, despite the song that rang out around the ground on occasions, but I feel sure one day he'll become an excellent striker. Unfortunatley, we won't be the beneficiaries of that development.

Anyway, here's what Andrey said on his official website: 'I'm on good terms with all teammates. Earlier, when Cesc and Samir played for Arsenal, we were on friendly terms, and also with Bendtner.'

Clearly, Andrey's reasonably settled in London, but I can see him returning to Zenit, especially now he's said the following on his website: 'For me it would be ideal to live in St. Petersburg in the future, and at times visit London.'