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'!

Where next for Arsenal's Chewy?

Our old number 9, Chu or Ju Young Park, AKA Chewy, is still looking for a club. Celta Vigo could be his next port of call, apparently. Well, that's according to Inside Futbol.

One thing's clear. Chewy will be off. He's suffered a severe loss of face by losing that coveted shirt number, so he needs a move desperately now. Imagine dropping from number 9 to number 30! It must have been a bitter pill to swallow. But Park helped his country win a bronze medal at the Olympics and now there are some suitors for the South Korea international striker.

It could be that he'll end up in the UAE, playing for Al Ain. Gulf News have reported that Park will be signing before Ain's Super Cup game against Al Jazira on 15th September, if all goes to plan. I'm not sure if the Middle East has an extended transfer window or not, but if not, they need to get their skates on!

Arsenal could cash in on rivals' instability, Squillaci & Park

It is not normally the business of this website to discuss goings-on at other clubs. However the departure of Harry Redknapp at Spurs and the appointment of Roberto Di Matteo at Chelsea gives us Arsenal fans something to chew on. From our point of view, we need to know whether Chelsea and Spurs will push as hard next season for our much-coveted Champions League spot.

Looking at Spurs first, you have to say under Redknapp they were much more formidable despite not winning any trophies. You just have to look at their finishing league positions under Harry to realise. He bought wisely and his team played attractively, hence the link to the England manager's job.

Luckily for us, the Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has a tendency to self-destruct, in my opinion. It makes me appreciate the stability offered by the Arsenal Board of Directors who have stuck by managers and not dismissed them at the drop of a hat or a point. Stability maybe boring to some but at least it leads to success. Ask Manchester United!

Lots of Spurs fans are fearing the worst, and unless they can appoint someone as good as Jose Mourinho I think the only way is down for them. All the names being bandied about as Redknapp successors are inferior to Harry and I think the best they can hope for next season is a mid-table finish. It wouldn't surprise me if they sacked their next manager halfway through the season. Trigger-happy chairman tend to do that.

Talking of trigger-happy chairman, how long can Di Matteo stay at Chelsea as boss? Not that long is the answer. He's been given a two-year contract and I will be surprised if he sees that out. The Di Matteo has a huge challenge on his hands next season as the team is in transition. However, I expect Chelsea to finish above Spurs but below Arsenal. That, ultimately, will not be good enough for a Roman Abramovic.

We have to thank our lucky stars that our board have more about them than the chairmen of our London rivals. So for once, I'd like to praise our board the sterling work they've done. However, there is always room for improvement, so let's hope we take the opportunity this summer to put some distance between us and the two teams down the road.

There is some encouraging news on the transfer front with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger refusing to comment on the possibility of the club raiding Montpellier for striker Olivier Giroud. Goal.com claim that Wenger was asked the question on French TV. He apparently told TF1: "I won't say anything to you. Even under torture!"

We are hearing a deal worth €14.8 million is set to be concluded shortly with some websites claiming that the 25-year-old France international striker will temporarily leave the French training camp in order to put pen to paper on a €60,000 per week deal. I can't see it myself, I think we will have to wait until France are knocked out of Euro 2012. As long as it happens before the Premier league season begins, I will be happy. Perhaps that is the "exciting news" that Arsenal CEO Ivan Gazidis is promising.

Meanwhile, moving out of the club could be Sebastien Squillaci. Newly-promoted Bastia want the French defender to add experience to their back four for their forthcoming Championnat season. There is also interest from Evian (good for rehydration) and Brest (cue smutty jokes). Most fans will be happy for the 31-year-old to move on at any price after an unsuccessful stint at the Emirates.

The word "unsuccessful" brings to mind Park Chu-Young. Arsenal's South Korean striker is in hot water it seems regarding the controversy surrounding his military service, or lack of. He recently told a press conference in his native country: "I understand that there was a huge controversy concerning my military service. I would like to apologise for all the trouble this caused, and for letting people down.

"I learned a lot about football while playing with AS Monaco for three years. I started dreaming of learning more in Europe as a football player. But even though I delayed my military service, I never plan to emigrate or avoid it altogether.

"I submitted a handwritten letter to the Military Manpower Administration pledging to fulfil my military duty, and I promise again that I intend to honour that."

Who knows, perhaps, the furore this has caused has affected Park's form. When he was granted a ten-year residence permit in March this year by the principality of Monaco it meant that he could delay his military service until 2022, by which time he will be 37-years-old.

However, now that he has been named in South Korea's Olympic squad, there is a possibility he could be excused military service completely. Well, if South Korea team manage to win a medal that is. Park seems to be really going for it given that he's now training in Japan, having outstayed his 60-day permission to remain in South Korea while resident in another country.

From an Arsenal perspective, we can only hope that Park plays well enough to secure himself a move to another club with us recouping most of the transfer fee we paid out last summer.

Should Arsenal have been Boulder with Rice successor?

Pat Rice is to be succeeded as Arsenal's assistant boss by youth team coach Steve Bould. Is this a good appointment?

From a stability point of view, it's hard to fault the appointment. As Arsene Wenger said today, it offers the club 'continuity'. It's true that Steve Bould knows the club's football philosophy and the way the club works.

However, some would say if you try to keep things the same for too long you will go backwards. The ambition of the club seems limited to getting Champions League football. Based on that criteria, Arsenal have been hugely successful! Fifteen years of continuous Champions League football!

Let's make no bones about it, however, some fans will see Rice's resignation as a missed opportunity. Some will say we should have brought someone in who would challenge Arsene Wenger's authority. Although, Wenger joked that Rice 'kicked' him a 'few times' during games, we knew that was tongue-in-cheek. Wenger is right to praise Rice as a 'fighter', but few can imagine him standing up to Le Boss.

The question is will Steve Bould? I think he will to a greater extent than Rice. But I don't think he'll put Wenger's nose out of joint, so in that sense it's a good move by the club. There won't be any in-fighting after Bould gets his promotion at the end of the season.

It is a safe appointment but is NOT an exciting one. It seems to be the club's policy to recruit from within. That's understandable. Stable clubs usually do well. But sometimes, we have to grasp the nettle. Take the opportunity to shake things up. Like we did in the summer with the squad.

How will it affect Arsenal's performance at WBA this weekend?

I think the players will want to give Pat Rice a good send-off. Theo Walcott could be back, if he passes a late fitness test on his hamstring, so that will strengthen the team. Park, Squillaci, and Santos are slightly doubtful for the game, but none of them would be expected to start anyway.


Meanwhile, will Rennes defensive midfielder Yann M'Vila sign for Arsenal? 

It seems as if the news leaking out of France saying the two club's had already agreed a deal was just a ruse by the player's agent to drum up some interest in his client. So right now, I'm not optimistic that Arsenal will sign him. And if they do, it won't be for a record transfer fee of 22m euros, that's for sure!

Cough up for Cahill, Arsenal!

I'm getting so sick of Arsenal acting poverty-stricken. We wanted Mark Schwarzer last year, but refused to meet Fulham's valuation. Instead we preferred to start the season with Manuel Almunia between the sticks.

Now it seems we haven't learned at all from last year's mistake, by refusing to offer the going rate for Gary Cahill of Bolton. Okay, he'll be out of contract in a year's time and we can get him for free then. But patience isn't always a virtue. Not if it means another trophyless season, anyway. It would have been nice to get Cahill signed in time for the Manchester United game, but with our club a quick deal is rarely possible.

To make it worse, our boss Arsene Wenger is so smug about it. He's more coy (okay, koi then) than a carp! And now, talking of Far Eastern fish, Le Boss is about to reel in a big South Korean to fill the vacant number 9 shirt, I hear (although I'm not sure we can believe it). Park-Chu Young is expected to join for around £10m, which is good news given that Joel Campbell has been refused a work permit. Whether Young is an adequate replacement for the outgoing Nicklas Bendtner remains to be seen. But then again, the Monaco man might be heading for Lille, which means Eden Hazard could be sold and what's more, Hazard will be sold to us. Or so the story goes.

I'd just love us to buy someone with Premier League experience, but right now it looks as unlikely as ever and the main hopes we have to cling onto are wild transfer rumours and derisory bids for players who might actually strengthen our squad.