The 28-year-old Russian reportedly revealed his admiration for the Gunners’ Champions League conquerors Barcelona and expressed a desire to play for the Catalan giants, saying “it would be the pinnacle” of his career.

His agent immediately denied Arshavin was looking for a move, but Wenger, although slightly uncertain if the reports should be taken at face value, is still unhappy with the comments.

“Yes, I am very disappointed because he shows a completely different attitude,” Wenger said.

“He wants to extend his contract with us and stay with us, so the noise coming out of Russia is very difficult to explain. He looks to be very happy here, so you should ask him where it comes from.”

Wenger had every right to show his displeasure. Whether Arshavin’s comments have been taken out of context or badly translated, he should have known better. He should be concentrating on being ready to help justify Arsenal’s Champions League betting odds next season, rather than thinking about other clubs he might be able to win trophies with.

It’s not the first time the Russian’s quotes have hit the headlines. He has, on several occasions, appeared to question Arsenal’s direction during a season of frustration, but he needs to learn and fast if he is to enjoy a long career at The Emirates.

It could have been worse though, he could have voiced his appreciation for North-London rivals Spurs – that would have seen him given the boot straight away.

But on a serious note Wenger is fully committed to the club and it’s only correct he should expect the same from his players.

Meanwhile, another player linked with a move to Barcelona faces a race to be fit for the World Cup.

Cesc Fabregas will play for Spain if he is fit, but with the side currently favourites in the World Cup 2010 betting, manager Vicente del Bosque will know he can’t afford to carry any dead weight if he is to win the tournament.

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Is Arshavin’s commitment in doubt?

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Is Arshavin’s commitment in doubt?

The Dutch striker returned after five months on the sidelines with an ankle injury he picked up on international duty with Holland and looked like he had never been away.

He immediately lifted the Gunners after his second-half introduction and but for two fine saves from Heurelho Gomes he would have got on the scoresheet.

His display in the 2-1 defeat to Spurs, which included a sublime turn, a brilliant free-kick, and a well-executed swivelling volley, must have made fans realise what they have been missing.

How would Manchester United have managed without Wayne Rooney for half the season and how would Chelsea have done without Didier Drogba?

They are two key players for Arsenal’s title rivals and there can be no doubting van Persie is Arsenal’s attacking kingpin. Van Persie’s return will also be a boost for Holland, who are many people’s World Cup tips.

The sheer amount of goals that Rooney and Drogba have contributed to their respective teams highlights their importance and even a 15-goal haul from van Persie would surely have seen Arsenal to the top of the league.

Arsene Wenger’s men are now six points behind leaders Chelsea with just four games to play, while Manchester United are two points ahead and Arsenal’s hopes of title glory have all but evaporated.

Nicklas Bendtner has filled in admirably, but van Persie is world class and has been sorely missed at The Emirates and things would have been very different if the Dutchman had stayed fit.

For his part, Bentdtner will now be looking to help his national side spring a surprise, with Denmark’s World Cup betting standings making them outsiders for the tournament.

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Robin’s return too late to fire Gunners

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Robin’s return too late to fire Gunners

But after just one game – a 2-1 defeat against Morecambe – Campbell walked out on the Magpies and his five-year deal was cancelled by mutual consent. Now, just six months later and with Gallas injured for the trip to the Nou Camp,  Campbell is set to line-up against Barcelona – the last side big Sol faced in his previous spell with the Gunners.

Campbell actually scored in that meeting – the 2006 Champions League final – and to see him play against the Catalan giants again will be, as Arsene Wenger said, “amazing”.

“It is unbelievable, he played at Notts County six months ago. That he can turn up and play against Barcelona is quite amazing,” the Frenchman said.

It’s been a remarkable 12 months for Campbell, who arrived back at Arsenal in January, and if he can help shackle Lionel Messi and co in the second leg I think his return will have been justified. But marking Morecambe frontman Paul Mullin and keeping Messi in check is a whole different ball game.

The big defender has made two Champions League appearances this term, scoring in the 2-1 defeat at Porto but his task won’t be envied by any defender in the world at the moment.

Messi has been in devastating form, scoring 30 goals in all competitions and chipping in with over 50 assists for Pep Guardiola’s men. The World Cup 2010 odds also make Messi one of the favourites to be top scorer at that tournament, underlining the threat he poses.

Arsenal’s Champions League odds suggest the side will have a tough time against Barcelona and Campbell will have to roll back the years to keep the Argentina ace quiet again, if he does it will be some achievement and it could help swing the tie.

This post is from: Arsenal Online

From Morecambe to Barcelona

This post is from: Arsenal Online

From Morecambe to Barcelona

The full-back turned midfielder thinks Arsene Wenger’s men should be able to cut out the mistakes and can go on to win all of their remaining 11 Premier League games to lift the title.

When asked if a 100 per cent league record was possible from now until the end of the campaign the 26-year-old said: “Why not? It will be very difficult so we need to work very hard. We need to not make mistakes otherwise it won’t happen. But I always believe. If you don’t believe in yourself you might as well stop playing. So I believe that we can do something this season.”

Currently, Arsenal’s Premier League betting odds make them third favourites for the title at around 13/2.

Eboue has made 15 league appearances for Arsenal this season and has recovered his form after a sticky spell at The Emirates in the last 18 months.

When it comes to making mistakes he has been as guilty as most over the last year or so, but the former Beveren star praised the support offered by Wenger.

“Arsene Wenger is like our dad. He knows that we can make mistakes on the pitch and after that he’s angry, but after that he tries to give us his advice.

“He’s so nice and so good to us. So I think we must do our best to win something for him,” Eboue added on Goal.com.

Meanwhile, Eboue will be looking ahead to South Africa where he should feature for the Ivory Coast.

Many consider an Ivory Coast World Cup bet as a good option because their odds of around 28/1 make them dark horses for the tournament.

Furthermore, the side is looking to appoint Guus Hiddink as manager for the tournament and this could boost their chances significantly.

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Eboue has title belief

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Eboue has title belief

For large parts of his Arsenal career the midfielder has taken more flak than anyone in the side since the dark days of Emanuel Eboue’s fall from the fans’ affections. His passing has at times been woeful and his decision making sluggish, leading to suggestions he lacked the high-level spatial skills that lift the greatest midfielders above their peers – a complete awareness of the location and destination of each player and run on the field.

The charge most commonly levelled at him is that, for all the brilliance of his footwork and powerful, effortless running, the outstanding moments have been all too fleeting. Inconsistency has plagued his game. This hasn’t been helped by repeated injury problems, the worst of which – a broken ankle sustained against Sunderland – almost brought a premature end to his career.

Yet suddenly it’s all coming together for him. Scarcely a pass misplaced, no moments of utter madness (Old Trafford lives long in the memory) and no injuries. Diaby’s linkup play with Fabregas and Song has been exceptional, and with such complementary attributes between the players, this trio are looking like the most potent midfield in the league. As an incisive box to box threat, Diaby is fast setting the standard as one of the best in the business, something that has boosted Arsenal’s Premier League chances. The challenge is keeping him fit and focused. Wenger seems to have the latter under control. With a World Cup this summer there could be no greater incentive for Diaby to do all that he can to avoid further mishaps.

Meanwhile, in other sports news, the odds for this year’s Cheltenham Festival are already starting to hot up and could be worth keeping an eye on.

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Silencing the critics

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Silencing the critics

Injuries to Robin Van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner have thrust Vela into the limelight and the 20 year old came on during the second half of Saturday’s Premier League defeat to Sunderland.

The youngster is also currently in negotiations over a new contract, with Wenger hoping that Vela can become a key player at the Emirates for years to come.

Speaking on the official Arsenal website, the Gunners boss said: “We are extending his contract at the moment, we are in a situation where we get these players in at 15 or 16 and work very hard for five years with them. After that we do not want to give them away.

“Vela is a fantastic talent and he is 20-years-old. We have invested a lot of time for him because we put him in Spain for two years, got him back and now we work with him every day.

“I believe he is a Robbie Fowler-type. He needs very little time to make a decision in the box. He is relaxed when he finishes and he has very short back-lift. He is left-footed and he is a similar size.”

Vela may have only made 10 starts for the club since joining in 2007 but he has already impressed many, after showcasing flair and creativity in abundance to increase the sports betting odds. A return of seven goals also catches the eye, given the lack of first team opportunities.

Up until this year, one of the reasons that chances were limited, was the presence of former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor. However, the departure of the Togolese star has opened a door for Vela and he certainly has his manager’s backing.

When asked if Vela’s talent was the reason that he decided not to replace Adebayor, the Frenchman’s answer was simple.

“Yes” the manager replied.

By Josh Allen

Be sure to check out Betfair’s new Front Room for plenty more football banter.

This post is from: Arsenal Online

It’s Vela Time!

This post is from: Arsenal Online

It’s Vela Time!

Following the sales of Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor, many predicted that Arsenal would have to spend big if they were to compete for trophies this season. However, the Gunners boss remained adamant that significant changes were not needed in order to improve their Premier League football odds and come the close of the transfer window, the Frenchman had stuck to his word by making just one major signing.

This lack of activity is testament to a talented young squad and Wenger will be hoping that his actions instil a sense of loyalty in his players, that the likes of Adebayor are sorely lacking. As Wenger has discovered in the past, a contract doesn’t always guarantee the future of a player but he will nevertheless be delighted to have tied two of his more prominent youngsters to long-term contracts.

Brazilian midfielder Denilson signed from Sao Paulo in 2006 and has been quick to establish himself in the first team. Last season he made more appearances for the club than any other player and the Arsenal boss has clearly been impressed with the impact made by the 21 year old.

“Denilson’s contribution to the club last season was outstanding. His work rate really was exceptional and it is valuable to have players that we know will perform to the very last minute in such a demanding league.” said Wenger.

Denmark international Nicklas Bendtner has also enjoyed his fair share of first team appearances and repaid his managers’ faith last season with 15 goals in 27 starts.

Wenger commented: “Nicklas has impressed me highly with his application and determination over the last season, you can see that he wants to compete at the highest level and win things with his team-mates. He scored a number of important goals for us last season and he will look to replicate that again this year.”

This post is from: Arsenal Online

New contracts for Bendtner and Denilson

This post is from: Arsenal Online

New contracts for Bendtner and Denilson

“The tackle was a disgrace – very bad, there is no place for that in football.

I have nothing against Kevin Davies, he seems a good guy. But he uses his elbows far too much.

It is wrong to allow those sorts of challenges in football. If we are going to allow that, you might just as well get in kids off the street because they can make those challenges just the same as anybody else can.

Football is supposed to be a game of skill. I am sure we could go out and kick players just as hard as we are kicked but we’d rather concentrate on playing football

It happened just before half-time and in the break we knew we had to make sure we did not allow ourselves to become intimidated.

In the past we have allowed ourselves to be intimidated but this time we knew that it would be tough at Bolton and we were ready for that.

We know that we have to win our matches away from home this season if we are going to be champions because we dropped far too many points away from home last season.

In previous years we have been too easy to beat away but we have shown this week that we are able to win these games and with the draw in Ukraine in between them, overall it is a good week.”

I do sympathise with Toure on this – I would love to see all teams play the way Arsenal do, but Arsenal have been guilty of the same tactics as Bolton in the past – Not recently but certainly within my lifetime. I’m not sure the challenge was quite as bad as Toure makes out and I have to feel that his comments are in a similar mindset as the comments Wenger made last week about Kiev’s treatment of Walcott – more precisely he wants to send out a message to people within the game and make referees pay more attention to challenges on Arsenal players. Nothing wrong with that really and if it means we get more decisions or less injured players…well I guess I’m all for it.

And now for something completely different…

I know this isn’t in any way Arsenal related, forgive me for that – but can you imagine the uproar if this happened in the Premiership? Take a look at the video of Reading vs Watford in the Championship this weekend :

Absolutely shocking decision, this is one of those freakish mistakes that can’t (and shouldn’t) happen too often. They’ve been calling it the ‘Reading ghost goal’. I saw today that Reading manager Steve Coppell has offered to replay the game – which would certainly set an interesting precedent.

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Toure speaks out on Davies challenge

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Toure speaks out on Davies challenge

The announcement on the official site is a little low on specifics and only states :

“Arsenal can today confirm that Swiss defender Johan Djourou has signed a new long-term contract with the Club.”

Not that contracts seem to mean a huge deal in football these days, but it is encouraging to see the promising young defender pledge his future to the club. Djourou has shown him self to be an excellent prospect, I would expect him to get quite a few games this year – Especially as the partnership between Gallas and Toure doesn’t exactly look rock-solid. Infact you could say that the Arsenal back-line might work better with Djourou in there in place of Toure.

Aside from the Djourou news, Wenger has had a little pop both at the big spenders and the doubters of the club :

“When you are not on the transfer market you are a little bit ignored at the start of the season because the attention is focused on the big signings, most of the time, big signings mean you are favourites.

We have gone a different way. We are trying to build a young side with a cohesive way to play the game with a culture of football we like.

We were close last year so there is no reason why we should not be in there again this season.

Today we had Denilson 20, Fabregas 21, Bendtner 20, Walcott 19, Song 20. When those players fight for the title one year you can hope they will be better the next year.

We are more robust than people think we are.”

I don’t for a second doubt the abilities of the players that Wenger has mentioned here, I think my only concern, probably everyone’s concern who was calling for a new midfielder before the deadline, was that of depth – sure we have an excellent squad but what happens if a couple of the players he mentioned get injured? It all comes back to the club’s aims to run as a profitable business and with the outside investor changing the game and turning clubs inside out with debt (I’m looking at you, Glazers), I’m going to lay off this point from now on I think as it has been said over and over – but I want to see the club win trophies.

However, It all looks good on the squad front so far; I still think it is imperative for Arsenal’s chances at the Premiership title that the Arsenal squad does not sustain any further injuries.

One more quote from Wenger for you, he spoke over the weekend about Arsenal’s team spirit :

“The pleasure for me watching is the same as for you, Collective sport is fantastic if people don’t transform it into an individual sport.

It becomes magic if the team play as a team. I’m not a golf fan, but I like to watch the Ryder Cup.

There’s something more that makes it beautiful to watch, because of the collective unit and collective spirit.

When a team respect that, they’re a joy to watch. This team have learned and improved from last year. We want to fight at the top.

We want to win the title and the Champions League. We have the quality, we are hungry, and we have a good spirit.

What I like about this team is that they have a good attitude and share the same vision and express themselves well. We want to win first of all, but if it’s possible we want to win with style.”

No arguments from me on this point, I am an Arsenal fan by birth but the team spirit is what makes me love the club, we’ve always had it and I think the team spirit within the current squad has really been flourishing this season. Bendtner and Denilson’s joyful celebrations of the goals at Bolton are a good example. It’s great to see and I hope it continues.

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Djourou signs new contract and some Wenger quotes

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Djourou signs new contract and some Wenger quotes

Arsene Wenger said that Fabregas was back in training, and while not ready for todays game against Fulham, could be ready for FC Twente’s visit to the Emirates in mid-week :

“He is doing very well in training.

While he is not likely to be involved on Saturday, he should be ready for the Champions League game on Wednesday night.

You know how important he is on the creative side of our game and you want him to be in the team, but we do not want to face a gamble for just one game and we have to be patient.

“We will have to asses him on Monday or Tuesday to see how big a gamble it will be to start him or not.”

Of course Fabregas’ contribution to Arsenal’s attacking presence cannot be understated, a fully fit Fabregas and the continual improvement of Van Persie are vital to our chances this season.

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Fabregas could be back for FC Twente match

This post is from: Arsenal Online

Fabregas could be back for FC Twente match