Gervinho - Arsenal Target

For a while now, Arsenal, and more importantly Arsene Wenger, have been reluctant in competing for players in the transfer market. As a result, Arsenal have fallen beyond the ranks and had to be satisfied with a 4th place finish, having won only three games since March. If Wenger and co. want to be challenging for trophies next season they're going to have to abandon the youth policy this Summer. I'm not saying they'll be spending particularly large and obnoxious amounts of money but one or two signings in or around the £20m mark would go a long way to securing their ambitions for competing at the top once more next season. According to reports, an Ivorian that goes by the name of Gervinho is "on the verge" of signing for the Gunners. But who exactly is Gervinho?

Well, Gervinho is a winger who plies his trade with Lille in France's Ligue 1. He moved to Les Dogues in 2009  following impressive displays for fellow Ligue 1 side Le Mans. During his first season at Lille, Gervinho scored 13 and assisted 4 goals in 32 games, in the process helping them qualify for UEFA's Europa League the following season. In his second season at the club, Gervinho helped a significant amount in securing Lille's first ever Ligue 1 and Coupe De France double netting 18 and assisting 10 times in their most successful ever campaign. Andrew Gibney of French Football Weekly gives you his view of Gervinho:

He is exceptionally quick, and he combines that well with great upper body strength. That gives him a great base to take on defenders and he usually succeeds in beating his man. During his time at Lille his finishing has improved, with 15 goals and 10 assists this season he is a very dangerous player once inside the box. With the ability to find a team-mate or provide the finish he was one the main reasons Lille finished top of Ligue 1 this year.

Not only does his pace give him the ability to take on players but he also has the intelligence to use it to run in-behind defences and latch onto any passes played through the middle. In Lille’s fluid 4-3-3 system the winger was allowed to drift inside and find the space created by the movement of Moussa Sow and Eden Hazard. This is an ability that would be ideal in the current Arsenal system, the movement of Robin van Persie could benefit the runs of Gervinho and in Nasri and Fabregas they have the players to find his well-timed runs.

However, Andrew goes on to tell us that there are some aspects of his game that need touching up on.

Not everything in 24-year olds game isn’t complete. His style is still very raw, when he is running with the ball he doesn’t always look in control “Bambi on Ice” is a phrase that has been used to describe his running technique. At times his passing can also leave a lot to be desired, not the actually quality of the pass but the timing of the delivery.

But, along with Eden Hazard, success can come at a price. Take former Lille midfielder Yohan Cabaye for example. He's already been snapped up by Newcastle, for the modest fee of £4.3 million. And Gervinho is next on the list to leave the Stade Lille-Metropole. Eden Hazard is also being heavily linked with a move away from Lille. By the time the new season rolls around there will be a lack of strength in-depth for the champions, even with the additions of Dimitri Payet and Marko Basa.

 Payet is an apt replacement for Arsenal-bound Gervinho, who can be described as "quick" and "blessed with terrific technique and dribbling skills". Payet had attracted interest from Liverpool and Chelsea in late 2010 from his shining performances for St. Etienne and even rejected a move to PSG in the January transfer window earlier this year.

Sources say that Gervinho is mightily close to joining the Gunners and if so, will become their first signing of the summer. Wenger will also need to find a replacement for captain Cesc Fabregas if Barcelona can finally get their hands on him after years of yearning for the La Masia graduate.

For one, I think if Arsenal can sign Gervinho, it'd be a great signing and he could partner Van Persie up-front, helping the team as well as banging them in from all angles. Us Premier League fans hopefully look forward to seeing him strut his stuff come August.

A Window of Opportunity for Arsenal

It's been more than six years since Arsenal last won a trophy. Whether its been down to a desperate case of the  unlucky's, lack of desire or lack of commitment - nobody knows. What we do know is that Arsene Wenger has chosen nurturing talent ahead of competing for major trophies. We know what Wenger's trying to do and he's won many plaudits with his Barcelona-like approach to the game but there comes a time when you haven't won a trophy in over six years people start to doubt your ability to manage at the highest level. I know I have.

Since 2005, we've seen a steady decline to the Gunners' challenge for silverware and its mainly been down to the loss of several major players. Often, when a major player parts the club that they made the biggest contribution at, the result usually sets their fans into a state of frenzy. But on more than one occasion they - the club - seem to pull through. Just look at Marseille post Jean-Pierre Papin or Juventus post Zinedine Zidane par example. Incredibly, Marseille won the inaugural Champions League following Papin's departure and Juventus won successive Scudetto's when Zidane left. Although for Arsenal, when Viera, Pires and Henry parted terms with the Gunners, their one-time dynasty had come to an abrupt halt. It was a sad end to what was a team labelled the 'invincibles' back in 2003/04 but it was time to rebuild and reshuffle for coach Arsene Wenger. He had a difficult job on his hands. He was given the unearthly job of rebuilding - and somehow topping - a squad that had gone 49 league games unbeaten - a near impossible task for the Frenchman. He chose not necessarily to dive into transfer market head-first but to build his squad by terms of indulging in the youth team. 

Of course Wenger decided to dip into the transfer market, excuse the contradiction, - mostly reinforcing his front-line with players such as Eduardo, Andrey Arshavin and Samir Nasri -  but he had other ambitions of how his Gunners could pursue silverware. That season prior to the purchase of Samir Nasri, 2007/08, had seen Arsenal finish an agonising three points behind rivals United and if they could find an apt replacement for the great Henry we could've seen them go the extra mile and reclaim what was rightfully seen as theirs. Cue the arrival of the youthful Mexican Carlos Vela. Unfortunately for him, a work permit was rejected and he was left out in the cold.

That next season the Gunners finished 4th with a total of 72 points - 18 points behind winners Manchester United - and were an abysmal 11 points worse off than the previous season despite the recent acquisitions. Arsenal couldn't seem to get a break and although they held a Champions League place the fans weren't happy. Neither were the players. They shared the disappointment at not having won a piece of silverware on more than one occasion, most recently captain Cesc Fabregas voicing his frustration on just going out and winning trophies instead of nurturing young players. He said, back in February in an interview with Spanish magazine Don Balon: "You enjoy yourself, during a phase of the championship - like this year, for example, when we were still in four different competitions. And you say to yourself 'here I have everything!' But then that final point is missing and it's then when you have to make a decision: either go out and win or develop players."

This summer could be the summer that Arsenal reverse their misfortune. But they must keep the selling to a minimum - most notably Cesc Fabregas. The La Masia graduate is an integral part of the club and he's facing the daunting prospect of leaving Arsenal and joining home team Barcelona in a bid that could be in excess of £30 million. We've heard continuous appeals from Barca players on why Cesc should rejoin the Blaugranas. Fabregas isn't the only player that's essential to keep at the Emirates this summer. Playmaker Samir Nasri has attracted a vast amount of interest from clubs abroad including, and most notably, Manchester United. The French international is creeping towards the last year in his contract and if both parties can't agree a new contract by the time season 2011/12 rolls around, the Gunners could face losing him for next to nothing next summer.

When those two scenarios are done and dusted, Arsene will then make his move in the transfer window. The Gunners are in dire need of a partner to assist Robin Van Persie as well as a central defender to cover for anybody that may become injured / sold. Their targets are rumoured to be, in defence, Blackburn's Christopher Samba, who handed in a transfer request in January, and Bolton's very own Gary Cahill, who picked up his first England cap in last year's 4-0 win over fellow Europeans Belarus. Up front, there's been rumours flying all around the place and Gervinho has been in the thick of things these past few days. There was even talk of him in London for a medical last week. Unfortunately, the rumour never materialised and all hopes of signing of Ivorian were dashed after there were reports that Lille had apparently agreed a fee with Newcastle to sell him late last week.

Say they do sign Samba, Cahill and maybe an attacking player capable of lending a helping hand to RVP,what will their fans expect? Well, primarily, as I've already stated, Champions League qualification is a must an what follows could be unprecedented. A title challenge would be welcomed as would a decent cup run but what's wanted more than anything is the capture of a major piece of silverware and it could very well happen this season if Arsenal can collect a few signings and somehow forge their way past the big guns.

Juventus Make Swoop For Robin Van Persie

Juventus have apparently shown interest in Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie. A £27 million deal is doing the rounds, and Arsenal may receive long sought after target, Felipe Melo.
 
Juventus are looking to bolster their strike force come January, with the average age of their forwards set to reach a hazardous 32. And With Del Piero set to retire, Van Persie would be an ideal replacement and would have considerable success with the club.

Van Persie has been plagued by injuries of late and a move to Turn would excite the Dutchman.

In his six and a half year career at Arsenal, Van Persie has only managed an FA Cup winners medal and a move to Turin could tempt him, since they are holding their own in Serie A.

Chelsea Continue Their Dismal Form As Arsenal Prove Title Credentials

I always love when these games are upon us. Chelsea who went into this game on the back of 5 winless games, were looking to redeem themselves against an Arsenal side who have failed to beat Chelsea in their last 5 attempts. It had all the ingredients for an epic match and the result was unforeseen, to say the least.

Speaking midweek, Arsenal Wenger spoke of how the fear factor takes over when they play against top sides like Chelsea. It was what captain Fabregas had said and Wenger had repeated it to emphasise how important this match was for the gunners. A win would bolster Arsenal title credentials and would catapult them up to 2nd and leave them just 2 points behind bitter rivals Manchester United. A win for Chelsea would see their slump come to an end (it was inevitable anyway) and take them above the gunners, leaving them level on points with Manchester City.

The pressure was on both teams to perform as Manchester City & Manchester United set the pace yesterday with 3-1 and 2-0 wins respectively. The result was for once unpredictable, as an Arsenal team of youngsters finally looked like men and delivered a performance worthy of a mention from Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola.

Match report:

Chelsea continued their dismal run of form with a resounding 3-1 defeat to London rivals Arsenal extending their winless run to a record 6 games and it is their worst run in form for over 10 years.

The Gunners had started the brighter of the two and almost took the lead if only Van Persie had connected with a diagonal ball. The Gunners nearly suffered from some slack defending courtesy of Laurent Koscielny who hasn't endured the best of times in London. Drogba was given the ball, dribbled past Koscielny and was 1-1 with Johan Djourou when he uncharacteristically dragged it wide. Chelsea looked virtually non existent as Arsenal started to take control and dominate. Chances were few ans far between at the Emirates with Arsenal by far the stronger of the two. Neither keepers were really tested early on but in the 20th minute Nasri warmed Cech's hands with a rasping drive from 20 yards. Fabregas & Nasri continued to control the match and Chelsea continued to defend superbly.

We had to wait until the 41st minute to see the next bit of notable action and Nasri was once again involved. Nasri received the ball somewhat 25 yards out and attempted a deft chip but Petr Cech was equal to his efforts.

The deadlock was broken on the stroke of half time as Arsenal took a vital lead. Wilshere passed into the box, in the midst of three Arsenal players, Cesc Fabregas was fouled, Mark Clattenburg played advantage and Alexander Song slotted home. It was a deserved lead for the gunners after their domination had finally paid off.

The second half was more or less the same as Chelsea decided to introduce Ramires to shake things up a bit.

Captain 'Fab'tastic

Chelsea's title aspirations were then dealt an ultimate blow after they conceded a second just 5 minutes into the 2nd half. Robin Van Persie was caught in possession and Essien's tackle fed the ball to Theo Walcott who then fed captain Cesc Fabregas. And it was 3-0 just 2 minutes later when Frenchman Florent Malouda was dispossessed and Fabregas fed Walcott for his 6th goal in 9 games this season.

Another goal came in the 57th minute but it favoured Chelsea this time round. A Drogba free kick was headed in by centre-back Branislav Ivanovic. Set pieces have always been Arsenal's Achilles heel and that's the reason why they've been linked to the likes of Shay Given & Mark Shwarzer.

Despite continuous pressure from the champions, Arsenal held out and broke their duck, finally winning against Chelsea which they had failed to do in their last 5. It was tough work for Arsene Wenger's team as they survived a late surge from Chelsea to win 3-1.

This leaves the future undecided for under fire Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti after a winless streak in the Premier League that dates back to Ray Wilkins' departure. Despite continuous assurement that Ancelotti's job is not under threat, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Chelsea football club.

Too much, too young for Jack Wilshere

Thursday evening -

Arsene Wenger told us of how Jack Wilshere runs the risk of being burned out this season by playing 40+ games for club and country. Speaking on Thursday Wenger said how it is his (Wilshere's) first full season of football and it could be a case of too much too young for the widely regarded sensation.

Wenger has pleaded this message due to Wilshere being heavily involved in England's senior and under-21 teams. The premier league season ends on 7 May but Wilshere has England duties as he faces Switzerland with the senior team on June 4 before he travels and meets up with the u-21 stars on June 8 in Denmark, joining the likes of Adam Johnson, Nedum Onouha & Jordan Henderson.

Wilshere has forced his way into the Arsenal side this year and has relegated the likes of Theo Walcott & Van Persie to the bench. There is a slight worry of how he might over do it and it seems similar to a few years ago when Sir Alex issued a similar plea regarding a certain Mr Rooney. Wilshere has enjoyed a fine season to date at the Emirates and will be relishing his chance to take on Chelsea on Monday night, as he will be up against top right-back José Bosingwa.

A win for Arsenal on Monday evening could seriously bolster Arsenal's chances of winning the league and re establish their grip on a piece of silverware for the first time in six years. Mind you, the Gunners are also going smoothly for Carling Cup success, facing a semi-final bout with Roy Keane's Ipswich and then the possibility of meeting West Ham or Birmingham in the final.

In recent match-ups Arsenal have failed to muster a victory against current champions Chelsea or table toppers Manchester United, faltering in their last nine attempts. In 18 attempts, Arsenal have won only 3 times against these two, so there is a lot riding on the outcome of this match.


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