Transfer Target: Isco
Age: 20 (21st April, 1992)
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Nationality: Spanish
Current Team: Malaga CF
Arsenal have been linked with one of Spain’s brightest young talents ever since the North London side raided Malaga CF for Santi Cazorla earlier this summer during their financial crisis.
Rumours soon slowed down and eventually stopped, but as we approach the deadline rumours are starting to appear again from reliable Spanish and British news sources.
Isco (full name Francisco Román Alarcón Suárez) spent his early years as a player in Valencia’s youth system before making 52 appearances for Valencia B and a further four for Valencia’s first team.
After a successful season with Valencia B in which he scored 15 goals, Isco attracted the attention of newly rich side Malaga CF who he signed a five-year contract with in the summer of 2011.
In his season at Malaga CF the starlet made 32 appearances, scoring five times and subsequently attracting interest from Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham.
As well as a successful club career, Isco has made his way through the ranks of the Spanish national teams from U16 level all the way through to U23 and as an U21 the young Spaniard scored four times in just six appearances.
Dubbed the ‘new Cesc Fabregas’ Isco is an impressive passer who would could immediately slot into Arsenal’s midfield and confidently complete the short passing style the team deploy
In the first two games of the La Liga season Isco has achieved 115 completed passes out of 122 which equates to a pass success rate of 94.3%
As well as a confident passer, Isco excels at dribbling and holding on to the ball despite being under pressure from opposing players.
At 5 ft 9 in Isco is not a particularly tall player but he would fit nicely alongside his two compatriots Mikel Arteta (who is the same height) and Santi Cazorla in the Arsenal midfield.
Arséne Wenger is keen to add to an already bolstered squad and reports suggest that Isco is seen by the French manager as a top priority, with Ibrahim Afellay being lined up as Plan B if a deal or Isco can not be secured.
Transfer Roundup: August 28th
M’Baye Niang
First off there is some frustrating news for Arsenal fans today as Caen striker M’Baye Niang has signed for AC Milan on a three-year deal after beating off late interest from Everton.
The 17-year-old met with representatives from the Italian side last night and had dinner in Milan with club vice-president Adriano Galliani. He is expected to have a medical today.
Niang had a trial with Arsenal this summer and spent time training with the first team, however, rumours on social networking site Twitter are circulating that Niang did not impress Arséne Wenger in his time at the club, hence Arsenal’s reluctance to make more than one bid for the youngster.
Angel Rangel
The Mirror are reporting that Swansea City right-back Angel Rangel could be a surprise transfer target for Arsenal before the window closes.
The defender does not add the versatility that Arséne Wenger seeks in his back four, with the Spaniard only playing at right-back, but his season of Premier League experience would be vital when filling in for the injured Bacary Sagna.
Unconfirmed rumours on social networking sites suggested last month that Arsenal were looking to purchase the 29-year-old and also send young players on loan to Swansea, although this still remains a rumour at this point.
Ibrahim Afellay
According to talkSPORT Arsenal still remain interested in Barcelona’s misfit utility man Ibrahim Afellay and could make a move to take the player on loan in the coming days.
Afellay has fallen down the pecking order at the Nou Camp and is not part of new manager Tito Vilanova’s plans following multiple injuries and the emergence of young stars like Isaac Cuenca and Cristian Tello.
Arsenal are in need of a winger following Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s move to a central midfield role and with Andrei Arshavin likely on his way out of the club, it is thought that the 26-year-old could fill this hole.
Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be interested in the player and could also make a move for the Dutchman.
Nicklas Bendtner
Juventus are prepared to launch a £5million bid for Arsenal’s misfit striker Nicklas Bendtner according to The Daily Mail, a move that would benefit the North London side greatly.
The Italian champions have been unsuccessful in the pursuit of Robin van Persie, Fernando Llorente and Edin Dzeko and are now turning their attention to the Denmark international.
Offloading Bedntner would free up wages as well as providing Arsenal with extra funds to chase transfer targets in the final days of the transfer window.
Isco
The Daily Star is reporting that Arsenal are hoping to raid Spanish side Malaga once again while also stealing the march on rivals Spurs for midfield starlet Isco.
Arsenal have already been involved with the Spanish club once this summer as the Gunners captured midfield maestro Santi Cazorla but are reportedly looking to bring in 20-year-old Isco also.
Malaga have endured a torrid time this summer and with financial difficulties still plaguing the side it is expected that they would be willing to sell the Spanish U21 ace for the right price.
Isco has a release clause of £16.5million but it is thought that offers of around the £10million mark would be enough to secure a deal for the player.
Arsenal – Dark horse this season?
A new beginning
There is a lot to be positive about if you are an Arsenal fan as we approach the third game of the new campaign.
Three top class players have joined the ranks of the Gunners including the firepower of strikers Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski, while midfield maestro Santi Cazorla has blazed through defenses and established himself as an instant hit.
New signing and Germany international Lukas Podolski will add firepower to Arsenal this season.
Arsenal are now free of two personalities that hindered the club last season and over the summer. Robin van Persie’s contract situation was a constant shadow that hung over Arsenal’s last campaign, this distraction is now gone and £24million that will be reinvested in the club has replaced the striker.
Also, Alex Song is now no longer an Arsenal player following his transfer to Barcelona. Labelled “lazy” and lacking professionalism by club sources the player is no longer going to have a negative influence on his teammates.
Air of positivity
At the start of last season Arsenal were without influential captain Cesc Fabregas and France international Samir Nasri after both forced transfers out of the club.
Heading into 2011-2012 season Arsenal was a mess and lacked top quality players, leading to splashing a lot of cash in the days before and on deadline day to fill holes in the squad.
This year it is all different. RvP’s loss is softened considerably with the arrival of Giroud and Podolski who were at the club before the Dutchman left, with the two players scoring over 20 goals each last season in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga respectively.
Santi Cazorla has been brought in as a reinforcement in the midfield and his creativity, dribbling and all round ability has had an instant effect on the side, it is fair to say the little Spaniard has been an absolute sensation so far.
Miniature midfielder Santi Cazorla has been an instant hit.
Arséne Wenger has faith in this team and after the Stoke game he said: “There is some work to do on the training ground but you can feel the potential,” and he is completely right.
I can not remember a season where I was this excited about an Arsenal team and what makes the prospect of this season even more mouthwatering is that Wenger is no where near done in the transfer market yet, three more signings are expected, all of which are to be “super quality”.
Rock solid defense
Arsenal have yet to concede a goal, no other team in the Premier League has achieved this other than Swansea and Sunderland, and the latter have played only once.
Steve Bould has worked his magic on a defensive lineup which had many fans worried coming into the season with first choice right-back Bacary Sagna recovering from a broken leg, leaving Carl Jenkinson to fill in and Laurent Koscielny out with a calf injury.
Jenkinson has been Arsenal’s surprise package of the season so far.
Surprisingly, what we have witnessed is one of the most solid Arsenal defenses in a very long time with the likes of Jenkinson looking confident pushing forward as well as defending, a far cry from the player we saw experience an absolute horror show against Manchester United early last season.
Of course, reinforcements are still desperately needed but the prospect of a utility defender coming in to the squad as well as Jenkinson and Kieran Gibbs’ development coming along strongly is great news.
Quietly confident
I know for a fact that I am not the only Arsenal fan out there who believes that Arsenal will be the surprise package of the Premier League this season, there is a large group of positive Gooners out there.
Chelsea have improved, offensively, but they are still weak at the back and despite taking nine points from three games they would have been expected to take all three wins.
City have appeared slightly lost in their first two games as well as defensively poor, conceding two times against plucky Southampton and twice against Liverpool. In terms of transfers Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair are all the champions can boast so far.
United look like the favourites for the title with the addition of Van Persie, but with Rooney, Hernandez and Welbeck all starting behind RvP tensions may flair and a squad implosion could be on the cards.
Liverpool, where to start? A reluctant Nuri Sahin, ex-Swansea midfielder Joe Allen and the unproven Fabio Borini join a weak side who were battered by West Brom in the opening game of the season 3-0. They ought to provide a test for Arsenal this week, but not in the long run.
Of course, United, City and Chelsea are still three of the best clubs in Europe and will by no means be pushovers this season, but I do believe that Arsenal have taken a step towards bridging the gap and are heading to the level of these teams, maybe not this season but if the progression continues then maybe next season.
Arsenal will surprise this season and I feel confident that for the fist time in a while the Gunners will have a legitimate shot at silverware in at least one competition.
Ignore the pundits and look at the facts, this is an Arsenal team that means business.
Transfer Roundup: August 27th
We are less than a week away from deadline day, the transfer window is quickly approaching it’s conclusion until briefly reopening in January and there is still much work to be done by Arséne Wenger to strengthen an already promising looking squad.
A “super quality” defensive midfielder is a priority, defensive cover is a must and a speedy forward would be welcomed as backup for Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski.
Then there are the misfits that must be shipped out, at least on loan, to free up wages for the new signings. It is such an exciting time to be an Arsenal fan and the players we have been linked with over the weekend give Gooners even more reason to be optimistic this week.
Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa
Firstly Metro are reporting that cash from the sales of Robin van Persie and Alex Song have been made available to strengthen the squad this week, with Montpellier captain Yanga-Mbiwa topping the list of reinforcements.
Yanga-Mbiwa led Montpellier to the Ligue 1 title last season and having played at every position across the back line in that campaign the France international may be the versatile defender Arsenal desperately need.
Despite strong interest from AC Milan the player has publicy announced that he is an admirer of Arsenal and said: “You can’t say no to AC Milan or Arsenal. I don’t know if a deal can be sorted.”
Montpellier will be keen to keep hold of their talented captain, but if the right offer is made then it is expected they will part ways with the 23-year-old.
Chieck Tiote
£20m has been set aside by Arsenal to capture a midfield enforcer who can dictate games through their presence in midfield, Newcastle’s Chieck Tiote is widely being reported as Arsenal’s number one target for this role.
Tiote is vastly more expensive than Wenger’s other targets Yann M’Vila and Etienne Capoue with a price tag of around £20million, however the Ivory Coast international has one key ingrediant that those two do not, Premier League experience.
Wenger is willing to splash the cash to get the right player and will not settle for an unproven or average player, but yesterday quashed the rumours surrounding the Newcastle player in a post match press conference.
“Tiote is a good player but he is not on his way to Arsenal” the Frenchman said, it must be remembered that Wenger claimed he did not know who Santi Cazorla was a week before signing the Spaniard, so a deal may still happen.
Meanwhile Yann M’Vila is closing in on a move to North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur following increasing interest from André Villas Boas’ side.
Yohan Cabaye
Finally, Arsenal are eyeing a move for another one of Alan Pardew’s men, this time French midfielder Yohan Cabaye.
Metro are suggesting that Arsenal are ready to put forward a £15million bid for the player despite already having Santi Cazorla, Mikel Arteta, Abou Diaby, Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the midfield with Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere expected to return before the end of the year.
At the time of writing Newcastle have not received a bid for Cabaye, but Alan Pardew has underlined the importance of keeping his top players and said: “All my bigger players are important and would be hard to replace now.”
The Magpies would be reluctant to sell and with an already stacked Arsenal midfield this transfer looks unlikely, but you can never tell with “Le Professeur”.
Big season ahead for Gervinho
The story so far
Gervinho was one of the biggest signings Arsenal made last season, the Ivory Coast international was the man Arséne Wenger expected to replace the erratic Andrei Arshavin on the left wing, but things didn’t work out.
The 25-year-old struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League and was sent off in his first league appearance after an altercation with the infamous Joey Barton and following his return he struggled to cope with the physicality of the English game.
The winger left for the African Cup of Nations in early 2012 and endured the heartbreak of missing a vital penalty which handed Zambia victory in the final. He never recovered from the disappointment and returned to Arsenal a different player.
Gervinho (Left) was never the same player after his return from the African Cup of Nations.
Gervinho lost his place in the first team to the likes of Chelsea-loanee Yossi Benayoun and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and found himself mainly making appearances off the bench for the remainder of the season.
An impressive start
Once the season ended Gervinho set to work on finding his Lille form where he was widely regarded as one of he best dribblers in Europe and a constant threat to slot the ball to key forwards in the box.
His hard work paid off. He scored twice in preseason matches with one against Southampton and another against FC Koln as well as assisting starlet Thomas Eisfeld against Kitchee FC.
But he didn’t stop there, Gervinho took his impressive form into the first game of the season, a home clash with a tricky Sunderland side who were determined to shut down Arsenal’s midfield and, as it is popularly called now, ‘park the bus’ in front of goal.
Gervinho was at his record breaking best against Sunderland.
The winger started the match and was an energetic presence on the left flank attempting 20 dribbles past players, the most sine Ronaldo in the 2005-2006 season, and completed 10 of those to set a new Premier League record.
Not only did he dribble effectively but he also had four shots on goal which does not sound a lot but when you take into consideration that was more than strikers Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski, who both had two, it is an impressive statistic.
Driven by ambition
Gervinho is a known admirer of Arsenal legend Robert Pires and has openly stated that he wants to replicate the Frenchman’s sophomore season where he achieved great things at Arsenal including a Footballer of the Year award.
Gervinho said: “You should always look at these examples from the past. Robert is a fantastic player, very experienced, and I saw this for myself [when Pires was] training here.
“I really hope to emulate Robert Pires in my second season, hopefully do even better, but I hope to carve out my own niche of course.
Doing even better than the legendary Robert Pires is an extremely tall task, but the Ivorian’s ambition must be admired and if it is the driving force behind his recent performances on the pitch it should be nurtured.
Gervinho has a make or break season ahead of him. If he can continue his form then he will be one of Arsenal’s most valuable assets and when the new squad gels his linking with Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski will be a very exciting prospect.
But, if Gervinho regresses to his post African Cup of Nations form he may be moved elsewhere next summer if the right offer comes in and with the prospect of Jesus Navas joining the Gunners, he may be under even more pressure to perform than he already is.
Transfer Roundup: 22nd August
Jesus Navas
Spanish newspaper AS are today reporting that Sevilla winger and Spanish European Champion Jesus Navas could be a surprise transfer target for the Gunners.
According to the article (which can be found here) the Sevilla ace has been monitored by Arséne Wenger for a while now and the long time Arsenal manager is now contemplating a 15million Euro bid for the player.
Arsenal are currently running low on players who can play on the wings with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain switching to an attacking midfield role, new signing Lukas Podolski likely to be utilized as a striker and out of favour Andrei Arshavin poised to move before the transfer window closes.
Navas is a Sevilla legend and has a reputation for being homesick, however, it is thought that after his inclusion on the national team’s European Championship campaign that he is over these issues.
Cheick Tiote
Metro are reporting that Arsenal may have found the man to replace Alex Song in the form of Newcastle’s midfield general Cheick Tiote.
The Ivory Coast international has attracted attention from a number of big clubs this summer including Chelsea and Manchester United, but Arsenal are prepared to ramp up their interest to get their man.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has expressed his desire to keep hold of his star players this summer as his team makes a push for Champions League football.
Pardew said: “We are on our guard in case some really big bid comes in and we need to react because if someone goes out, another player will come in, but success for me in this transfer window would be losing none of our stars.”
Conor Henderson
Following a season plagued by a knee injury Arsenal’s 20-year-old star Conor Henderson is hoping he can secure a loan move and regular first team football before the transfer window closes.
Henderson was out of action for eight months last season after the Republic of Ireland Under-21 suffered a cruciate ligament injury and a further cartilage injury before he was fully recovered.
He told Arsenal’s official website: “It was frustrating last year because obviously I got injured in pre-season with the first team, and that took eight months to come back from,”
“Then I returned and played a few times for the reserves, before tweaking my cartilage in training and that ruled me out for the rest of the season.
“I only started playing again this pre-season. I had a few Arsenal XI games, and now I feel like I am getting back to full fitness.
“I think the plan for me now is to go out on loan, get some first-team experience and see where I go from there.
“A few clubs are asking about me but I think they want to see I am match fit before they take me, so hopefully I can have a few more games for the Under 21s and do that.”
Spotlight: Barcelona players sing Song’s praises
Rumours surrounding Arsenal midfielder Alex Song and Spanish superpower Barcelona have gone into overdrive in the past few days and the situation is quickly deteriorating into another messy transfer saga.
Three Barcelona players have now come out and spoken about the reported interest in the Cameroonian midfield enforcer and have shown very little respect to Arsenal’s preseason preparations and the club as a whole.
Alex Song is currently training with the rest of the Arsenal team in Germany.
Sergio Busquets, another defensive midfielder, was the first Barcelona player to comment, he told his teams official website: “Song is a very good player – young, a hard worker, with lots of physical power,
“Another player in my position would be welcome, but either way I will keep working hard to win a place in the starting team.”
Then Adres Iniesta commented on the player: “I know Song from seeing him play, and from playing against him. Technically he is a very good player and is also very strong physically too.
“If he comes it would be because he has the qualities to play here, there is little doubt about that, and we’d welcome him.”
Finally, Barcelona defender Gerard Pique chimed in: “I have followed his career and he has become a very good player. He is physically very strong and is good with the ball at his feet. We are open to his arrival. If he comes, and from what I have read he could do, we would love to have him.”
Meanwhile, when ex-Arsenal captain and true gentleman Cesc Fabregas was asked about the rumours surrounding Song, he told reporters: “I’d rather not talk about possible transfers out of respect to Arsenal, a club that I love.”
This is the kind of response you would expect from professional players whether or not they once spent time at a club, they should still show respect for a rival club particularly if they are involved in transfers with them, keeping their opinion to themselves and leaving the transfers to the right people.
These three players comments show a complete lack of respect for Arsenal in a very similar way to last summer’s agonizing Cesc Fabregas transfer saga, with both Barcelona as a club and Barcelona’s players showing no respect for the Gunners.
Unfortunately for Arsenal these comments come amid their pre-season training camp in Germany where the side hoped to gel and solidify into a silverware contending team, but unfortunately the potential transfers of Robin van Persie and Alex Song are dominating headlines.
Arsenal do not have to sell the player if they do not want to as Song still has two years left on his contract and it would take a remarkable bid for Arséne Wenger to part ways with one of his most creative players.
With just over a week until the start of the new Premier League campaign and with two players, three if you include Theo Walcott who is yet to sign a new contract, futures uncertain it is not the preparation Wenger would have hoped for.
Despite being arguably the best club in the world, Barcelona still have a lot to learn with regard to the etiquette of their transfer dealings and could take a leaf out of Arsene Wenger’s book when it comes to such matters.
Arsenal Spotlight 