Author: Staff Writer

Arsenal had their annual Christmas lunch at London Colney this afternoon, and following in tradition, the entertainment was provided by Steve Bould’s Under 18’s.

The clubs Academy players put weeks of practice into action, as they gave their own rendition of the Christmas classics ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Winter Wonderland’ and ‘The Twelve Days Of Christmas’ in front of the first-team, Reserves and coaching staff. The young Gunners were assisted by summer recruits Sébastien Squillaci and Marouane Chamakh, while captain Cesc Fàbregas also joined in.

The tradition is a long standing one at Arsenal and goes back to when the likes of Ray Parlour were cutting their teeth at the club.

Arsenal kick off their FA Youth Cup campaign tonight as Darlington travel to Underhill for the re-arranged third round tie. The fixture was due to be played on December 1st, but was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

Steve Bould begins this years onslaught on the back foot, following one of the worst starts to the league season in recent years. Arsenal are always looked upon as one of the favourites for the Youth Cup, but find themselves short on confidence heading into tonight’s game with a much talked about Darlington side.

Bould has highlighted a lack of quality at both ends as the main reason the Under 18’s have struggled. The rest of the team has shown much promise and it’s hoped two players could help to fix those aforementioned problems. Benik Afobe, on loan at Huddersfield Town but given special dispensation to play, will lead the line and add a quality option up front. Ignasi Miquel will step down from the Reserves and go some way to plugging the obvious holes at the back.

Darlington come from non-league football but are rated highly. They should give the young Gunners a real game, just like Crewe did at this stage of the competition last year. They will run into goalkeeper Emilio Martínez though, who has been one of the stars of the season.

The Youth Cup always inspires a buzz around Arsenal’s most promising players, as it’s a realistic chance to catch the eye at a young age. Arsenal head into the game with massive improvements to make should they want to go all the way, but with the quality of performances getting better and better, the further they go, the better Bould’s charges will get.

Kick off in one of the most intriguing Youth Cup campaigns for a number of years is at 7pm.

Wojciech Szczęsny will make his first Premier League start for Arsenal tonight, as the Gunners take on Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Speculation had been rife since the early hours of the morning that Szczęsny would play, but it was only confirmed earlier this evening, when Łukasz Fabiański failed a fitness test. The 25-year-old is not fit enough to start, but has been named on the bench.

Wojciech arrived at Old Trafford in good spirits, laughing and looking relaxed. Arsène Wenger spoke about Szczęsny’s first start ahead of kick off, saying:

“He has the confidence, the quality and it is important the defence plays well and he has little to do. But I have confidence”

Kick off is at 8pm. You can follow updates on how Wojciech gets on via our Twitter page.

Wojciech Szczęsny is on stand by to replace compatriot Łukasz Fabiański at Old Trafford tonight, with the 25-year-old poised to have a late fitness test on a trouble some groin problem.

Arsène Wenger suggested Fabiański would be a doubt for the clash with Manchester United last week, highlighting a groin problem in his press conference after the Partizan Belgrade fixture. However, the firm impression was that he would make it, with the Frenchman remaining hopeful.

The Sun newspaper claims Łukasz has failed to prove his fitness and Wenger will instead hand a baptism of fire to Szczęsny. The claims are backed up by a suggestion Wojciech made on his Twitter page, claiming he is “prepared for Rooney”. The 20-year-old has played three times for Arsenal, all in the Carling Cup, and has three clean sheets.

If Fabiański fails to be involved, it could open the door for rookie stopper James Shea to be on the bench. Manuel Almunia is fit and available for selection but he has expressed his desire to seek a transfer elsewhere and is not being considered as an option. Almunia is thought to have returned to England from Spain this weekend after meeting his agent to discuss a January move.

Should Szczęsny start, it would be his first Premier League appearance for the club.

Arsenal are ready to send Brazilian forward Wellington Silva on loan in January, although the club still plan to appeal against FIFA’s decision to reject their work permit application.

Arsène Wenger was at Wembley on Thursday to argue Arsenal’s case for a special talent work permit, as the 17-year-old is not eligible to win a conventional visa from the Home Office. The decision was passed down through the FA but the club still have the right to appeal. That could happen at any point, but it most likely to happen in the summer, where the situation will have improved.

Silva will instead be placed on the loan list; with a spell in the Spanish Segunda all but certain. If The Gunners fail to win a work permit on appeal, then they will be forced to leave Wellington in Spain for four years, until he is eligible to earn Spanish citizenship and can then move to England through the EU rules.

The appeal still looks likely of succeeding, but in a years time the situation will be better. Speaking via his Twitter page, Wellington revealed his frustration as this situation was unforeseen, saying “all things were practically right”, and “in a years time, I will be back where I belong”.

More news on a potential destination is expected shortly.

Arsenal are ready to appeal against FIFA’s decision to reject their work permit application for forward Wellington Silva. Arsène Wenger went to football’s governing body on Thursday to fight the Brazilians case.

Silva is not eligible for a United Kingdom work visa as he doesn’t meet the Home Office’s strict immigration criteria. It’s a problem Arsenal have encountered on various occasions, with mixed results. One of the solutions is to apply to FIFA and make a case for a ‘special talent’ visa and seek an exception to the rules. This proved fruitful in the case of Denílson, who was in a similar situation to Wellington.

However, Arsenal have had applications rejected before. Carlos Vela, Pedro Botelho and Samuel Galindo have all failed to meet the ruling. The Gunners were aware of this potential, but reassurances were given to the club that he would be awarded the visa two months ago. The player himself noted last night that Wenger travelling to FIFA to secure his release was a formality.

Yet Wenger was forced to return to England without a successful conclusion. Arsenal have grounds to appeal the decision and should remain hopeful they will finally be granted the paperwork and will be able to register the striker on his 18th birthday in January. Should the appeal fail, a loan spell is all but certain.

The Spanish Segunda has been home to many of Arsenal’s foreign talents in recent years, as criteria needed to earn a work visa there is less strict. Yet Silva would need to spend between three and five seasons in Spain before he is eligible to apply for Spanish citizenship. Then, under EU rules, he would be free to move to England.

No date has been set for an appeal.

Arsenal could be forced to loan Brazilian forward Wellington Silva after FIFA back tracked on their initial decision to award the youngster a work permit. Arsene Wenger travelled to FIFA’s Headquarters this morning to secure a special talent visa, but the application was denied.

Silva revealed on his Twitter profile last night that Wenger was travelling to FIFA today to secure his release from Fluminense. The 17-year-old went on to say he expected there would be ‘no problems’, as all the indications were that he would be given the visa required to join Arsenal from January.

However, in a meeting this afternoon, FIFA officials refused to grant the prospect the necessary paper work. Spanish Segunda outfits Celta Vigo and UD Salamanca have previously expressed an interest in loaning Silva, and if Arsenal fail to have the decision over turned on appeal, a three to five year spell away from the club is certain.