Arsenal News

Arsene Wenger has been at the helm at Arsenal for an amazing 17 years now, and thanks to his team’s amazing performance is able to celebrate this landmark leading the Premier League.

And the man behind the surge of brilliance is Aaron Ramsey, who has finally come back from his injuries and is proving Wenger was right to have such faith in him.

Ramsey was beleaguered by a broken leg he sustained three years ago when being tackled by Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross.

It’s taken a long time for the 22 year old midfielder from Wales to recover but he’s now showing exactly why Wenger has had such faith in him all the way.

In fact, it looks like he very much has his confidence back and is going from strength to strength. This will have affected Arsenal’s odds to take the title so if you’re looking to adjust your favourite make sure you check the odds online at freebets.org/bets before you make your decision.

His team mate Jack Wilshere was quoted as saying that it’s taken Ramsey a long time to get the tackle out of his mind. He said: “He can remember that horror tackle.

That’s a tough thing to get over and that might have stayed in his mind for a while, especially when going in for a 50-50 ball. But he’s over that now and he’s a key player for us.”

Ramsey demonstrates incomparable fitness levels, which means he can keep his attacking force up throughout the entire 90 minutes. And there is no doubt he has helped Arsenal win their last eight matches, a winning streak that began back in March.

It could be time for Arsenal fans to believe that this year could be their year – it looks, from this relatively early vantage point, that Arsenal have everything to play for and could take the long wanted title for 2013/2014.

Wilshere does urge caution though. He said: “It’s nice to look at the table and be top but it’s only a good start. Momentum is key in this league. We failed in the past to capitalise when other teams lost but this time we did.”

Their latest win was against Swansea, and again Ramsey played a blinder. Along with Ozil, Giroud and Wilshere, Ramsey stormed through the defence and scored his eighth goal out of the last nine games.

It’ll be interesting to see where the rest of the season can take Ramsey – it certainly looks to be his year.

At the time of writing, you can have a go on the Gunners to land the title with the major bookies at around 8-1. That seems pretty good value.

OK, you may be derisorily guffawing at the prospect; sad though that may be.

But ask yourself who will win the Premier League if we don’t? Obviously, we have four major contenders – five if you dare to count those at the Lane whose name shall not be spoken. But here’s the thing; they’ve all got problems.

First off, Chelsea are favourites but don’t like anything like the real deal of old as yet and their signings have been fairly insignificant in the overall scheme of things. Then we have Man City who are looking decidedly dodgy.

It doesn’t take much to rock that particularly impatient ship and Pellegrini will know he’s just a couple of defeats away from the heave-ho at any given time.

Next, we have Man United; again, with no significant signings to change the balance of power and under David Moyes who is completely untested at this level.

It’s a similar situation on this side of Manchester in the sense that a couple of defeats will shake Old Trafford’s foundations.

Then there’s Liverpool who are looking much stronger this season but who you can’t really see mounting a serious title challenge?

Then finally there’s the other North London club who we’ve already shown who rules here.But seriously – can you really see them having the requisite consistency?

In short, then, there are problems at all our rivals and they’re problems that we really don’t suffer from, apart from the consistency issue.

But if Arsene is really prepared to concentrate on the league above all other cup competitions including the Champions League – then we have as good a chance as any and that 8/1 surely won’t last long.

Of course, if you want a really life-changing win, then you’ll have to win the lottery or, better yet, the Euro Millions lottery which has bigger prizes still; click here to see what I mean.

Perhaps if you win – you can treat the Gunners to a new signing in January?

There’s no shortage of celebrity admirers of the Arsenal; from legendary music performers Mick Jagger and Jay-Z, to sports stars including Lewis Hamilton and Ian Poulter.

However, with an estimated 27,000,000 fans world-wide, there’s a few faces who we may have overlooked.

Introducing 5 of our fellow Gooners you may not have known about:

Hugh Laurie
Although not as publically forth-coming in his love of the beautiful game as fellow Blackadder star Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, who git global celebrity status for his portrayal of the enigmatic Dr Gregory House in the hit US TV Series “House” revealed to fans that he is “part of the Arsenal family” in 2009. Although Laurie hasn’t been spotted at the Emirates, he is said to keep an eye on matches from his house in the States.

Anthony Holden
As well as an established broadcaster, author and newspaper columnist, Tony Holden is also renowned for his exploits on the card table as a poker enthusiast. In his 20 year poker career he has earned some decent prize money and now follows in the footsteps of fellow card luminaries like FullTilt’s Gus Hansen by tutoring the next generation of aspiring poker players; most recently teaching a group of students the tricks of the trade at the Oxford University Poker Federation.

Jimmy Anderson
English cricketing superstar Jimmy Anderson has made no secret of his love of the Gooners. The 31-year old swing bowler, who helped guide England to a satisfying 3-0 ashes triumph over the Aussie’s this summer, is friends with a host of his Arsenal heroes and states that Ian Wright was his footballing idol growing up as a young lad.

Francois Hollande
He recently inaugurated French president can also be counted as one of the Arsenal faithful after being snapped in the famous jersey by photographers earlier this year in Corrèze. Hollande is a close friend of Laurent Koscielny; although running one of Europe’s biggest country’s means he probably won’t be heading to North London to watch his team in action anytime soon.

Aled Jones
Welsh singer and TV presenter Aled Jones became an Arsenal fan at the age of 18 and declared that the Emirates is ‘his spiritual’ home in a 2011 interview. The Songs of Praise presenter’s voice is certainly a welcome addition on the banks of The South Stand.

It’s no secret that footballers need a mix of technical, tactical and physical skills. As well as good technique, endurance and speed are the key to good performance on the pitch.

Players are expected to run for long durations, interspersed with small rapid sprints throughout a 90-minute period – or even longer if extra time is needed.

Football can be a gruelling sport, with players afforded very few rest periods during the game. Their endurance is impressive – especially in comparison with other sports where there are plenty of opportunities to rest and gear up for the next portion of the game.

For many teams, exhaustion can lead to players flagging in the second half, but Arsenal is consistently proven as one of the fittest teams in the game and can often be found scoring goals late in the game, demonstrating remarkable endurance.

During the season, players are expected to perform at peak at least once a week, although the daily training sessions can be just as demanding and are just as important in the fight to become the best players in the league.

Training sessions will involve ball work, strength and resistance training as well as cardio and fitness work designed to improve players’ endurance.

To celebrate these feats of endurance, we’ve teamed up with Ladbrokes Poker and their September Endurance Challenge to give away a copy of FIFA ’14.

We might be in awe of the fitness of footballers, but it takes a whole different kind of endurance to play a 12-hour run of FIFA!

To be in with a chance of winning, just email editor[at]younggunsblog.co.uk and tell us why you think you should get the game.

A winner will be chosen at random after the closing date of Monday 23rd September 2013.

This promotion is open to UK residents only.

Mesut Ozil’s late arrival at the Emirates was greeted with much relief and considerable joy by Gunners fans and players alike on transfer deadline day, but his capture must now be backed up by a much more structured transfer policy from the club in January.

Everyone knows the story over the summer. Arsenal, we were (in the end correctly) told, had a stash of cash to spend on the right quality of player(s), that would potentially turn them from perennial top-four finishers into a side capable of being among the favourites in the Premier League title odds.

So far, so good. However, it never quite panned out like many had hoped. As June dragged on into July, only the free-transfer arrival of Yaya Sanogo was new to the books and several targets came and went.

Fear not, though, because Real Madrid talisman Gonzalo Higuain would be the marquee signing everyone was waiting for. A medical was apparently arranged, a fee seemingly agreed and, at one stage during the mini-heatwave of July, it looked like the experienced Argentinian was all but signed and sealed.

The move went cold, however, and the Paddy Power transfer betting odds were set alight when attention quickly turned to Luis Suarez.

Here was a player that, while clearly one of the most talented footballers around and probably exactly the sort of striker the Gunners required, divided opinion.

His controversial past – biting and racism are not the sort of things usually associated with Arsenal players but he has them both on his CV – meant many were not keen on the Liverpool star, while others welcomed the now infamous £40m-plus-one-pound offer.

In the end it wasn’t enough to trigger a murky ‘release clause’ in his contract and, as the Reds held firm, it became clear Suarez was going nowhere – and especially not to Arsenal.

So some, it seemed, started to panic. It was now August and still no new arrivals. Another target, Yohan Cabaye, slipped through Arsene Wenger’s fingers and we headed into deadline day with several targets but a lack of clear vision.

Eventually, in the scramble that was Monday September 2, one of Europe’s most gifted attacking midfielders swapped Madrid for London in what was a genuine surprise deal, but one that, finally, the club could celebrate.

He is exactly the sort of big-money capture that everyone at Arsenal wanted in order to not only improve the side immeasurably, but also one that sends out a message to the Champions League rivals that the Gunners, admittedly belatedly, mean business.

So, while the Ozil deal is to be welcomed, it needs to be followed up by a far better plan for the New Year, because, make no mistake, more players of the quality of the Germany international are required if the club are to compete with free-spending Chelsea, Man City and current champions Man United this season.

A sensible approach would be to identify targets, speak to the clubs, agents and players involved in good time, submit proper, acceptable bids and get the business done as quickly as possible. Easier said than done, I know, but others seem to be able to do it without too much bother.

There is already early talk of another January offer for Suarez, while Wenger will be well aware he probably needs another defender and top-quality striker to reinforce his squad for the second half of the season.

Long-term planning is key, because no-one wants a repeat of the farce of this summer even if, ultimately, Arsenal did end up with a player on board that the rest of Europe’s top clubs would also want in their squad in an instant.

After the euphoria of signing Mesut Ozil died down, Arsenal fans will have come back down to earth again when they realised that Nicklas Bendtner was still at the club.

The 25-year-old Denmark international striker has not featured in the Gunners first team for over two years, his last appearance coming in the 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool in August 2011.

He spent most of the 2011-12 campaign on loan at Sunderland, where he found the net eight times in 28 Premier League appearances, before joining Juventus last term, although he only started two Serie A matches for the Italian champions after picking up an injury.

Many Gunners fans would have thought they had seen the last of Bendtner, but a player who has been with the club since 2005 is still at the Emirates Stadium although he does not appear to be in Arsene Wenger’s first-team plans.

It seems amazing that in a summer that has seen Wenger shed a host of players – including Denilson, Andrei Arshavin, Vito Mannone, Sebastian Squillaci, Andre Santos, Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh – Bendtner is still at the club, despite strenuous efforts to get him off the wage bill.

Bendtner, who is believed to earn more than £50,000 a week, has vowed to “give everything” to Arsenal this season after failing to secure a summer move to Eintracht Frankfurt, Hull City or favourites for relegation in the Unibet betting odds Crystal Palace.

But Arsenal fans will be wary of such words from a player who famously described himself as being “one of the best strikers in the world” when his displays on the pitch proved the contrary.

If Wenger could have agreed a loan deal with Chelsea for Demba Ba then Bendtner would surely have left the Gunners but he now has the chance to add to his 99 Premier League appearances and 22 goals for the club.

After a difficult few weeks in the transfer market, Arsenal prepare to take on Tottenham in the north London derby this week with depleted resources.

Arsene Wenger though is ready to stick to his tried and tested methods by bringing in young players to fill the void in the squad. After giving the likes of Ryo Miyaichi and Yaya Sanogo opportunities against Fenerbahce, more talented teenagers are in line to play at the weekend.

Gedion Zelalem and Serge Gnabry are other options who could get some game time, if Wenger fails to bring anybody else in.

Zelalem would offer his range of classy passing skills and midfield energy, while winger Gnabry can inject pace and a goal threat from the wing. However, their lack of experience would be an issue.

Even if the side is full of young players, odds checker site www.freebets.com reckons Arsenal could still get a result in their match against Spurs, although a draw is the most likely result.

Roberto Soldado is goalscorer in form and he could get loads of goals for Spurs if Arsenal don’t defend properly, but Carl Jenkinson will be doing is bit to stop them from going in.

Arsenal legend Ray Parlour thinks that the Gunners’ desperation to sign players is pricing them out of the market but he is adamant that Arsene Wenger must strengthen his squad if another trophy-less season is to be avoided at the Emirates.

Having seen Arsenal slip to a humbling 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa on the opening day of the season, Parlour was particularly concerned by the lack of depth in Wenger’s squad and even jokingly suggested that he could be in line for a recall.

“The squad is so thin that I could probably get a game sooner or later,” the 40 year old said.

“They have got to do the deals quicker,” he added, referring to Wenger’s difficulty in attracting big names to Arsenal over the summer.

Saturday’s game has left something of a defensive crisis for Arsenal, who now have only Per Mertesacker fit and available to play as a recognised centre back in the Champions League qualifier against Fenerbahce on Wednesday, highlighting just how thin Wenger’s squad is this season.

The Champions League odds still have them as marginal favourites, but progression is far from a foregone conclusion, with the fear of failure hanging menacingly over the depleted squad.

Parlour feels that clubs and agents are making light of Arsenal’s desperation to strengthen their squad and unreasonably inflating transfer fees.

“I reckon every player Arsene Wenger phones up is £5million more, because they know they are under pressure from supporters to buy players,” the former midfielder added.

Wenger has left it so late to strengthen his squad that it seems inevitable that clubs will demand inflated prices for their players if he moves in now.

Unfortunately for him, the Gunners start to the season has left him with little choice but to invest in proven, big name players and without splashing the cash it is difficult to see success returning to the Emirates any time soon.

If the Gunners aren’t able to strengthen before the end of the transfer window then it could be a long, hard season for Wenger and his men.

There have been many top youngsters to roll off the Arsenal production line in recent years, and American midfielder Gedion Zelalem looks like he’ll be the next after a strong showing in pre-season.

Arsenal have worked hard to bring Zelalem over to north London despite possible work permit complications, and he is now proving his worth. The new Cesc Fabregas, is what people are saying, and the comparisons are easy to make.

Zelalem is excellent on the ball, a superb pass-master and a real battler. He has heart, spirit and is a down to earth youngster. He has all the tools to have a top career at the Emirates.

Next season looks like it will be a huge one for Zelalem. Arsene Wenger has spoken about including him in the first team squad, and who knows, he might be a player that helps Arsenal next term.

The Premier League Betting shows that Arsenal are 11/1 to win the Premier League, and with a few top signings plus the influence of Zelalem, it might not be a bad price.

Other Arsenal youngsters to watch next season include Chuba Akpom, who bagged a classy brace in pre-season, and is desperate to be given a chance in the first team. Ryo Miyaichi could also feature, despite his frustrating loan spell at Wigan.

All in all, it looks like being a good season for the Gunners.