Young Guns | Arsenal News

Welcome to this weekends Loanees Watch – Young Guns’ analysis, reports and updates on the progress of the young starlets currently plying their trade away from the Emirates Stadium. You can read all the latest reports below.

Henri Lansbury played the full 90 minutes for Norwich City as they beat Coventry City 3-1. Lansbury was involved in Norwich’s opening goal, being part of a move that led to Grant Holt scoring his first of two goals.

Aaron Ramsey played the final 16 minutes of Nottingham Forest’s 3-0 win over Crystal Palace. Ramsey came on and slotted straight into central midfield, but struggled to get involved. Billy Davies spoke after the game, telling the media he was reluctant to play Aaron due to the poor pitch conditions.

Vito Mannone played the full 90 minutes and kept another clean sheet as Hull City beat Bristol City 2-0. Mannone was largely untroubled, but did enough to put off Jon Stead in the final moments, as he blazed a close range shot over.

Kyle Bartley played the full 90 minutes at centre back as Sheffield United ended their poor run of form with a 1-0 win over Swansea. Bartley turned in a brilliant display, winning several headers and tackles.

Sanchez Watt was not included in the Leeds United squad that beat Queens Park Rangers 2-0.

Benik Afobe was not in action this weekend as Huddersfield Town’s fixture was postponed.

Cédric Evina was not in action this weekend as Oldham Athletic’s fixture was postponed.

Thomas Cruise was not in action this weekend as Carlisle United’s fixture was postponed.

Mark Randall will return to Rotherham on Monday after recovering from a broken cheek bone.

Gavin Hoyte was not in action this weekend as Lincoln City’s fixture was postponed.

Francis Coquelin played the full 90 minutes for Lorient as they were thrashed 3-0 by Toulouse. Coquelin returned to the team in his usual holding midfield role, but struggled to make an impression as Lorient were easily defeated.

Armand Traoré played the final moments of Juventus’ 1-1 draw with Chievo. Traoré, who played well against Manchester City in the Europa League in midweek, replaced Simone Pepe in stoppage time.

Nacer Barazite played the final 21 minutes of Vitesse Arnhem’s 1-1 with NAC Breda. Barazite came off the bench in place of striker Marcus Pedersen.

Pedro Botelho played the full 90 minutes for FC Cartagena as they beat Las Palmas 5-2. Botelho turned in another classy shift, drawing a booking and then playing a part in two goals, one in-directly, the other directly, crossing from the wing for the fifth goal.

Samuel Galindo was not in action this weekend as he continues his rehabilitation from a broken ankle.

Pedro Botelho is the latest Arsenal player to be caught up in an international tug-of-war, after both the Brazilian and Spanish Football Federations signalled their interest in calling up the youngster.

Botelho, on loan to Segunda outfit FC Cartagena, was born in Brazil but has spent the last four years in Spain, as he bids to earn Spanish citizenship and then complete his move to Arsenal. However, his superb performances with Cartagena have caught the eye and both countries are now planning their next moves.

Pedro is on the cusp of the Brazilian Under 20 squad, and coach Ney Franco has already confirmed his desire to include the versatile prospect in his squad for January’s South American Under 20 Championships. The Spanish Federation are also willing to make their move, and are planning to send their Under 21 manager Luis Milla to speak with Botelho about the future.

The 21-year-old spoke to Marca earlier in the week, but refused to commit to either country. Pedro is expected to earn Spanish citizenship in the summer, making him eligible to move to Arsenal. His performances in Spain have won many admirers, and with just 18 months left on his contract, speculation of a move is rife.

The player himself has talked down a move, however, but did leave the door open by saying he would leave the transfer situation to agent Santiago Gerardo. The future is finally looking bright.

Arsenal have accepted an offer from Borussia Mönchengladbach for defender Håvard Nordtveit, Young Guns can reveal. The 19-year-old will now hold talks with the German outfit and is expected to move in the January transfer window.

Ivan Gazidis has been in discussions with Nordtveit over a new contract for almost six months, as his current deal expires in July. Negotiations appeared to be coming to a close recently, with a three year extension on the table, only for them to break down. The club are now keen to offload Håvard in January and recoup some of the £1.7 million fee they paid in 2007.

Nordtveit already has Bundlesliga experience, having spent last season on loan with FC Nuremberg. The defender is expected back in Germany over the weekend with agent Jim Solbakken to thrash out a deal.

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.