News

Levante have agreed to re-sign Brazilian forward Wellington Silva on loan. The 18-year-old spent the final six months of last season in Valencia, but is set to move for the whole of the next campaign.

Silva is due in Spain tomorrow afternoon for a medical, where he will then join the rest of the squad at their training base in La Manga. Talks are still ongoing with the Gunners over Pedro Botelho.

Wellington has struggled with a number of personal problems since signing officially in January, and has already had one appeal for a work permit rejected.

Arsenal fly out to Asia this weekend ahead of the friendlies against a Malaysia XI and Hangzhou Greentown, all designed to help promote the club worldwide.

Yet while the tour is very much focused on commercialization, a select few in the 23-man squad know this tour means a lot more than just two foreign friendlies. For the first time in good few seasons, there are realistic places in Arsène Wenger’s first-team squad available.

The travelling party includes only two Reserve team prospects, Ryo Miyaichi and Emmanuel Frimpong, as I told you yesterday. Miyaichi’s inclusion is partly down to the manager wanting to take a look after his stunning spell on loan with Feyenoord last season, and partly because of the obvious boost it gives Arsenal to have a Asian player on the Asian tour. Frimpong is named as back up to Song, but he’s already been around the setup for a year or so.

Emmanuel Eboué, Abou Diaby and Łukasz Fabiański all failed to prove their fitness in time to travel, while Nicklas Bendtner and Manuel Almunia were left behind. Those exclusions, plus the sale of Gael Clichy, hand significant opportunities to some players.

Kieran Gibbs and Armand Traoré will both hope to prove their worth at left back, with Wenger not keen to give Pedro Botelho a run out. Traoré has failed to attract any interest since completing his loan spell at Juventus, but he returns to London Colney a vastly improved player. He now needs to show it.

New signing Carl Jenkinson should get a chance as Bacary Sagna’s deputy, and Vito Mannone is fit and ready to show his good form on loan at Hull City was no fluke. Almunia’s exclusion and Fabiański’s lack of fitness present him with a real chance to show his best.

There will be various other subplots in Asia, but working with Wenger in the 23-man group will give the manager a better chance to run the rule over them. More of the youngsters, including Kyle Bartley, will get chances at the Emirates Cup and beyond, but solid performances in Asia can help some seal places, or at least get a firm foot hold in Wenger’s plans.

For many, this tour is about now or never, in their quest to break through.

Arsène Wenger will select his squad for the forthcoming trip to Asia today, with only a select few youngsters poised to be included.

Arsenal jet off to Malaysia on Sunday, ahead of friendlies against a Malaysian XI and then Hangzhou Greentown, in what is seen as a trip focused entirely on commercialisation. That means the opportunity to impress that some players had been hoping for won’t come until the clash with FC Cologne, or the Emirates Cup.

However, Wenger is expected to include a handful of the most prominent candidates for first-team places next season. Those include Emmanuel Frimpong and Kyle Bartley, while Young Guns has learnt Ryo Miyaichi is all but certain to travel, subject to international clearance. The club are yet to decide whether to persure a work permit appeal for the winger.

Oğuzhan Özyakup, Conor Henderson and Chuks Aneke are some of the outside chances, but all three have handed their passports in and have been carefully assessed since returning to pre-season training on Monday.

Wellington Silva and Pedro Botelho are both poised to miss out, as the club seek to finalise La Liga loans for the duo.

Arsenal are in talks with the FA in a bid to get Benik Afobe deselected from the England setup ahead of the forthcoming Under 20 World Cup.

Afobe was named in Brian Eastick’s 21-man squad last week, but Arsène Wenger wants to take a closer at the 18-year-old following a series of impressive performances on loan with Huddersfield Town. As things stand, Benik would have report to the training camp in Columbia on July 18th.

It’s not yet clear whether Afobe will be included in the travelling party that jets off to Asia on Sunday, but he may be considered for the friendly with FC Cologne and then the Emirates Cup.

A decision on whether the FA agree to release the player is expected in the next few days.

Jérémie Aliadière is back in football with Ligue One side Lorient, but only after once again receiving the help of Arsène Wenger.

Aliadière returned to London Coleny in the closing stages of last season, after being granted permission by Wenger to work on his fitness following a series of injuries. The 28-year-old also turned out a handful of times for the Reserves, but struggled to attract potential suitors.

However, a deal with Lorient emerged over the weekend, after Wenger used Arsenal’s good relationship with the club to get the ball rolling. Jérémie confirmed his former managers help in an interview with the Lorient website, saying:

“I think Arsène Wenger had called and requested some information from me since I was there the last four months. That’s how it started and it always helps when there are relationships like between Lorient and Arsenal.”

Aliadière has signed a one year deal with the option for a further three years if he proves his fitness. He may yet be joined by Gilles Sunu and Francis Coquelin, both of whom are still wanted on loan again by the Brittany outfit.

Liam Brady is putting the finishing touches to Arsenal’s Under 18 squad for next season, with Steve Bould set to boast one of his most exciting crops of talent ever.

Young Guns can confirm Hale End products Isaac Hayden, Anthony Jeffrey and Zak Fagan have all penned scholarship contracts, as have summer recruits Jon Toral, Héctor Bellerín, Serge Gnabry, Leander Siemann and Kristoffer Olsson.

Bould’s Under 18’s will also be boosted by the promotion of several of Steve Gatting’s promising Under 16’s. Brady has personally asked the head teachers of Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill, Jack Jebb and Joshua Vickers if they can leave school a year early to move to London Colney full time. All have accepted.

The club are still waiting on answers from strikers Austin Lipman and Chuba Akpom.

All Under 18’s are due back for pre-season next week.

Cesc Fàbregas was present at London Colney this morning, as the majority of Arsenal’s first-team and Reserve players returned for pre-season training.

The captain made a surprise early appearance, as he wasn’t due back until tomorrow. A number of other first-team players who were involved in post-season internationals were missing, including Samir Nasri, while Gael Clichy was in the North ahead of his medical with Manchester City. This meant the early focus is on some of the fringe youngsters, including those who have returned from loan spells.

Ryo Miyaichi and Wellington Silva were both present, and could be a part of the squad that jets off on the Asian early next week.

This week will be a mixture of gym, fitness and general medical work, all designed to assess the players after their summer break.

 

 

Arsenal formally completed the signings of Jon Toral and Héctor Bellerín today, with their Barcelona contracts expiring last night. The deals were done months ago, and with the dust now settled after their difficult departure from La Masia, attention starts to turn to their debut campaigns in London.

The two Spanish Under 16 midfielders both come with good reputations, but not much else is known about the duo Arsène Wenger caused a row with Barça in signing. On top of that, what part can we expect they’ll play in the short term?

Jon Toral
Toral is seen as the best equipped to settle quickly. His English connection through his mother and good physique mean there won’t be too many surprises, which should allow him to blossom earlier. On top of that, Jon has always admitted his desire to play in England, despite his parents and coaches trying to put him off. A move to Arsenal came naturally, despite Spanish media claims of the club poaching him.

A tall, strong and physical midfielder, Toral can play pretty much anywhere in the middle, but some have already suggested he may take up the holding role in front of the back four. His good vision and ability to pick accurate and incisive short and long range passes will make Toral a solid asset, but both Steve Bould and Neil Banfield like balance, and being left footed, a place in the ‘Jack Wilshere role’ seems more likely.

Héctor Bellerín
Bellerín is perhaps the most exciting signing. A fast winger who can play in a variety of forward positions, his excellent delivery, skillful approach and superb technique make him a real danger. Héctor turned down a new contract in Catalunya to join Arsenal, and after some brilliant performances in the Caspian Cup with Spain’s Under 16’s, he’s arrives in top form.

The 16-year-old can play as an out-and-out centre forward, where he has a reputation for being a goal poacher. Héctor has also filled in at right back, but it seems a role on the wing will be his true home.

Both players are expected to start off with Steve Bould’s Under 18’s, then move into Neil Banfield’s Reserve team as the season progresses. Toral already arrives with a slight ankle injury, but he’s expected to shake that off and begin pre-season as normal.

All in all, Arsenal’s latest Barcelona recruits look set for a promising debut campaign.

Héctor Bellerín has admitted his ‘pride’ in joining Arsenal, as he prepares to fly to London ahead of his debut campaign with the club.

Bellerín used his page on social networking site Twitter to confirm the transfer, and then posted a photo of himself at London Colney. The 16-year-old joins fellow midfielder Jon Toral in moving from Barcelona, for a combined compensation fee of €750,000.

The pacy winger told his followers:

“Starting today, I’m an Arsenal FC player. It gives pride to play for this great club!”

That comment may help to restore an already difficult relationship he has with some fans, after admitting just after signing for Arsenal he would like to return to Barcelona one day.

Héctor is expected to move between the Reserves and Under 18’s next season.