Today in the news round up, we have some interesting young players being linked with a move to Arsenal, including a possible replacement for Wojciech Szczesny. While we also held out for a 2-1 victory over Leicester City on home soil to return to winning ways.
Let’s get going.
We shouldn’t have sold Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal says Barcelona chief
New Barcelona sporting director Arieo Braida has hit out at the club for allowing Alexis Sanchez join Arsenal in the summer. He was deemed surplus to requirements after the signing of Luis Suarez, the Chilean forward was sold to the Gunners for £30 million by Barca’s former sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta.
The Chilean has been sensational for Arsenal this season, scoring 18 goals in all competitions and directly assisting a further nine. He has kept the Gunners firing and has the ability to drag them to a point where fans can start dreaming of titles. It was a bizarre decision from the Catalan giants, but as they wanted to ‘upgrade’ to Luis Suarez they had to make a sacrifice which well and truly worked in our favour.
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Arsenal set to pip Manchester United to French star
Arsenal are set to beat Premier League rivals Manchester United to the signing of French starlet Dayot Upamecano. The 16 year old centre half was a reported deadline day target for Manchester United, but saw the deal collapse during the final hours of the transfer window. The youngster has earned rave reviews at Ligue 2 side Valenciennes in France and Wenger wants to make sure he snaps the youngster up before someone else does.
The French boss will now look to convince Valenciennes to sell with Arsenal keen to not only improve their academy squad but also add depth in the centre of defence.
Bundesliga shot-stopper set for Arsenal summer switch to replace Wojciech Szczesny
Arsenal will reportedly make a move for Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno during the summer. The German is one of the most highly-rated stoppers in European football following some impressive recent performances. The Gunners need for a world-class shot-stopper has become widely apparent this season. Szczesny was at fault for both goals in a 2-0 defeat to Southampton, was caught smoking in the dressing room shower and was subsequently dropped.
David Ospina has likely established himself ahead of Szczesny for the rest of the season with some impressive performances, but it has been suggested that Wenger has not yet designated a first choice goalkeeper. A move for Leno could make sense given Arsenal’s need for reinforcements between the sticks sooner rather than later.
Arsene Wenger keen to bring Ligue 1 star to Arsenal this summer
Arsenal are reportedly preparing a £25 million summer bid for Lyon’s highly-rated youngster Nabil Fekir. The 21 year old has emerged as one of the most gifted creators in France’s top flight this season and has created six goals and scored eight more in Ligue 1 this season. He has quickly established himself as the attacking fulcrum of a team managed by former Arsenal player Remi Garde.
Fekir has also expressed a willingness to work with the Gunners boss and the play-maker’s father recently indicated he would choose Arsenal if it meant working with Wenger. His talent is not in dispute, but neither is the fact the current Arsenal squad is currently loaded with attacking midfielders and supporting forwards.
Alexis Sanchez reminds me of Arsenal legend, says Arsene Wenger
Arsene Wenger believes summer signing Alexis Sanchez is like former legend Ian Wright with his approach to play. The Chilean has taken little time to adjust to the Premier League following his £32 million move from La Liga giants Barcelona, scoring 18 goals in his first season already. Wright, who is among Arsenal’s all time top scorers, had the same fighting spirit and eye for goal as Alexis Sanchez.
The 26 year old’s “bubbly” personality in the dressing room rubs off on his fellow team-mates, while also showcasing an all-action workmanlike play on the pitch which is again very similar to Ian Wright. There is a long way to go before the Chilean can emulate the success of the legend, but its definitely a good start.
Arsenal 2 v 1 Leicester City
– [Video] Theo Walcott extends the lead
– [Video] Laurent Koscielny opener
It was an incredibly nervy ending to a game that should have been far easier to win. We cruised to a 2-0 win thanks goals from Laurent Koscielny and Theo Walcott, but we had to hold tight after Leicester City responded through Andrej Kramaric and produced plenty of late barrages. The most important thing in the end was the three points, but it also came at a price however with Aaron Ramsey set for another spell on the sidelines after he suffered a reoccurrence of his hamstring injury. Fingers crossed Alexis Sanchez will recover also after a heavy collision with Matthew Upton.
But back to the news, Szczesny has been struggling with issues both on and off the pitch in the past month or so and has been replaced with David Ospina who has been solid so far including a decent performance last night. Despite these issues the chance of Wenger signing another goalkeeper are minute, as the boss still holds faith in the Polish keeper. Similarly in the case of Fekir, there is no doubt he is a great talent but again do we need another midfielder?
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