He’s back in the news again! Haven’t things have changed at Arsenal….

Morning all.

Actually, since we signed Danny Welbeck on deadline day, I don’t think he’s been out of the news has he? Even Alexis has been pushed to one side on the official site to make way for interviews, pictures and anything else relating to our final summer signing of the summer. But still no word on him from Arsene Wenger and I wonder how that makes the player feel.

All is very different for England of course and following the injury to Daniel Sturridge, our new man might finally get his wish to play central for his country instead of being asked so often to play out wide. Pretty much the same happened to the player he hopes to replace tomorrow night.

It still seems odd reading ‘Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck’…..

New England captain Wayne Rooney, yes, it’s hard to believe he has been given such a responsibility isn’t it, believes he’ll flourish both for club and country:

Dan is quick, he can score goals and I am sure now that he has got his move to Arsenal and him playing up front there, that can only help England.

I hope Hodgson puts his faith in Welbeck and we get a glimpse of what he might bring to Arsenal….. Mind you, who’d bet against Wenger sticking him out wide against City and playing Sanogo through the middle?

Talking of English players, Ian Holloway has heaped nothing but praise on Arsene Wenger and Arsenal:

I’ve never made any secret of my admiration for Arsene. I think he runs the Gunners in the way any side should be managed, with the long-term good of the club being the principle aim.

He’s probably the best example of the sort of manager I’m trying to be, where you develop a side and build over time to leave behind something better than you took over.

It’s easy to forget that, when he walked into ­Highbury all those years ago, the club had slid away from winning trophies and had become almost mid-table.           

It is down to his work in identifying young players and bringing them through his system that they are now one of the superpowers.

It can’t be argued that the club is in a better place than it was when Arsene Wenger took over. We have achieved top four every season since the man arrived and during his early days, we even won a few trophies including the big one, the Premier League on more than one occasion but our manager did benefit from what managers before him left behind, especially the back five.

Back then he added many players of exceptional quality and he got the balance right and with that came success but not everyone was happy, certainly not the media as more English players left and were replaced with overseas players. In fact nearly ten years ago, Wenger fielded a side which didn’t contain one English player, much to the horror of all but the Arsenal fans. Why should it have mattered, after all, it was permitted back then…

Jump forward to today and it’s Arsene Wenger and Arsenal who are providing a good number of players for the England side.

As Ian Holloway asks:

Who’d have thought that Arsenal’s manager would all this time later become the standard bearer for young British players?

Not many I bet, so perhaps he’ll stop being accused of ruining the England team from now on?

Not that he’ll escape criticism when it comes to ruining the Arsenal team……..

That’s if another day, roll Wednesday when all the international games are over……