Daily Bits and Bobs, Transfer Rumours

‘Serious’ transfer talks underway. Wanyama & Kondogbia linked. Ospina talks form..

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

When things are going a bit wayward, which to be fair has been all too often, we soon hear from a few of the players on the official website. They talk about how they’ll learn from defeats or individual errors and how they’ll move forward and make things better. Then comes another defeat or draw coupled with another error or bad performance….. Nothing learned…

The Monaco trouncing at The Emirates was one of those occasions, Anderlecht earlier in the season was another.

Perhaps the worst in the league was being 3-0 down so early on at Stoke and surrendering a lead to lose at WHL. Those six points alone would have made so much difference going into this weekends fixture, let alone all the silly draws at The Emirates when really, we should have won.

I bet if we could play those fixtures again today with the players we now have back fit, healthy and much improved, the results would be very different. But we can’t.

Those silly errors, individual muck ups seem to have left us and even when the players are not at the top of their game, the team are digging out better results than perhaps they would have even just a few months ago.

We haven’t lost a game since that awful night against Monaco, more importantly, we haven’t lost in the league since that trip across North London and David Opsina, who I think has calmed the defence, has been talking to Afc.com:

I think that we have created our own way of playing.

We have excellent players at our disposal but now we have to keep on track. We have a brilliant manager in charge who has been able to put us on course for where we want to go.

The defence I play with is full of experienced players who have played many games in strong national teams. It has helped for sure. We take pride in doing things well and I’m sure we can achieve a lot.

I think he’s right. This group of players who have been doing so well of late can achieve a lot. This season they can secure Champions League football without having to worry about having to play a qualifying round and of course the FA Cup is down to one final match.

With just a couple of additions in the summer, I think Arsenal will be right up there next season I really do.

Transfer gossip:

Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama claims Arsenal want to sign him. Wanyama said: “Wenger has been talking about me. And he has let it be known he would like to sign me this summer.” (The Sun)

Wasn’t that the summer when he was still at Celtic?

Arsenal are reportedly still plotting a move for long term transfer target Geoffrey Kondogbia. (L’Equipe)

Hang on, we are said to have entered ‘serious’ discussions with Borussia Dortmund for midfielder Ilkay Gundogan. That’s according to German publication SportBild (via Bild reporter Heiko Ostendorp).

There you go, three central midfielders all being linked to Arsenal. Which one to choose eh…

Kondogbia can play in defence and left back apparently….

Finally, an independent view of the game ahead.

Match Preview: Arsenal v Chelsea
Arsene Wenger’s side will head into this clash knowing that only a win will keep Arsenal’s slim title hopes alive. The Gunners have not won the Premier League since 2004 and, although it appears that Mourinho’s side will win the title, Arsenal’s form throughout the second half of the season has been phenomenal and has shown that they are more than capable of putting together a title challenge next year. We take a look at the upcoming match and give our thoughts on who will be victorious, and what that may mean for this year’s title race.
Arsenal are flying in 2015
The Gunners are in superb form and have won nine of their last 10 Premier League matches. Olivier Giroud is scoring goals for fun, while Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have also found a bit of form as the business end of the season approaches. Arsenal have won their last eight matches by a combined score of 18-5 and many believe that the Gunners would be top of the league right now, if they had managed to start the season well. Unfortunately for Wenger’s side, they have started their title challenge a little too late.
Jose Mourinho usually gets his tactics right in the big games
Mourinho has, more often than not, got his tactics spot on in the important matches throughout his career – and that has carried on in his second spell at Chelsea. The Blues are unbeaten against the top teams this campaign and the 52-year-old has ensured that his side avoid defeat in a number of other difficult fixtures too. It is likely that he will set his team up with two physical central midfielders, and allow Eden Hazard – Mourinho’s choice for Player Of The Year – the opportunity to roam free in attack.
Chelsea won comfortably in their clash earlier in the season
The Blues earned a relatively straightforward 2-0 victory against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge earlier in the campaign, and Mourinho would certainly take that result again this time around. On that day, Eden Hazard opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Laurent Koscielny brought the Belgian down. Chelsea went on to control the match and summer signing Diego Costa slotted his ninth goal in seven matches to double their advantage and secure the victory.
Prediction
As previously mentioned, Mourinho rarely gets his tactics wrong in the important matches. The Chelsea boss will be confident that his side can get at least a draw, which ultimately would be a positive result. However, the Gunners will have other things on their mind. Giroud and Ozil are in excellent form and are likely to cause problems for the Chelsea defence.
This is likely to be a close encounter and a draw would probably be an accurate prediction at this moment in time, but Arsenal may just scrape a crucial win. If you miss the big match, or any other football matches, you can find the results here by navigating through the website and searching for a specific team.

That’s it for today, have a good one all…

rico

66 thoughts on “‘Serious’ transfer talks underway. Wanyama & Kondogbia linked. Ospina talks form..”

  3. potter says:

    You can write Wanyama off the list. Wenger does not court publicity and will not like his hand forced in the papers.

  5. allezkev says:

    Morning All

    Morning Rico…

    Excellent post, but on the subject of those three midfielders, I wouldn’t take any of them, but I would take Schneiderlin

  8. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Good afternoon Lovelies and Hunkies.

    Good post boss. But like Kev I am going for Morgan

    What Ospina said confirms my belief……..they have developed a playing style of their own. a style which suits the players. And I thought I was the wrong one……I always adapted the style to the players ?I have and not adapt the players to the style.

    At the end of the day one works only with the players he has. The players have to be the subject of the team and not the object of the style.

  10. potter says:

    After years of square pegs in round holes , we are now seeing the fruits of playing people to their strengths. I wonder if the likes of Arshavin and even Podolski look back and wish that the revelation had come earlier.

  15. tsgh says:

    Another top daily sermons.

    I have one concern about this Wanyama rumours.. assuming its true of course.

    Victor is one of Micko’s fave players; Syg does not rate him…; so how will Aw please both gents? 😀

  16. tsgh says:

    who wants to place a bet on how long it will take for Daglish to pop his head out claiming he was right to buy Henderson after all seeing as Jordan H. is now the captain of the self-professed biggest club in the worlds’ and that Henderson is worth even more than 100k per week? 🙂

  17. rico says:

    Thanks Ts. Wayama won’t be signed imo, AW didn’t want him when he’d have been a lot cheaper so he’s hardly likely to pay a lot for him now. And as someone said earlier, AW doesn’t sign players who chat to the media….

  19. Wavy says:

    I’m not impressed with any of those players Rico! We can surely do better?
    Morgan was the name of my maternal grandfather so that at least has some resonance! And the Telegraph insists that our interest in him has waned, so that’s no good then?
    It’s all so much tosh. I believe in signing on the bottom line and when a player has then I will believe it! Usually we don’t know who Le Boss is looking at until they are unveiled on Arsenal.com!
    Good article on another empty news day.

  22. rico says:

    Arsène Wenger has revealed the latest team news ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea:

    On the latest team news…

    Last week against Reading, Per Mertesacker got injured and he has not been out [training] since. He’s still in the treatment room and I don’t know if he will be available or not. [He is] 50/50 [to start against Chelsea] at the moment. Apart from Mertesacker, everybody else [from last weekend] should be available.

    on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain…
    He’s still out, he has not been in training. He’s not being considered at all.

    on Mikel Arteta…
    He’s getting closer. He’s back in full training but is still a bit short physically to go into a game of this intensity.

    on Gabriel…
    He’s ready [to step up]. He came on in the FA Cup semi-final and I think if Per is not ready, Gabriel will start.

    Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20150423/team-news-mertesacker-ox-arteta#wrsRQiEJx99pb5VA.99

  25. tsgh says:

    lol Rico… Costa the brute. if it is anything like his love hate relationship with Thiago Silva or even Luiz of Psg then we are indeed lined-up for a treat.

  27. rico says:

    Wanyama on twitter:

    “I have to make it clear that I have not said what as been brought up today am professional and will never say that.

    “To cut the story short have never spoken to Wenger.”

  35. allezkev says:

    Afternoon Rico…

    I used to rely, totally on Jamie Sanderson and that organ of integrity Metro…
    But I feel that there is an element of dishonesty that has crept into their reporting….

    The realisation was hard to take Rico…

    It made me feel a bit nauseous…

    Groggy even…. 😉

  48. Vegas goon says:

    Rumors. Sigh.
    Ill take any of the above…but alas rumors are just rumors.

    Im confident Moureen will bring two buses to the Emirates on Sunday.

    We win and id be over the moon…
    Is it too much to ask for at least a draw?

  50. Micko says:

    Bock, bock, bock, Berkeeeeeeerk ! Who ruffled rico’s feathers.

    tsgh, has SYG gone all hermitized on us, hope it’s got nothing to do with his Leicester predictions this season !

  53. allezkev says:

    Diego Costa will play Sunday…

    I don’t pay any attention to all that rubbish about a 17 year old leading the Boring Boring Chelsea attack…

    It’s all subterfuge and lies, from ‘You Know Who’, better known as the Portugese Prick.

    Night All…

  56. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Good Morning lovelies and hunkies.

    How is the weather up there??? here its windy today….which means I hate it.

    On Sunday I would like to see the chavs park more than one bus. yes I would enjoy it if we score the type of Wilshere goal vs Norwich, or TR07’s goal vs the spuddies…..you know those goals where we play tippy tappy one touch passes which bamboozle the like of Terry and Co into submisson. And have the portuguese prick poison dwarf squirm when facing the cameras.

    I would like to see our men go for it. FOR THE JUGULAR. and demolish them. not 1-0 or 2-1. that is close. No I want payback time. I want our men to destroy Roman’s empire and confidence in the above mentioned farting one.

    I want to see our men relentlessly not giving up and giving it all for 90 minutes. and not stop even if we are 15-0 up with 10 mins to go.

  59. Wavy says:

    Don’t we all, devil! Don’t we all!
    15-0 to the good guys would be a it of a turn up!

    Morning all. Sunny and calm here just now, think it may change for the worse later.

  61. allezkev says:

    Morning Rico

    Morning Coach n Adam

    Morning All

    Sanchez thru on goal.
    Terry bring him down, penalty!
    Terry gets a straight red.
    Mourinho gets sent to the stands.
    Sanchez scores from the spot.
    Arsenal win 2-0
    Chelsea collapse and fail to win any of their remaining games.
    Arsenal win the Double…

    Then I woke up… 😉

  63. Lee says:

    So Michael predicts a Chav win……well put your house on us wining as that vertically challenged cnut’s previous predictions have all been way off the mark!

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