Morning all.

Did you know that on this  day in 1999, when we beat Man U 2-1 in the Community Shield at Wembley, with Kanu & Parlour both scoring? Of course you did….

Next weekend of course, we face the other Manchester side in the same Cup, a day which should show us fans just how much better prepared we are for the season ahead. I wouldn’t bet against us getting one over City and kick the new season off with another big trophy in the cabinet..

Legend....

Legend….

On this day 34 years ago, the club sold Liam Brady to Juventus. What a player he was, what a sad day that was…

Once a selling club, always a selling club. No, not any more it seems…..

Carl Jenkinson has gone though, he’s packed his bags and left for a season at West Ham, I hope it’s a good one for him. Playing week in, week out will do him the world of good. I wish him well. There is apparently an option to buy Jenks if the Hammers want to keep him and we want to sell him but I hope this time next year he’s back for all the right reasons.

So, big news broke yesterday evening.

Arsenal have opened talks with Porto over a deal for Colombia midfielder Juan Quintero.

The 21-year-old’s agent Maria Elena Chavarro tweeted:

Today @juanferquinte10 travelled to England to sign a contract with Arsenal who are paying 20m Euros (around £15.8m) to FCPorto, congratulations!

However, another of Quintero’s representatives, Ricardo Calleri said:

Porto never talked to negotiate Juan Quintero. Sure there are clubs interested, there is much interest in the player, the clubs in Spain and England, but to leave would be one willing to pay the termination clause of the club (€40m).

€40m for a 21 year old, surely not!

This story may be true, it may not but it has of course raised the level of expectation in the press that Santi Cazorla would have to make way for the young player and Atletico Madrid will be his destination.

No it won’t, not according to Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo:

Many names have been mentioned, but none of those players, neither Cazorla, Callejon, Torres nor Chicharito [Hernandez] are on our agenda. If we sign another player, it won’t be any of them.

Then of course we have the Sami Khedira story which rumbles and rumbles on. The latest suggests that Real Madrid don’t want him to leave for free next summer and they are desperate for us to sign him. I’d quite like this to be true and we snap him up, him and Carvalho in the midfield would be quite exciting wouldn’t it because let’s not forget that those press darlings have said we are favourites to sign the latter after Sprtin Lisbon confirmed they are willing to sell him……

Love it, I laugh, that’s the best way to deal with some of the stories published….

Let’s just sit, wait and see who really does get snapped up this month – it’s clear Wenger and Gazidis have a plan, just enjoy watching it unfold.

Forget all the gossip and other stuff made up by agents and media. It’s all a game to them, they think it’s funny but reality is, the agents are trying to muster up a way of getting their client more money and the journalists are just trying to sell newspapers.

Mind you, did I tell you Arsenal are going to sign………….

That’s it for another day, have a good one all..