Arsenal News - December

[Darren]

One More In With Luiz Felipe Confirmed As An Arsenal Player

The signings were rumoured to have been done at Arsenal but the club have today confirmed that they have agreed a deal to sign the thirty year old Defender, Luiz Felipe ;

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Perhaps a signing that isn't what many of the supporters are used to seeing with the player being thirty years old but none the less, a solid signing with plenty of time left in the game and a player that will bring a lot of experience to the roster at The Emirates.

The Arsenal boss spoke to the press earlier this morning about the signing ;

" Really pleased with this signing. Not along the lines of the age we normally try and keep at the club at but for the fee we paid, we feel its good value to get a player of that skill and abs through the door. He has signed a three season deal with us where we feel he will be able to play at the highest level but the main thing is that we get a player in that can step straight into the side with other players leaving us this pre season.

It does look like the end of the signings now for us and we can look back on this pre season as a good one overall with who we have signed as a couple of times it looked likely that we were struggling to get anything done for a variety of different reasons but we got there and can no look forward to the new season starting ".

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[Darren]

Gunners Choose Academy Over Auction

Some claimed ' recession ' while some insisted it was fine but whatever side of the fence clubs sat on, what was true was that it was a tough time for some in terms of available finances making plans that bit more tricky and vital that clubs made the right decisions with what funds they had.

Arsenal were one of those clubs who had some tough decisions to make especially as they had a deal collapse that would have seen them twenty million better off. As a side that is usually involved in the auctions during the pre season, tough talks took place at the club with the Manager demanding more funds to be able to invest in the academy and make an auction bid but the board stood strong and the decision was that it was one or the other due to the stadium expansion which almost led to the Manager stepping down claiming that the Chairman refused to take the club in the same direction that the Manager wanted but with talks ongoing with other clubs and deals agreed, the Manager stayed to honour those.

So, the Manager opted for the Academy route, buying new players and a coach which came at a cost and along with the stadium increase meaning that any auction participation would not be happening for the red side of North London.

You only have to look around and see what Managers are heavily involved in academy investment and you can see the way the game will be heading but for side that wasn't ' too fussed ' about the academy, the club do seem to have made a u-turn. The Arsenal boss spoke earlier about the decision to invest such a large sum in something that the results wont be seen for some time ;

" We spoke to a couple of well respected Managers about the academy and I can be honest, I didn't pay too much attention when it was brought in so we had a lot of questions. This pre season was a cross roads really with what direction we try and head in as we do have a couple of players with big potential in the academy.

I cant lie, the money we invested meant we couldnt get a player in that we tried so hard to get plus ruling us out of the auction but we feel that we want to try and see what it has to offer. The plyers we have signed are very promising and the facilities we have could see them do well and hopefully make the step up to senior side in seasons to come but as many have said, you only have to look around and see what the main focus was on in the pre season and what drained a large amount of funds and that was the academy so we headed for that and just hope it will turn out to be the right decision ".

494 Words

772 For December In Total

[Darren]

Group Of Death Once Again For Arsenal With Champions League Group Stage Confirmed

The draw for this seasons Champions League has been made and once again if Arsenal are to make it through the group stages then they will have to do it the hard way with the club being drawn in what is one, if not the hardest group in the draw.

Group B will see Arsenal drop in along with Real Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. Arsenal will know United very well from the Premier League and also after playing them in last seasons group stage but the addition of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich who are both under new management will certainly see some great matches next season. Group A includes Spurs, Chelsea, Barcelona and Inter while Group C sees Liverpool, Man City, PSG and AC Milan paired up with the final group D placing Juventus, Southampton, Leeds United and Atletico Madrid.

The Arsenal boss spoke to the media this morning and feels his side will need every bit of luck if his side are to make it past what he feels is one of the toughest groups this season ;

" A very tough group we find ourselves in its fair to say and yet again we find ourselves up against Man United just like last season where they will no doubt be looking to do better than they did in this cup and we expect a much different United side this season with a point to prove. Bayern Munich and Real Madrid will be big games. Two huge sides, one of which I had talks with some weeks ago about joining so that will be a good game but this group is going to see points so hard to come by for us I can see it so we need to play like we did last season and hope that we can bring our A game to each game and progress for both the chance of a cup and also the revenue it brings the club "

340 Words
1112 For December So Far

[Darren]

Juventus Target Arsenal Boss After Banks Shock Resignation

Breaking news this afternoon is that Arsenal could be about to lose their Manager following an approach from Juventus following the shock resignation of Andy Banks who resigned from the club this afternoon.

FFO has seen some big jobs become available this pre season like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich and this will be among them and a vacancy that not many saw coming up as available. While the details are not in the public domain right now, reports coming out of Juventus are that they are looking to fill the job as soon as possible and will look to bring in a Manager who will focus more on the footballing side and not one who continues to bring drama and unwanted attention to the club with off field antics.

While the Arsenal manager is rumoured to be on the short list, Blackburn Rovers could also have a fight to keep Tony Ayre who is also of interest while Ray Wallace of Wolves could see his name on the radar of the Juventus board.

With just a matter of days until the new season starts, this breaking news could spark another merry go round of movement in the game with many Managers set be alerted by the vacancy in Italy.

While the Arsenal Manager was speaking to the media when the news broke, he was quick to distance himself from the job but did praise the work that Andy Banks has done at the club ;

" Listen, we have had our fall outs but you have to credit where credit is due and the work he has done there is up there with the best. A very good roster that came so close to a title last season, he enjoyed a good pre season I though with his signings so to leave with immediate effect so near to the season start says that something big much have happened at the club ".

328 Words

1440 Total For December

[Darren]

Gunners Boss Odds Shorten For Juve Job As Talks Open Up

The race for the vacant Juventus job has heated up over the last twenty four hours with the Italian club rumoured to be talking to a number of candidates with one being the Arsenal boss. The Gunners confirmed last night that an approach had been made by Juventus and permission had been given to the Manager to talk to them today where a decision will be made by the Turin club. With a host of names being linked to the high profile vacancy, its still unsure who will be given the task of restoring some respectability to Juventus following a season of drama at the club which saw the former Manager publicly punished for cheating aswell as many a public fallout without with other Managers in the game aswell as bringing the game into disrepute on many occasion so any new Manager arriving will have to hit the ground running and restore some pride to the club that failed at the last hurdle in their title race that they were heavily involved in for the majority of the season.

One of the biggest fallouts last season was actually between Arsenal an Juventus over the on off transfer of Ansu Fati following Juventus trying to change the agreed fee at the final hour so its surprising that Arsenal have given permission for them to talk to their Manager but it appears that there could be a change of clubs in the pipeline for the Gunners boss.

Speaking this morning as he arrived in Italy for talks, the Arsenal boss had this to say ;

" Its a fantastic opportunity for someone at Juventus, a massive club with a very good roster that can certainly win titles with the right person in charge. Is that me ? That is down to the Juventus board to decide but here are some great Managers in the running and whoever gets the job Im sure will do well.

Its no secret that I do regret withdrawing from the Bayern Munich vacancy so maybe this could be the change that is needed for myself going forward. No mater what happened last season with the previous Manager, nobody can argue with the state he leaves the club in with the roster being one of the best in the game and a healthy bank balance to boot so its no surprise that there are good number of Managers interested, Im more surprised that the former Manager just upped and left but Im sure he had his reasons.

Right now, Ill speak to Juventus and if it results in me not getting the job, I will push on with Arsenal and hopefully enjoy a good season in North London ".

462 Words

December Total - 1902

[Darren]

Gunners See Home Start To Kick Off New Season

Arsenal willkick off the season with a home fixture against Sheffield United. Last season saw the Gunners go into the final game still with a shot at a title win so they will be looking to get the season off to a winning start and continue the good form from last season.

Following the Sheffield United game, Arsenal then face Burnley away, Bristol City at home followed by the first North London derby of the season against the title holders Spurs away in round four which fans will be hoping to get one over their rivals early doors.

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2010 Words Completed For December