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Tag: Arsenal

  • Transfer news: Torreira, Guendouzi set for Arsenal medicals

    Transfer news: Torreira, Guendouzi set for Arsenal medicals

    Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira and France Under-20 international Matteo Guendouzi are set to have medicals at Arsenal on Monday.

    The Gunners have an agreement in place with Serie A side Sampdoria for the £26m transfer of 22-year-old Torreira.

    He is seen as a key recruit by new Arsenal boss Unai Emery, who has already made three signings.

    Midfielder Guendouzi, 19, will join from Lorient and is viewed as a top-level prospect for the future.

    A deal for defensive midfielder Torreira – who is 5ft 6in and has been capped eight times by Uruguay – was agreed before the World Cup, where he helped his country reach the quarter-finals, where they were beaten 2-0 by France.

    Arsenal have also signed Switzerland defender Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer from Italian champions Juventus, while Germany goalkeeper Bernd Leno has agreed to join from Bayer Leverkusen.

    Greece defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos has arrived at Emirates Stadium from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

  • Mesut Ozil confirmed as Arsenal’s No.10

    German international, Mesut Ozil has taken the shirt number 10 vacated by Jack Wilshere, who exited the club after being told that he did not have a future at the Emirates Stadium.

    Ozil has been ever-present for the Gunners since his move to the club from Real Madrid in 2013, making almost 200 appearances for the club.

    In that time, the playmaker has scored 37 goals and provided 71 assists, with the Gunners winning three FA Cups and the Community Shield during his spell in north London.

    Supporters who have already purchased 2018/19 season shirts with ‘Ozil 11’ printed on the back will receive replacement shirts, per the club.

    Ozil was involved in Germany’s horrendous 2018 World Cup campaign, the defending champions losing to both Mexico and South Korea and crashing out at the group stages.

    It remains to be seen how he will be utilised under new Arsenal manager Unai Emery, having been a key lieutenant under Arsene Wenger.

    Indeed, Ozil signed a new contract in January, extending his stay at the club until 2021.

    Reports at the time indicated that the star subsequently became Arsenal’s highest-paid player, earning £350,000-per-week.

    Arsenal finished sixth in 2017-18, 12 points behind fourth-placed Liverpool and 37 behind eventual champions Manchester City.

    Emery has already taken steps to reshape the club in his own image, signing defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of €19 million (£16.7m/$22.4m), goalkeeper Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen and Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer.

  • Arsenal complete €19m Sokratis signing

    Arsenal complete €19m Sokratis signing

    Arsenal have announced the signing of defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund on a “long-term contract” for a fee in the region of €19 million (£16.7m/$22.4m).

    Greece international Sokratis becomes the second player the Gunners have signed from Dortmund in the last year after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined for a club record fee in the January transfer window .

    The 29-year-old is an experienced centre-back who shares the same agent as compatriot Konstantinos Mavropanos, another player scouted and signed by Arsenal’s new head of recruitment Sven Mislintat at the turn of the year.

    Mislintat maintains a close relationship with senior figures at Dortmund, where he spent over a decade as their chief scout, and played an influential part in Arsenal’s January signings of Mavropanos, Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the latter being another ex-Dortmund player whom the German knows well.

    The signing of Sokratis is Unai Emery’s third acquisition since becoming Arsenal head coach, following hot on the heels of Stephan Lichtsteiner’s arrival on a free transfer from Juventus and Bernd Leno completing his move from Bayer Leverkusen , though it is understood that preliminary talks had already taken place between Mislintat and the Greek defender’s agent before Emery took the hot seat at Emirates Stadium.

    With Laurent Koscielny ruled out through injury until November at the earliest and Per Mertesacker retiring to take up a new role as head of the Arsenal academy, Mislintat is bolstering a Gunners defence which lacks experience and conceded 51 times in the Premier League during Arsene Wenger’s final season in charge.

    The defender’s father, Charalambos Papastathopoulos, told Greek radio station 24/7 in early June that his son rejected late interest from Manchester United to join the Gunners.

    Arsenal are also closing in on a move for Sampdoria midfielder Lucas Torreira, though they are unlikley to be able to complete the deal for the Uruguay international until after the World Cup.

    Goal.com

  • Emery urges Iwobi, others to get set for ‘New Arsenal’

    Newly appointed Arsenal manager Unai Emery has charged players of the north London club to be ready to raise the Gunners to the zenith of English football.

    The Spaniard, who was unveiled on Wednesday, made this known in a chat with the media at the Emirates Stadium.

    The 46-year-old takes over from Arsene Wenger, who departed the side after nearly 22 years in chaerge.

    Wenger won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups during his time at the club.

    But he failed to win the biggest trophy in England in 14 years.

    Arsenal declined further last season as they finished sixth in the league for the first time under Wenger; missing out on the Champions League for a second successive year, as a result.

    “It’s a big challenge for me but I have worked also in other projects, big projects,” Emery told reporters.

    “This is a big team, with great players. We think we need change, little things, a few players.

    “I want to speak individually with all the players face to face.

    “It’s very important for the club, after two years outside the Champions League, to work to be the best team in the Premier League and also in the world.”

    Emery, who won the domestic treble with PSG this season, is on a reported £6 million per year contract after convincing Arsenal’s board he was the right man to replace Wenger.

  • Arsenal: Unai Emery’s poor record v Mourinho, Guardiola

    New Arsenal manager Unai Emery has failed to beat Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho in 15 attempts as a manager.

    Spaniard Emery was appointed as Arsene Wenger’s successor at the Emirates on Wednesday, arriving after a two-year spell at PSG.

    The 46-year-old won three Europa League trophies between 2014 and 2016, but his record against some of the Premier League’s top managers may worry some Arsenal fans after spells with PSG, Sevilla, Spartak Moscow, Valencia and Almeria.

    “[Emery is a] top manager. His career speaks for itself,” Pep Guardiola said on Wednesday. “He did it perfectly in Spain with many teams – Valencia, Sevilla.” But his record against the current Man City manager is poor.

    In 10 meetings with Guardiola, Emery won none, drew four and lost six, at a rate of 0.4 points per game, while against Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho, he won none of his five games, drawing just once at 0.2 points per game.

    Other Premier League managers

    Of the current Premier League managers, Emery’s sides have played most against new West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini, winning three of his 12 games, losing six and drawing three at one point per game.

    He has a decent record against Spurs’ Mauricio Pochettino (P7 W4 L2 D1 – 1.86 points per game), and has won the single game he has played against both Rafa Benitez and Jurgen Klopp.

    The big three in Spain

    Emery’s record against the three biggest clubs in La Liga during his managerial career is also a concern; in 70 games against Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, Emery’s sides have won just 10 times.

    Emery’s 25 games against Barca have yielded just two wins, six draws and 17 defeats, including that infamous 6-1 loss in PSG’s Champions League last 16 second leg in 2016/17.

    Against Real Madrid, he won five out of 22 games, drawing one and losing 16, while against Atletico he won just three of 23, drawing 10 and losing 10.

    Against English sides

    Of Emery’s 11 games against English sides, he has won three times, the latest coming in the Europa League final against Klopp’s Liverpool in 2016.

    The other two victories came in Valencia’s Europa League round of 32 clash against Stoke in 2012, but he has suffered defeats against Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea in Europe.

    He drew both games with PSG against Arsenal in the group stage of the 2016/17 Champions League, his only two games against his new club.

    European record

    Emery’s Europa League prowess is almost unrivalled, with his three victories equalled only by Giovanni Trapattoni with Inter Milan and Juventus.

    In his 73 Europa League games, he suffered just nine defeats, a good sign as Arsenal may look to Champions League qualification through Europe’s second competition next season.

    But in the Champions League, Emery has never progressed past the last 16, winning 18, drawing nine and losing 16 of his 43 games in the competition with PSG, Sevilla, Spartak Moscow and Valencia.

     

  • Three things new Arsenal boss Unai Emery needs to fix at Emirates

    Former PSG boss, Unai Emery was appointed as Arsenal’s first new manager in 22 years on Wednesday. Here are three things the Spaniard must deal with to ensure a smooth transition from the Arsene Wenger era:

    Solve the Ozil conundrum

    Mesut Ozil’s diffident personality and alarming habit of drifting to the periphery of matches proved a major problem for Wenger. Emery must decide whether he can drag more committed and consistent displays from the German playmaker.

    The 29-year-old signed a new £300,000 ($400,000) per-week three-year contract in January as Arsenal scrambled to hold on to one of their stars following Alexis Sanchez’s move to Manchester United. But the former Real Madrid midfielder continued to provide only occasional glimpses of the talent that persuaded Wenger to pay £42 million for him in 2013.

    Early reports suggest Emery, having reviewed video of Arsenal this season, may not have much faith in Ozil, preferring to build around the more robust Aaron Ramsey instead. With the gifted Henrikh Mkhitaryan already in place at the Emirates Stadium, Ozil should be on notice that his performances must improve if the World Cup winner is to avoid being swept away by Arsenal’s new broom.

    Plug Arsenal’s leaky defence

    Wenger neglected Arsenal’s defence in his final years at the Emirates and Emery inherits a ramshackle unit that crumbles at the first sign of pressure. They conceded 51 league goals this season — more than any other side in the top seven and only five fewer than bottom of the table West Bromwich Albion.

    Although Arsenal’s back four were let down by Wenger’s failure to drill his midfielders to properly protect them, they still made enough mistakes of their own to leave the demanding Emery surely convinced that new recruits are the only solution.

    Renowned for providing players with video analysis of their own performances, Emery will have enough material to fill an entire hard drive as he surveys footage of the leaky Arsenal defence over the past 10 months.

    With Laurent Koscielny set to miss the start of the season after ankle surgery, Emery will not want to be left with error-prone pair Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding as his first-choice centre-backs. The Gunners have already been linked with Borussia Dortmund centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos, while inconsistent Arsenal full-backs Hector Bellerin, Nacho Monreal and Sead Kolasinac could also do with a few of Emery’s rigorous defensive tutorials.

    Unite Aubameyang and Lacazette

    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made a blistering start to life with Arsenal following his club record £56 million move from Dortmund in January as the Gabon forward netted 10 times in 13 league games.

    Aubameyang’s impact was all the more striking given the travails of the man he usurped in the starting line-up. Although he scored 17 times in 39 appearances in all competitions, Alexandre Lacazette endured an underwhelming first season after his £46 million switch from Lyon.

    Where Aubameyang’s pace, movement and predatory instincts made an instant impact on a moribund Arsenal team, France international Lacazette allowed himself to be bullied out of games far too often.

    Now Emery will have to chose whether he wants to start with both in his attack. If not, it seems certain Aubameyang would lead the line, consigning Lacazette to the bench. Lacazette can point to a slightly more potent finish to the season as a sign he is beginning to adapt to the physical nature of English football. But, significantly, Aubameyang already has a strong connection with former Dortmund team-mate Mkhitaryan, who is likely to be tasked with supplying the chances for Arsenal’s strikers.

    AFP

  • Finally, Arsenal name ex-PSG boss, Unai Emery as successor to Arsene Wenger

    New Arsenal head coach Unai Emery was the “unanimous” choice to “drive the next chapter” at the club, says chief executive Ivan Gazidis.

    Emery, 46, joins the Gunners having left French champions PSG after guiding them to the Ligue 1 title.

    The Spaniard also won four domestic cups with the French giants, having previously steered Sevilla to three successive Europa League triumphs.

    He succeeds Frenchman Arsene Wenger, who has left after 22 years in charge.

    “Unai has an outstanding track record of success throughout his career, has developed some of the best young talent in Europe and plays an exciting, progressive style of football that fits Arsenal perfectly,” Gazidis added.

    “His hard-working and passionate approach and his sense of values on and off the pitch make him the ideal person to take us forward.”

    Manchester City assistant manager and former Gunners captain Mikel Arteta was a strong favourite to replace Wenger, but Emery – who has a limited command of English – was selected following the Gunners’ recruitment process.

    He will lead Arsenal into a new era following the departure of 68-year-old Wenger, who won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups – including two Doubles – with the club.

    “I’m very excited to be given the responsibility to start this important new chapter in Arsenal’s history,” said Emery.

    “I am thrilled to be joining one of the great clubs in the game. Arsenal is known and loved throughout the world for its style of play, its commitment to young players, the fantastic stadium, the way the club is run.

    “I’m excited about what we can do together and I look forward to giving everyone who loves Arsenal some special moments and memories.”

  • Arsenal: Mikel Arteta agrees to take over from Arsene Wenger

    Mikel Arteta has agreed in principle to replace Arsene Wenger and become the new manager at Arsenal.

    The former Gunners midfielder’s return to the club is set to be announced in the coming days as he prepares to replace Arsene Wenger.

    While no contract has yet been signed, the announcement of Arteta’s return to the Emirates Stadium will be made in the coming days.

    The Spaniard is currently assistant coach to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and played a huge part in guiding them to their record-shattering Premier League title success this season.

    Mikel Arteta has “all of the qualities” required to become Arsenal manager, their legendary former handler Arsene Wenger told Bein Sports.

    The 36-year-old Spaniard — who played 150 matches under Wenger at Arsenal — is imbued with the spirt of the Gunners, added Wenger, although the Frenchman was at pains to say he didn’t wish to influence the board’s decision.

    Arteta, presently an assistant coach to Pep Guardiola at champions Manchester City, is one of several names that have been linked to filling the huge vacuum left after Wenger stepped down following 22 years in charge.

    “He was a leader, has good passion for the game, knows the club and knows what is important at the club,” said Wenger.

    “Overall he has the qualities but I don’t want to influence that publicly.

    “I believe it is important they make their choice in an objective way and after that decision I will support him.”

    Other names that have been mentioned include Massimiliano Allegri — though he says he would have to be fired to leave Italian champions Juventus — former Chelsea and Real Madrid handler Carlo Ancelotti, who reportedly last month turned down the chance to coach Italy, and Arsenal icon Patrick Vieira.

    Arsenal — who finished without a trophy last season and failed to qualify for next term’s Champions League — are confident a new manager will be named before the World Cup begins on June 14.

  • Wenger tips Mikel Arteta to replace him at Emirates

    Outgoing Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger says Mikel Arteta has “all of the qualities” needed to succeed him at Emirates.

    Former captain Arteta is among the candidates to replace Wenger, who left at the end of the season after 22 years in charge.

    Spaniard Arteta, 36, played 150 games for Arsenal and is currently a coach at champions Manchester City.

    “He was a leader, has good passion for the game, knows the club and knows what is important at the club,” Wenger said.

    Arteta, who has never managed a team, took up a role at City under manager Pep Guardiola in 2016.

    Wenger, 68, said: “Overall he has the qualities but I don’t want to influence that publicly.

    “I believe it is important they make their choice in an objective way and after made that decision I will support him.”

    Arsenal have also contacted another former captain, Patrick Vieira, as part of the process to replace Wenger.

    They remain confident of naming a successor before the World Cup begins on 14 June.

    Wenger said he has not decided whether his next job will be as a manager or at boardroom level, having previously said he will continue to work in football following his Arsenal departure.

    He also said it would be “difficult” to manage another team in England because of his time at Arsenal.

    “The Premier League is the most attractive place to be, but managing in different cultures and environments is something that is very interesting,” he said.

  • Wenger end Arsenal reign with win at Huddersfield

    Arsene Wenger’s 1,235-game reign as Arsenal manager came to an end with a victory over Huddersfield on the final day of the Premier League season.

    The game had little riding on it, with Huddersfield having already avoided relegation and Arsenal finishing sixth no matter what, and was played in front of a carnival atmosphere at John Smith’s Stadium.

    Wenger came out to a rapturous reception and went over to applaud the Arsenal fans, taking a bow before kick-off.

    Both sets of fans gave him a standing ovation after 22 minutes – to celebrate his 22 years in English football with the Gunners – and two planes flew over the ground in the early stages with banners celebrating the Frenchman.

    Wenger brought three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, including two Doubles, to Arsenal – but leaves them in the lowest position since he arrived, sixth.

    In fact this win over Huddersfield was the first time in eight attempts they have picked up any points away from home in the Premier League in 2018 – making them the last professional team in England to do so.

    Their goal was scored by Wenger’s final signing, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, as he slid home a low cross from their longest-serving player, Aaron Ramsey.

    Terriers midfielder Aaron Mooy almost denied Wenger his farewell win late on as his shot crashed off the crossbar.

    BBC