Arsenal’s FA Cup Trip To Blackpool Previewed

Arsenal face a tricky FA Cup third round trip to Blackpool this evening. With fourth place in the Premier League their first priority and the Europa League in second place it leaves the FA Cup a distant third. It’s a competition we have won more than any other club though and we have won it three times in the last five seasons too.

I have no doubt Unai Emery will make a few changes from the team that struggled to find any rhythm against Fulham, but still managed to win 4-1. The festive schedule was very tough for every team and the players are bound to be tired so he has a chance to rest a few weary legs as well as giving some game time to those on the fringes. Our next league game isn’t until next week so there is plenty of time for players to regroup and regain their strength.

I imagine we will see Petr Cech in goal with Ainsley Maitland-Niles in defence and maybe even Zach Medley too. The rest of the defence will probably be made of more first choice players, but I would hope Laurent Koscielny is rested as he clearly needs a little more recovery time from his long injury lay off. We might see Carl Jenkinson too, but I have a feeling he doesn’t really feature in the manager’s plans.

In midfield both Mohamed Elneny and Matteo Guendouzi should feature and Aaron Ramsey must be a shoe-in seeming as he didn’t start against Fulham. If the reports are to be believed he has more or less signed a pre-contract agreement with Juventus and will join them on a free transfer in the summer. It has also been reported that he turned down a bigger offer from PSG and we turned down a cash offer from Juventus to take him immediately. I would be surprised if we turned down a good fee considering he will go for free in the summer, but our squad is very short at the moment and he certainly has a part to play for the rest of the season.

If all three of those players do play it doesn’t leave too much room for Bukayo Saka, Joe Willock, Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith-Rowe. All four of them would hope to play from the start today, but we might only see two of them with the others possibly coming off the bench. I wouldn’t be surprised if Alexandre Lacazette was in the team too as he might have a little more in the tank than others considering how often he has been substituted recently.

We beat Blackpool 2-1 at the Emirates a few months ago in the Carabao Cup and it won’t be too easy to repeat that on their patch. They’re a mid-table League One team and we can’t take them too lightly, but equally it’s a game we should win. There’s talk of a boycott by the home fans which means there might well be more Arsenal fans than Blackpool fans at the game which would be a little odd to say the least.

I imagine the manager will have a strong bench in case he needs to call on a few first teamers to rescue the game. Arsene Wenger made the mistake of giving himself no real options from the bench at this stage last season when we went out 4–2 away to Nottingham Forest. The FA Cup might not be our first priority, but I would be very surprised if the manager didn’t want to go as far as possible in a competition which has been out only route to silverware since 2004.

That’s it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Season Preview

With the new season almost upon us it's time for me to write my annual Arsenal season preview. In recent seasons I have waited until the transfer window has closed before I put my preview together, but the squad has such a strong and settled feel to it that I think I can write it now. Tha's not to say that the Arsenal squad is the finished article, but it's certainly a fair deal stronger than it was at this time last season.

The only player to arrive so far this summer has been Petr Cech and his ability and experience in goal are a very welcome addition. During the course of last season the squad gradually strengthened though with the emergence of Hector Bellerin and Francis Coquelin and the signing of Gabriel Paulista in January. Looking at it now those three players and Cech are four strong additions to the squad which were not there at this time last season.

Both Bellerin and Coquelin have made a place for themselves in the team while I think Gabriel will gradually have more chances as the season progresses and will be seen as a quality purchase in time. Cech will of course get the nod in goal, but David Ospina will keep him on his toes while Wojciech Szczesny spends a season on loan with Roma. There's probably still a couple of places in the squad for quality players, but the squad is certainly a lot stronger than it was a year ago.

Ideally I would love to see a top class striker with pace and a real presence come into the club, but they're not easy to find. I have no doubt that Arsene Wenger will add to the squad if he can get the right player or players, but he won't buy just for the sake of it. Of course a striker of the calibre of Sergio Aguero or Luis Suarez would fit the bill perfectly, but neither of them are going anywhere soon and players of their ilk are few and far between.

At the moment Theo Walcott has the pace for the role but not the presence while Olivier Giroud has the presence but lacks the pace. Danny Welbeck might just have both attributes to his game, but I'm really not sure if he does or if he can develop them fully. There's still the bones of four weeks to go before the transfer window closes though and an awful lot can happen in that time.

If Arsenal are to strengthen in one more department I think they could do with a player to challenge Coquelin or play alongside him at times too. I don't think Mikel Arteta is perfectly suited to the role and he missed so much of last season injured that I worry he will struggle with injuries again this season. If I'm not sure about Arteta then I'm even less sure about Mathieu Flamini and I don't think we will see much of him this season.

The issue again is of course identifying the right player and then convincing his club to sell him and the player to join Arsenal too. It's not an easy task, but I have no doubt the boss will do his all to bring in the player or players needed before the window closes. Even if there are no more additions I think this squad can do so much better than last season.

They have won the FA Cup for the last two seasons and were the best team in the Premier League in the second half of last season. They did so much better against the rest of the top teams away from home in particular and finally put the Jose Mourinho hoodoo to bed in the Community Shield on Sunday. Their defensive record improved greatly when Coquelin got his chance, but the team still managed to keep scoring goals.

More of the same is needed this season and all of the signs so far in pre season are that the players are determined to give it their all and play some good football. They need to start well though and they certainly need to start better than last season when they only won two of their first six games. They may have been unbeaten in those games, but they lacked a ruthless streak and drew four of them. 

They will have to improve their points haul against some of the teams who finished below them such as Swansea, Southampton and Spurs from who Arsenal could only take four points in six games. The strength in depth will certainly help in those games, but they will also have to perform more consistently in a league where there are no easy games.

Chelsea are big favourites to retain their league title, but I believe this Arsenal team has the ability and desire to give them a real run for their money. The feel good factor created by winning the FA Cup in the last two seasons seems to have carried into pre season and there's a genuine feeling that this team can do something special. It's a long hard season though with plenty of other distractions such as cup competitions and the dreaded international breaks to detract from what I think is the team's biggest target which is of course the Premier League.

They will need to be at their best from first to last in the league and can't afford the slow start of last season or the late collapse of the previous one. Injuries have played a huge part in Arsenal's fortunes in the last few seasons and they might have to ride their luck for a change if they're going to overcome them this season. For me I think it's very important to keep players like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil fit and rested when needs be as their quality will be so important.

Alexis was magnificent in his first season at Arsenal and more of the same would go a long way towards helping Arsenal challenge for the league. He might miss the first few games after his Copa America heroics for Chile, but it's worth it if he returns raring to go. Eden Hazard may have won all the Premier League awards last season, but I don't think he has as much influence on the Chelsea team as Alexis has on Arsenal.

Ozil missed out on pre season last season because of winning the World Cup with Germany and he only joined Arsenal on deadline day the previous season. This will be his third season at the club, but it will be the first one where he has been a part of the training and team building which takes part in those important weeks before the season begins. I can't wait to see him playing Arsenal players in with his beautifully disguised passes as opponents look on in dismay.

This time last season I wrote that I didn't think Arsenal could win the league and I hoped for a run in the Champions League as well as possibly retaining the FA Cup. They did manage to win the cup of course, but the defeat to Monaco in the Champions League was very disappointing. 

I genuinely believe they have a chance in the league this season though and they can win it, but they might need a few things to go their way at crucial times to do so. If they don't put in a genuine title challenge questions will have to be asked considering the squad Arsenal have and the investment in last two years since the shackles were removed. Of course I think they have to do better in the Champions League too and the FA Cup is always a possibility, but the Premier League has to be the first priority. It's going to be a long hard season with many twists and turns and hopefully it will end in glory.

As usual this season my fantasy league is up and running again and it's open to all comers with a €50 prize (out of my pocket) to the winner. You can join up by using the league code 48497-14043 after you have set your team up here and good luck to all who play. There were over 1,000 teams in my league last season and I'm hoping for even more this season.

I'm also running my Predictions League again this season and it's very enjoyable even if there's no cash prize for the winner. The code for my league is FD757-ARR after you have signed up here and of course both games are completely free to play. 

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Latest on Wilshere, Cech And More

Another day has gone by and despite the continued speculation Arsenal still haven't added to their squad for next season. There were a couple of exits though with Ryo Myachi joining St. Pauli and Semi Ajayi on his way to Cardiff City. Neither player managed to make the grade at Arsenal despite the promise they showed, but hopefully they will go on to have good careers elsewhere.

They won't be the only departures this summer and it looks like a few players could be on their way out quite soon. Lukas Podolski was loaned out to Inter Milan for the second half of last season and it looks like he could be the first one to move with Galatasaray looking favourites to sign him at the moment. He's done well at times for Arsenal, but I don't think he really reached the heights we would have hoped for in his time at the club and it's probably best that he moves on at this stage.

Another player who could be playing elsewhere next season is Joel Campbell whose future looks to be at another club despite signing a new contract last season. He has been loaned out for most of his time as an Arsenal player and it looks like his next move might be a permanent one. At the moment Real Sociedad looks like the most likely destination for his talents, but there's still quite a while to go before the transfer window closes.

Surprisingly the latest player to be talked about in terms of an exit is David Ospina who is currently Arsenal's first choice goalkeeper. If the rumours are to be believed Peter Cech is on the verge of joining the club and his arrival will signal the departure of Ospina only a year after he joined. I'm not sure how much there is to these rumours and it would seem strange for Arsenal to sell their first choice keeper only a year after signing him.

However, Cech would surely usurp Ospina if he does join the club and Arsene Wenger is known to rate Wojciech Szczesny highly despite the problems he's had. At the moment it's all pure speculation, but it does all sound very believable and who's to say it won't happen. He could continue the exodus of Arsenal players to Turkey with Fenerbahce currently the supposed pacesetters in the race to sign him.

The Cech rumours just won't go away and it looks as if he's as good as an Arsenal player with just a few "i's" to be dotted and "t's" to be crossed before the deal is done. We've been here far too often with other players of course and nothing is guaranteed until we see it on the club site. I'm still not 100% convinced Cech is as good as he used to be, but he is still probably better than any of the current options Arsenal have in goal.

The final Arsenal transfer story of the day was the apparent bid from Manchester City for Jack Wilshere. If the stories are to be believed City have moved for Wilshere after having their offers for Raheem Sterling turned down. They need to boost their quota of English players and Wilshere certainly fits the bill on that count, but they surely don't have a hope of getting him.

Wilshere has spent far too much time on the treatment table in recent seasons and he needs to get a long run in the team so he can show what he can do on a permanent basis. I can't see Arsenal having an interest in selling the future of the team and the fact Wilshere was just fined £40,000 by the FA for taking the piss out of Spurs tells you all you need to know about his desire to play for Arsenal. The only way I could see him leaving is if the club accept an offer and make it obvious they don't want him, but that's not going to happen.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Arsenal Transfer Latest, Fixtures And New Away Kit

Yesterday was a busy day for Arsenal news with the continued transfer rumours involving Peter Cech in particular and others too. Added to that the Premier League fixtures for next season were released and we got a sneaky look at what appears to be the new away shirt for next season. Just to finish things off we were also treated to a very wealthy Nigerian businessman claiming he intends to buy the club in the not too distant future.

First things first though and despite all of the speculation Cech is still a Chelsea player. He's no longer their first choice keeper though and it looks like he wants to go elsewhere to continue his career. Of course Arsenal aren't the only team chasing a keeper of Cech's undoubted talent and he has his choice of clubs to join.

The story goes that his family are happy in London and he wants to stay there which gives Arsenal the upper hand. Jose Mourinho doesn't want to sell him to a rival though and apparently he wants Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to go in the opposite direction for the deal to go through. I would be shocked if Arsenal even considered that option and they would be better off without Cech if it's a deal breaker.

If the bookies are to be believed Cech is as good as an Arsenal player already as they have stopped taking bets, but we've seen that far too often before without the deal happening. I'll be delighted if Arsenal do sign Cech, but he should only be the first of three or four players the squad needs to have added to it this season. 

The launch of the new home kit went very well this week and now the supposed new away kit has been leaked for all to see. It's a nice looking gold colour and I must say I have some very fond memories of the last time Arsenal had a gold coloured away kit. Have a look for yourselves and see what you think.

In other news Jack Wilshere was given a £40,000 fine by the FA for telling the truth about Spurs, but he didn't receive a ban. I wonder if he might have been banned for a few games if he hadn't scored two goals and put in a man of the match performance for England on Sunday. He'll have to be careful about his conduct in future and keep his opinions on Spurs to himself.

The Nigerian businessman who has his eye on Arsenal is said to be worth £11.5 billion and says he will have the time and resources to mount a bid once he has completed his oil refinery. He goes by the name of Aliko Dangote and apparently he showed an interest in buying a fair chunk of the club a few years ago, but baulked at the price. He's supposedly been an Arsenal fan since the 80s and he says he wants to stop the policy of producing players and selling them on.

Maybe he hasn't kept a close eye on the club recently, but the last time I checked Arsenal were keeping their best players and investing heavily in world class players to improve the team. Anyway he won't be buying too much of the club if Silent Stan decides to keep a hold of his shares and he's not the first person to try to prise them from him. I can't say I'm overly impressed with the current owners, but I would also say that it's better the devil you know and who knows where a new owner might bring the club in either direction.

Finally for today the Premier League fixtures for next season have been released and Arsenal will open their account at home to West Ham on the weekend beginning on Saturday August 8th. It's only just over seven weeks away and there's an awful lot of toing and froing in the transfer market to go through before that game. Some other notable fixtures are a game at home to Liverpool in the third round of games, a trip to Chelsea in mid September, a game at home to United in early October, the first North London derby at home in early November with City at home just before Christmas.

With so many of those games at home in the first half of the season it means Arsenal will have some tough away games in the second half. If they're to win the league none of that makes too much difference though, but a good start would certainly be so much better than last season. The league season will end at home to Villa in May and hopefully that's a sign after last season finished on such a high against them.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.

Seven Possible Arsenal Transfer Targets

With the real football over for another season we can be sure the summer will be filled with the usual transfer speculation for Arsenal as well as every other club. As season's go 2014/15 wasn't a bad one for Arsenal as they retained the FA Cup and managed to go one better in the league than last season by finishing third. We could dwell on the fact that second place was there for the taking towards the end, but I think the players held a little back for the cup final which is why the league performances faltered in the last few weeks. 

The victory in the cup final was fantastic and so unlike last season as they dominated from first to last minute to win 4-0. There's still a lot of work to be done if they're going to challenge for the title next season, but most of the signs are very positive. If they're going to take that next step they will need to add to the squad this summer and the players below are just a few of those already linked to Arsenal. I'll try to give my opinion on each of them to the best of my knowledge and judge what I think are the actual chances of Arsenal signing each player.

Gonzalo Higuain

Arsenal were very close to signing Higuain a couple of years ago and had supposedly agreed a price with Real Madrid before Napoli came in and offered more. Arsenal decided to concentrate their efforts on Luis Suarez at the time, but they didn't get their man after he chose to stay at Liverpool for another season at least. With Rafa Benetiz departing Napoli for Madrid and no Champions League football for the Italian club next season there are rumours of his departure from the club.

I'm not so sure Higuain is the player Arsenal need and I don't think he's particularly better than what they have already. Olivier Giroud had a very good return this season considering how long he was out injured and I don't think Higuain is so much better than him that Arsenal should invest a large chunk of their transfer fund in him. I think Arsenal need to find a striker who can match the very best and I just don't think Higuain is quite up to that level.

Jackson Martinez

Martinez has done well with Porto and has a very good goals per game ratio, but the Portugese league isn't exactly among the elite leagues in Europe. Prior to joining Porto he wasn't as prolific and he's no younger that Giroud or Higuain either. He does have more pace than either of them though and he might just fit nicely into Arsenal's style of play given the chance.

Porto don't sell their players cheaply though and I expect Arsenal would have to pay a very high price for a player who will be 29 before the year is out. If they're going to pay through the nose for a striker I would prefer to see a younger player come in who might grow with the team and become a great player. I know a tried and trusted scorer with plenty of pace is what's needed, but I'm not certain Martinez is that player either.

Karim Benzema

Benzema has done well in a Real Madrid team where he can never be top dog with the ego of Cristiano Ronaldo alongside him. He hasn't set the world alight for me though and his goal scoring rate is hardly that of a world class striker. I know Ronaldo grabs all the headlines at Madrid, but surely Benzema should have a few more goals to his name in such a free scoring team.

There's also the small matter of the pay scale at Arsenal and what Benzema is currently getting paid in Madrid. I can't see him taking a large cut in his pay to join Arsenal even if the new management at Madrid decide he is surplus to requirements. For me Benzema doesn't do enough often enough to warrant Arsenal breaking the bank to sign him.

Emerick Aubameyang

Abumeyang is a little younger than the other three strikers I've mentioned as he won't be 26 until later this month. His pace certainly fits the profile for the striker I think Arsenal need to sign and he has had a good season in terms of scoring goals with Borussia Dortmund. He won't be easy to pry away from them, but he has been rumoured to be looking for a move with no Champions League football for Dortmund next season.

If he can be acquired at a price to suit Arsenal he might just be the player for Arsene Wenger to turn into the striker he's looking for. Given the choice of course I would love to see Sergio Aguero or Luis Suarez in the Arsenal team and either player would surely help to take the team to the next level, but neither of them are coming our way. It might not be a bad thing for Aubameyang to become an Arsenal player though and I personally would prefer him to Higuain, Martinez or Benzema.

Morgan Schneiderlin

Schneiderlin is a different type of player to what Arsenal have at the moment and he might be something more in the mould of Patrick Vieira. Francis Coquelin has grabbed his chance with both hands since he got into the team, but his emergence doesn't mean there's no place in the squad or the team for another player who can play a defensive midfield role. Schneiderlin offers more going forward than Coquelin though as well as being more than capable of doing the donkey work which Coquelin has excelled at.

A squad with both of those players would leave plenty of room for rotation and even the option of a proper double defensive axis when it's required. Arsenal can offer him Champions League football and he's at the stage in his career where he needs to play at the next level. There will be plenty of competition to sign Schneiderlin after his impressive season with Southampton, but surely Arsenal have to be right up there with a chance to sign him and I think he would be a valuable addition to the squad.

Peter Cech

Cech has had a great career with Chelsea, but he has lost his place to Thibaut Courtois and wants to play first team football. Arsenal have two good keepers in David Ospina and Wojciech Szczesny, but I'm not sure if either of them are the real deal. I think Arsenal need a better keeper than either of them and the question is whether Cech is that player or not.

I'm not so sure about Cech though and I don't think he's the keeper he was a few years ago. I don't think he's as quick off his line as he used to be and he's not as good on crosses either, but he is still probably better than both Ospina and Szczesny. If the rumours are to be believed he's on the way out of Chelsea and wants to stay in London which would make Arsenal a very attractive option for him.

Raheem Sterling

Sterling has apparently made it clear to Liverpool that he won't be signing a new contract and they could be forced to sell him as a result whether they want to or not. He has two years to run on his contract and they would still get a very good price for him this summer. If he's looking to challenge for trophies and play in the Champions League he could do a lot worse than making the switch to Arsenal.

Whether Arsenal should sign him or not is another thing and I'm not so sure he would make the team any better for the price Liverpool would charge. He can beat players for fun at times, but his finishing leaves a lot to be desired and I think Arsenal should spend their money elsewhere. I can't imagine his wage demands will be anything but high and I'm not sure he's good enough to earn the sort of money that world class players like Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez earn.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.