Arsenal FC , Emery at the Emirates

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[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RBKigw12wY&feature=player_embedded]YouTube - 1-2 between marouane chamakh and archavin arsenal vs ac milan 31/07/2010[/ame]

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Arsenal 1 AC Milan 1: Chamakh the knife looks like a real bargain for Arsene Wenger

Marouane Chamakh made himself an immediate hit with Arsenal fans after scoring on a home debut full of class.

Whether the Moroccan can go on to become a goalscoring legend in mould of Ian Wright and Thierry Henry - the type of consistent marksmen Arsenal surely need to make a serious title challenge - remains to be seen.

But the first impression of the close-season signing from Bordeaux were all good.


Cool customer: Marouane Chamakh (left) shakes off the attentions of Luca Antonini to beat keeper Christian Abbiati

When he was substituted after 73 minutes, Chamakh was given a standing ovation having scored a goal, set up a glorious opening for Andrey Arshavin with an impudent piece of skill and led the line with strength and purpose.

The free transfer looked a very good player.

With £10million central defender Laurent Koscielny giving a composed performance, Arsene Wenger had reason to believe that his summer signings can prove excellent value as he looks for some much-needed strength at both ends of the pitch.

Although Arsenal, lacking Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie, irritatingly for their fans, failed to complete an Emirates Cup victory that should be been theirs but for some old failings in front of goal, there were plenty of promising signs.


Caught napping: Alexandre Pato (third right) pounces on slapdash defending by Thomas Vermaelen (floored) to glance Clarence Seedorf's free-kick beyond Lukasz Fabianski



In the early stages Arsenal went close to finding a way through from a familiar source - when their attack is struggling for a breakthrough - as centre back Thomas Vermaelen twice threatened.

The Belgium international, captain for the day in the absence of Fabregas, who has yet to return from his post-World Cup holiday, showed his heading power in reaching a corner from Samir Nasri which brought an outstanding save from Christian Abbiati.

Soon afterwards the defender powered in a downward header which left Abbiati flat-footed but the ball flew narrowly wide.

As the two sides probed for the early breakthrough ex-Gunner Mathieu Flamini had a chance to show his former colleagues how it should be done.


Little magician: Samir Nasri bamboozles Mario Yepes

The Frenchman, better known for his hard-working defensive qualities during his time in north London, displayed some deft footwork to race through and fire a deflected 20-yarder against a post with Lukasz Fabianski beaten.

Moments later Flamini, harshly booed by a section of the crowd from the start, again danced his way into a shooting position and saw another worthy effort deflected wide.

Then Chamakh struck. In truth, the goal was set up for the new arrival by a thrilling run by Arshavin, but the way the lofty Moroccan timed his run, kept his cool and rolled the ball into the corner of the net augured well for the forthcoming season.




Arshavin almost doubled the lead after Chamakh had set him up, substitute Theo Walcott had a shot saved and it was against the run of play when Pato headed in Clarence Seedorf's free-kick in the 76th minute.

After substitute Mark Randall had wasted two chances to put Arsenal ahead again, Gianluca Zambrotta almost snatched victory for Milan with a late shot against the bar.

Typical frustrating Arsenal. But at least there's plenty of time to sort things out

Chamakh s a fantastic buying and that too on a free transfer. So far the transfer of the season.

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Wenger puts pressure on Cesc Fabregas over his future:


Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said it is now up to captain Cesc Fabregas to end speculation over his future. Fabregas, 23, continues to be linked with Barcelona, who had a bid of £29m rejected by the Gunners in June.
Arsenal boss Wenger said: "What is important is that when Cesc comes back, he comes out [over his intentions]. For me, I have nothing more to add."
Spain midfielder Fabregas joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old, having been part of Barcelona's youth set-up.
He has made 267 appearances and scored 48 goals for the north Londoners, but reports have suggested he is now keen to return to the Catalan giants.
Fabregas, along with Dutch striker Robin van Persie, was given extra time off following their participation in the World Cup final in which Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0.

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Arsenal 3-2 Celtic: Outstanding Manuel Almunia Saves Gunners Blushes As Arsene Wenger’s Side Win Emirates Cup



Arsenal had no-one else but Manuel Almunia to thank as they were pushed all the way by Celtic with the goalkeeper producing a series of wonderful saves to help his side re-claim the Emirates Cup on Sunday.

Arsenal were fastest out of the traps when clever work from Jack Wilshire in the on the edge of the area fed in Theo Walcott on the right wing who delivered a low pass across goal for Carlos Vela to slot home into an open net after just 3 minutes.

The early pressure continued with Walcott, Tomas Rosicky and a speculative 30-yard effort from Thomas Vermaelen all forcing Celtic goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska into decent saves.

Celtic were not merely spectators though, with new signing Efrain Juarez finding himself in the Arsenal penalty area after 27 minutes, but the defender dragged his shot wide.

The Scottish outfit continued to up the pressure with Shaun Maloney first denied a goal scoring opportunity by a last-ditch tackle from Gael Clichy, followed by Charlie Mulgrew’s deflected freekick forcing a brilliant Manuel Almunia to punch away.

Despite this pressure, it was Arsenal who came close to scoring again though with Rosicky floating in a corner from the right to Wilshire who connected sublimely with a first-time volley on the edge of the year that had Zaluska beaten, but only the woodwork denied the 18-year-old from registering on the score sheet.

Arsenal ended up finishing the half as they started it though as another Rosicky corner this time found Bacary Sagna on the edge of the area and the Frenchman made no mistake to take the hosts into half-time leading 2-0.

Samir Nasri, along with Marouane Chamakh, came on for the second half and the midfielder wasted no time to making Celtic suffer further as he picked the ball up 30 yards out, played a simple one-two with Theo Walcott and coolly finished to put Arsenal 3-0 up and leave Celtic all but dead and buried with just 50 minutes played.

Second-half substitute Georgios Samaras had the chance to give Celtic a way back into the match after Wilshire dragged down Marc-Antoine Fortune but the Greek striker blazed the ball over the bar.

Fortunately Daryl Murphy came to the Scottish side’s rescue just minutes later when he took advantage of a deflected shot to bury the ball home past an otherwise outstanding Almunia from 10 yards out.

Suddenly Celtic started playing with more confidence and they closed the gap down to just one goal when a brilliant through ball from Samaras allowed Fortune to whip a low ball across the area for Ki Sung-Yueng to make it 3-2 with 7 minutes remaining.

But last season’s SPL runners-up ran out of time and the victory meant that Arsenal lifted the Emirates Cup for the third time in its four-year existence.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_VZyCvtMII&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - Arsenal V Celtic Highlights & Goals [3-2] Emirates Cup 01.08.2010[/ame]

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Arsenal 3 Celtic 2: Wenger insists Jack's the lad for England after Emirates Cup win

Arsene Wenger believes Jack Wilshere has the potential to star for England at Euro 2012.

The teenager's impressive performances alongside fellow 18-year-old Emmanuel Frimpong have convinced the Arsenal boss that he does not need to buy another midfielder this summer.


Star man: Jack Wilshere is congratulated by Marouane Chamakh

Wenger said: 'I think both will have a big future. Both are fighters, winners, put their foot in, are ready to fight for the team and have quality.

'At 18 years of age you must have patience but I believe Wilshere is stronger than last year. The few months he played at Bolton (on loan last season) has given him something else.

'In 2012 he will be 20. You cannot rule it out. Theo Walcott was at the World Cup at 17 and he had not played one game in the Premier League, but it did not kill him. To play at the top level you have to deal with these situations.'

Wilshere was one of the young players Fabio Capello mentioned when discussing the future of the England team, but Wenger believes Frimpong also has the quality to play for the senior side.


Top Gun: Bacary Sagna clebrates after scoring Arsenal¿s second goal

The 18-year-old represented England at Under 16 and Under 18 level but has switched allegiance to the country of his birth, Ghana.

'Here you have a boy who can choose between England and Ghana so if I was in your place I would invite him very quickly to play for England,' said Wenger.

Alex Song, Denilson, Abou Diaby and Aaron Ramsey were absent through injury during this weekend's Emirates Cup but Wenger is confident his young duo can anchor Arsenal's midfield this season.

He said: 'At the start of the pre-season I was not convinced Wilshere and Frimpong were defensive midfielders. We were considering going into the market for a midfielder - but we will not do that now.'

But the Frenchman did concede Arsenal need to buy at least one and preferably two central defenders.


Prize guys: Manuel Almunia lifts the Emirates Cup after Arsenal's triumph

The Gunners have only three recognised cent re -backs following the departures of William Gallas, Sol Campbell, Phillipe Senderos and Mikael Silvestre this summer.

Neither Johan Djourou, who played only 28 minutes in the Premier League last season after knee surgery, nor new signing Laurent Koscielny has played a competitive match alongside first-choice Thomas Vermaelen.

Arsenal's goalkeeper is another area of concern. Lukasz Fabianski played in Saturday's 1-1 draw against AC Milan and Manuel Almunia took over for yesterday's win. In truth, Almunia had little to do until Celtic rallied in the final 20 minutes.

Wilshere put Arsenal on track inside four minutes, feeding the lively Walcott on the right. The winger's right-foot cross-cum-shot was then prodded in at the far post by Carlos Vela.

Walcott went close with a right-foot free-kick and a scintillating left-foot volley from Wilshere deserved a goal, but it was Bacary Sagna who made it 2-0 with a left-foot shot from the edge of the area just before half-time.

Samir Nasri scored the third after 51 minutes, stroking home a right-foot shot after another encouraging run from Walcott, but Wilshere then conceded a penalty when he pulled down Marc-Antoine Fortune. Greece international Georgios Samaras summed up Celtic's prowess in front of goal by blasting an atrocious spot-kick high and wide.

But Daryl Murphy pulled one back for the visitors with 16 minutes remaining and then Fortune's cross beat Djourou and found Ki Sung-Yueng in space to leave the score respectable.

AC Milan's 1-1 draw with Lyon early in the day meant Arsenal retained the Emirates Cup.

MATCH FACTS

Arsenal (4-2-3-1):
Almunia 6; Sagna 7 (Eboue 62, 6), Djourou 5, Vermaelen 6 (Koscielny 74, 6), Clichy 6 (Gibbs 62, 6); Frimpong 6, Wilshere 8; Walcott, Rosicky 6 (Nasri 46, 6), Vela 6 (Arshavin 62, 6); Emmanuel-Thomas 4 (Chamakh 46, 6).
Celtic (4-1-4-1):
Zaluska 6 (Cervi 46, 6); Hinkel 5 (Du-Ri 61, 6), Rogne 5, Hooiveld 5, Mulgrew 5 (Twardzik 66, 6); Crosas 6 (Samaras 61, 5); Juarez 7, Sung-Yeung 6, Murphy 6 (Hooper 85; Rasmussen 5 (Fortune 61, 6). Booked: Mulgrew.

Man of the match: Jack Wilshere
Referee: Andre Marriner.

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Homegrown Gunners


All Premier League sides will have to adhere to new regulations concerning the makeup of their squad this season.

Every club will have to name a first-team squad of no more than 25, of which a maximum of 17 may not be home-grown players.

The Premier League defines a home-grown player as a player who "irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Welsh Football Association for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21)."

Therefore the likes of Denilson, Gael Clichy, Nicklas Bendtner, Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song all count as homegrown players, as well as the likes of Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Kieran Gibbs.

In addition to this squad of 25 players, each club may use as many under-21 players as they wish. The player must have been born on or after January 1, 1989 to be classed as 'Under-21' for this season.

Therefore players such as Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey do not have to be included in the primary squad, potentially freeing up spaces for older players.

Arsenal's current first-team squad contains 26 players, of which 13 are counted as home grown, and seven are Under-21s.

The breakdown is as follows.

1 Manuel Almunia (May 19, 1977)
2 Abou Diaby (May 11, 1986)
3 Bacary Sagna (February 14, 1983)
4 Cesc Fabregas (May 4, 1987)
5 Thomas Vermaelen (November 14, 1985)
6 Laurent Koscielny
7 Tomas Rosicky (October 4, 1980)
8 Samir Nasri (June 26, 1987)
10 Robin van Persie (August 6, 1983)
11 Carlos Vela (March 1, 1989)*
14 Theo Walcott (March 16, 1989)*
15 Denilson (February 16, 198
16 Aaron Ramsey (December 26, 1990)*
17 Alex Song (September 9, 1987)
19 Jack Wilshere (January 1, 1992)*
20 Johan Djourou (January 18, 1987)
21 Lukasz Fabianski (April 18, 1985)
22 Gael Clichy (July 26, 1985)
23 Andrey Arshavin (May 29, 1981)
24 Vito Mannone (March 2, 198
27 Emmanuel Eboue (June 4, 1983)
28 Kieran Gibbs (September 26, 1989)*
29 Marouane Chamakh (January 10, 1984)
30 Armand Traore (October 8, 1989)*
52 Nicklas Bendtner (January 16, 198
53 Wojciech Szczesny (April 18, 1990)*



Clubs must confirm their squads at the end of August when the transfer window closes, and can only be altered (without limitation) during the January transfer window.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore believes the England team will ultimately reap the reward of the new ruling, which he feels in unlikely to encourage clubs to hoard young overseas players.

"It's not in the club's interests to stockpile players. It will make buying home-grown talent more attractive," he said.

"We're not going down the route of a nationality test but what this will mean is that you just can't buy a team from abroad.

"We think it will give clubs an extra incentive to invest in youth. We think that one of the benefits will be that it will help the England team."

Former Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe welcomed the Premier League's new quota as being good for the long-term health of football.

Sutcliffe said: "I welcome the Premier League's introduction of a home-grown player quota for squads and its implementation of strengthened financial reporting rules.

"These moves will encourage clubs to develop and bring through young talent and help ensure clubs are financially stable."

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Cesc Fabregas commits future to Arsenal


Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has declared he will stay at the club despite admitting a move to Barcelona was an attractive proposition. The 23-year-old has been linked with Barca all summer, with the Gunners rejecting two bids from the Catalans.
Fabregas apologised to fans for the delay in committing his future but said he is now "100% focused on Arsenal".
"I am a professional and I fully understand that it is Arsenal's prerogative not to sell me," he added.
"I owe a lot to the club, manager and the fans and I will respect their decision and will now concentrate on the new season ahead with Arsenal."

World Cup-winning midfielder Fabregas joined the north Londoners from home-town club Barcelona in 2003 as a 16-year-old and he admitted that the lure of returning to the Spanish champions was an attractive one.
"Firstly I would like to apologise to all the Arsenal fans for not speaking sooner about my future but I have not known what I was going to do until this moment," he explained.
"I cannot deny that joining a club like Barcelona was not an attractive move for me. This was the club where I learnt my football, it is my home town where my friends and family are and a club where I have always dreamed of playing.
"There are not many players in the world who would not want to play for Barcelona. I have had many conversations with [Arsenal manager] Arsene Wenger both in person and over the phone over the last few months and although the content of those conversations will remain private, the conclusion is that Barcelona have had two formal offers rejected by Arsenal.

"I am an Arsenal player and as soon as I step out on to the pitch, that is the only club I will be thinking about. I am looking forward to the start of the season and putting this speculation behind me."
Wenger has remained adamant throughout the summer that the playmaker was not for sale at any price, but the Spanish champions were not distracted by Arsenal's obstinacy.
A number of Barca's top players have expressed their desire for Fabregas to join them at the Nou Camp, including new signing David Villa and midfielder Xavi.
And during post-tournament celebrations for Spain's World Cup triumph, a number of international team-mates forced Fabregas into a Barcelona shirt, which the player himself later brushed off as a joke.
Arsenal announced on 2 June that they had rejected an offer from Barcelona for Fabregas, insisting they had "no intention of selling him".
Barcelona president Sandro Rosell warned that his club would not be held to ransom for the player, indicating a fee of 50 or 60m euros was far more than they were prepared to pay.
Fabregas trained alongside his Arsenal team-mates on Thursday, appearing in front of fans at the Emirates Stadium at the club's members' day.

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Mark Schwarzer hands in Fulham transfer request


Action Images

Fulham have been hit by the news that goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has reportedly handed in a transfer request in order to force through a proposed move to Arsenal.
Australia international Schwarzer, 37, is one of the most reliable and experienced keepers in the Premier League and is wanted by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to provide competition for places at the Emirates.

Wenger bid £2 million for Schwarzer before the World Cup and his interest remains as strong as ever.
However, new Fulham manager Mark Hughes is desperate to keep Schwarzer at Craven Cottage and will do all he can to convince the Aussie to stay.


Source : Telegraph , UK

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Arsenal back new 'Fanshare' ownership scheme


Backed by the club, 'Fanshare' has been set up by the Arsenal Supporters' Trust

Arsenal have backed a groundbreaking new scheme which aims to give its fans more influence in the club's affairs.

The new 'Arsenal Fanshare' initiative is a means of buying small fractions of full shares at an affordable price.

Ownership of a single 'fanshare' - one hundredth of an actual share - means a member has the chance to ask questions of the directors and vote on policy.

The Gunners are currently majority-owned by four shareholders, all of whom collectively support the new scheme.

Set up by the Arsenal Supporters' Trust (AST), the aim of the scheme is not for Arsenal to be taken over by fans - but to allow more supporters to have greater involvement in the club's future.




A single share in Arsenal Holdings PLC currently trades at more than £10,000 each.

But - to buy one 'fanshare' - supporters will be invited to pay a minimum of £100, either up front or in £10 monthly contributions.

In return a member secures full shareholder's rights, which includes the chance to attend the club's annual general meeting.

The backing from Arsenal's majority shareholders Stan Kroenke, Alisher Usmanov, Danny Fiszman and Lady Bracewell-Smith - who between them own almost 88% of the shares - could be viewed as significant.

"The support Arsenal Fanshare has from all of the club's major shareholders should allow all talk of a takeover to be put to one side," said Arsenal Fanshare board member and AST spokesman Tim Payton.

"Arsenal Fanshare has been established to increase supporter ownership and representation.

"We urge all Arsenal fans to take this opportunity and get involved - by working together we can make Arsenal even stronger."

In January this year, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis told BBC Sport that he did not expect American sports tycoon Kroenke - who was close to owning enough shares to trigger an offer for the entire stockholding - to launch a full takeover.

The AST, which campaigns against Arsenal being bought by one rich individual and collectively speaks for roughly 3% of its overall equity, hopes that a significant portion of the club's support will take up the chance to own 'fanshares' in order to amass them together.

"The important thing is that supporters are valued and nurtured, not exploited.

"That is good for the club's soul, and for its all-round health."

Arsenal will promote the scheme at Saturday's Premier League match against Blackpool, with promotions in the programme and on advertising screens.

Supporters will also be able to sign up to the scheme online.

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Transfer news :Sebastien Squillaci is on the verge of joining Arsenal from Sevilla