Rafa Benitez could replace Arsene Wenger

 

 

Could this be the year when Arsène Wenger finally steps down as an Arsenal manager? Wenger’s £8m-a-year contract expires at the end of the season, and there is a strong possibility that he might walk away. A new two-year-old contract is on the table, and it is up to Wenger to decide whether he will stay put.

Newcastle United manager, Rafael Benítez, has emerged as a shock candidate to replace him. Arsenal have drawn up a shortlist of four candidates, and Benítez is among them. The Spaniard will face competition for the post with Borussia Dortmund’s Thomas Tuchel, while Barcelona’s Luis Enrique, and Monaco’s Leonardo Jardim remain other options.

Arsenal sign ‘factory worker’ Cohen Bramall

Cohen Bramall signed for Premier League giants Arsenal on Tuesday just a week after being made redundant from his factory job with luxury carmakers Bentley.

The 20-year-old defender — who had previously failed to convince Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday to take him on after trials with them — signed for a reported fee of £40,000 (46,000 euros, $48,500) from non league side Hednesford Town.

Why keeping Özil could be counter-productive for Arsenal

Arsenal’s creative fulcrum Mesut Özil has opened up about his stalled contract talks with the Gunners. The German World Cup winner has emphasised the importance of manager Arsène Wenger staying at the club beyond the current season in his signing on the dotted lines.

Özil joined Arsenal from Real Madrid in a club record transfer in the summer of 2013. The 28-year-old has 18 months remaining on his current contract, and negotiations over a new deal have hit a roadblock over terms and wages.

However, in an interview with German magazine Kicker, Özil has expressed his desire to sign a new contract and reiterated his commitment to the club.

Arsenal’s record lives on – how Arsène Wenger’s boys of 2002 made history

Ashley Cole, Patrick Vieira and Sol Campbell celebrate Arsenal’s Premier League title with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in May 2002, the 12th league win of their record run. Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Chelsea’s defeat at White Hart Lane means they have failed to equal Arsenal’s English top-flight record winning run of 14 consecutive matches, falling one short at 13, although they did match the record for successive wins in a single season.

Chelsea’s run began following their 3-0 defeat at Arsenal on 24 September, after which they won 2-0 at Hull City and carried on winning right through October, November and December.

Arsenal supporters will claim their run was of greater significance, even if it spanned two seasons, given that the 13 successive victories at the end of the 2001-02 campaign carried Arsène Wenger’s side to the title. They also fitted in winning the FA Cup, beating Chelsea 2-0 in the final in the Cardiff to complete Wenger’s second Double in five seasons.

Deadline Day Live: Arsenal Transfer News From 2016 Summer Window

It’s the transfer deadline day and Arsenal are expected to be busy on the final day of the transfer window.

The Gunners may not sign any new player today but star midfielder Jack Wilshere may leave the club on loan. Also, French defender Mathieu Debuchy is wanted by a host of European clubs.

Here, we’re bringing you all the major Arsenal transfer news in the form of live blog / commentary covering the final few hours of the 2016 summer transfer window.

Wenger delivers as Arsenal wrap up outstanding transfer window

Arsenal announced the signings of Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez from La Liga outfits Valencia and Deportivo yesterday.

Some of the key issues regarding Arsenal’s transfer business over the years have been Wenger’s reluctance to spend, his willingness to sign unproven talents and of course the lack of leadership and experience.

The Arsenal manager has not only addressed those issues, he has plugged almost all of the major gaps in his squad this summer.

Arsene Wenger confirms £52m Arsenal double swoop as pair pass medicals but still receives criticism

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has all-but ended the wait for new signings this week, but continues to come under scrutiny from supporters.

The French tactician has been heavily criticised for his lack of activity in the summer transfer window, as Granit Xhaka had been his only notable signing with a week to go before the deadline.

However, as reported by ESPN FC, the Gunners are on the verge of completing the signings of Lucas Perez and Shkodran Mustafi from Deportivo La Coruna and Valencia respectively this week.

Arsenal confirm signing of England Under-21 defensive starlet

Arsenal have confirmed that they have agreed to sign young defensive talent Rob Holding from Bolton Wanderers on a long-term contract.

It’s been a successful 12 months or so for the 20-year-old, as after making 30 appearances for Bolton last season, he picked up the club’s player of the season award.

Further, he played an integral role in England Under-21s success in their victory at the Toulon Tournament in France and will have a familiar face at the Emirates after playing alongside Calum Chambers.

Mauro Icardi: Agent travelling to London today to seal €70m Arsenal deal

Inter striker Mauro Icardi’s future has come under intense speculation in the media over the past few weeks. Arsenal are reluctant to pay over €90m for Gonzalo Higuain and have set their sight on the Inter Milan striker instead.

The Gunners have made initial contact with the player and the striker is set for talks with Arsenal over a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer, according to reports from Sky Sport Italia.

Arsenal could make record-breaking deal for Gonzalo Higuain

 

Arsenal may need to break their record transfer fee to land Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuaín this summer.

It was reported on Tuesday that the Premier League giants would need to match the Argentines’s full buy-out clause of €94 million (£80m) to acquire their target.

Two days later and Sky Sports are reporting that Arsenal are still interested in signing Higuaín who scored a Serie A record 36 goals last season helping his side to finish runners-up behind Juventus.

The report does state that no official has been made by Arsenal but that club officials have been in contact with the player’s brother who acts as his agent.

France beat Iceland 5-2 to reach Euro 2016 semi final

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud scored twice while Antonine Griezmann, Paul Pogba and Dimitri Payet also got their name on the scoresheet as France beat Iceland 5-2 at St-Denis on Sunday evening to secure their passage to the semifinals of Euro 2016.

Didier Deschamps made two changes to the side that won 2-1 against Ireland in their last match: Samuel Umtiti made his international debut in place of suspended Adil Rami, while N’Golo Kante, also suspended, is replaced by Moussa Sissoko.

Dimitri Payet drilled a low 20-yard shot that goalkeeper Halldorsson spilt out in front of him, but grabbed the loose ball in time.

France took an early lead through Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud. Matuidi played a lovely pass over the top of the defence to Giroud, who down the inside left channel scored with an excellent first-time shot.

FA willing to wait to appoint Arsene Wenger as England boss next year

FA chief executive Martin Glenn has hinted at the possibility that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger could become the next long-term England manager.

Roy Hodgson announced his resignation in the immediate aftermath of Monday night’s shock 2-1 loss to Iceland in Nice at Euro 2016, thus paving the way for a successor to be announced.

However, the FA are keen to take their time with the decision to bring in the right man after yet another failure at a major tournament has left them in disarray.

A three-man committee of Glenn, technical director Dan Ashworth and former Manchester United chief executive David Gill will now carry out the task of appointing a new manager, and that process could see them wait for Wenger’s deal at Arsenal to expire next summer before confirming him as the new boss.

Top XI Players Missing From Euro 2016

Euro 2016 is now well underway and the drama is building with every match played, making it all but impossible to predict the Euro 2016 odds. However, for some of Europe’s most talented players this is a bittersweet time, even if their teams are storming the tournament. That’s because many great footballers simply haven’t made it to France thanks to injury, personal disagreements or simply being omitted from their national squads. Let’s take a look at eleven of the players enjoying Euro 2016 from the sofa or the stands.