My Arsenal Blog

Reports have recently emerged linking Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira with a move to AC Milan this summer, and the latest statements by both the player and his agent haven’t been exactly encouraging.

The Rossoneri have confirmed the appointment of Marco Giampaolo to replace club legend Gennaro Gattuso as head coach today (Wednesday). The 51-year-old was in charge at Sampdoria for three years, and he was the one to put faith in Torreira as the defensive midfielder returned from a loan spell with Pescara in 2016. He is now apparently keen on a reunion with the Uruguay international.  .......Read more here.....

For those of you who haven’t heard of it before, second season syndrome is a ‘condition’ that teams supposedly face after being promoted to the Premier League. The idea is that they are able to stay in the top flight for one season, but in the second, they just seem to fall apart a bit and can’t maintain their place in the division.  .......Read more here.....

The UEFA Europa League may not be seen as a great competition by Arsenal fans, and understandably so after their loss in the final which prevented them from playing Champions League football next season. However, not only does it serve as a valid entry back into Europe’s biggest club competition, but it also gives other teams a chance to live out their dream of playing European football.

Here they come

Case in point: Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Midlands-based club have long since been viewed as a sleeping giant within English football, but in the last twelve months, they have been able to burst through the glass ceiling after finishing 7th in the top flight, qualifying for the Europa League and reaching the FA Cup semi-finals.  .......Read more here.....

With the retirement of Petir Cech, Arsenal have lost a decent backup option for the spot between the posts. With David Ospina unlikely to return to north London, the club have been linked with Thomas Strakosha of Lazio, but would apparently face stiff competition in the form of fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur for the Albania international.

Be that as it may, the fact is that Bernd Leno remains the undisputed No.1 at the moment. As glorious as it may sound from the perspective of the German, it’s not a very healthy thing for a club competing on four fronts every season.  .......Read more here.....

As recently reported by BBC, former Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg is set to be named first team assistant coach to Unai Emery. The popular Swede is widely considered by many to be one of the club’s most successful players from the last 15-20 years, scoring 46 goals in 214 games in the famous red and white strip. He is set to replace Steve Bould who will be taking charge of the under 23s team, after many years of serving as the number two guy in the red half of North London.  .......Read more here.....

There are very few players in the Premier League, in our mind, that can hold a candle to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in terms of natural ability. That obviously sounds like a little bit of favouritism on our behalf, because yeah, the guy is really good for Arsenal. He has been ever since he arrived, to be perfectly honest, and that’s one of the reasons why we love him.  .......Read more here.....

We can all moan and groan about the fact that Arsenal are going to be playing in the Europa League again next season, but let’s face it, there’s nothing that we can do to change that. What’s done is done and instead of licking our wounds, it’s time to start preparing for Europe’s second biggest club competition. After all, there’s no point in pretending like we all didn’t big it up last season.  .......Read more here.....

The rumour mill is, as we’ve talked about a million times now, in full flow – and that’s hardly surprising to hear. The nature of football ensures that transfer rumours are going to be ongoing for as long as the game itself exists, and there’s just no way of getting around that. As fans we can only go off of what we’re told, but in a lot of instances, you just don’t know whether or not to believe the rumours.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal are prepared to turn down any offer for Lucas Torreira that might come their way this summer, according to Sky Sports’ Italian sources.

Apparently, the defensive midfielder is a target for AC Milan, who obviously feel that their place is at the very top of European football and are prepared to do whatever it takes to return there.

Like Arsenal, the seven-time Champions League winners failed to qualify for UEFA’s elite competition once more, which has cost club legend Gennaro Gattuso his job as head coach. Marco Giampaolo of Sampdoria is on his way to replace him, and having coached Torreira at the club from which Arsenal signed him last year for £26 million, he is keen on having him in his team once more.  .......Read more here.....

With domestic football being on pause for the next few months, that gives us the opportunity to take in a series of other high profile competitions and tournaments – mainly, on the international stage. One tournament that we’re really intrigued by is Copa America, which has actually already commenced. As most of us know it pits some of the biggest and best clubs in the Americas against one another, and occasionally, a few invites are sent out to nations from around the world.  .......Read more here.....