My Arsenal Blog

When veteran Switzerland international Stephan Lichtsteiner joined Arsenal from Juventus as a free agent in the summer, most Gunners fans assumed that he would be back-up for first-choice right-back Hector Bellerin.

Expecting competition

True to form, that is what has happened, as the new arrival has played just 55 minutes as a substitute in the Gunners season opener against Manchester City. The 34-year-old was expecting to compete with Bellerin for the right-back spot.

He told the Standard: “I could have changed to five other clubs in the summer, knowing that I would certainly play 47 out of 50 serious matches,”  .......Read more here.....

According to the Guardian, Arsenal boss Unai Emery is looking to sign Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman this summer to add pace to wide options. A reported asking price of £44million is likely to scupper any interest, though.

As we all know, reported Arsenal have had a limited budget to spend on new arrivals this summer and have already spent it on signing the likes of Bernd Leno, Sokratis and Lucas Torreira, while adding Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free.  .......Read more here.....

Closing in on Adli

Arsenal are closing in on the signing of teenager Yacine Adli, according to the Guardian.

The 17-year-old midfielder has worked with manager Unai Emery at his former club Paris Saint-Germain, and he has reportedly rejected an offer of a professional contract from the French club and decided to follow Emery to the Emirates.

The contract that he’s being offered by Arsenal is for three years, and it includes options for extensions.  .......Read more here.....

The signing of Stephan Lichtsteiner from Juventus has been confirmed as imminent by the club via their official website.

The Swiss defender arrives on a free transfer from Juventus, where he won the Serie A title in each of his seven seasons there. After stints at Grasshopper, Lille and Lazio, he made a total of 257 appearances for the Old Lady, and now he joins Arsenal as a vastly experienced player, a proper defensive leader.

He captain his Switzerland team on Sunday in a pre-World Cup friendly against Spain, and directly facing world-class players he admirably stood his ground, leading by example like a true captain.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal have been heavily linked with a move for out-of-contract Juventus full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner. The veteran Switzerland international is weighing up his options in Turin, as he can move elsewhere as a free agent this summer.

According to reports from the Metro, the 34-year-old has been in talks with the north London giants for the last few weeks. However, the player himself has admitted that he is not sure there will be any developments before this summer’s World Cup.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal are closing in on signing Borussia Dortmund’s Sokratis Papastathopoulos, according to BBC, the Telegraph, Sky Sports and various other sources. The reported sum which the club would pay for the centre-back is £16million.

At 29, Sokratis has a year remaining on his contract at Dortmund. Along with Juventus full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner who is set to join Arsenal for free, the Greece international would represent another low-cost experienced addition to the squad’s defence department. Given the reported size of the funds available for transfers this summer, this is certainly the type of targets the club will be going for.  .......Read more here.....

According to various sources, Arsenal are in talks to sign Stephan Lichtsteiner from Juventus this summer.

It seems Unai Emery is very keen on adding some experienced defensive options to his squad, and Lichtsteiner, whose contract with the Turin club is set expire next month, tops his wish-list. The 34-year-old would thus become the first signing the club has made under the former Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain boss.

Set to captain Switzerland in the upcoming World Cup in Russia, Lichtsteiner certainly possesses leadership qualities, and he would provide some balance to the defence mainly consisting of relatively young players. At Arsenal, he would compete against the 23-year-old Hector Bellerin for a place in the starting XI.  .......Read more here.....

Massimiliano Allegri, one of the several names reported to be on Arsenal’s shortlist to replace Arsene Wenger this summer, is set to discuss his future with his current club as the season draws to its close, according to Sky Sports.

Juventus are very close to winning the Serie A title for the seventh consecutive year, and only need one point more to make it official.  .......Read more here.....

Former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique and current Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri are the favourites to replace Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, according to Sky Sports.

Wenger enjoyed a good send-off in his last home game of the season on Sunday, as the Gunners hammered Burnley. The clubs hierarchy has no doubt made moves behind the scenes to seek a quality replacement for Wenger.

Both winners at the top level

Enrique and Allegri are both proven winners at the top level of football. Barcelona won virtually every club trophy under Enrique, while Juventus have continued to dominate Serie A under Allegri. The Bianconeri also always do well in the Champions League.  .......Read more here.....

Italian champions Juventus have been heavily linked with Liverpool’s Emre Can whose deal expires this summer, but both parties have clearly stated that no deal has been made as of yet. Juventus are getting restless regarding the transfer, and are said to be considering alternative routes.

According to the Express, Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey, along with Tottenham Hotspur’s Mousa Dembele, is high on the list of potential alternative options. Ramsey has faced a lot of criticism for his performances this season, and a desire for a change of scenery from the Welshman is not impossible to imagine. After all, Juventus offer continuity in Champions League participation, and with them, there is always a decent amount of certainty when it comes to winning trophies, which is, unfortunately, more than can be said of Arsenal at this point.  .......Read more here.....