My Arsenal Blog

As we all know the first north London derby of the campaign between Arsenal and Tottenham takes place on Saturday afternoon at the Emirates Stadium.

Some fans and pundits claim that the power has shifted in north London and that Tottenham are now the biggest team in the area.

When asked if he thought so Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger told a press conference: “Not at all,”

“I think Tottenham is a good side but we have the quality to win this game and that is what we want to show.”  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has claimed that Premier League rivals Tottenham can thank manager Mauricio Pochettino for their rise, with the coach a huge reason behind their improvement.

Arsenal return to Premier League action on Saturday as they host Tottenham in the latest instalment of the north London derby.

Their game with Spurs has become a must win if they are to maintain their top four challenge with the inconsistent nature of the Gunners meaning that any kind of gap may become insurmountable.  .......Read more here.....

Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane ‘may be risked’ in next weekend’s north London derby against Arsenal, according to England boss Gareth Southgate.

Kane pulled out of the Three Lions squad for international friendlies against Germany and Brazil. The striker has just returned from injury and there were suggestions in the media that the striker was not in fact injured.

However, Southgate disputed that fact by telling the media: “Harry Kane – I knew he was in trouble because he stayed down – Harry Kane doesn’t stay down.  .......Read more here.....

This weekend is, of course, the north London derby, as Arsenal visit north London rivals Tottenham in a massive Premier League clash.

As always there has been combined teams and talk of who would get into whose team. However, Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal star Paul Merson reckons the only Arsenal player who would get into the Tottenham team is forward Alexis Sanchez.

In all honesty, it is hard to agree with Merse on this one. He can be an idiot at times, but I think he is pretty accurate in his assessment of this: Sanchez is probably the only Gunners player who would get in the Spurs team.  .......Read more here.....

According to the Evening Standard, Tottenham are set to launch a summer bid for reported-Arsenal transfer target Morgan Schneiderlin. The Saints are believed to rate Schneiderlin in the £20million bracket and blocked the Frenchman’s exit last summer.

Exchange

The Standard claims that Spurs are set to offer either England winger Andros Townsend, or young French midfielder Benjamin Stambouli in part-exchange to sign the highly-rated French international midfielder.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men had a move for Schneiderlin blocked last summer, as the Saints had already lost a raft of their key players to other Premier League clubs. However, they believe they can successfully secure his signature this summer because of his relationship with former-Saints boss Pochettino.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal host Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium in the north London derby on Saturday looking to build on last weekend’s 3-0 win at Aston Villa.

The Gunners are unbeaten in the Premier League this season, but three of those games have finished in draws. Arsene Wenger side are currently fourth in the table, four points off league leaders Chelsea.

As per usual Arsene Wenger fielded a weakened team in Tuesday’s third round Capital One Cup game against Southampton and the Gunners suffered a 2-1 home defeat. The veteran Frenchman fielded very few first team regulars in the defeat and rested his star performers ahead of the big derby clash.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal hosts Southampton at the Emirates Stadium in the third round of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night.

The Gunners ended a run of four games without a win in all competitions last time out winning 3-0 at Aston Villa and producing a far more impressive display than in previous games. The Gunners had previously gained three consecutive Premier League draws, before suffering a 2-0 defeat at Dortmund in the Champions League.

The draw at Aston Villa was the Gunners first clean sheet in the Premier League this season. Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil played a key role in the win creating a goal and also getting on the scoresheet. New signing Danny Welbeck also opened his Gunners scoring account against the Villans.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal have made some very good signings this summer already, but it seems there is still scope for improvement in the squad and if media reports are to be believed the money to bring in more fresh faces.

Possibly leaving

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has stated that Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelen may leave the club this summer, with Manchester United believed to be the favourites to secure the centre-backs services.

The Gunners have already completed the signing of young Southampton full-back Calum Chambers, who Wenger has stated could develop into a centre-back or a central midfielder in the future.  .......Read more here.....

According to the Daily Star, Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin is that confident of a move away from St Marys this summer that he has told his Saints teammates he will not return to the club from the south coast.

Target

The 24-year-old has been linked with a £20million move to both Arsenal and Tottenham in recent weeks and he is confident that he will join the mass exodus from the south coast club. Arsenal boss and compatriot Arsene Wenger is known to be an admirer of the defensive midfielder.  .......Read more here.....

Arsenal recent slump in form and boss Arsene Wenger’s contract situation has put the veteran French boss’ future in north London in doubt. I think most us know that he is too stubborn to quit and the Gunners board are very unlikely to fire him, but if he did leave Arsenal here are some of the likely candidates:

Roberto Martinez (Everton)

Fresh off the back of a 3-0 win over Arsenal and leading Everton to their highest points total in the Premier League era, the Spaniard is doing a fine job on a small budget on Merseyside. The 40-year-old is regarded as one of the European games brightest young up-and-coming coaches.  .......Read more here.....