Perhaps The ACN Can Rejuvenate Marouane Chamakh

Maybe I am clutching at straws here. Or maybe I have completely lost the plot in more ways than one.

But I am really hoping that Marouane Chamakh will come back to Arsenal, after the African Cup of Nations, a completely rejuvenated player.

Fingers crossed, hopefully he might even come back as Lukas Podolski.

Who knows though? A change of scenery might do the Moroccan the world of good. A couple of goals definitely would.

It's fair to say that Chamakh has had a bit of annus horribilis. 

2011 hasn't been the greatest time for him. In fact, I've even seen it mooted that he is the worst striker to have ever worn the Arsenal shirt.

Now I wouldn't go that far. Clive Allen gets that honour for me. At least Chamakh's early form lasted longer than a pre-season. Just.

The question is can Marouane turn his Arsenal career round?

I'd like to see it because in his early days with the club he looked quite good. And that is not just his slick hair looking good either.

He was an asset to the team and I could see why Arsene Wenger wanted to sign him.

Then came along 2011 and the next thing you know, he not only looked like a giraffe, but began to resemble how one would play on a football pitch.

It looks like the striker will be at the club until the summer at least. Wenger never gives up on his players easily.

So I am hoping, wishing, that Morocco have a great tournament and that Chamakh comes back to North London completely full of confidence.

It could be like signing a new player.....

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Diaby Shouldn't Be Blocking A Move For Gourcuff

Yoann Gourcuff has been linked with a move to Arsenal for a long, long time.

Since the summer this 'rumour' has grown bigger than Gervinho's forehead and won't go away despite Arsene Wenger denying it will happen.

Wenger's reason for not bringing in Gourcuff is that Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby will be back from injury soon and there will be a lot of players in the midfield area.

That's true I suppose, but does Diaby actually count as an actual option?

On his day the Frenchman can be a handy player to have but he is injured more often than not.

In the past he has been mooted as the new Patrick Vieira whereas I think the new Darren Anderton is a more sensible assessment.

I feel for Abou Diaby, I really do. It must be lonely being in that treatment room all the time but frankly if a move for Yoann Gourcuff is not possible because of him then I'm astounded.

I hate to be negative about any of the Arsenal players, it destroys me inside like a Marriot Hotel lasagne special.

And of course, during his career with us, Diaby has been very unlucky with injuries, but there has to be a time when enough is enough.

Understandably Wenger wants to give Abou every chance possible to make it with Arsenal. He truly believes in him.

But the bigger picture is that the club must come first and if Abou Diaby has to be sacrificed for Arsenal to be successful then so be it.

Despite peppering relegation rivals (ahem) Wolves goal yesterday its clear sometimes that we need that creative 'spark'.

When Wilshere comes back that will help massively. Will Diaby help? Of course but how long until he gains another injury is any ones guess.

Gourcuff can be that man who unlocks the door when the opposition plays a 9-1-0 formation. He is a very clever player and one, who I am sure, would love to play under Arsene Wenger.

We all know that Arsene is very loyal. Especially to the club, but to the players he believes in too. So I can understand why the boss sticks by Diaby.

But the truth is we don't know whether Abou will ever be able to sustain his fitness long enough to have an extended run in the side.

Previous campaigns suggest not.

So in my view, if Wenger wants Gourcuff, or anyone else for that matter, then he should go get them because there is too much to lose if he doesn't.

A Gourcuff could be what we need to propel us into the top four. An unfit Diaby won't.

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How Can This Man Be Described As A Panic-Buy?

The more and more I see Mikel Arteta play in an Arsenal shirt, the louder I laugh at the fact some people out there called him a 'panic-buy'.

When he signed for us I was over the moon. 

I loved watching him play when he was at Everton, and I love him even more now he wears the shirt of Arsenal.

Yesterday, in my opinion, he ran the midfield better than Paula Radcliffe runs a marathon. 

You could have bought two-and-a-half Arteta's for what Manchester City paid for Yaya Toure and the Spaniard had him in his pocket.

Neat and tidy, Mikel gets better with each passing game. And I have to ask, does he ever give the ball away? 

Arteta is like Arsenal's clock. He continues to keep us ticking over. He keeps the ball and does the simple things with it.

Players like Arteta are often overlooked in a game because they aren't always spectacular. But you need someone like him in the side because he is a steady influence.

I often wish that we had had him in our ranks in previous years. Him and Cesc would have been deadlier than a Puffer fish together.

A lot of people said that his best years were behind him. Well I happen to think his best years are in front of him and I'm glad that Gooners will get to see it.

For Arteta it's bad luck that he is Spanish. Not that there is anything wrong with being a Spaniard, but because at the moment Spain have the best midfield in the history of football, he can't get in their side.

Had Mikel been born in another era I am sure he would have been a regular for his country. It goes to show though how good Spain are when someone like Arteta doesn't get a look in.

If Arteta continues to play as well as he is maybe that will change as, unlike Samir Nasri, he will still get to show his talents in the Champions League.

So one day, that deserved international call-up, may just happen for him.

As for now, I will continue to squeal with delight when I see Arteta trotting out to the pitch wearing an Arsenal, and carry on sniggering that he was described as a 'panic-buy'.

He's more like a 'super-buy' in my book.

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Was Ju Young Park Bought For Shirt Sales?

Since Ju Young Park arrived from Monaco in August he has made less than a handful of appearances for Arsenal.

Now I understand there is always going to be a period of 'transition' for a player coming in from a different country, but at times I wonder whether Park is actually real or a figment of my imagination.

I keep seeing on the Arsenal website that Ju Young is ready for action. Well, to be honest, that news is beginning to get older than Stonehenge now.

There is no doubt that the South Korean has a good record at international level. And he is one of the most popular players in South Korea too.

So why doesn't he feature more for the Gunners? And more importantly, why did Arsenal sign him?

Of course he is lower than Flo-Rida in the pecking order at the club. Park will get more of a chance in January when Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh leave for the African Cup of Nations.

Or Perhaps Wenger doesn't actually feel that he is ready for first-team action yet despite saying that he is.

I have a more cynical view of things though. And I hope that I am wrong because Park seems a nice fella.

The reason I think Arsenal bought Ju Young Park is for shirt sales. There I said it, please don't hate me.

There is a huge market in Asia. Footballers from that area are treated with a status that even Status Quo do not receive.

Simply put, if Ju Young Park stepped a foot into South Korea he would be received like a God.

Global branding is what football clubs want these days. Arsenal are no different.

I think signing the captain of South Korea is a move the club made because most of the people there will now rush out and buy an Arsenal shirt with 'Park 9' on the back.

Its obvious that Park can play a bit. His goal in the Carling Cup against Bolton was magical. 

But I believe that the motive to sign him was a financial one for Arsenal. Pay between £3m-5m for him and the club probably earned that money back in 15 minutes.

We did the same thing in 2001 with Junichi Inamoto. Within 24 hours most Japanese people supported Arsenal.

I haven't written this to offend any body whatsoever. And to be honest, I really hope that I am wrong, that Park becomes a regular and shoves these words down my throat.

But I just get that vibe about this deal. And that is not the players fault I know.

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Arsene Wenger Could Save Fernando Torres

I know many people reading the headline of this article will probably think that I have gone completely crackers.

Damn, a little part of me even thinks so too.

But there is another part of me, deep down, that truly believes that Fernando Torres would flourish at Arsenal, under Arsene Wenger.

Its true that Torres hasn't exactly set the world alight since his £50m move from Liverpool to Chelsea last January.

Going by his recent standards he probably couldn't set a candle alight.

It could even be said that the Spaniard has flopped in a massive way.

However, I still think that the Chelsea striker is still a top, top class player who is just at the wrong club.

There is a saying that form is temporary and class is permanent.

Well, I would agree it seems that Torres has been out of form since 1843, but he can still show flashes of the form he showed when he first appeared on our shores.

The man may appear past his best but can he really be washed up at the age of 27?

Especially when you take into account that strikers usually peak between the ages of 28-32.

I honestly feel, that if Chelsea are really offering him out for £20m, that he will make a great signing for someone.

Arsene Wenger would be ideal for Torres. He has proved in the past that he can rejuvenate players who appear out-of-sorts.

Not only that, Arsenal's style of football and system is made for someone like the Spaniard.

It's been said that Robin van Persie wants Wenger to make signings of intent and bringing Torres to the home of football would make a big, big statement.

Arsenal need another striker. In fact, we need another striker more than Frank Lampard needs cake.

Being labelled the highest costing flop in football known to mankind must be hurting Torres inside.

He will have a point to prove that he is not finished. He is at a club where the manager, and even his team-mates, seemingly doesn't want him any more. A club where the football doesn't suit him.

Arsenal should make that £20m move. We are geared up to create chances for the strikers.

Torres, and Robin van Persie especially I'm sure, would love it if the Spaniard pulled on the red and white shirt.

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I Am Gutted For André Santos

For a long long time I have said that I would love Arsene Wenger to play Thomas Vermaelen at left-back.

In fact, when blowing the candles out on my (ahem) 18th birthday cake last year I wished that the Belgian would become a regular there.

I have always felt that Arsenal would be so much more solid at the back with him playing there.

Imagine a back-line of (from left to right) Vermaelen, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Sagna.

That defence, in my opinion, would be Arsenal's strongest 'defensive' back-four.

A defenders job, first and foremost, is too defend isn't it? And those four mentioned love to defend as much as I love BBQ Spare Ribs.

Of course my plan means taking, who many consider to be, our best centre-back from his favoured position and shifting him to the left-back slot.

Well, due to the injuries we have suffered, it appears my wish that Vermaelen has an extended run at left-back may come true.

However, I should have been more careful what I wished for!

Thomas will have to play there, not through merit, but because Wenger's first-choice, André Santos, is out for three months.

I am genuinely gutted for Santos because he has become my most favourite Brazilian. I even like him more than Pamela Anderson's Brazilian.

When he first joined the club I thought he was Frank Lampard's distant South American cousin. He was that fat.

Not only that, it appeared he couldn't defend to save his life.

André's kamikaze forward runs meant we were exposed at the back and his obvious lack of fitness didn't help either.

He needed time to adapt to the English league and earlier in the season, we were struggling, so we didn't have that time.

So some people made quick judgements on Santos and many thought he wasn't up to scratch.

This was unfair on him. How can a player be judged in such a short space of time?

Especially when you consider he had no pre-season with Arsenal and had signed from the Turkish league. A league with all due respect, that is weaker than its English equivalent.

I think André Santos has come a long way in a very short time since arriving at Arsenal.

His fitness has improved, he is finding his feet, and every week he is beginning to show that he can actually defend too.

Santo is proving the doubters wrong all the time and that is why I am gutted for him that this injury has come now.

Fingers crossed he makes a quick recovery and doesn't end up plumper than he was before he joined!

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If Only Nicolas Anelka Had Stayed At Arsenal

Sometimes I look at Nicolas Anelka and I just think what a waste.

Don't get me wrong, he has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world.

Arsenal, Real Madrid, Paris-Saint Germain, Liverpool and Bolton is quite an impressive list for any footballer.

But he has also undermined and stained his career by playing for smaller clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City.

I glance back to the summer of 1999 (how long ago?!) when Anelka left Arsenal and I am sure he must have some regret.

His brothers, Claude and Didier, had become his agents and they decided that Nicolas would be better off elsewhere.

Being young, easily influenced, and after being given several chinese-burns by Didier, he took their advice and left for Real Madrid.

After leaving for the Bernabeu his career appeared to go downhill faster than Wayne Rooney chasing the 10:46 OAP coach trip from Manchester to London.

He drifted from club to club and never really settled down.

That was until he found religion. Anelka became a Muslim, moved to Turkey with Fenerbahce and finally appeared to find some balance in his life.

Where he found faith, he lost something too. His brothers.

Its also been said that one of his team-mates at Fenerbahce had a Destiny's Child album and Nicolas played the 'Independent Women' track over and over again.

And it was that, and religion, that made Anelka become more independent from his brothers.

I can't confirm this though.

If only Nicolas Anelka found religion or Destiny's Child released that track in the summer of 1999.

He most probably would have stayed at Arsenal and become an absolute legend at the club.

Anelka and Thierry Henry was the partnership that Arsene Wenger had sweet dreams about.

Wenger has said in the past he wishes he had had the chance to pair the two Frenchmen together in an attack more potent than Pele on Viagra.

He never got that opportunity and I believe it is a real shame we never saw Henry and Anelka wearing the red and white of Arsenal at the same time.

Nowadays it appears Anelka is on the move again. He has realised that Chelsea aren't even the biggest club in Chelsea and he could be on his toes.

Rumours are he is heading off to the Far East. Shanghai Shenhua of China are the favourites to sign him. Although Millwall are in the running too.

Had he stayed at Arsenal, under Arsene Wenger, I firmly believe he would have become a legend with us Gooners.

Not only that, like Thierry Henry, he would have been known as one of the greatest players of the last decade.

Instead most people see Anelka as a footballing nomad. A man who couldn't stay at one place.

And that, is a shame.

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Lukas Podolski Would Be Ideal For Arsenal

I keep seeing these rumours Arsenal are in the hunt for Lukas Podolski and I have to admit that it excites me a little.

Of course, they are only rumours, but if there was some truth in the talk around town, then he would be an ideal acquisition to the squad.

He has plenty of experience at the top-level in football and can play as striker or as a wide player.

Whenever I have seen Podolski play he has always impressed me. That left foot of his is sweeter than honey. With sugar on top.

He has played nearly 100 times for Germany at the ripe old age of 26 so he has undoubted quality.

The man himself has bigged up Arsenal recently too. Flirting and batting his eye-lids away like a good 'un.

Now, whether this flirting is a come-and-get-me plea I don't know, but I have seen that he has only 18 months left on his contract with his club FC Köln.

So, like many others in the past, Lukas could be using the good name of Arsenal Football Club to get a new deal with Köln.

That is the sceptic in me. However, he could actually like Arsenal and want to move to us.

Lukas Podolski is, by all accounts, a boyhood FC Köln fan. It could prove difficult for him to leave them.

He has done in the past though, leaving for Bayern Munich.

It is all ifs and buts, and the main question is whether Arsene Wenger actually wants the player.

I have no doubt Wenger admires him but who knows what goes through the bonce of the gaffer?

In my opinion, not that it is worth much mind, I think that the German would be a fantastic signing for us.

He is high-profile, high-quality, would be a purchase of intent, and lastly show that Arsenal mean business.

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I Thought We Were In A Relegation Battle?

At the beginning of the season it was fair to say that Arsenal were playing shit.

We seemed a bigger shambles than a pissed up David Hasselhoff trying to eat a hamburger.

At the time there many people jumping on an RIP Arsenal Football Club bandwagon. A bandwagon that was gaining more speed than Keanu Reeves on a bus.

Unbelievably, in my eyes, some were even suggesting that we were, in fact, in a relegation battle!

Now I have heard of extremes, but this was an extreme of the highest order.

I cannot, for one second, actually believe that there were people out there, some of them Gooners too, who could have thought Arsenal were in a relegation scrap.

That is not me being arrogant, but this was just one of the biggest exaggerations I have ever seen in my whole entire stinking existence.

We had a bad start to the season, after losing our best player, but we would always recover.

And we have recovered. Arsene Wenger put us in the recovery position, gave us the kiss of life, and now we are at the right end of the table.

I love seeing the doubters proved wrong. Not just for Wenger's sake, but for the actual club.

Where are those psychic's now? The so-called experts who said we would be playing in the Championship with Derby County or Crystal Palace next season?

I'll tell you where. They are in hiding. Waiting for the next 'so-called' crisis of Arsenal to happen.

And I'll tell you what, they want a crisis to happen so they can say 'I told you so'.

Arsenal were never going to be relegated, and I know we can improve a lot more.

But I wonder if those people who said the Gunners were a sinking ship will hold their hands up and say they were wrong.

I doubt it somehow.

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Why Are The Spuds Crying About Jack Wilshere?

The messages I have received about Jack Wilshere tweeting stuff on S*urs has gone off the richter scale.

Sure, from their point of view, at times, it probably may seem a little annoying.

However, surely they can see it is only a bit of banter?

If one of the S*urs players was tweeting about Arsenal I would have banter back and tweet a reply.

I wouldn't begin to cry about it.

Twitter is refreshing because it gives us a chance to interact with people we would never be able to interact with normally.

If a S*urs fan doesn't like what Wilshere has to say then just unfollow him. Or, and this may seem completely outrageous, ignore it.

They should just realise that Jack wants to endear himself to Gooners, is a Gooner, and is having a little bit of fun.

And let's not forget he is only a young man.

When we play S*urs will the Spuds not taunt the Arsenal players? Will they not chant that horrible Wenger song?

Why shouldn't Wilshere be able to give a bit of stick back?

It is harmless fun and had I said the same thing to a Spud down the boozer they would probably laugh about it.

They need to get off their high-horses, crack on, and maybe, just maybe, realise that Jack Wilshere is having a laugh.

By crying and whinging about it they are making themselves look silly.

Then again, it doesn't take a lot for a Spud to make themselves look daft does it?

Keep It Goonerish.........