Big Per Will Be A Massive Miss

Our giant of a German Per Mertesacker's ankle looks as battered and bruised as my bank account after buying a hot-dog with a pint of Carlsberg at the Emirates.

It looks in seriously bad shape and I can imagine the pain Per felt when his 6ft 6in frame went over and buckled himself.

Seeing the photo made me wince. I've done my ankle like that before and I was out injured for about 3-4 months.

Now I don't know the length of time that Mertesacker will be out for. I'm not a medical expert or a psychic, nor do I claim to be, but I do know that he will be hugely missed.

Unlike Harry Redknapp, the jury is still out on the centre-back but I think he has settled into life at Arsenal responsibly well.

I happen to believe some people have been more than harsh on Per.

I know he turns slower than Michelle McManus doing a twirl, but I think it would be fairer to judge him next season when he has had time to adapt to English football.

I've no doubt Arsenal will miss him hugely (excuse the pun) for the period he is out injured and I only hope the injury isn't a season-ending one.

He appears to have a calming influence on the side and there is no doubt that the rest of the squad respect him and his 80-odd caps for Germany.

Mertesacker will be sick at this injury. He has established himself in the side and has Euro 2012 with his country coming up.

I feel as sick as a parrot for him too. He has become my second favourite German after David Hasslehoff and I only hope he can recover quickly because, despite his doubters, Arsenal are better with him.

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Is Tomas Rosicky Worth Another Arsenal Contract?

There appears to be a split amongst Gooners at the moment that an Olympic gymnast would be very proud of.

So when I pose the question; is Tomas Rosicky worth a new contract at Arsenal? I expect many differences of opinion.

In the past Tomas has frustrated me. Not because I think he is a bad player but because during his time at the club he has spent at least 78% of it in the physio room.

Now forgive me for being vulgar, I don't think he has a bit of crush on anything Gary or Colin Lewin related so that can be ruled out.

So unfortunately for Rosicky, and Arsenal supporters, he isn't love-sick but has actually suffered with bad luck on the injury front.

Which is a shame for Arsenal, Arsene Wenger and us Gooners because, believe it or not, I actually think that he is a fantastic player who offers a lot to our game and not just to our medical bill.

His contract runs out this summer and it's a debatable topic as to whether he deserves another one, here, at the home of football.

If it was up to me then I'd give him another one-year-deal with no questions asked. And not just because I had the same hair-style as him in the mid-90's.

The Czech captain has had a run in the side recently and I have been quite impressed. So much so, I don't think he can be classed as deadwood we need rid of.

Having played for his country 85 times (how?!) he has more experience than one of Wayne Rooney's 'special friends' at his local massage parlour.

That experience (not Rooney's pal's) can only be an asset to Arsenal. 

Of course you worry about his injury record. I do too. I mean he's had more problems with his hamstring in the past than Beth Ditto has with a G-string but maybe he is over those problems?

One positive way to look at his past problems is the fact he will not be burnt out will he?

Having had less time on the pitch than most of his peers, at his age, I should imagine Rosicky will be able to play until his late 30's. Maybe even his 60's.

Footballers careers are prolonged these days with various techniques and methods. Perhaps Ryan Giggs could lend Tomas his Yoga teacher for a bit.

But seriously I don't want Rosicky to leave unless a top class replacement was taking his place. I worry that all the sudden he will never be injured again, and those years of Arsenal patching him up would be wasted!

Honestly though I think he is worth another deal at the club. A years contract with a clause that says if his muscles pack up then he'll be sent on loan to Elgin.

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Some Gooners Are Hypocritical Over Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Make no mistake about it, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has created a buzz amongst Gooners that is only comparable with Charlie Sheen mangled on Tigerblood.

The boy has burst onto the scene in explosive fashion since making his first league start for Arsenal against Manchester United last month. 

So much so, in fact, that many Arsenal fans booed Arsene Wenger's decision to take him off.

Now I can understand the frustrations of my fellow Gooners when Wenger made that decision. It made me feel frustrated too.

What makes me laugh about the situation now is that a lot of these same Arsenal fans ridiculed the decision to actually sign Alex in the first place and now they believe he is the new Pele!

I won't lie, when we paid £12m for Oxlade-Chamberlain last summer I was a little concerned, but not angry, that we spent that much on such a young player. 

But looking round various websites at the time of his signing you would have thought that Arsene Wenger had farted loudly in a lift full of people the way some reacted. They were disgusted we had signed another baby. 

Yet, just six months later, these same people are hailing the Ox as the messiah of Arsenal Football Club. Our saviour.

Please, don't get me wrong, I love the fact that Alex is proving the 'doubters' wrong, but wouldn't it be refreshing if some of them held their hands up and admitted it too?

Of course I can understand why Gooners were angry because, at the time, we were set to lose Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

But maybe we shouldn't be quicker than Beth Ditto chasing an ice-cream van to judge new signings, no matter what the age.

In the past we (and I include myself) have all reacted badly to a new signing before the person gets a chance to prove himself. Especially to someone who isn't a superstar purchase. 

Maybe the Ox proves that we need to hold our tongues a little because it can bite you on the bum in the future.

Wenger doesn't always get it right. Many of his past signings are tribute to that fact.

But I hope that some people have learnt to give some players time to prove themselves. Oxlade-Chamberlain is proof of that.

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Do We Need To Take One Step Back To Take Two Forward?

I haven't given up on Arsenal making the top four because I can't.

Despite Arsenal appearing to want to make it as difficult as possible to get there, something inside me makes it hard for me to believe we won't make it. And that something inside me is certainly not wind.

Perhaps its the season when we needed a Lasagna to make it happen gives me belief. We seemed dead and buried then but the football Gods smiled on us that day at Highbury.

That said there is a tiny voice, maybe a reality check, that keeps whispering in my ear that we won't finish in the top four. The first time under Arsene Wenger.

Now I have told this little voice to jog on but it won't go away. It keeps lurking there like someone watching you play on the fruit machine, waiting for you to spend your money, and then pouncing to win the jackpot.

That said, maybe the voice has a point. Maybe this is the season that we don't make the top four and, unless we win the Champions League, we won't be playing with the cream of Europe next year.

Can you take that? Can you take not hearing the chorus of the Champions League song booming round the Emirates next season?

Like Syrup of ipecac not having Champions League football at Arsenal would be hard to stomach. The thought of it makes me throw up in my mouth a little. 

As much I hate to say it, I have to concede, we might not make it. The reality is that its a real possibility we won't be there at the moment.

I think that Arsenal and, at times, Gooners have come to take the Champions League for granted. Season after season we have been involved with Europe's elite competition.

You never know what you've got until its gone is a very true saying. Perhaps it may ring true with figures at the club and will get things moving.

People say Robin van Persie will leave if Arsenal aren't involved. I don't think that is the case. If Arsenal show a summer of intent, then I believe he will sign a new contract.

Arsenal will have to show intent this summer regardless of whether we make the Champions League or not.

People are beginning to question the ambitions of the club and for a long time many Gooners have become unhappy at what direction the club wants to take.

Not being in the Champions League will not appease the money men at Arsenal but perhaps they need a kick up the backside for them to actually do something.

These days it becoming harder than one of Pele's erections after taking Viagra to compete unless you are spending money.

Despite what many say, Arsene Wenger has performed miracles with the funds available to him. To continuously qualify for the Champions League year after year is amazing. But not enough to some and I understand that.

Arsenal are a big club and sometimes a reality check is needed to remind them of that fact. The board have come to rely on Wenger to spend very little but achieve big things.

The problem is the boards idea of big things and many Gooners are totally different. Just competing for 4th place isn't enough for the fans of the club.

If it happens, finishing outside of the top four might seem like the end of the world at first. But maybe it could have a positive effect in a weird way.

Of course we would get slaughtered for not making it but maybe, just maybe the board and even perhaps Wenger, will wake up and start to act like a big club with ambition again.

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Lay Off Aaron Ramsey

The abuse I've seen thrown at Aaron Ramsey lately has been a sick joke.

Some of it has even bordered on things I wouldn't even wish on my worst enemy.

I couldn't believe my eyes at some of the stuff I've seen. I mean death threats?! Over a game of football?! Come on behave yourself.

That kind of shit has no place anywhere, let alone football.

Putting that aside he also has taken a lot of stick for his performances in a very unnecessary way.

People saying he is 'shit' isn't going to get him very far is it?

Aaron is a young man of 21 years of age. Just a baby really.

There is no need to destroy him. A little bit of constructive criticism is fine. But don't make him into a scapegoat because of your frustrations.

Take the game against Swansea, I thought he was below-par. But I tell you something, he certainly didn't hide and still wanted the ball despite not playing well.

That says a lot for me. The best players don't hide and although I wouldn't rank Ramsey alongside the best in the world, yet, he certainly has the character of one of them.

Some people forget he suffered a career threatening injury and was out for a long time with it. Just for him to actually be playing football again is a miracle.

We need to remember that and we need to remember he is a year behind in his progression as a footballer.

I think some people are annoyed that Cesc Fabregas left the club and that Ramsey is his supposed replacement.

But they are two completely different types of player. You can't compare them because Cesc was a one-off. Cesc is a genius.

Lately some of us Gooners seem to love someone to have a pop at. Eboue, Bendtner and even Arshavin have been victims. I've even seen Per Mertesacker get unfair stick.

Lets not start to dig Aaron Ramsey out too. People need to lay off him because he has all the attributes to be a top player.

Trust me, Aaron Ramsey is a gem and I am glad that we have him at Arsenal Football Club.

I'd hate to see him go somewhere else and become the talent I'm sure he will be.

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Wayne Rooney Over Robin van Persie Is A Disgrace!

On a serious, and I mean se-ri-ous level, I have no idea how Wayne Rooney could have been voted into the FIFA World XI over Robin van Persie.

Apparently over 50,000 professional footballers from across the world submitted their votes for the World XI team. And somehow, Rooney was voted in.

How did this happen? Did Rooney send round a few glamorous OAP call girls to each and every player to seal the deal because I am baffled?!

Robin van Persie has had one of the best years ever seen in the English Premier Leagues stinking existence. His performances, not to mention his goal tally, have been unbelievable.

The only player (in England) that has got near to his level of play has been David Silva of Manchester City, who has also been phenomenal over 2011. But he is a midfielder, a different position.

Wayne Rooney is a great player but he hasn't touched Robin van Persie over the course of the year. So how he stood side-by-side with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (as strikers) in the FIFA World XI stumps me.

It may seem like sour grapes because I am a Gooner but did Rooney actually do the counting of votes? I only ask as I doubt he can count over 20 because he'd run out of fingers and toes.

In my opinion, the only players who has performed above the Arsenal man over 2011 are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Those two have been unstoppable and are on another level to anyone.

Robin van Persie should have been stood alongside those two and claimed his rightful place in the top 3 strikers of the world. Not Wayne Rooney.

I bet something dodgy went on there. 

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Salomon Kalou-Oo To Be A Gooner?

Twitter (Follow me on @_Wrighty7) and the interweb is buzzing like a bumble bee today that Chelsea man Salomon Kalou could be on the move to Arsenal.

Now I believe this is the sort of deal that will be like Marmite to Gooners. Some will like it, and some will hate it.

I happen to think that Kalou would be a very good signing for the club. And if the reported fee of £3m is true then we have got a real bargain.

Of course I concede that the Ivorian isn't the 'Galactico' transfer that a lot of Arsenal fans want Wenger to make, but he is a proven EPL player. And a decent one at that.

Arsenal's style of play would suit Kalou as much as a sarong suits David Beckham. Very well indeed.

He is rapid, works hard, can score goals, and is very versatile. Kalou wouldn't need time to adapt to England, and from what I have read in the past, would love to join us.

What more do you want?

The fact that Chelsea want him to sign a new contract with them speaks volumes to me. They clearly still want him there, so if they rate him surely he isn't the 'shit player' I've seen him called?

This is the sort of signing I can see Wenger making. Yes it may appear like another stingy deal, but Kalou is a player that the Arsenal gaffer has admired from afar for a long time.

Kalou has six months left on his current Chelsea deal. Arsene is not being 'tight' nor is he hunting round the bargain bucket again.

This a real opportunity to gain a decent acquisition to the squad at a very good price.

Put it this way, if S*urs signed Salomon Kalou for £3m then I would be very pissed off and would question why Arsenal didn't.

Wouldn't you?

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Arsenal Need This FA Cup

Being realistic the FA Cup is the last throw of the dice for Arsenal to win silverware this season.

We have as much chance of winning the league as Frank Lampard trying Diet Coke, are out of the pint of Carling Cup and the way Barcelona are playing UEFA may as well hand them the Champions League trophy now.

Now I know that Arsene Wenger counts getting into the aforementioned Champions League as a trophy but I don't.

You can not hold Champions League qualification above your head to thousands of Gooners like a cup can you?

That's why I think Arsenal need to win the FA Cup this season more than ever.

Arsenal need a trophy to shake that trophy-less monkey from our backs. We need to shake that little bastard hard.

People say that the FA Cup is a little disrespected these days, that it takes a back seat in the priorities. Well, I'd agree with that.

Maybe to get the magic of the cup back it needs a little shake up.

Perhaps the winners should gain entry into the Champions League instead of 4th place in the league?

Then, if we won it, I'd actually agree with Wenger that getting into the Champions League was like winning a trophy!

Whatever the case, Arsene must take the FA Cup even more serious than ever.

In the past the Arsenal gaffer and the FA Cup had a love affair deeper than the Mariana Trench. He loved the cup and the cup loved him.

We need that passion back. We need the FA Cup to flirt with Wenger and bring out his romantic side again because I truly believe winning it would launch Arsenal into competing again.

Arsenal just lack that winning mentality. That's why losing the Carling Cup final last season had such a deep impact on the rest of the season. We collapsed in a spectacular way after that defeat.

Who knows? If we had won that final we may have gone on and had another historic season.

This campaign hasn't been ideal for Gooners. At times I have wanted to pull my hair out and find a little bloke to beat up. Unless he is hard.

Winning the FA Cup would be wonderful. We need it. We need it bad.

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Arsenal Should Raid The Bundesliga Again. And Then Again.

As we know the transfer window is open and that means its silly season time again.

Arsenal will be linked with every Tom, Dick and Harry from the Tombs of the Nobles to Outer 'order' Mongolia.

Some of the rumours will make you laugh, others you can take more seriously.

Lukas Podolski is a player that Arsene Wenger is supposedly looking at. And by all accounts he is a serious possibility.

If the German joined the club I should imagine that at least 99% of Gooners would be happy with his arrival.

He would be welcomed to the home of football by his compatriot Per Mertesacker, who I think should start talking about Podolski's Arsenal DNA in the press.

I read today, and was quite intrigued, that Wenger was looking at a Bayern Munich player too.

For a change it wasn't Franck Ribery, a player mooted to join the Gunners by Nostradamus in 1547.

It was a winger though, and a very good one at that.

Arjen Robben is that player. 

Now whether or not there is any substance to the Dutchman rumours I don't know, but I would welcome him to the club with open arms.

I know that Robben is a bit of bitch at times, to say he doesn't like getting stuck in is an understatement, but there is no doubting his quality.

Of course he has had injury problems in recent years so that would be a worry, especially with our injury record!

However with Theo Walcott's contract situation, and Andrei Arshavin's lack of form, Arsenal could do with a decent wide signing.

Some will dislike Robben's Chelsea connections but personally I wouldn't give a shit about that and if it meant he would sign then I would go collect him myself.

I have no doubt that Robin van Persie would be over the moon if Robben joined and if Lukas Podolski signed too he would probably pen a new contract within seconds.

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St Totteringham's Day Or Champions League?

When I look at the league table I get a shudder down my spine.

Of course S*urs sitting higher than us in the league table contributes to that shudder massively, but what really causes that horrible feeling is that we sit outside the Champions League places.

Now don't get me wrong, the thought of that lot finishing above us is indeed truly horrific. It hasn't happened since I started puberty in 1995 so I guess it is taken for granted.

But the most important thing, in my opinion, is that Arsenal qualify for next seasons Champions League. Even if that means finishing below S*urs.

I have no doubt that there will be Gooners aghast having read that and I fully understand why. I just feel the most important thing for the club is too be involved in the most elite European competition.

Maybe we have started to believe we have a divine and holy right to be in the Champions League as we have been involved in it for so many years. It becomes something we can take for granted.

But believe me, you have to earn your right to play alongside the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Apoel Nicosia season after season. 

For 14 years we have earned our place amongst the cream of Europe and I want to be there again next season regardless if St Totteringham's Day happens this campaign or not.

Some of my pals are Spuds and the banter can be quite amusing. One thing I love taking the piss out of them about is the fact they compare themselves to us all the time.

  

For me, there is no comparison. Check the history. They are in our shadow and the Rafa Benitez fact of the day is they would rather finish above Arsenal than win the league.

Over the the years they have become infatuated with us and truly believe finishing higher than Arsenal is the be-all and end-all. Lets not become like them

Our ambitions have always been higher so I am not going to start worrying about them. 

Years and years have gone by since they finished above us and one day it is bound to happen. 

They think it's wrapped up for them already and that's fine by me. Personally I believe that the Premiership is a marathon, not a sprint. There is a long time to go and football is a funny 'ol game.

So I am not panicking any time soon and the only time I will be is if our Champions League place is very much on the line.

Despite S*urs making massive strides and impressing, I actually think they will blow up sooner or later and we will catch them. 

But if we didn't, and if that was the case, I would sacrifice St Totteringhams all day long to make sure we were in the Champions League.

Or maybe we should get the Lasagne out again.

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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.

Follow me on Twitter @_Wrighty7

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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!

Follow me on Twitter @_Wrighty7

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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.

Follow me on Twitter please @_Wrighty7

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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.

Follow me on Twitter @_Wrighty7

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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.

Follow me on Twitter @_Wrighty7

Keep It Goonerish........

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.........