Arsenal's Pursuit of Samba Boosted

Arsenal have been given a boost in their pursuit of a central defender, as Chris Samba of Blackburn - a known target of Arsenal's, announced his desire to play Champions League football.

Despite being infuriated by the sacking of Sam Allardyce last season, he signed a new four and a half year contract early this year. However, Arsene Wenger's determination to sign a new defender will certainly have been helped by what Samba said after Blackburn's 1 - 0 defeat to Aston Villa in the semi-finals of the Barclays Asia Trophy:

"At the minute I am at Blackburn but we will have to see what happens. If you have a player who has no ambition to play at a higher level, then he made a mistake and chose the wrong sport. He should do something else."

"When you are a footballer – or if you play any high-profile sport – you should be ambitious. It is difficult at the moment but I am just waiting to see what happens and concentrating on my pre-season preparation."

"I don't know about Arsenal as I am not the one who is dealing with it. I'm just trying to get myself fit. Of course, I would like to play in the Champions League, which player does not dream of that? It would be a lie if I told you everything was good and that I didn't want to play in the Champions League. That would be a big lie. Every player wants to do that."

Blackburn's new owners have long term ambitions to steer the side to the Champions League, but this is surely too much of a wait for the 27 year-old defender. That is especially unlikely considering the strong competition from the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham for a place inside the top four as well as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal who are usually certain of a top our finish.

Five seasons in the Premier League has given Samba ample experience in England, and is a strong and reliable defender - something Arsenal would certainly benefit from. Arsenal just need to make the move for him now, although Blackburn may be looking for a fee in excess of £10 million considering his contract and the fact that Blackburn have already let Phil Jones leave for Manchester United.

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Wenger Blamed - Nasri Talks Ongoing

Arsenal are beginning to show signs of life in the transfer window this summer, with imminent transfers said to be in place; Lille's Gervinho, and the Argentine midfielder Ricky Alvarez said to be close, as well as moves for defenders such as Chris Samba and Gary Cahill expected from Wenger.

However, it wasn't like this in the past few transfer windows for Arsenal, and many have been highly critical as a result. The latest critic of Wenger's transfer policy is Perry Groves, the former Arsenal midfielder, who signed for the London club back in 1986. He told TalkSport:

“The frustrating thing is [the Premier League] was Arsenal’s to win last year."

“But because they didn’t have the dominant centre-half which they could have gone and got in January that’s why [they didn’t win the league] and that’s why Arsene’s policy over two or three years has been proven wrong."

“There has been two phases when Arsene Wenger has been in charge. On the pitch from 1996-2004 that is how you structure a football team. Off the pitch from 2005-2011 is how you structure a football club, going from Highbury to the Emirates."

“Arsenal fans, the real die-hard ones, want trophies and that is the real be all and end all of how you’re judged as a football club manager.”

A trophy is exactly what Arsenal need next season to appease the frustrated fans, who may soon be approaching seven or eight years without any silverware, with the last piece coming in 2005 when the FA Cup was won. However, to have a chance to win a trophy, Arsenal will need to keep hold of their best players, and that includes Samir Nasri, who has been flirting with the idea of leaving Arsenal recently.

Talks are ongoing between the players representatives and the club, with the latest negotiations looking more positive than before. Nasri is still holding out for an increase in his wages, and a better deal than the £80,000 a week being offered in a five year-deal, but he is also waiting to see how Wenger acts in the transfer market.

Clubs are circling over Nasri, watching intently the progression of negotiations, preparing to pounce at any time, and with some of he biggest clubs around Europe said to be interested, including Arsenal's Premier League rivals, Manchester United. Nasri is ambitious, and wants to win trophies, so he needs the guarantee from Arsenal that, with new players purchases, the club will be real challengers for trophies.

Everyone involved would rather this saga was resolved sooner rather than later, as it is one of those transfers that could run seemingly endlessly throughout the window.

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Chris Samba "has an ambition to play for Arsenal"

Having already lost Phil Jones to Manchester United this summer, Blackburn may well be saying a sorry goodbye to another of their central defenders, in Chris Samba. Anuradha Desai, the businesswoman who heads the Venkys company which owns Blackburn Rovers said that although the club wants Samba to stay for at least another year to prove their ambitions, she knows that Samba has the ambition of playing for Arsenal.
Desai said:

“We don’t want to let Chris go, I’m confident that we can keep him and I hope he’ll stay. I know he has an ambition to play for Arsenal but I hope we can keep him for another year at least and prove our own ambition.”

Arsenal were close to signing Samba in the January transfer window, with Samba admitting that he was very close to joining the London club, but no deal was finalized. Arsenal are looking for some experienced players to sure up the defensive problems that faced Arsenal last year so Wenger can prevent needless errors which prove costly in a long Premier League title race.

Samba is seen by many at Arsenal as the strong, powerful, no nonsense defender who is needed alongside Thomas Vermaelen, who could not only start games, but finish them without a problem, or without mistakes, whilst adding depth to the squad.

Arsenal's £10 million bid was not enough to persuade Blackburn part with their captain January, but it is thought that £12 million would be the price in which Blackburn would be willing to let Samba go. With Arsene Wenger finally beginning to spend some money starting with the capture of Lille's Gervinho, Arsenal should have no problem in reaching that asking price and adding a vital player to an improving and more experienced squad come next season.

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It's Chris Samba or Gary Cahill for Arsenal - Or Is It?

It is the general consensus at Arsenal that the team needs a strong, forceful centre back to add to the spine of the team and help them to some much needed trophies. It is also the general feeling among the gossip columns that Arsene Wenger will choose between either Blackburn's Chris Samba, or Bolton's Gary Cahill to fill that gap in his squad. But which one will it be? In truth, both seem increasingly unlikely for various reasons, so lets evaluate why.

Lets start with Chris Samba. At 27 years-old and a good 5 years with Blackburn, Samba has plenty of experience that the Arsenal team is often said to be lacking in. He stands at a towering 6 foot 4 inches, and is a force to be reckoned with defending set pieces, with his large frame able to reach above the attacking opponents to clear the danger. He would slot nicely into the defence alongside the combative Thomas Vermaelen, who was missed terribly last season for Arsenal.

Samba revealed last season that he was close to joining Arsenal in the January transfer market, which shows that Arsenal are clearly interested in the player, which is good news, as it shows Wenger's intent to add experience and power to his defence. However, Arsenal's £10 million bid was not enough to persuade Blackburn part with their captain, but it is thought that £12 million would be the price in which Blackburn would be willing to let Samba go.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, recent transfer events have transpired against them. In fact, it may be arch rivals Manchester United's fault that Arsenal miss out on Samba - not because United are themselves interested in Samba, but because Sir Alex Ferguson has recently stolen Samba's young defensive partner Phil Jones away from Ewood Park. Would Blackburn be willing to let both halves of their defensive backbone leave the club in one transfer window?

That doesn't seem likely unless Arsenal tie up a deal for Samba quickly, as that way, Blackburn will have both the time in the market and the money from the sales of the pair to find some replacements and back-up. Last season Samba and Jones were vital players in the sides survival, and so losing them both would not help the club one bit - the club surely understand this, and however swiftly a deal for Samba could be done would still be very reluctant in letting him go.

Next, and to Gary Cahill. He, like Samba is a strong, fearless defender, and having played in the Premier League since 2004, has the experience needed at Arsenal. At 25 years-old, he has more of a long term future than Samba, and has more time for improvement, though some may argue potential is not what Arsenal need at the moment.

The gossip columns have been all over this story, with Cahill said to be wanted by Manchester City as well as Arsenal, and will cost at least £17 million to match the players release clause in his Bolton contract.

Should I stop there? Wenger probably would want to after hearing £17 million. That amount would be the immediate detractor for Arsenal, whilst being absolutely no obstacle for City. The Daily Mail have come up with a clever little solution of sorts for Wenger, as they claim that Arsenal may offer their young 19 year-old Spanish centre back Ignasi Miquel on loan to Bolton as well as cash to persuade them to part with Cahill.

Of course, a player plus cash deal seems attractive for Bolton, but with Miquel's inexperience in the Premier League, it seems a big risk for them and a young experiment for Arsenal to see how their youth player does at the Reebok. Bolton are no stranger to Arsenal's loans, with a very useful one in Jack Wilshere occurring just two season ago in which the 19 year-old came of age and subsequently broke into the Arsenal first team, but this one may be less attractive.

If it is money Bolton are looking for, then City would win a bidding war with Arsenal immediately. So, if Wenger does make one of these players his priority for the summer, then it looks more likely to be Chris Samba, due simply because he is the cheaper option and it would avoid a huge bidding war with big spender Manchester City. Contrary to some reports then, it will be either Samba or Cahill rather than Samba and Cahill who may join recent £1 million signing Carl Jenkinson at Arsenal.

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Downing Will Leave Villa For Arsenal or Liverpool

Stewart Downing, the Aston Villa left winger will leave the club this summer. He has not explicitly said so in public as yet, but has rather dropped a major hint that he will look for a new club soon by saying that he will not be signing a new contract at Aston Villa at the moment because he is at a "major crossroad" in his career.

My sources, whom I believe to be very much in the know, say that in private, he is looking for the exit door this summer, and that Arsenal and Liverpool are interested in signing him - particularly the latter. Kenny Dalglish is a big fan of the England international, and the Liverpool manager apparently got in contact with Downing a few weeks ago. Downing said:

"Martin O'Neill, left and that was strange. He was one of the main reasons why I went to Villa. It was difficult when he left, everything changed. It took some getting used to, but credit to the new manager (Gerard Houllier) he led the team through a very good run in the end and I have enjoyed being such a big part of the team."

"I know the club are keen for me to extend my contract as I only have two years left on my deal and that my agent (Struan Marshall) had a recent meeting with our chief executive (Paul Faulkner). However, I am 26 and at a major crossroads in my career so I won't be committing to a new deal at the moment."

However, a major factor that may swing in Arsenal's direction is Downing's desire to play Champions League football. The 26 year-old added: "The most important thing is to play football, but I do want to play in the Champions League at some point."

While Liverpool have failed to even reach the Europa League, Arsenal have secured a qualifying place in the Champions League, and this is a qualifying place which they surely must be favourites to progress through. If Downing wants immediate Champions League football, then Arsenal would be his choice between the two clubs. But, with Liverpool's new manager and new signings, he could either join immediately and help them to a Champions League spot next season, or ride out another year of his 2 year Aston Villa contract and join Liverpool next summer.

In other transfer news, Liverpool are close to signing Wigan's James McCarthy for £10 million while Arsenal's Gael Clichy looks set to leave on the cheap due to his expiring contract in a £5 million deal to Bayern Munich. Arsenal are also once interested in signing long term target Chris Samba for £10 million from Blackburn.

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Samba Could Have Saved Arsenal's Season

Arsenal went from defeating the Champions-elect Manchester United by a goal to nothing to being outplayed by Stoke City and defeated 3 - 1 strangely convincingly. How could that happen? How could a side with title ambitions, although small ones, be beaten without so much as a whimper against a side they should expect to beat? It isn't good enough, but this sort of thing has been happening all season long for Arsenal.

Against Stoke, the defending was unimpressive. It was not the defending of Champions. Manchester United's win against Chelsea showed Arsenal what they were missing, with an excellent show of togetherness to match their name - United. Arsenal's defence are very much disunited, with mistakes too common, too avoidable and just plain silly. 

Cast your minds back to Arsenal's visit to Newcastle early February, and all of Arsenal's defensive frailties were highlighted for the world to see. Four goals up and cruising, there should have been no way back for the Magpies, but somehow, something happened to enable a 4-4 draw to be the final result. 

Was it the players mentality? Was it their ability? Was it Wenger's tactics? Whatever it was, it was a dreadful result, and one that teams up and down the League saw and thought it very possible to wobble Arsenal, shake those young players brains and come out with something.

Arsenal have missed Thomas Vermaelen, no doubt about that. They missed his no nonsense, uncompromising, robust, strong, and committed defending as well as his excellent leadership qualities. Arsenal knew he was going to be out for a while, but how long he would be out for proved an issue. Wenger had said in the build up to the January transfer window that if Vermaelen didn't look as if he would be fit for the season, he would go into the transfer market and purchase a defender - a replacement. 

It looked as if they had found the perfect replacement too in Christopher Samba of Blackburn. He is strong, athletic, a towering presence - one who can command his area with power and has a dominating physical presence. Arsenal, he revealed were close to signing him in January:

'I think a move to Arsenal was very close in January but that is life.’

"Everyone knows I am ambitious. You only have one career so you need to make the best of it. I've committed myself to do my best for Blackburn and then we'll see in the summer."

The 27 year-old is not short on experience in the Premier League and would have been a fantastic buy and addition to the Arsenal defence. Could you have imagined the meltdown against Newcastle in February with a strong, forceful, experienced and mentally together defender in the side? Though no one expected the extraordinary breakdown anyway, Samba's presence surely wouldn't have been a bad influence. Those Arsenal players needed a presence like that in the defence, and not signing Samba was a big decision.

Arsenal's season could have been saved, or if not, hugely improved by the addition of a commanding centre back like Samba. In narrow losses or draws, the Gunners may have been able to grab some extra points out of the game, and who knows, Arsenal may be up there at the top challenging Manchester United until the last day.

The Carling Cup could have been theirs - it was a defensive mistake that saw that slip, and Barcelona may have been a different story in the Champions League - although that may seem unlikely.

As it is, Wenger did not buy, a move he has since expressed his regret for, but an experienced manager like him really should have known better and been able to bring in a player to accommodate for Vermaelen's absence. 

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Arsenal Target To Sign Contract

Christopher Samba has been heavily linked to Arsenal during this Januarys transfer window, as Arsene Wenger searched the footballing world for a possible centre back to replace the injured Thomas Vermaelen. He will however, still be searching if the Blackburn manager, Steve Kean is to be believed, as he said that he he is hopeful that Samba will sign a new contract with the club within the next 24 hours.

Samba was angry at the dismissal of Sam Allardyce after the Venky's sacked the manager after taking over Blackburn. But despite threatening to quit Ewood Park it seems that, along with Ryan Nelsen, his anger has been calmed and is more settled at the club. Kean said:

"I am hopeful that there will be a contract announcement about Samba in the next 24 hours. I have spoken to the owners and I am hopeful there will be some positive information with Ryan having already come to an arrangement over a new deal.

"There was massive confusion early on [after Kean replaced Allardyce] and now we have the team captain and the club captain signing for us. I have never felt I did not have the players with me but it is only now, after I have signed a new long-term contract as manager, that I can sit down with the players without them asking: 'How long are you going to be here?'

"Now I can start to talk to the senior players, including Ryan, Chris and Michel Salgado, about their long-term futures at Blackburn."

"The players we have are enjoying working together. At the training ground I have never seen a group as tight as they are. As for what we can achieve, whether we can get European football here, I want another three wins and then see how far we can go."

Blackburn have just moved up to seventh in the League table after beating West Brom 2 - 0. Probably a good reason to stay when your team is ascending the heights of the Premier League table.

Vermaelen is Coming Back for Arsenal - Samba is Still Available

Thomas Vermaelen is expected to be back from his achilles injury before the end of January after completing a full day of training without any problems. 

After suffering an injury to his achilles on international duty in August, the Belgian, who was impressively solid at the back in his first season at the Emirates has missed the majority of his sides games, provoking Arsene Wenger to contemplate dipping into his pockets, and bringing a new defender to Arsenal as a replacement for the 25 year-old Vermaelen.

Wenger had admitted however, that he will see how Vermaelen is towards the end of January, and then make a decision as to whether to use the transfer market to add to his defence. The manager was also adamant that no new signings will be made in January in any other position:

"In the offensive department, [a new signing] is completely excluded. In midfield, completely excluded,"

"With the goalkeepers, I stand as firm as ever.

"At the back, it just depends on Vermaelen. I am just waiting to know more about him, and then at the end of January we will have to make a decision."

Wenger has been linked with a move for Blackburn Rovers captain Christopher Samba after the no-nonsense powerhouse announced his displeasure towards the attitude of the new owners as well as the odd sacking of Sam Allardyce, and claimed he wants no part in the future of the club.

Different figures are being bounced around for his price, but the player would certainly be affordable, at around £8 - 10 million. He would add better solidity in the Arsenal back line, and contrast with the inconsistencies of Wenger's summer signings, Squillaci and Koscielny as well as adding to the squads strength in depth.

The Gunners defence was hardly troubled against Manchester City as Arsenal did all the attacking, and City did all of the defending, but to challenge for the title, Arsenal need a top class defence, a consistent defence and a defence that can cope with the best attacks. Wenger said:

"The first signs of how he feels will be very important. Should he not be able to come back quickly, central defence is an area in which we would be short, but rather than talk about transfers I would like to focus on the squad we have, and ensure everyone makes his contribution to the team's success."

Chris Samba is what Arsenal & Wenger are Looking For

Arsene Wenger's latest comments in relation to the January transfer window seem to strengthen the speculation that Chris Samba of Blackburn may be on his way to the Emirates.

Wenger said:

“As January approaches, I’m often asked about transfers. There is no definite situation either way, but first of all it depends if we find on the market what we think would really give us a plus.

“But I would advise you not to expect miracles in January – a high number of people have played in Europe so wouldn’t be able to help us in the Champions League, while clubs that have good players don’t necessarily want to sell them.

“So it’s highly unlikely that you just find a player you need in January. It’s not about spending money – it’s more about finding the right players to strengthen a squad that, in quality and numbers, is already very strong.”

Who has not played in Europe and is therefore not cup-tied to play against Barcelona? Who is a powerful, strong, athletic defender with vast experience as a natural leader - and a captain in the Premier League? Who has expressed his desire to leave his current club with the club seemingly resigned to letting him go? Yes, Congolese international Christopher Samba. Most of Wenger's issues with the January transfer market do not apply to this defender who would slot in nicely in Arsenal's back line and strengthen their squad depth.

Despite Wenger saying "It's not about spending money", Samba wouldn't cost the Arsenal manager a huge amount, with around £8 million the price being circulated.

There is that other possibility that Arsene Wenger doesn't feel like additions are needed, and after the 3 - 1 mauling of Champions Chelsea on Monday night, it is easy to see why. However, there are still critics who believe strengthening the sometimes suspect defence wouldn't do Arsenal any harm, especially when they will be up against an attacking force which has trampled the Arsenal defence with ease before, and is probably the best in the world. Barcelona.

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Arsenal Transfer Targets: Sakho, Samba, Cahill & Hazard?

It is the general consensus that Arsenal need to improve in defence. A number of players in this area have come under scrutiny throughout the past few seasons with the defensive issues the main topic of discussion for pundits in relation to Arsenal's wavering title credentials. It is no surprise therefore, that Arsenal are being linked to defenders to strengthen their back line, either in January or beyond.

Possible Arsenal Transfer Targets include:

Mamadou Sakho
20 year old 6 ft 2 in PSG defender who can play both in centre back and left back position. He is known for his leadership credentials, tireless engine, hard-working attitude, and his tackling ability. He has also been praised for his "physical and tactical qualities".

Gary Cahill
25 year-old Bolton Wanderers centre back. He is known to be a strong, reliable defender who is also impressive going forward.

Chris Samba
26 year old 6ft 4 inch no nonsense powerhouse centre back is very important to Blackburn Rovers but has expressed his desire to leave following the dismissal of manager Sam Allardyce.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hardly made his January transfer policy very clear over the past few weeks, but his latest statement is

 "If we find the players who can give something more to the team, we will do it."

He is known to not particularly like buying players in January, as players are valued, in his opinion too highly as clubs are desperate to hold on to their stars for the remainder of the season, however, this latest quote suggests that there may be one or two players he is interested in bringing to the club, especially in the defensive role.

A player who isn't likely to join in January, but most probably in the summer is attacking midfielder and the "next big thing", Eden Hazard. The Belgian play maker currently plays for French club Lille, but is full of praise for Arsenal, as we can see from quotes like these:

"If one day I leave Lille, I will go to Real or Arsenal.''

"Real Madrid and Arsenal are the clubs I dreamed of joining as a child."

and if two wasn't enough:

"Real and Arsenal are really great and play at a very high technical level"

*Hint hint.*
His attacking talents are quite brilliant for his young age of 19, and you can watch highlights of his short career so far in the video below.