Arsenal In New Jagielka Bid - Wenger Wants Respect

Arsenal's second bid for Phil Jagielka in as many summer transfer windows was once again rejected by Everton, but the Gunners will now apparently make a third bid, and raise the stakes in the hope of coming closer to the Merseyside clubs valuation of the England defender.

Many reports have suggested that Everton would be willing to listen to an offer if it was closer to £20 million, especially as David Moyes knows he must sell before he buys, and Arsene Wenger is now willing to up his £10 million offer for Jagielka.

Wenger has said that he will "certainly" purchase another defender in this window and is working very hard to do so, and his previous bid for the 28 year-old may have been simply a sign of his interest, as he surely could not have imagined a £10 million would be accepted.

According to the Express, the Everton manager would encourage the board to accept a £17 million bid for his star defender, but whether or not Arsenal would offer that much is debatable, especially considering the players age and Wenger's strict policy for younger players.

Wenger refuses as a matter of principle to discuss his targets, because he doesn't wish to sink as low as Barcelona have in attempting to purchase Cesc Fabregas through various comments and gestures.

However, he has also been angered by Manchester City's interest in Samir Nasri, with Roberto Mancini openly discussing his desire for the Frenchman to be a City player, or at the very least giving large hints to the media about it. The Arsenal manager has had enough, and demands some respect be shown to the transfer rules and that the rules be reviewed. When asked whether or not he believes City have broken any rules regarding Samir Nasri, Wenger said:

"I would like to return the question to you. What do you think? We live in a realistic world. I do not want to assess what I cannot prove." 

"I know how things happen. It doesn't necessarily go through the player or the agent but I think it is a rule that has to be reviewed. It's not really respected."

He also commented on the players he has at the club, and who he is prepared to let go. Both Nicklas Bendtner and Emmanuel Eboue have been allowed to talk to other clubs about a move, but everyone else, Wenger continues to "fight" for them to stay:

"How many will leave the club? I said from the start I will fight to keep everybody. Nicklas Bendtner might go and Emmanuel Eboue might go. They can talk to clubs, but the rest I will fight." 

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Emmanuel Eboue to Leave? - Djourou Wants Reward

While Arsenal battle to keep hold of one of their vital play makers, Samir Nasri, another player, who can be considered a little less important in terms of Arsenal's future challenge for trophies, Emmanuel Eboue may be on his way out of the Emirates.

Newly promoted Queens Park Rangers manager, Neil Warnock is said to be interested in bringing the Ivorian to Loftus Road. The 28 year old's experience and versatility at the top level of English football could prove crucial in QPR's fight for survival next season, and Eboue, who has proved a useful squad member at Arsenal may be a player forced out of Arsenal as a result of Wenger's busy summer of transfers.

A sale would add to Arsenal's spending power in the market - not by much, but surely enough to add to the transfer kitty that Wenger has been so reluctant to use over the past few years. QPR would offer Eboue the chance to stay in London rather than relocate to a foreign country where he has been linked to Roma in Italy.

Eboue would add his athleticism, tireless attitude and versatility to QPR as well as his enthusiasm and comical personality - often seen as the joker of the Arsenal side off the pitch. On the pitch however, he can be equally as comical with sometimes unpredictable errors and mistakes which have often proven costly for Arsenal over the seven seasons he has been there.

Meanwhile, Johan Djourou, Arsenal's Swiss defender has tried to get his team mates and manager inspired and prepared for next season where he hopes to reward the patient Arsenal fans with success. On the back of the 2 - 2 draw with England he said:

"Obviously, now we want to do better as a team and as individuals to get something. I think that the fans deserve and the manager deserves something. We need to get better, get stronger, and really prepare well for next season."

When questioned about Arsenal's busy summer ahead, and what impact the possible new recruits may bring, Djourou was less certain but insisted that new players and competition for places is always good:

"I don't know - that's for the manager to answer. I think competition is always good. That pushes you in your position. When you want to make a team better, you have to have a good squad. I think that we had a good squad but if players with experience or different players can bring quality, they're welcome." 

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Braga 2 - 0 Arsenal - Watch Goals - Fabregas & Eboue Injured

Watch the goals on the links below.

Braga First Goal

Braga Second Goal

Tempers were running high after the game, with Arsenal furious with the referees decision not to give a penalty to Arsenal, which could have changed the game in Arsenals favour. Carlos Vela was booked for a dive when he was clearly brought down, but this cannot mask the poor perfomance from the London side.

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas was brought off in the 69th minute and Wenger said:

"Fabregas has a hamstring injury so it's difficult to predict how long he will be out for. But he will definitely be out for the weekend."

While Emmanuel Eboue was also added to the injury list after a nasty challenge on him from behind. Wenger said:

"Eboue will be out for a few weeks because he took a very bad tackle, unpunished. It is a medial knee ligament injury."

Wenger wasn't finished there however. He went on to claim his team are in an unlucky period of their season which will pass while he critisized UEFA's additional officials and branded the system "useless".

"We are going through a period where we have bad luck, we had Eboue kicked off the park without any punishment and we also had the penalty turned down.

"What was the fifth official doing? We have another proof that it is absolutely useless, this system.

"Then when we were 10 against 11, we made a mistake at the back, there was a minimum of communication and that's where we were punished."

"[Not having qualfied yet] is a concern, but we'll make it."

Defender Johan Djourou added:

"It's very hard to take."

The two goals came late on in the game - both in counter attacks from Braga in which Arsenal were left short at the back. Clinical finishing played a big part as you can see above, but Arsenal really should have been looking for a simple win against the Portugese club.

There will be calls again for Wengers reign to be over at Arsenal; extremist views, but views which are becoming more understandable as the dissapointing results keep coming in. It is hard to take for the patient Arsenal fans everywhere, but Wenger knows this. The bad results may be a wake-up call - a call that will alert Wenger to the need for improvements to his squad; a new goalkeeper? Stronger defenders? Or maybe it is simply a physcological problem.

Arsenal have good quality players, and they have a manager widely regarded as a football genius. It is odd then that they have so many weaknesses, or rather such a large single weakness.