Walcott & Van Persie To Quit Arsenal?

This is surely getting ridiculous now. Arsenal are, according to Arsene Wenger, very busy on the phone sorting out transfers, whether it be new recruits, or using his skills of persuasion to keep players at the club. Those skills will however, be working overtime if reports are believed that yet more Arsenal players may be leaving the club this summer.

Gael Clichy is close to a move to Manchester City, which will see his weekly wages increased by over £30,000, while Samir Nasri is the subject of a transfer battle between Manchester United, City, Chelsea and pretty much any other club who can afford his £18 million asking price and £130,000 a week wages. Couple that with Cesc Fabregas and his own little transfer saga which has lasted for the past few years, who finally seems to be preparing to move back to his home town club, Barcelona, and it isn't looking good on the Arsenal departure front.

That of course, together, is enough bad news for Arsenal fans to take, with the prospect of their captain, their player of the season and their long serving left back possibly leaving. But now there is more. More bad news to digest. More players possibly leaving.

The sources of these rumours made in the tabloids are by no means reliable, so the fact that they have claimed Theo Walcott is the subject of interest from Chelsea and Robin van Persie is considering his future at the club must be taken with a pinch of salt.

The Mail said of Walcott: "Chelsea are about to add further misery to Arsenal's summer by launching a bid for Theo Walcott."

The Star claims that van Persie "is deeply worried at the prospect of the club’s big players being sold and promising prospects – rather than star names – being signed to fill their places."

In 2009, both players signed new long term deals to stay at Arsenal, with them both expressing their desire to stay at the club for many years to come. Van Persie stated that he couldn't picture himself in another shirt other than the Arsenal kit, while Walcott told of his excitement for many more seasons to come at Arsenal under "the best manager in the world" in Arsene Wenger.

It's a huge change in direction if we are to believe these new reports of their apparent rethink on the situation at Arsenal, but with three of their top players, and big characters in the Arsenal dressing room close to the exit door, it is understandable that they may be looking to follow. It is vital to keep hold of your best players at any club, as selling them and not replacing them with equals or better shows a lack of ambition, and in a footballer short career with limited years to win trophies, ambition is key.

It isn't a great position for Arsene Wenger to be in. He's looking for players to come in an bolster his squad after another season of disappointment, and would rather be building a team instead of seeing it dismantled. Insult would be added to injury if Arsenal were to sell their top players to their fellow Premier League competitors including Chelsea and Manchester United.  

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Yann M'Vila - Premier League Star of the Future?

It's all "go" in the transfer window at the moment, with football clubs all over the world negotiating deals for players who could make their team a force to be reckoned with. Even Arsenal's Arsene Wenger has admitted to being on the phone constantly, racking up a huge phone bill all in the hope of bringing players in and keeping current players happy so they want to stay. But there is one young talent who may not be the subject of phone calls regarding transfers this season, but is biding his time. He is talent that many a Premier League club have been monitoring closely, but one who will not act too rashly or ambitiously be jumping ship to a top side to soon.

Yann M'Vila has been tracked by Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal as well as Real Madrid among others, with United reportedly having prepared a £15 million bid for him this summer. It is a bid which takes into account United's depleted midfield options now that Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves are gone for good.

While United fans will be looking and hoping for the arrival of a proven, top class attacking midfielder such as Arsenal's Samir Nasri or Inter's Wesley Sneijder, Sir Alex Ferguson may be continuing to look to the future, and it is absolutely certain that M'Vila has a big one ahead of him.

At 21 years of age, the French defensive midfielder is already a very mature young man. He has steadily risen from the ranks for his country, starting out with the French Under-16's and playing through every age stage until his senior call-up in August of 2010. A 19 year-old M'Vila, who plays his club football for Ligue 1 side Rennes, was called up to the French World Cup preliminary squad on May 11th, with the then France manager, Raymond Domenech citing his reasons:

"I saw that he already had the mentality of a top player. I looked at him on the pitch and I thought I was seeing a 26-year-old, not a teenager. His choices, his positioning and his distribution belonged to someone much older, more experienced."

His maturity extends to off the field too, already being a husband and father to two children. While family distractions could easily throw a footballer off of their focus on football, M'Vila has said that he believed i has helped him to become a more stable person:

"Fatherhood has made me more responsible and given my life stability."

A model professional is exactly what the biggest football clubs look for, with stable and mature lives. Sir Alex Ferguson is known to like this quality in his players, despite the recent news stories about certain of his players less than holy private lives. So why can't he just join the Premier League now? You may ask. Well, it comes down the the very fact of his focus on football.

He has recently agreed a one year extension on his Rennes contract, and the French clubs general manager, Pierre Dreossi, is very keen to keep hold of M'Vila, saying that if he does leave, it will be next year rather than this but he is confident of keeping hold of M'Vila this summer, despite interest from the top clubs around the world. The player said:

"At my age, many young players are going to earn more money, but personally I would like to continue to progress with a coach who knows me well, Frederic Antonetti."

It does seem inevitable that the 21 year-old will be leaving some time in the future, and when he does, his preference is to the Premier League, and in particular, with the "club of his dreams", Manchester United. In two separate interviews in the past, M'Vila stated:

"I would like to play in a great league and the Premier League is sensational. English football would best fit my style of play. 

"Manchester United is the club of my dreams. It is a very prestigious club and I dream to play for them.”

He may be what Manchester United are looking for. The signing of Owen Hargreaves in 2007 showed Sir Alex Ferguson's intent to play someone with the tackling ability, strength and technique to cover the back four, and push forward as well. Indeed, the season that Hargreaves played saw United win both the Premier League title and a Champions League trophy, highlighting the successful formulae that Sir Alex discovered. However, Hargreaves's well known injuries ruled him out for pretty much every game for the next four years, and United will be looking for a similar player minus the injuries.

M'Vila is a strong, tough tackler with a lot of energy to cover a lot of ground for his team mates, putting pressure on the opponent, and winning the ball to give to his team mates - exactly what Hargreaves did. M'Vila isn't too bad going forward either, with the useful ability to find a team mate with a good passing range. He managed three goals and an assist last season, which doesn't exactly jump off the page, but it is important to not that attacking isn't what M'Vila is all about.

The waiting game will have to be played by M'Vila's possible suitors, United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus and Athletico Madrid. That is, unless any of them are willing to pay over the odds to secure his signature this summer, and Rennes are looking for at least £15 million for him. His most likely destination is the Premier League, and the most likely time he joins is next summer, but if and when he does join, he could be, with his midfield capabilities, huge maturity and suitability, a Premier League star.

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Chelsea Want Nasri & Cahill - Madrid Want Fabregas

Manchester United and Manchester City are the two clubs known to be interested in Arsenal's Samir Nasri, and with other foreign clubs preparing to make a move for the Frenchman, Nasri is very much in demand. Now, reports are stating that Chelsea will make a move for the Arsenal midfielder if their bid for Luka Modric does not materialize into a deal.

Arsenal are still trying to persuade Nasri to sign a new contract, but as the days go by, it looks more and more likely that the 24 year-old is looking for a move away. He has plenty of options, and if he does decide to move on from Arsenal, he will have a tough decision to make as to what reasons he should make that move. Whilst he has said in the past that he wants to win trophies, which now suggests that a move to United or Chelsea more likely, Manchester City are said to be prepared to offer much larger wages.

Nasri is said to want £110,000 per week in wages, with Arsenal offering £90,000 and all of the prospective clubs that the Arsenal midfielder could join are willing to match Nasri's demands. It seems Arsenal have come to accept that hey wont be able to  match the huge weekly payments that their rival clubs like United, City and Chelsea can afford.

Chelsea are also trying to outbid Arsenal for the Bolton defender Gary Cahill according to some reports. Yes, the new Chelsea manager, Andres Villas-Boas is said to be monitoring the situation with the seemingly inevitable departure of Cahill, as he looks to find a long term replacement for John Terry at the centre of defence. Arsenal have targeted Cahill along with Chris Samba, with the former proving to be the more expensive option at £17 million. City, the club interested in every player that your club is interested in, also want the 25 year-old. With Chelsea and City's budgets, you would have to put them down as favourites ahead of Arsenal.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid are prepared to rival a Barcelona bid for Cesc Fabregas, rating the Arsenal captain at £45 million - an amount Barcelona cannot pay due to their debts. It would be highly unlikely however, that Fabregas would even think about a move to Real Madrid because of his childhood connection with Barcelona. That is all he really wants - to join Barcelona. Apparently Madrid see Fabregas as a long term replacement to Xabi Alonso.

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