New White Kit - Diaby 2

Eduardo 9?

Van Persie 11?

Rosicky 7?

For a split second even Ljungberg 8.

But in the end I went for Diaby 2. He may not play as often as Cesc, Van Persie or Toure this season but I feel he is essential for our drive to win the league this season. His power in midfield and his surprising ability on the ball and in getting forward mark Diaby as a goliath for the future and essential midfield powerhouse for today.

Right. So there I am in line to have names on backs (and numbers on shorts) and a ticker comes across Sky Sports News quoting AP that Manchester United have signed Carlos Tevez. Seeing this there was an audible groan in the Amoury. Tevez is a fantastic signing for United. Even if they send Louis Saha on his way to West Ham in exchange, Tevez addition is a major statement of intent for United. More so than the depth and youth additions of Nani, Anderson and Hargreaves (in spite of their collective cost). In SPITE of myself, I was thinking of how well Rooney and Tevez could link together. But quickly I moved on and Diaby 2 was firmly sealed into my new away kit.

Walking around the Amoury was interesting this morning. There are statements posted from Thierry Henry thanking the fans for their support and such. Funnier still is the sale area which almost exclusively featured all manner of Henry hats, shirts, buttons and books. I noticed also that the "Way Out" in Arsenal Station had been returned to the panoramic photo (above) throughout the store but with Henry miraculously erased. Clearly with our support of course.

I noticed also that we still sell Dennis Bergkamp action figures. These were NOT on sale. Interesting.

On the way to the ground The Guardian informed me that the club are very confident of Arsene Wenger resigning for another 3-4 years. That's good if perhaps complacent. I would like to see Wenger sign his contract before this calendar year in over to allieviate the nagging concerns of supporters. I feel the players must present Wenger with fulfilment of their full potential as payback for his enduring trust. This is essential for Arsene Wenger to feel confident about realising his dreams with Arsenal Football Club. Abou Diaby can be a big part of those dreams.

Transfer Rumours - Michael Owen

There have been lots of histrionics this summer about Newcastle and their penchant for signing strikers to contracts featuring release clauses. Both Oba Martins (£13m) and Michael Owen (£9m) have clauses if actioned could see them join another club.

Like Arsenal.

Much of the talk this week has centred around Obafemi Martins joining the club. Gooners will still remember the forward masterclass Martins put on with Inter Milan when they beat us 3-0 at Highbury. I have never before or since see a forward overpower Kolo Toure. Of course we were able to then destroy Inter Milan at the San Siro 5-1 to return the favour. But not forgotten was the display that an 18 year old striker put on against one of the strongest and quickest defenders the Arsenal have ever employed.

His 17 goals in 33 appearances for the club was a rather decent beginning to life in English football. He even recorded a strike of 84 mph (135 km/h), or the ninth hardest shot ever recorded in football beating sp*rs 3-2 in January at Three Point Lane.

Michael Owen is a different kettle of fish entirely. At £9m he represents very good value for money particularly as an English striker (see Darren "£16.5m" Bent for details). Although he is on obscene wages at Newcastle, Owen is a winner and a proven goal scorer at every level he has played. That is to say that if he were offered the opportunity to join a top four club in England that he would almost certainly not demand the level of salary he currently enjoys at Newcastle.

Owen is also in the prime of his career and represents the closest player I can think of in English football to Ian Wright. A player we have never really replaced in spite of the great success with Henry and Bergkamp. Arsene Wenger is long thought to be against including this sort of player within the Arsenal system but that is untrue. Francis Jeffers is testement to that. And with Owen available for less than what Jeffers cost many moons ago I'm quite certain that Wenger has considered making a bid for the England striker. In fact, word around the campfire is that Wenger had Owen scouted at the recent England "B" match last month.

TRANSFER POSSIBILITY RATING - 4/10

With or without Owen, Van Persie and Adebayor are going to be our first two strikers this coming season. Michael Owen would certainly complement the group including Nicolas Bendtner, Theo Walcott and perhaps Carlos Vela. But he would be at best the number 2 striker. Would this be attractive to Owen? I think so. He'll be confident of starting most games and would probably love to work with Hleb, Rosicky and Fabregas.

Transfer Rumours - Nicolas Anelka

Unlike many of the fans who have newly filled the capacity of Emirates, some of us recall a time before Thierry Henry. And before Henry there was Anelka.

I should declare my interest here. When we signed Thierry Henry as a replacement for Nicolas Anelka I didnt think that Henry looked the part and was convinved that what we were losing was impossibe to replace. But I was wrong.

Henry and Anelka have had their careers progress in very different directions in the years since Anelka's brothers agitated for the move to Real Madrid that would change both their lives. Henry has become a world football icon and Arsenal record goal scorer while Anelka has become a footballing nomad making stops in such footy outposts as Bolton, Fenerbace, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.

While Henry has fully realised his potential, Anelka has sulked around Europe dripping both class and bile in equal measure. Because like every footballer who leaves the Arsenal of Arsene Wenger, the success (Gio), money (Ashley Cole) or weather (Jose Antonio Reyes) are never more lucious that the green grass of football played by the Arsenal and the player's bespoke role within the system.

Could then Nicolas Anelka replace Thierry Henry's role within the side? Yes. This boy has immense talent as we unfortunately witnessed first hand last season. On the plus side, he's also almost two years younger than Henry and we wouldn't have to make him captain. He is starving to play the football we play and is guaranteed a place within the France side should he join us. In fact, with Euro 2008 12 months away, Anelka could certainly upset the applecart of France should he prove his worth to Arsenal once again. On the negative side, a black cloud surrounds this man. While he has surely become more mature in recent years there have to be question marks about his attitude.

Is this worth the risk?

Absolutement.

Wenger knows precisely how Anelka would fit into our football and while he may not be the figurehead upon which all of our football would now be played (a la Henry) he would definitely share the responsibility with Van Persie and fairly or unfairly cast much less of a shadow over the talents of other players in the side like Rosicky and Fabregas.

There are others we should look at very seriously. But Anelka is the player who would most quickly adapt to our football and not overshadow Robin Van Persie or Manu Adebayor.

TRANSFER POSSIBILITY RATING - 6/10

There is something rather too perfect about a scenario where Anelka the prodigal son returns to the club to replace his replacement, our interest could simply be his people whipping up competition for a player on Manchester United's radar. The £10m figure sounds about right however and Anelka is absolutely the one player on earth who could be confident and experienced enough to step into Henry's shoes with the Arsenal and be Le Man up front for Arsene Wenger. He's done so before and this time he is actually in his prime.

1998 - Memories Are Made Of This

Arsenal doubling United moments got me thinking back "doubles" and specifically to a moment in time where Arsenal came back from 12 points behind the leaders to win the league. We won 10 matches on the trot to win the league and win the double.

Back to that in a second.

Down a goal to a cagey Manchester United today, we recovered from Rooney scoring the only United chance in the second half to press on to victory. Manu Adebayor and Cesc Fabregas would simply not give up the fight in spite of Manchester United's cynical "professional" time wasting (i.e. second half *injury crisis) and their desire persevered in finding firstly Robin Van Persie on the far post and then the previously anonymous Thierry Henry in front of goal to win the match.

The best moment of the match had to be MoM (for me) Cesc Fabregas out fighting Paul Scholes just outside the area in the build up to the Van Persie goal. This boy pulled strings all day and was by miles the best player on display.

I also found that United's vaunted width was found wanting today. Ronaldo was rather easily dealt with by both Clichy and Eboue and while Rooney scored running in from the right, his overall contribution was neglibile. I note also that when Rooney was ever played anywhere but striker for England, Sven was ripped as having no tactical nous... but Fergie does the same and is lauded for his tactics. I digress. Either way... it didnt work.

One more thing to add. Manchester United's side today was at least 5 years older than the Arsenal on average. They may be currently topping the table but clearly Arsenal are a side on the rise. In spite of Fergie's patronising comments about Arsenal playing above their weight to get to the Champions League final last year, the fact of the matter is that we have played United twice and won both matches, we have run Chelsea very close at Stamford Bridge and had our way with Liverpool on way too many occassions to count. In the table of "top four clubs" Arsenal are king. By quite some distance.

And this today without William Gallas and Gilberto.

This leaves us 12 points behind Manchester United in the league. Unlike United, we are still in all competitions and with two full blooded derbies against sp*rs next, we must make full use of the depth that killed off United today and rotate our forwards and midfielders effectively.

12 points left. 1998. This is a very young side but they know their history.

And Fergie... dont ever get patronising about the Arsenal again. Ta

United are BACK!

Alex Ferguson is in full valedictory form. He's praising Wenger's sale of Cole, yappin' about Arsenal being in transition, talking up his old guard of Ole Gunnar, Neville, Scholes and Giggs, and waxing lyrical about the best ever start his side have made. Delicous pap. And the press have eaten it up. Manchester United are BACK! And better still, Alex Ferguson is absolutely believeing his own press.

Conversely, Arsenal are apparently in dire straits, tactically naive and of course too young to win at this level.

We have absolutely no chance. There is no Van Persie and no Henry... as well as no Vieira, Bergkamp, Reyes, Cole, Campbell, Senderos, Clichy, Lauren... etc etc.

I can recall this variety of press a few months ago as Arsenal ventured into the Bernabeu for the first time. Mates of mine predicted a 3-0 or 4-0 drubbing at the hands of the "biggest club in world". Madrid's form at the time was imperious and they would surely brush aside such a young side that had stuggled so much away from Highbury last season. Madrid were bang in form and would have too much going forward for an Arsenal defence which featured a player most unhappy to line-up out of position at leftback.

At the time Arsene Wenger was curiously confident and calm about the match. He grinned while he told a suspicious press that he believed his side had the strength of character to win the match.

Arsene Wenger was grinning again yesterday.

Eoin Heffernan

Having Ole Gunnar back ..."is like a new signing"

After a couple of years lost in the wilderness of injury, 33 year old (!!!!) Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has returned to the Manchester United first team. Gleeful at a popular old hand returning to action, Slur Alex has rather hilariously claimed that (having) "Ole back in action is like a new signing."

Delicious.

So no replacing Long Face and his 25 goals a season, then. I'm sure the United supporters are absolutely delighted about that. We're getting Torres... we're getting Riquelme... we're getting Vieira... we're getting Raul...

Translation... Michael Carrick. Oh the laughter that (for one brief moment) united both the Spurs and Gooner parts of North London over this transfer.

As the cost cutting continues at Old Trafford with the ashes of whole teams of youth players spread across the UK and beyond, United have seriously trimmed their wage bill in the recent 8 months in Keane, Ruud, Howard, Fortune and many many many others leaving the club for pastures elsewhere. As enjoyable as this is for Gooners to discuss ad nauseum, I would rather use their situation as a comparison for dicsussing our own.

Arsenal very clearly do not need to manipulate their supporters' hopes for the club with outrageously exaggerated transfer prices (Fergie DID NOT pay 18.6m for Michael Carrick but it suits both Spurs and United to claim that he did) and the ...like a new signing tripe. With our new stadium and the exploits in the CL last season as well as Wenger's canny dealings in the transfer market over the past 5 or 6 seasons, Arsenal have a very significant transfer budget sitting there... gathering cobwebs...waiting to be used.

While its not fair to claim that Arsenal have made simply one signing this summer as Wenger has brought in Merida, Song and Van Den Berg as well as Rosicky. It is fair to say that the club has added only one player to the immediate first team while losing Campbell, Cole, Bergkamp, Pires and possibly Reyes.

Like most Gooners, I've become very confident in the robustness of the Arsenal youth system to replace members of the first team to the extent that most of us will not be too disappointed to start the season with Clichy, Garry, Traore and Flamini at a pinch at left back.

But a mate of mine said something interesting that made me re-think the current situation Arsenal finds itself in. He noted the statement that selling Cole and Reyes makes about Arsenal Football Club. Given that he's a supporter of United, he knows much about what sales say about clubs... particulary when what is sold IS the club (as well as countless amounts of players). But this business of statement did linger with me particularly as Thierry Henry has alluded to this very issue when talking about Ashley Cole leaving Arsenal.

Given that we are surely chasing Chelsea this year for the league, Henry reckons that selling Ashley Cole to the Blues does seem counter productive to the process.... certainly from a team confidence point of view. This is why I think Wenger should make a statement and bring in a couple of established players before the transfer window closes. But it must be the right statement. We cannot fill imagined gaps in the side with players who will merely jump the queue ahead of the likes of Djourou, Clichy and Van Persie. But there are gaps to fill, particularly if Reyes does move to Madrid.

I would like to see Baptista arrive as part of any Reyes transfer. A powerful forward cum defensive midfielder is truly what the doctor ordered for Arsenal, particularly as Diaby is out until Christmas with injury and Gilberto is nearing the age where Wenger gets edgy about his players. I would truly enjoy going to Bolton or Everton with Baptista displaying more strength, power and class than the opposition. I think Walcott will be playing wing anyway for the Arsenal so we dont necessarily require a like for like replacement for Reyes.

I'd also like to see another defender enter the ranks. Gallas would be an interesting addition... certainly in terms of making a statement. Or Christian Chivu who seems on his way out of Rome. But more practically Arsenal need an injection of English into the side and I would prefer that Micah Richards arrives as an understudy to Toure, Senderos and yes Djourou. Or Curtis Davies. Young proven defenders with most of their careers ahead of them and tremendous upside to their talents.

Richards in particular has immense promise and at 18 has much time to learn the Arsenal style of play... particularly working with Kolo every day.

And I also think its important that Arsenal have at least a few English players in the squad with genuine passion for the sorts of February matches down the Riverside that Jose Antonio Reyes could never quite shine in.

Given that Arsene Wenger himself has noted the importance of buying a defender who can play both centrally and at leftback, lets all hope that someone arrives to fulfil that role rather than Wenger lowering himself to Fergie's level and talking up Pascal Cygan's return from injury as.... like a new signing.

EH