Ashley Cole is going out~

Ashley Cole will finally move across London this weekend for a reasonable price of 22m pounds- when you think of SWP at 21m and the geriatric Sheva at 30m, you'd have to say it was a good deal for both teams. They will also sell Reyes for a bargain at 10m to Real Madrid. Arsene doesn't have a budget per se, he tells D Dein he wants a player, Dein takes it to the board and they rubber stamp it. But Arsene knows he can't lose Pires, Bergkamp, Cole, Campbell and Reyes and not replace them, even if Pires was the only one who played a major part last year and he has already been amply replaced by Rosicky.

Reyes has already been replaced- look to see a lot of Theo Walcott after Christmas. Despite the new contract, Arsenal will have Curtis Davies in the next two weeks for 8m pound. Phillipe Lahm is almost a done deal to replace Ashley. Arsene likes Ribery as a player but he's too much of a flake- he may come in January if he doesn't go to Lyon this summer. Arsene doesn't spend stupid money for mediocre players (like Michael Carrick). He will spend stupid money for unlimited potential though, Walcott for example. He's also happy he didn't get Baptista last summer and Reyes to Real Madrid will be a cash only deal- same with Ashley Cole. I think the people that say here that money and players will be exchanged are all Yanks that are used to trading of players rather than transferring.

One point I would like to make to the people that post here- you might have the best information in the world but if you post with web chat room abbreviations like 'u' and scatter your posts with grammatical errors and nicknames that nobody has ever heard of, I will think you are an idiot and so will everybody else. Please, use real words and real names. Thank you.

Fifa clears Arsenal after probe

 Fifa has cleared Arsenal of any breach of club ownership rules over their dealings with Belgian side Beveren. BBC Newsnight said Belgian police found Arsenal made an irregular £1m payment to Beveren - a charge the club denied.

Fifa asked the Football Association to look into the allegation and it absolved Arsenal of any wrongdoing. And Fifa will not take the matter further, saying: "There is no evidence or indication of any infringement of the relevant regulations."

Arsenal always maintained the £1m payment to Beveren was by way of a loan "to assist in stabilising the finances of Beveren" and vehemently denied having a controlling influence over the club.

The FA earlier found the Gunners had not breached any rules of the FA or the FA Premier League in relation to their dealings with Beveren.

The Fifa statement backed up these findings.

It read: "After carefully analysing the documents and statements provided by the Football Association in relation to an alleged breach of club ownership rules by Arsenal and Belgian club Beveren, Fifa confirmed there is no evidence or indication of any infringement of the relevant regulations.

"The FA had already reached the same conclusion, having been requested by Fifa to investigate the case. "Under the Fifa statutes, it is the responsibility of the member associations to ensure that neither a natural nor a legal person exercises control over more than one club whenever the integrity of any match or competition could be jeopardised.


"In view of these findings, Fifa does not see any reason for further investigation or for any additional measures to be taken in this connection.Premier League rules prohibit clubs making loans or owning shares but these rules do not apply to dealings with a club based outside England.

The Gunners have an arrangement with the Belgium club to play friendly matches and there is an option for players to be loaned between the clubs. Ivory Coast defender Emmanuel Eboue moved to Arsenal following a successful spell with the Belgian team.

Adams given managerial role

Tony Adams has been given the assistant manager role at Portsmouth FC.

Adams replaces former assistant manager Kevin Bond, who has moved up North to Newcastle.

It is widely hoped by Arsenal fans that Adams will one day take on the manager role at the club where he is still idolised and was once captain.

Adams said: "Harry's a guy I respect and one I'd love to work with.

"He obviously thinks a lot of me to approach me and I've got a lot of admiration for him.

"The respect I've got for him is second to none, he's a great man.

"I love the character he is.

"He seems really honest and that's all I've ever wanted, to work for people who are like that."

Lehmann wins praise from rival

Bayern Munich goalkeeper and Germany's second goalkeeper Oliver Kahn has praised Jens Lehmann's performances during the World Cup.

There has been a long-standing rivalry betweeen the two German goalkeepers, and Kahn's concession that Lehmann has performed well is a major personal win for the Arsenal number one.

Kahn said: "[Jurgen] Klinsmann has decided against me which was not easy for me but I have accepted it and will now try to bring in my experience and try to help where I can."

Germany have yet to concede a goal since conceding two against Costa Rica on their opening day match, and Kahn says Lehmann deserves most of the credit.

Kahn added: "Jens' performance has been flawless. He plays very calmly and balanced.

"It is very important that he gives the back line stability and that is what he does. He communicates a lot.

"We have kept three clean sheets and that speaks for itself."

Emirates Stadium Is Getting Ready~

Arsenal Managing Director Keith Edelman has told the official website that the new Emirates Stadium is ready for opening soon.

A testimonial match for a certain Dennis Bergkamp has been scheduled in to be the first match at the new stadium, but Edelman says that a series of events have also been planned.

Edelman said: "It is going extremely well.

"There is still some finishing off work to do of course. There is a lot of cleaning up but essentially the executive boxes are complete and Club Level is done.

"We have a little bit of work to be done on the general concourse but we are practically there. We are ready to go.

"We will get the stadium from the builders very soon.

"We are looking forward to that and our three 'ramp-up' events.

"There will be a shareholders event in the middle of July, then a Members Day for about 20,000 supporters.

"After that of course there is Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial on July 22 before the season starts on August 19 with Aston Villa."

Thierry Henry In Funny Ad

Hey Guys.... this is a video clip I saw in Turkey last month. It is a Pepsi Gold advertisement with Thierry Henry and Claudia Schiffer in it... Funny.... Hope U'll enjoy it~

Watch It

Henry denies diving against Spain

 
Henry denies diving against Spain

France striker Thierry Henry has denied cheating to win the free-kick which led to his side's second goal in their 3-1 World Cup victory over Spain.

Henry fell to the ground clutching his face after colliding with Carles Puyol. Puyol insisted the referee had made the wrong decision, adding: "If anything it was a foul by Henry."But Henry said: "Spain's left-back Mariano Perina was going to win the ball so I don't know why Puyol cut across me, but he did. I don't cheat."

Spain coach Luis Aragones agreed with Puyol, saying that the clash with Henry did not merit a free-kick. "For me the referee (Italian Roberto Rosetti) blew for a non-existent foul for the second goal," said Aragones."As for the third goal, the game was practically over already when that went in."

It is not the first time Arsenal striker Henry has been involved in controversy with Barcelona star Puyol. The striker was angry at the referee for not taking action over the rough treatment he received from Puyol in May's Champions League final in Paris, which Barcelona won 2-1.

After that match, Henry said: "Next time I'll learn to dive maybe, but I'm not a woman." The game between Spain and France was level at 1-1 when Italian referee Roberto Rosetti gave a free-kick to France for the challenge by Puyol.

Zinedine Zidane's deep free-kick was deflected off the head of Xabi Alonso and found Patrick Vieira, whose header ended in the net via a deflection off Spain's Sergio Ramos. Puyol said: "It hurts to lose this way, because I think we deserved more and we were playing a great game.

"But that's football. We now have to recover and think ahead to the next tournament." Henry told BBC One's Match of the Day programme that the victory proved that France's team spirit was strong.

"I think we have got a lot of stick, but we have shown that we are a team," he said.

"Now, no matter what happens - you never know what can happen later on during the competition - we showed to our fans and to our people back in France that we are a team."

 Rumour: Yaya to Arsenal?

The latest transfer rumour hitting the fansites and blogs is that Yaya Touré, the younger brother of Arsenal defender Kolo Touré, is heading to the Premiership - and possibly to Arsenal.

Immediately after the Ivory Coast's 3-2 win over Serbia and Montenegro, Kolo Touré was glowing in his praise of his brother: "He was the best, he bossed the game," he said. "I am so proud of him. Maybe there is more for him to learn, but he played so well tonight for us."

But Kolo was of the opinion that Yaya would not be joining him at Arsenal, saying: "It would be nice, but I think he has a contract now in Greece. He has the talent, for sure. He is a better player than me. I tell him that, just as I tell everyone else."

However, the latest news circulating on the internet says that upon Yaya's return to Greece, he was treated poorly by the Olympiakos management, and is weighing up his options.

Specifically, his complaints refer to a dispute over payment and visa issues. In an interview with Greek sports daily "Sportime", Yaya said that he is considering his options and may move back to previous club Metalurg Donetsk in Ukraine. He may even appeal to FIFA to win his release.

Portsmouth are said to be keen on signing the player, but Arsenal could be in the running, given Yaya's family connections with the North London club.

Arsenal's New 2006/2007 kit

It's quite interesting, the new design. To me, it seems less modern that I had thought, being more retro.

You look at the kits at the World Cup and in particular the Adidas and Brazillian kits, they all have a moden look and feel to them.

I'm not a fan of the gold lines going down the side of the shirt, and I'm not sure of the collar / flap at the top either.

You see photos of the new Adidas and Reebok kits for next season (especially Ajax's and Liverpool's) and they're much more attractive than what Nike have produced here.

What I do like however, is the little cannon on the back of the collar. Nice nouch by Nike there.

More photos of the new kit.

Arsenal Fly Emirates Jersey

The Deal





Emirates Airline and Arsenal Football Club have signed the biggest club sponsorship deal in football history, collectively worth some �G100 million.

The deal provides Emirates with naming rights to the club��s new �G357 million stadium. For the next 15 years it will be known as the Emirates Stadium.




Emirates will take over as the club��s title sponsor �V including ��Fly Emirates�� shirt sponsorship �V for eight years, starting from the 2006-2007 season, the first playing season in the new Emirates Stadium.

The combined value of both elements of this sponsorship is by far the biggest deal ever undertaken in British football. Designed to ensure a long-lasting relationship between Emirates and Arsenal Football Club.

Emirates has fast been developing its own UK business. The world��s fastest growing intercontinental airline has more than tripled the size of its UK operation in the last four years, now flying 11 times daily from five UK departure points �V London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow �V to our home base of Dubai and from there to a network of over 75 worldwide destinations.

Today Arsenal Look Alikes....

Tony Adams Arsenal FC1983-2002

POSITION : Central Defender
DATE OF BIRTH : Monday, 10th October 1966
PLACE OF BIRTH : Romford, Essex, England
DEBUT : Saturday, 5th November 1983 in a 2-1 defeat at home to Sunderland (Aged: 17)
CLUB CAREER : 500 League apps (+4 as sub), 32 goals

Trabelsi offered Arsenal contract

Tunisia defender Hatem Trabelsi has been offered a contract at the English side Arsenal, according to his agent. The 29-year-old has been a long-term transfer target for Gunners manager Arsene Wenger.

The right-back is available on a free transfer as his contract with Dutch club Ajax expires next month.

Wenger is keen to sign Trabelsi after learning his injured Cameroon full-back Lauren will not recover in time for the start of the season.

Trabelsi boosted his reputation with a starring role for Tunisia at the World Cup and his agent Franklin Sedoc confirmed Arsenal were leading a host of English Premiership clubs in the chase to sign him.

Sedoc told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "There's a contract ready for him at Arsenal. I can show you that. "I get calls from English clubs every day. Manchester City and West Ham have been in contact. "Hatem definitely wants to play in the Champions League and he's not going to stay in Holland."

Trabelsi announced his retirement from international football on Saturday.

Fabregas On The Target

Real Madrid presidential candidate Arturo Baldasano claims he has been in contact with Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas over a possible move to the Spanish giants - should he win the upcoming election. Baldasano is one of several candidates battling it out for the post left vacant by former supremo Fernando Martin, who resigned in April.

Having recently revealed he is chasing Lyon midfielder Mahamadou Diarra, Baldasano has now added Spain international Fabregas to the list of players he is hoping to bring to the club. "We´ve been in contact with Cesc and his agent has revealed to us that he wants to come to Madrid," Baldasano told the Spanish media.

Senderos faces six-week lay-off

Switzerland and Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos could be out of action for six weeks after dislocating his shoulder against South Korea. But Senderos does not need an operation and doctors expect him back for the start of the Premiership season.

"He will have a scan to see if there are any additional problems and at the moment surgery is not necessary," said Swiss team doctor Roland Grossen. "He should be able to play again in five or six weeks."

The Arsenal centre-half suffered a cut to his face after his first-half opener against the Koreans but picked up his shoulder injury when he fell awkwardly in the 53rd minute. Switzerland's medical staff initially said he would be out for a minimum of two weeks and that there was a 50% chance of him undergoing surgery.

27/6/2006 FA clear Arsenal in Beveren investigation

The Football Association remain confident they have complied with all FIFA's requests concerning their investigation of Arsenal's dealings with Belgian club Beveren.

English football's governing body's original statement today revealed there was no evidence to suggest Arsenal had breached Premier League rules but the investigation was swiftly criticised by the BBC.

FIFA had requested the FA probe the relationship between the clubs following allegations on BBC's Newsnight programme that the Gunners made irregular payments to the Belgian outfit. The FA undertook a thorough inquiry, during which they received full co-operation from Arsenal and Beveren, and kept FIFA continually informed of their progress.

But the BBC's Newsnight programme criticised the investigation, claiming the FA had not answered the relevant questions asked by FIFA. A statement issued on behalf of Newsnight said: `After a three-week investigation the Football Association has established that Beveren is a Belgian football club and therefore does not compete against Arsenal in the Premiership or the FA Cup. This is not what Sepp Blatter asked for.

`FIFA wrote to the FA on the June 4 after the Newsnight programme to say `By means of this letter we kindly ask you to carry out an appropriate investigation into the relevant relationship between your affiliated club, Arsenal, and Beveren.

`'We also ask you investigate the relationship with Asec Mimosas from the Ivory Coast. We ask you to carry out an investigation to ensure proper clarification of the issue'.

`Instead the FA appears to have `investigated' whether Arsenal owns or controls another English club. The FA has not investigated any of the allegations in the original Newsnight film which related to dealings between Arsenal, Beveren and the Ivory Coast.'

But a spokesman for the FA responded: `Following the letter received from FIFA, we have conducted an inquiry in line with their request. `The FA has undertaken a thorough and appropriate inquiry and will continue to offer any assistance to FIFA that they may require.' The Newsnight programme related how police uncovered an investment into Beveren of £1million from an anonymous donor, which they subsequently concluded had been provided by Arsenal.

The Gunners responded by issuing a statement declaring their partnership with Beveren is on a football basis only, although they confirmed they paid a loan to stabilise the club in 2001. Arsenal have an arrangement with Beveren to play friendly matches and loan players, with Ivory Coast defender Emmanuel Eboue arriving at Highbury on a permanent deal following a successful spell with the Belgian team. The Gunners, however, refute allegations of making irregular financial payments to Beveren.

The FA's original statement added: `In order to protect the integrity of matches and competitions, these rules prohibit clubs in the same competition from being owned, influenced or controlled by the same person or entity. `In this case, the relevant competitions are the FA Cup and the FA Premier League. The rules also prevent a Premier League club from owning or controlling another Premier League or Football League club. `The FA has provided all the material obtained during its inquiry to FIFA for its consideration.'

There was no further comment from FIFA.

Transfer News : 27/6/2006

• A striker will be signed but not one of the widely rumoured one's!Expect Javier Saviola or Kahlenberg(auxerre).
• Fernando Gago is a virtual done deal as he has been saying that he can't wait to play with Cesc Fabregas.
• Hatem Trabelsi is understood to be on the verge of joining Arsenal on a free transfer as cover for all of the back four positions as he can play at centre back as well as full back.
• A strong rumour is circulating in Brazil that Javier Mascherano has chosen Arsenal ahead of Chelsea and Man Utd.Arsenal had a £7million bid turned down for him 18 months ago when he was still at River Plate and it is understood that he had set his heart on a move to the Gunners.
• ARSENAL NEWS Contact has been made with Gigi Buffons agent but we will have to wait and see.
• Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is the latest manager to admit he wants to sign Holland and Feyenoord striker Dirk Kuyt.
• Other Possibilities:
• Curtis Davies(6 million)
• Yaya Toure(8.5 million)
• Miroslav Klose(12 million)

No truth in Real Madrid rumours: Wenger

Arsene Wenger has denied reports he has agreed to become Real Madrid coach if Juan Villar Mir wins the presidential election. Several Spanish media sources have suggested Arsenal boss Wenger has already negotiated a four-year deal worth £3.4million a year with the Spanish giants and will take over at the Bernabeu if Villar Mir succeeds Fernando Martin in the top job.

But Wenger told AS today: `I don't know if anyone has spoken to my club. No-one has agreed anything with me, it's not true.' Madrid are searching for a coach after Juan Roman Lopez Caro's temporary stint came to an end at the end of last season.

Lopez Caro, who will take charge of Racing Santander next season, was appointed after Wanderley Luxemburgo was sacked in December.

Player Profile : Tomas Rosicky

Tomas Rosicky signed for Arsenal FC on the 23rd of May 2006 from German giants Borussia Dortmund, for a rumoured fee of �G7m.

Rosicky, a playmaker blessed with incredible natural talent, signed for Dortmund in 2001, a year after starring in the Champions League with Sparta Prague. He even scored twice against Arsenal in a 4-2 loss at Highbury, where he scored one goal after dribbling through Arsenal's entire back four.

His ability to orchestrate play earned him the nickname of "Little Mozart" in Germany. Rosicky joined Sparta Prague at the age of 8, following in the footsteps of his father, who was a celebrated player in the former Czechoslovakia.

He made his debut at 17 and won the championship in 1999 and 2000. He earned his first international cap in February 2000 and within a year he had moved to Dortmund for �G18m, a Bundesliga record at the time.

We look forward to his debut.

Biodata

Full name : Tomas ROSICKY
Position : Attacking Midfielder
Born: October 4 1980, Prague
Country : CZECH REPUBLIC
Height :127cm
Weight : 65kg


Joined: Tuesday, 23 May 2006
Debut : ??/??/2006
Previous clubs :
CKD Kompensory
Sparta Prague
Borussia Dortmund

Honours

1999 - Czech League Title (Sparta Prague)
2000 - Czech League Title (Sparta Prague)
2001 - Czech Player of the Year
2002 - Bundesliga (Borussia Dortmund)