Stephan Lichtsteiner reveals why he joined Arsenal

Stephan Lichtsteiner reveals why he joined Arsenal

Lichtsteiner becomes the first non-Arsene Wenger signing at Arsenal in 22 years and is thought to have put pen to paper on a one-year deal.

On the move, Emery revealed: “Stephan brings huge experience and leadership to our squad.

"He’s a player with great quality with a very positive and determined attitude. Stephan will improve us on and off the pitch.”

Meanwhile, Lichtsteiner tweeted: "Happy and honoured to be a Gunner!

The Swiss international has made the move to London after seven years with Juventus.

The 34-year-old brings a wealth of experience, having played 98 times for his country and won seven titles with the Biaconeri, and claims the project under Emery attracted him to north London.

"It’s a great moment. It’s a great for me after Juventus to come to Arsenal and have this big challenge to make big things [happen] with this big club," Lichtsteiner told Arsenal's official website.

"There is a project. There is a project to come back into the Champions League. I think it’s hard to see a club like Arsenal not playing in the Champions League.

"If you see the players, if you see the club, the stadium… it’s the project, the big opportunity to get back to the highest level."

Lichtsteiner has spoken glowingly about his new manager, particularly Emery's success in Europe.

"He’s a very good coach who’s won a lot of titles, especially the Europa League that we play in this year," Lichtsteiner added.

"He’s a coach who knows what he wants and a coach who also progresses the players, and also old players like me. You never stop learning and this is very important. I’m really positive that we will do great things.

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Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere reportedly set to join Crystal Palace

Fitness struggles

Wilshere’s injury troubles over the course of his career have been widely covered in the press, with a string of lengthy spells on the sidelines having held the technically-gifted star back from a potentially top-class career.

Following a nightmare campaign during which he managed just 3 Premier League appearances for the Gunners in 2015/16, Wilshere was sent out on loan to Bournemouth last season.

He managed a respectable 27 league outings with the Cherries, but a hairline crack in his calfbone in April ruled the marauding midfielder out until August.

Return to form

Despite being heavily linked with a move away from the Emirates last summer, Wilshere surprisingly remained in North London, with his impressive early-season performances in the Carabao Cup and Europa League having led to a Premier League recall for the Englishman.

On the move?

But, as per the latest reports spreading across social media this afternoon, it is now surprisingly being claimed that Wilshere is in fact inching towards a move to Selhurst Park to link up with Crystal Palace.

The story, which first came to light this morning through a Polish Crystal Palace fan site, revealed that an individual who works at the training base in Malmo where the Eagles are due to travel next month was informed that Wilshere would be part of Roy Hodgson’s travelling squad.

The news has since led to a number of other sources insisting that Wilshere is indeed set to depart Arsenal imminently, with the English midfielder’s odds of joining Palace having dropped from 25/1 to just 4/1 with SkyBet over the last couple of hours.

Roy Hodgson is known to be a huge admirer of the talents of Wilshere, with the 26-year-old having also been heavily linked with a move to Selhurst Park last summer.

And, though this afternoon’s news is far from an official confirmation of his departure from the Emirates, growing sections of Arsenal’s fans are now in agreement that they have likely seen Wilshere line out in a Gunners’ jersey for the final time.

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Deal close – Versatile player to sign for Arsenal

Arsenal are close to completing their first summer signing under the management of new boss Unai Emery.

According to L’Equipe, French international Yacine Adli has rejected the chance to stay with Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain and instead, he is close to joining Arsenal.

The French source has claimed that even the likes of European champions Real Madrid and German giants Bayern Munich covered the 17-year-old midfielder but perhaps the project proposed by the Gunners has convinced him the most.

The teenage starlet is a versatile talent, who naturally plays in the central midfield but at times, he has been deployed in the No.10 role as well.

In the last campaign, Adli featured in 7 UEFA Youth League fixtures for PSG and scored one goal. So far, he has made 7 appearances for France’s U-18 side and scored 3 goals.

Two months back, in an interview with Goal.com, the midfielder stated:

“I think I’ve become more mature, largely thanks to my integration into the adult game with the reserves, certain training sessions with the professionals. I’ve also improved technically, tactically thanks to David Hernandez, who I’ve watched a lot of videos with, which has really helped me.

“But I think there are still some aspects I can improve. I’m aiming higher, so I’m full of things that can make me better.”

During Emery’s time at PSG, he showed a lot of faith in a number of youngsters and Adli was one of them. Therefore, it is clear that the Spanish manager’s presence at the Emirates is the key reason why the Gunners are close to signing Adli.

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Wenger hints at taking “testing” Real Madrid job?

Wenger hints at taking “testing” Real Madrid job?

Arsene Wenger made it clear that he still wanted to remain in management after parting ways with Arsenal after 22 years, but he also said that he would find it very hard to go to a different club in England and have to come to the Emirates as an opposing manager.

It is strange that he has given another interview to Bein Sports on the day that Zinedine Zidane has resigned from Real Madrid, despite winning the Champions League for the third time in a row, and Wenger also discussed that he had turned down the job at the Bernabeau on a number of occasions. Le Prof said: “Real Madrid I think I turned down two or three times you know,” he said. “It’s one of the teams I loved when I was a kid. I just felt that it was a very sensitive period for Arsenal Football Club.

“When we built the [Emirates] stadium the banks asked me to commit for five years. The first time I thought it was inside the five year and I thought I cannot do that, that would betray my club.”

But now the job is up for grasbs and there is no reason why Wenger couldn’t accept the challenge now, and he is looking for a job that will “test” him. “It is exciting because you will be tested again, that’s what I want again in my life basically I am a competitor who needs to be tested,” Wenger said. “I don’t know exactly what will happen now, but I am in front of an empty page and I will have to write the next chapter.”

Will that new chapter begin in the Spanish capital?

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Arsenal have reportedly declared interest in signing Gareth Bale this summer.

Arsenal have reportedly declared interest in signing Gareth Bale this summer.

The Real Madrid hero is eyeing a move away from the Bernabeu, despite winning his fourth Champions League winner’s medal in just four years.

Bale has been out of favour by Zinedine Zidane this season and started just over half of Real’s La Liga matches.

Other than his links with Tottenham, the forward is suggested to be attracting strong interest from Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain which could also see Unai Emery’s side struggle to land him.

Bale’s lack of match time this season still saw him fire in 16 goals in La Liga.

He also netted a spectacular overhead kick in the Champions League final to seal Real Madrid’s triumph in a row – a record.

It’s uncertain how much the the Welshman could cost, but the saga is likely to role on till the end of the summer.

Gooners, would you like to see Bale at Arsenal? Let us know in the comments…

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Arsenal boss Unai Emery will complete first signing this week, £16m deal agreed

Arsenal boss Unai Emery will complete first signing this week, £16m deal agreed ● News Now - sokratis papastathopoulos ● welcome to arsenal ● superb defensive skills ● 2018 - hd. arsenal set to sign borussia dortmund defender sokratis papastathopoulos ● news now ● #afc. 5million signing of borussia dortmund ace sokratis papastathopoulos according to reports.. the video about sokratis papastathopoulos's defending skills in 2017/18. arsenal targeting sokratis papastathopoulos as part of new back five this summer in overhaul of arsene wenger's squad - u... arsenal plotting transfer move for borussia dortmund star sokratis papastathopoulos.. arsenal 'favourites to sign sokratis papastathopoulos' with borussia dortmund prepared to cash-in on £18m-rated greece centre back....

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Ornstein reveals plan as Sokratis Papastathopoulos deal close

That’s according to BBC Sport journalist David Ornstein, who says Sven Mislintat is behind the Gunners’ move for the Greece international.

Arsenal are in the midst of a summer of change following Unai Emery's appointment as Arsene Wenger's successor at the Emirates.

Emery takes on the role of head coach in the club's new continental model, with Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi in charge of recruitment.

And Ornstein, who broke news of Emery's appointment, says the 29-year-old's arrival is part of a wider plan to buy seasoned stars.

"As per @JackPittBrooke Arsenal close to signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Dortmund," he wrote on Twitter.

"Latest acquisition led by Sven Mislintat, continues drive to rebuild defence/squad with experience/leadership.

"#AFC prioritising ready players & will integrate youth (eg Mavropanos) over time."

Arsenal are said to be paying around £16m for Papastathopoulos, who joined Dortmund from Werder Bremen in 2013.

They are believed to have budgeted for just £50m net spend going into the summer window - far less than those of their Premier League rivals.

Transfer guru Guillem Balague believes Arsenal can make that projected amount work by boosting their funds with sales though.

"Up until now, as everybody knows, everything had to go through Arsene Wenger but Unai Emery is happy to repeat the same position he has had at Sevilla, Valencia and PSG in which he was a head coach," said Balague.

"This means - if it's the same infrastructure - he can advise on what kind of players he needs and the club goes and gets them, for instance, and he won't have much of a say in the amount of budget that's needed. That will be down to the club.

"He will do what he is the best at - maximise the potential of the side and take the players out of their comfort zone. He will try and put a different kind of training, an intense training, in place with the idea that it gets transmitted into the games.

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Arsenal linked with cut-price Stoke midfielder

There has been much talk about Arsenal’s very small transfer war chest; 50 million if you believe some rumours and 70 million if you believe others. With it looking like Emery’s first signing is going to be the free agent Stefan Lichsteiner from Juventus it is entirely possible that Arsenal could also be tempted by the Senegal international Badou Ndiaye, who could have a cup-price get-out clause after seeing Stoke City relegated this season.

Badou (real name = Papa Alioune Ndiaye) only arrived at Stoke from Galatasary in January and has only played 13 times for the Potters, but it has been revealed he can leave by the Galatasaray correspondent Mehmet Ozcan, who was quoted as saying: “Ndiaye has a clause in his contract so he could leave on certain conditions. From Turkey I know that Fenerbahce and Besiktas met his representatives over a potential move.

“I also know that three clubs from the Premier League want him.”

Ndiaye was very highly rated at Stoke despite them getting relegated and he could be a surprise star of the future. He is big and strong and could help out the Gunners leaky defence next season. He only cost Stoke £14m in January so could by a value signing. Is he worth a gamble at that price?

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Arsenal 'eye Lorenzo Pellegrini move'

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini this summer.

Pellegrini, 21, scored three times in 37 appearances for Roma during the 2017-18 campaign.

The midfielder only returned to Roma last summer following a spell at Sassuolo, but it is understood that he has a £26m release clause inserted into his current deal.

According to Sky Sports News, new Arsenal boss Unai Emery is interested in signing the three-time Italy international, although Juventus are also considering an approach.

Pellegrini featured in Italy's 1-1 draw with England back in March.

According to Sky Sport Italia pundit Gianluca Di Marzio, Arsenal and their new manager Unai Emery have set their sights on Pellegrini for next season.

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