Premier League football returns tomorrow and it seems as if everything is coming back to normal from an Arsenal point of view. Robin van Persie was given a match off as he returned back to London without any bones broken and every other Gunner on international duty came back unscathed. Here’s a round-up of some of the recent Arsenal news.
Park settling well
New signing Park Chu-Young has had his fair share of international goals for Korea Republic this season and his first Arsenal goal was one to remember. The Korean superstar has told the media that he’s settling well and he’s targeting a regular starting spot:
“Since I joined the team it has been two months and I feel like I am in my normal condition now. The coaches adjust the training depending on the games we play and it’s good.
“I am settling off the pitch as well. All the Arsenal staff and everyone else have helped me. Also my wife is here so I don’t have many problems settling down.
“It’s pretty good, I don’t have any problems living here and I am not a fussy eater so I don’t have problems with the food either!”
Park has been eased into action by Arsene Wenger and he was very impressive in his second Carling Cup tie against Bolton. When Didier Deschamps and Marseille threatened to ‘go hard’ on Robin van Persie, Arsene Wenger gave the Korean a Champions League debut but there was no fairytale moment for Park as he played for an hour before replaced by van Persie.
Chamakh Stays
The signs are good for Park and his addition to the squad will certainly put Marouane Chamakh on his toes. Recently, Bordeaux became the latest club linked to the Moroccan striker but it seems as if they’re not going to get their target because Arsenal has decided not to respond to them over Chamakh’s services.
The club’s president, Jean Louis Triaud told the media Vultures about his frustration in pursuit of Chamakh:
“I’ve left four or five messages with him [Chamakh] in two months, I’ve also tried Wenger.”
“No response. His silence shows probably that he still hopes he will make it at Arsenal.”
That’s one attribute I really appreciate about Chamakh; his ability to keep his mouth shut especially in a moments where he’s meant to sound louder than some megaphones with tales of leaving the club surrounding the air.
Chamakh is a player that can still make it in Arsenal but he’ll have to show what he’s made of when given a chance on the pitch. When he joined Arsenal last summer, he scored a lot of good goals and his overall play was brilliant. The way his confidence waned has been a real cause for concern though.
Etienne Capoue Linked
Moving over to transfer news, Arsenal has been linked again with another player from Ligue 1; a holding midfielder from Toulouse called Etienne Capoue. We all know how phenomenal Arsenal’s scouting network is in France and this bloke could be worth a bargain because Wenger sure knows how to get him some Frenchies.
Down the years, Wenger has brought a large influx of players from Ligue 1 and it’s amazing to know that he hardly goes to the Frence powerhouses like Lyon, Marseille or PSG. Wenger signed Robert Pires from FC Metz, Pascal Cygan and Gervinho from LOSC Lille Metropole, Emmanuel Adebayor and Park Chu-Young from AS Monaco and Laurent Koscielny from Lorient.
He has signed much more than the aforementioned names above but my point is that he doesn’t even acquire these signings from the big boys of France.
City track M’Vila
However, there’s a player linked heavily with that might taken away pretty soon. It has always been a familiar story that Arsenal is a club that backs out quickly when faced with strong financial opposition over a potential transfer target. Manchester City has been linked with Yann M’ Vila and everyone knows that Arsenal cannot match the Arab Money boys if both teams decide to contest for M’ Vila.
The player has been pleading for Arsenal to come and get him but I’m pretty sure that he’ll proclaim that Man City is his ‘dream club’ when they give him an offer that he can’t refuse. Let’s keep our fingers crossed as the days go by.
The quote of the day goes to the talented singer, Rihanna. These were the words she uttered when she saw Tottenham’s Jermaine Defoe backstage after he showed up in her London O2 concert:
‘Oh, Jermaine, you play for Arsenal, yeah? I’ve heard all about you.’
Be the judge of that.
