Murphy - “Arsenal Contract Is A Golden Opportunity”

Arsenal striker Rhys Murphy believes he is incredibly lucky and privileged to be granted a professional contract with the club, and has admitted he is willing to put the hard work in to make his dreams become a reality.

The 17 year old was granted professional terms at the end of the season despite missing the majority of the campaign with injury, and Rhys says he has some catching up to do if he wants to reach his potential.

Coquelin Making An Outstanding Early Impression

Although the announcement of his signing was low key, Francis Coquelin has made sure all the fans are talking about him with two stunning substitute performances as the 17 year old begins his Arsenal career in emphatic style.

The deal to bring the Stade Lavallois youngster to London was completed in May, but as with many youth transfers, the club delayed in announcing his arrival. Francis initially came on trial after being scouted by Gilles Grimandi, and despite being injured, the Gunners threw their hat in the ring for the highly rated prospect with the offer of a contract.

Several of the top sides from France were also keen on Coquelin, but the lure of Arsène Wenger and his coaching staff saw the transfer sewn up quickly. After “Sisco” returned to his home land to undertake “Le Bac” exams, he arrived In North London for his new adventure.

It would seem daunting for any 17 year old alone in a foreign country, but once training began, he started to show just why he was just so sought after. His call up to the first team for the Barnet friendly was quite an achievement in itself, but after being granted 45 minutes to show what he was about against The Bees, he did not disappoint.

Whilst there was a language barrier with Mark Randall, the pair formed a solid core in central midfield which saw Arsenal establish the base to forge the come-back. His role of sitting in front of the back four reassured the young Gunners that they would not be stung on the break, and as the confidence flowed, so did the movement and eventually, goals.

Francis may only be 178cm tall, but his raw energy and physical prowess saw him hustle and annoy the tired Barnet midfield into submission. His willingness to go crunching in on players twice his age and size was remarkable, and it seems the club have another exciting young starlet.

Coquelin honed his tackling ability during next fixture against Szombathelyi Haladás, and once more his niggling approach saw him help turn around the fortunes of the team. Even though he was playing alongside more established players, the young Frenchman did not look lost or even slightly out of place, a testament to his hard work and talent.

It is not known in which capacity the boss will use him in during the coming season, but one thing is for sure, Francis is proving an exciting and promising addition.

Not bad for a free transfer.

Article By - J.Sanderson

Arsenal Invite Salamanca For 2009 Emirates Cup

Arsenal have invited cash strapped link club UD Salamanca to England for next years Emirates Cup, after the Union’s president’s Miguel Torrecilla and Juan José Pascual completed a week long stay in London.

The Spanish outfit travel to England every year for an annual meeting, with the Gunners offering them the chance to play in the prestigious Emirates Cup next August. It is also believed that not only will their flights and accommodation all be paid for by Arsenal, but they will be allowed to keep a large amount of the gate receipts to help their financial issues which nearly saw them go out of business last year.

Juan José Pascual told reporters yesterday they had agreed for Pedro Botelho to return to Spain next year, and that Arsène Wenger had informed them his scouts were looking all over America for a player to send to Salamanca for next year. He also admitted the possibility was strong that should the search be unsuccessful, they would be taking a Reserves player, with Nacer Barazite or Fran Mérida the only talents they would accept.

“Arsène Wenger has given us the OK to sign a player from his Reserve team, but this would mean an extra cost to the club in terms of wages.

“He told us not to give out any names”

Whilst Pascual wanted to keep his cards close to his chest, his co-worker Torrecilla was a little more revealing, telling El Adelanto:

“We believe it is an important option for us to look outside the box, either in Argentina, Brazil, or Portugal.”

“They (Arsenal) have identified the player we can loan”

Some reports around last week suggested Real Sociedad were keen on loaning Barazite, Mérida and Pedro following an article on SkySports, which was a carbon copy of the one on Young Guns a week before. But Pedro is at Salamanca now for training, and will be with them for the next campaign before returning to Arsenal.

As for the players who will be heading to Spain on loan, the search continues for our scouts.

Article By - J.Sanderson

First Team Watch - Arsenal 1-1 Szombathelyi. H

Although the majority of Arsenal’s first team returned to training this week, Arsène Wenger kept faith in a young side to take on Hungarian outfit Szombathelyi Haladás. Gael Clichy was once more the captain, and would have to marshal 16 year old Jack Wilshere who was granted an unlikely start.

Justin Hoyte partnered his brother at centre back, with Carlos Vela making his debut alongside Nicklas Bendtner. The bench was made up of Reserve team regulars, with Francis Coquelin and Jay Simpson the notable names.

Almunia
Sagna - J.Hoyte - G.Hoyte - Clichy
Wilshere - Denilson - Ramsey - Walcott
Bendtner - Vela

Subs - Mannone - Traore - Randall - Lansbury - Coquelin - Simpson

Youngsters To Get A Chance Against Szombathelyi

Arsenal flew into Hungary yesterday afternoon ahead of tonight’s fixture against Szombathelyi Haladás, and whilst the main focus ahead of the game was around various first team players, Arsène Wenger has stuck to his guns by taking several of the Reserves squad.

The Gunners will be spending the next two days in Hungary before taking the short flight to the traditional training camp in Austria, with a game already lined up in the form of an Burgenland XI. Many of the first team players have returned from their summer breaks, but as promised after the 2-1 win over Barnet, some of the younger stars are set to feature predominately.

Reserve captains Jay Simpson and Håvard Nordtveit are with the travelling party, and will be boosted in the form of Mark Randall and Armand Traoré, who have both been on this trip in each of the last two campaigns. There is also speculation Jack Wilshere and Gavin Hoyte have also been included, although this is yet to be confirmed.

Vito Mannone and Carlos Vela could both feature after being promoted to the first team, in a game which Wenger did not see as particularly important, and stressed the friendly against Stuttgart is a more “serious” encounter for his squad.

“The plan there is to up the quantity of work and to get some good games. (In Hungary and Austria)”

“We have two kinds of practice games then we have a more serious game on Wednesday, the 30th of July, against Stuttgart, then we will prepare for the Emirates Cup, and I believe we will have a little vision of the team at the Emirates Cup against Juventus and Real Madrid”

Record signing Samir Nasri could be unleashed on the Hungarian Champions, and while Szombathelyi admit they are expecting a strong Arsenal side, the boss is set to inter-change the team throughout the fixture.

Kick off at 6.30pm (CET) and 5.30pm UK time. ArsenalTV are exclusively broadcasting the game both online and on the club’s official TV channel. Should a selection of the youth players feature, we will bring you a full report on how they got on immediately after full time.

Article By - J.Sanderson

Wenger - “The Youngsters Are Close To Being Ready”

Arsène Wenger has challenged the star performers from Saturday’s 2-1 win over Barnet, by claiming many of them are “close” to breaking into his first team plans for the coming season.

Speaking in his after match interview, Wenger hinted that several of the top talents at the club could be ready to offer something towards next seasons title push, with the Frenchman holding out special praise for first half hero Aaron Ramsey.

“Ramsey did OK. He looked a bit tired because he works very hard, of course it’s a big change for him, but he did OK,”

“He is in the plans like all the players today. It depends on the performances and their quality and you could see that some young players could be very close to the first team.”

These latest comments suggest both Wenger and the Academy directors have back-tracked on the potential release of several younger starlets, and will instead give everybody a chance to work towards the first team.

The ultimate aim for the Reserve boys is to travel with the first team as they jet out today to first Hungary, and then to the traditional training camp in Austria. Wenger is set to take many of them this year having only used just one or two in recent years.

Nacer Barazite scored the match winner against Barnet on Saturday, and with UD Salamanca set to snap him up on loan, it seems unlikely he will be travelling despite another impressive performance.

Kieran Gibbs and Fran Mérida have both been away with their countries, but after being eliminated from the Under 19 Euro Championships last night, they will both return to the club in the next day or two. Gibbs is another expected to complete a loan move in the coming week.

Article By - J.Sanderson

Euro Championships Day 3 - Gibbs Out, Mérida Scores

Day three of The UEFA European Under 19 Championship’s got under way this afternoon, with all the teams involved playing the final games of the Group A and B.

Kieran Gibbs’s England took on last years beaten finalists Greece, and Fran Mérida’s Spain up against a tricky Bulgaria.

Kieran Gibbs started the game for England needing a win and for other results to go their way in order to progress, and despite a 3-0 win over Greece, they were eliminated.

Fran Mérida started the game for Spain as they took on Bulgaria knowing they were already out, but had pride and a place in the FIFA Under 20 World Cup to play for. Mérida ran the show and collected an assist and a goal in a 4-0 rout.

Scroll down for full reports on both fixtures.

Jay Simpson Working Hard To Realise His Dream

Arsenal striker Jay Simpson is doing everything in his power to stake his claim for a regular spot in Arsène Wenger’s side, after playing a crucial part in the Gunners 2-1 win over Barnet yesterday.

The 19 year old is an avid Arsenal supporter and although it seems Wenger does not value the Tottenham born prospect, the boss is giving him every opportunity to make a name for himself in the club of his dreams. After leading the Gunners in the FA Youth Cup in 2007, he was loaned out to League 1 side Millwall to gain important experience.

While at the Lions he was given strict instructions to be used as a right winger, leaving his previous positions which included both goalkeeper and striker. His tremendous attitude and talents meant he played a vital role in their “Houdini” act as they avoided relegation, with Jay finishing the season with a flurry of goals.

After picking up League 1 Player Of The Year plenty of club’s expressed an interest in taking the youngster on both loan and permanent deals, but Wenger would reward his progress by giving him the chance to realise a dream. Jay himself took the risk of giving up regular football, and after an excellent start to pre-season, he has firmly put his name in the hat for a regular spot in the team come the start of the year.

Simpson’s second half entrance as a striker gave Arsenal a completely new dimension, as they now possessed the pace and elegance that Walcott gave them, but now a raw power and energy which proved to much for the tired Barnet back-line, as he bullied them out of position to clip home the equaliser.

But he showed another part of him game for the winner, as he went back to his instincts as a winger by getting his head up and playing an inch perfect pass for his great friend Barazite to coolly tuck it into the corner.

Whatever happens in the future of Jay Simpson, the 19 year old is giving his all to fight for a place.

Article By - J.Sanderson