One thing I think we definitely need though is another midfielder, with still big worries about Jack we need another body in there. My preference would be M'Vila but he's not the only option.

I agree we need another midfielder but I don't think we really need M'Vila. I think we need a properly creative midfielder who makes things happen, especially in the potential absence of RVP. I don't know much about Santa but he's young, Spanish and has an exotic name. He must be creative!

Dibs on the 'Santa' nickname by the way

Santi Cazorla plays similarly to David Silva iirc, but naturally in the wider roles. Don't see him moving though, he only signed for Malaga last season - and for a pretty significant fee.

Malaga are having big money problems. Villarreal have already lodged a complaint to UEFA about Malaga failing to pay an installment of Cazorla's transfer fee, and Cazorla is apparently one of the Malaga players who's wages have gone unpaid and he apparently wants out.

Yeah i don't think Cazorla has a lot to do with Theo. I think we'd see Cazorla playing through the middle maybe just in the hole behind Giroud (Assuming RvP leaves).

I'm still pretty confident Theo will sign a new deal. I think he is smart enough to see that he's not going to have it as good as he does at Arsenal anywhere else in the world.

[size=6]Arsenal keen to sign winger Santi Cazorla from troubled Málaga[/size]

The Spain winger Santi Cazorla has told Arsenal that he is prepared to leave Málaga to join them. Arsène Wenger is keen to sign Cazorla, whom he monitored last summer, and he is hopeful that an offer of €20m (£15.6m) can close the deal.

Negotiations have taken place between the clubs and, although Málaga's initial response was to point to Cazorla's €45m buy-out clause and effectively discourage Arsenal's interest, the Spanish club's worrying financial situation, which could see them relegated if they do not pay outstanding debts, might force them to sell.

Arsenal's summer business has been overshadowed by the Robin van Persie saga, with the captain intent on leaving the Emirates Stadium. Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus have made bids, which have been rejected by Arsenal, who will hold out for at least £20m, and the race for his signature is hotting up.

Juventus have been back in contact with Arsenal and they have indicated that they will pay close to the £20m asking price while they could also offer Van Persie an extraordinary contract worth £190,000 a week after tax. Arsenal, if pushed, would prefer to sell to an overseas club but they are preparing for an improved offer from United. Both Manchester clubs have so far offered about £12m.

Wenger has already signed the strikers Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud and the addition of Cazorla would give him another attacking option. He is expected to sell Andrey Arshavin, with clubs in the middle east having expressed an interest, but he would still have Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gervinho in wide areas, although he has experimented with the latter through the middle in pre-season training.

Cazorla wants to leave Málaga, the club he joined for €19m last summer from Villarreal, after wages went unpaid during the campaign and promises were broken. The 27-year-old has told Málaga of his intention to depart and he has also spoken to Arsenal to tell them he is keen on joining them.

Málaga may facilitate the move but the power vacuum and inertia at the club means that the future is uncertain. If Málaga's Qatari owner, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al-Thani, does not inject more money, the sale of Cazorla would represent the swiftest way for the Spanish club to cover their debts. If Málaga do not settle those debts by 31 July they face relegation to Second Division B and the loss of their Uefa licence and Champions League participation.

Considering the wealth of the owners and the more than €150m poured into the club over the past two years, Málaga's inertia is baffling. Theoretically, al-Thani could resolve the crisis at a stroke. Sources at the club say that his methods are "different" and that they would not be surprised if the money turned up at the last minute but they cannot count on that. While the debt is outstanding, the Spanish league will not allow them to make any signings.

Cazorla is one of four players, alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy, Salomón Rondón and Joris Mathijsen, who threatened to make a formal complaint against Málaga during a meeting with the president of the Spanish players' union, the AFE, José Luis Rubiales, on 13 July.

After the meeting, Rubiales insisted that an "important" amount of money was still owed to some players but that others had been paid in full. The club reassured the players but, if a lasting agreement is not reached, a meeting can be scheduled on 25 July between the AFE, on the players' behalf, and the LFP (La Liga), on behalf of the club, to reach a resolution.

Villarreal claim Málaga also owe the €3.5m outstanding on the sale of Cazorla, while the Spanish tax authorities are demanding almost €7m. Public debt is not unusual for Spanish clubs but Miguel Cardenal, the president of the Supreme Sports Council, the CSD, introduced a new zero-tolerance policy in April. Both the league and the AFE signed the agreement, according to which clubs with outstanding debts other than previously accrued debts for which payment plans have already been agreed, face automatic relegation.

Since buying the club and becoming president, Al-Thani has invested over €60m in playersand taken Málaga to Champions League qualification for the first time. Now, though, there is silence. Neither the owner nor his vice-president are currently in Spain, as has been the case for much of the last year, leaving Málaga in limbo. José Carlos Pérez, the club's consejero, essentially the man running the day-to-day business, died in the spring and the general manager, Fernando Hierro, who had been forced to intervene last season when players had gone unpaid, resigned saying he was no longer "comfortable" in his role.

Meanwhile the Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner is in talks with Galatasaray.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/23/arsenal-santi-cazorla-malaga

Since Welbeck is going into his last year and Fergie wants RVP. Hypothetically Id happily swap.

Edited by Hinderz: 23/7/2012 08:23:59 PM

No chance. Would rather have Welbeck.

Agree. I know RVP is the better player but I don't think any United fans would want a swap between the two.

Welbeck is only 21 and has so much potential.

Koscielny agrees new long-term contract

Arsenal Football Club is delighted to announce that Laurent Koscielny has agreed to sign a new long-term contract.

The 26-year-old centre back has established himself as one of Arsenal's most consistent performers since arriving from Ligue 1 side Lorient in the summer of 2010. No other player has started more games for the Club - 85 - over the past two seasons.

Best known for his defensive qualities, the France International has also contributed some important goals for Arsenal, with his most recent - the winner against West Bromwich Albion on the final day of last season - securing the Gunners' qualification into the 2012/13 Champions League.

Koscielny's fine form for Arsène Wenger's team earned him a call-up to the France squad last year. He has now won four caps for his country, including playing the full 90 minutes of Les Bleus' defeat to Spain in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 last month.

Manager Arsène Wenger said: "Laurent has been outstanding for us over the last two seasons. When you consider that until 2009 he was playing in Ligue 2 in France and that he is now performing at the very top level in the Premier League and for his country, the development that he has shown has been absolutely exceptional. Laurent is a top-class player and I am very pleased he has decided to commit his future to the Club."

Laurent said: "I'm delighted to have reached agreement with the Club. I have had a fantastic time here and look forward to an exciting future with Arsenal."

Everyone at Arsenal Football Club looks forward to Laurent's continued contribution in the forthcoming years.

You seem pretty confident that Carzola will be playing in the middle Sydcro, considering he's spent pretty much his entire career out on the flanks - I may be wrong but I haven't heard of him ever playing in the middle myself.

He played a fair bit through the middle last season for Malaga, even played as a defensive midfielder at one stage.

You were pretty confident that signing Giroud had nothing to do with RVP leaving too :P

It was always going to be (a case of) hold back until the end of the Euros. We continue to talk and we'll just see where it goes. I'm an honest guy. I like to get on with my job. I've got to work on pre-season, I don't want any distractions. Like I say, my agent and the club will continue to talk and when there's something to know I'll get involved.