- Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has rubbished reports that he has bid for Newcastle's Sebastien Bassong, although he has admitted the defender is a player he is interested in. - Birmingham are hoping to sign Arsenal defender Armand Traore on loan in the next 48 hours, while Sporting Gijon midfielder Michel and Aston Villa forward Craig Gardner are also targets. - After missing out on former Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira, Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp could try and bid for Bayern Munich skipper Mark van Bommel. - Arsenal are closing in on 23-year-old PSV midfielder Ibrahim Afellay, who is valued at £7m. - Fulham want to sign Arsenal striker Carlos Vela on loan should the Gunners make a serious offer for centre-half Brede Hangeland. - Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira will make a shock return to Arsenal this week, and has been lined up by the club's hierarchy as a long-term successor to manager Arsene Wenger.
SoccerByIves is reporting that Arsenal is eying Neven Subotic of Dortmund. The link on the SBI article goes to a Dutch site. Subotic is 6-4 and was recently part of a major national team hunt, where he ended up with Serbia. Subotic was born in the former Yugoslavia to Serbian parents, who moved to Germany and then to the United States. He played for the US at the youth level (U-17 and U-20), but stopped playing when Thomas Rongen decided he wouldn't amount to much and left him off the roster for the 2007 U-20 World Cup...despite the fact that he was playing regularly with Mainz in the German Second Division. The defenders selected over him have combined for zero caps with the National Team...not that I'm bitter or anything. Basically, if you're looking for a tall defender with US citizenship and caps for another national team and Brede Hangeland is too expensive for your tastes, Subotic is your man.
- Striker Marouane Chamakh has lashed out at Bordeaux for standing in the way of a "dream" move to Arsenal. - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is hopeful of beating Tottenham to the £750,000 signing of former Gunners midfielder Patrick Vieira from Inter Milan.
- Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he will not improve his original offer of £6m for Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh. - Arsenal are on the verge of signing Chelsea's Ivory Coast forward Salomon Kalou for £8m. - Bent's departure will pave the way for Spurs to step up their pursuit of Real Madrid striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. - Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Viera, who is wanted by both Arsenal and Tottenham, has been told he will need to resolve his future if he is to win back his place in the French national side.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=665029&sec=transfers&cc=5901 Kalou is the shit, not sure where he would fit in here, but he certainly is the type of player i imagine wenger loving.
- Italian side AC Milan are preparing a £31m bid for Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas. - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has failed with a £5.5m bid for Sevilla centre-back Federico Fazio. - Wenger says he will wait to sign Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh on a free transfer next season, rather than improve his £6m offer for the striker this summer.
- Fulham boss Roy Hodgson says he will do everything possible to keep highly-rated defender Brede Hangeland at Craven Cottage this summer.
I just realized the amazing business Wenger is doing with Chamakh. It is basically an Ultimatum. He's saying to Bordeaux, if you don't accept my 6m offer (or whatever other low number it is) then I'll just sign Chamakh on a free this January when his contract runs out. If Chamakh really wants to go to Arsenal he obviously won't agree a new contract with the club. This way, if Bordeaux accept the offer now they'll at least make some money but if they don't accept and Chamakh doesn't renew his contract, he'll leave the club for free! Brilliant.
- Philipe Senderos wants to go to Everton, and Everton is using this as leverage to half his transfer fee to £3-million. Arsenal also has bids from Villareal, Hamburg, and Hertha Berlin. - Sebastien Bassong, once linked to Arsenal, is about to be transferred to Tottenham.
- Spurs' pursuit of Real Madrid striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar appears to be at an end with the 25-year-old set to sign for AC Milan. - Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has insisted that midfielder Cesc Fabregas will not be leaving the club after reported interest from AC Milan. - Former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein has said the club is living in the "stone age" compared to rivals Manchester United. - Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky, who has just returned from an 18-month lay-off, could miss the first six weeks of the season after straining a hamstring in training. - Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin is being mocked by his Gunners team-mates who say his accent sounds like the meerkat featured on the Compare the Market television advert.
