Does Carlos Vela have a future at Arsenal?

The young Mexican forward came to the Arsenal as a young player with a great future ahead of him. He had signed for Arsenal back in 2005 but due to work permit issues didn't join the squad until the 2008/2009 season after two loan spells in Spain. 
Carlos has never really got in the first team at Arsenal on a regular basis since joining in 2008. He has featured regularly in the cup competitions and has scored some outstanding goals in the Carling Cup. He is clearly very talented as some of his goals have shown but he has never really got the chance to showcase his talent regularly at the Emirates. This is understandable as there are many players ahead of him such as Nasri and Arshavin, therefore he was loaned out to West Brom back in January. At the time this seemed like a great move for the Mexican, as he was moving to an attacking team that would suit his game perfectly. However not long after Di Matteo was sacked and the ex Liverpool manager Roy Hodghson replaced him. He brought with him a defensive brand of football that really hasn't suited Carlos and he has struggled to get on the pitch as a result. Carlos has made 8 appearances for West Brom only scoring two goals in the process. Therefore his loan spell really hasn't gone to plan and he will be glad to return to the Emirates in the Summer.

 Many Arsenal fans don't believe the Mexican has what it takes to make it at the Emirates but I believe we will see very big things from him in the future. Even at just 22 he has made 35 appearances for his national side and is clearly a talented footballer. Next season it is likely that Arshavin,Bendtner and Rosicky will all leave therefore giving the young forward more chance to get onto the pitch and show everyone what he can do. I also believe that the formation change has stunted Vela's development. He looks like he would be comfortable playing as a second striker and seems to struggle playing as part of a forward trio. 

 Wenger may be tempted to loan the youngster back to Spain but I can't really see the benefit of this at all. As the leagues are so different there is no point to him gaining experience outside of England. I also believe he will want to give it one more year at the Emirates to finally prove himself. If he can't showcase his talent next season it will be then time for to let him go and he will probably sign for a Spanish side,where his game will be better suited. 

I leave you with a video of what he is capable of, and what I hope to see a lot more in the future. A brilliant goal from Carlos Vela

Who we should buy and sell in the Summer

This season has shown that the club has the talent needed to win trophies but not quite enough. Some of the players clearly lack commitment and some of the players simply aren't suited to the English game. Im sure there will be plenty of transfer activity at the Emirates this Summer with many players leaving as well as many new names joining the Arsenal. The majority of the transfers this Summer could depend on whether we hang onto Cesc Fabregas or not. The Spaniard is clearly an amazing footballer, but in my opinion if he wants to leave and we can get £30 Million from Barca we should just let him go. There's no point having a player at the club who doesn't want to be here and if that is the case im sure he will be heading home in the Summer. If he does leave it gives Wenger plenty of cash to spend on players and I'm sure he would be encouraged by the new board to buy some star players. 


 I believe we have a squad capable of winning trophies and this Summer will be a case of removing the players who have struggled recentely and have let the side down. We then need to sign some experienced players who know how to get a side over the finish line, which is what we have clearly lacked this season. 


Who we should sell in the Summer:

1. Manuel Almunia:The Spaniard is clearly not good enough for the Premier League and due to the emergence of Szczesny and Fabianski he is no longer needed at the club.
2. Sebastien Squillaci: The French centre half hasn't impressed this season and I don't see the point of him staying as a 5th choice centre half as its a position we are going to strengthen. He is clearly suited to Spanish or Italian football and I can't see him staying at the Emirates for another season. 
3. Gael Clichy: I don't think the French full-back is going to sign a new deal in the Summer and we should therefore sell him whilst we can. His form has been suspect over the last couple of seasons and it may well be the end of his Arsenal career. 
4. Denilson: The young Brazillian has had plenty of chances to prove himself at the Arsenal and this season he's proved he simply isn't suited to the English game. He wont be missed due to the emergence of Ramsey and Wilshere and will probably end up in La Liga or Serie A. 
5. Tomas Rosicky: The Czech International has never been the same since his injury and he has rarely even made the bench this season. Time to cash in whilst we can with his contract being up at the end of next season.
6. Nicklas Bendtner: The over confident Danish striker clearly thinks he is better than he is and this isn't what the side needs. He has talent but never appears committed to the club and doesn't seem prepared to fight for victory.
7. Andrey Arshavin: Big things were expected from the Russian forward but he has never really got going at the Arsenal and had a couple of months of top form. His recent performances have lacked energy and I can see him going back to Zenit in the Summer.
8. Francesc Fabregas: Obviously I don't want the Spaniard to leave but as I've said previously if he wants to go and we can get £30 Million we should take the money straight away. He is fairly injury prone and we could buy a couple of top class players with £30 Million. 

Who we should look to buy in the Summer:

We are clearly in need of a centre back and I'm sure this is a position Wenger will strengthen in the Summer months. For the past couple of years we have been constantly linked with centre halves and a strong consistent partner for Thomas Vermaelen is exactly what we need. I believe the most likely candidate is Jan Vertonghen of Ajax. Him and Vermaelen have played together for years and are a perfect combination. He would also cost less than £10 million and would provide great competition with Johan Djourou to start alongside Vermaelen. Other likely candidates are Sakho and Cahill. They are two more top defenders but I believe they would both cost more than Vertonghen and they're not any better than Vertonghen. 

As Gel Clichy is likely to leave we are going to need to sign a top quality left back. The obvious answer to me is Leighton Baines of Everton. He has been one of the best players in the Premiership for the past three seasons and is clearly good enough to play at a top four club. He is also a huge attacking threat and would give us another option for free kicks apart from Robin Van Persie. He wont be cheap but in my opinion you need to pay for the top class players and a fee in the region of £10 to £15 Million would represent excellent value for the English left back. 

We are also in need of a top class striker to replace Nicklas Bendtner. There are a number of players we have been linked with over the past couple of months and Karim Benzema is one name we are regularly linked with. He isn't a regular at Madrid and has struggled to settle in alongside the likes of Ronaldo and Ozil. I believe he would be perfect alongside Robin Van Persie and that if we gave Madrid a big offer they would sell the French Striker. After all if we sell Fabregas for £30 million, we will have plenty of money and I think Benzema would be available for a fee in the region of £15 to £20 Million. There are other strikers who we could target especially in the European leagues, but Benzema would be my personal choice. 

I also believe the club could do with a wide man to replace Andrey Arshavin. The stand out candidate for me would be Ashley Young of Aston Villa. He is a proven Premiership performer who could play out wide or up top with Robin Van Persie. We are likely to face tough competition for his signature with United and Tottenham also both interested. As he's only got a year left on his contract, an offer in the region of £10 million would probably be enough, and then it would be a case of convincing the Englishman the Emirates is the place to be next season. 

 I believe all of these are potential signings that we could see happen at the Emirates in the Summer. It would give us a squad with considerably more experience and I'll leave with you the starting XI I'd love to see at the Emirates next season. 

Arsenal 1-0 Manchester United

Arsenal proved what a good side they are with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in a match our young side dominated. It was the youngest XI in the Premier League this season and proved you can win with kids. Ramsey came in for Fabregas completing a very young midfield alongside, Song,Wilshere,Nasri and Walcott. The Arsenal midfield completely dominated the poor Manchester United midfield and this was the basis for the Arsenal victory.

 The major surprise before the game was the absence of Cesc Fabregas from the Arsenal starting XI. It turns out he had picked up a minor injury and as as result Aaron Ramsey came back into the Arsenal XI. He is an extremely talented footballer and if it wasn't for his injury last season he'd be a regular starter for the Arsenal.

 Arsenal started the game very brightly creating a host of chances. Wilshere was unlucky not to score when he pounced on a Vidic mistake but shot just wide of the goal from inside the penalty area. Later on in the first half Theo Walcott put in an excellent cross towards Van Persie which was clearly punched away by Vidic inside the area. Nothing was given but this was as clear a penalty as you're ever going to see. Van Persie was understandably furious and made his feelings clear to the assistant referee who failed to spot the blatant handball.

 Arsenal were in full control of the match going into at half time and the second half began with Arsenal still well and truly in control of the game. United were hardly getting a touch and the Arsenal pressure told on United when Ramsey scored a memorable goal in the 56th minute. Song started the move who played the ball to Ramsey who then played a magnificent one-two with Robin Van Persie before calmly placing his shot into the corner of the United net. The goal must of meant a lot to the youngster who must of feared he wouldn't play again after his horror injury last season at Stoke. We go to Stoke next week and if Aaron plays, the event will surely be on his mind. Arsenal then closed out of the rest of the match with relative ease something we haven't seen all season from the Arsenal.

 This performance showed what we are capable of when we're at our best and hopefully we can play like this far more often next season. If we do we will be in with an excellent chance of silverware. The main positive of the victory however was the fact we did it all without Cesc Fabregas. It may be a sign we could deal with the loss of Fabregas in the future, and Ramsey and Wilshere can clearly fill the void if he does sign for Barcelona this Summer or next Summer.

Arsenal VS Manchester United Match Preview

It is clear now that our title chances are virtually gone but today's game is still a very important game for the club.  Today gives the side the chance to derail Manchester United's title bid and surely that is enough motivation for the side. In a way it can also be seen as a game to show the world what this side is capable of and what we are capable of achieving next season. We once again have a full strength squad apart from Vermaelen and Diaby. Vermaelen played a full 90 minutes for the reserves during the week and it will be a huge boost to the side once he is back. I expect to see him back next weekend competing for a starting place in the heart of the Arsenal defence. Abou Diaby will be a big miss today as this is the type of game where he is normally at his best. For example he put in a great performance against Tottenham but after all Jack Wilshere will be playing instead who I'm sure will put in another superb performance.

 Wocjech Szczesny will continue in goal for the Arsenal and he has been one of the major positives to take from this season. He has solved the goalkeeping problem at Arsenal and I believe he can be the number one for many seasons to come. Bacary Sagna will continue at right back and he has been one of the most reliable members of the side this season. Laurent Koscielny will partner Johan Djourou at the back for Arsenal and they will need to be at their very best. Koscielny proved how good he can be against Barcelona at the Emirates and hopefully he can put in a similar performance this afternoon. Gael Clichy will continue at left back for the Arsenal and he will need to be at his very best to deal with the pace of United's wingers.

Alex Song will partner Jack Wilshere in the heart of the Arsenal midfield and the duo have formed an outstanding partnership this season. This is the chance for them to prove that we don't need to buy another holding midfield player for next season. The captain Cesc Fabregas will play as the attacking midfielder behind Robin Van Persie. It is rare that we have both of them available for a big game and hopefully they will be at their very best today. Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri  will play from the right and left and both have the ability to score goals and create goals.

 Today is a very important game for the side, and hopefully the eleven players Arsene picks can actually play to their full ability. Too often this season they have crumbled under the pressure and threw away victories that we should of got with relative ease. Hopefully today can be a turning point for both the players and the manager and we can have a good end to the season. After all if we lost the next couple of games it may put potential signings off coming to the Arsenal and may encourage the likes of Clichy,Fabregas and Nasri to leave in the Summer. We are capable of victory today and I'm predicting a 2-1 victory for the Gunners.