With Alex Song in inspired form, it begs the question who will replace him when he leaves for the African Cup of Nations in January?

The obvious candidates are Abou Diaby and Denilson. In my opinion, they are not good enough to play every game for Arsenal. They are great squad players, with lots of potential. However, not many titles and shiny trophies are won with potential players being given a go. Sure, a few are given a chance and take it.

I don’t think that they have really seized the opportunity that Arsene Wenger has privileged them with. He has stuck by them but both give the ball away and no way should they be trusted to protect the defence.

The defensive role has become probably the most important role as the game has developed, almost becoming an undetectable player (think Busquets in last season’s Champions League final). They should break up potential attacks from the opposition and the work they do is tireless. Not only do they stop easy access to centre backs, they give the ball to flair-tastic players who hope to build moves themselves. They are unsung heroes but without them, nothing is achieved.

Claude Makélélé invented the role and did it fantastically at Real Madrid and Chelsea. Now, every top quality team has a defensive player in the starting eleven. Arsenal had one in Vieira and then Flamini. Since then the closest they’ve had to the Frenchmen is Alex Song. He has improved so dramatically, and Arsenal look unsafe without him. T

he game against Wolves was a sign that Diaby won’t cut it. Wenger wanted to see if his team could cope without the defensive lynchpin and it turns out, they couldn’t. Denilson still has to come back from injury and may improve but I think the only candidate there can be is the rugged Samir Nasri.

It may seem strange considering he plays as an attacking midfielder or on the wing, but he has quick feet, can tackle and is strong. He is usually one of Arsenal’s most hardworking players always runs and runs for the cause. He also gives Clichy a bit of protection down the wings so there is no reason why he can’t do it in the centre. Him and Cesc Fabregas could really tick.

He gave us a hint of his talent in the position when he was deployed there in the semi finals of the Champions League against Manchester United, one of the few to come out of the game not criticised. It would also give Arsene Wenger the chance to field all his stars in the starting line-up. He is very young, and has bags of talent and could help Arsenal in the absence of Song.

I almost forgot, Wenger could actually sign someone in the January transfer window! He tried to sign Melo, now of Juve in the summer, but in my opinion Song has repaid the faith Wenger has shown. If Arsenal are no longer in the Carling Cup, he could give youngsters Craig Eastmond or Coquelin a chance. Surely that would be a little too much to ask of the up and coming starlets? It’s a definite possibility, should injuries pile up, but won’t be the first choice Arsene will consider.

I recently heard that Darren Fletcher was the most improved player in Europe. I don’t know what so great about a player who continues to kick and commit fouls and somehow has escaped a red card this season. If you’re looking to heap praise on a up and coming defensive midfielder, look no further than Alex Song. Arsenal, however have problems as no player comes close in his position. It will be interesting come January.

Wenger says Arsenal are ready this year to compete for titles. Well, technically, he said the following:

I know that we haven’t won a trophy for four years, but we have been very close and I believe that this year the team will do it. When I say that, it is not to please you, it is because I am really convinced of it. This season we are ready to go for it in the Premier League, the Champions League and of course both the cups as well.”

This is something he has said before – two years ago – as well. Every manager at this level believes at the start of the season that his team will achieve the highest level of goals set for them. That’s how it works – if you start the season thinking you’ll end up fourth, you’re not going to get very far.

So while Arsenal (and everyone else) start the season with the highest of expectations, it’s only two months into the season that you get a fair idea of where you will be going into Christmas and beyond. If Arsenal had started poorly, would we have heard more of the ‘work in progress’ speech?

So it’s not much of a statement anyway and has no end purpose (despite Wenger’s protestations) other than pacifying the shareholders and fans who have been riled up by journalists and former players constantly harping on about Arsenal’s lack of trophies in the last 4 years (it’s just been 4 years, good lord, why don’t you lot go back to your Playstations and leave football to us).

But don’t let that stop the press from plastering you with Wenger’s photo, in the week of his 60th birthday, attached to his ‘prediction’ as well as BS comments from past players who have achieved far less than Arsene. All of this (and more insane hyping up) in an effort to have another Arsenal sacrifice when the team trips up. Which it will – because, as Arsenal says, the league is going to be very tight and every team will drop points.

Good thing the fans are keeping their feet on the ground, right?

Also See:

In a short time, Abou Diaby will be one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe although it is not his natural position and Eboue can also perform well in that role.

Cesc Fabregas talked to Arsenal FC Blog about Arsenal’s title chances, team mates and that he really wants to go back to school. Read the full interview here.

Sir Alex Ferguson is assured legendary status in football and his achievements have been recognised by football fans worldwide – even those that prefer spending their days playing Football Manager than playing football.

Ferguson topped a poll carried out by Sports Interactive (makers Football Manager 2010) with 26 per cent of the vote.

Sir Alex is followed by the late, great Sir Bobby Robson (potentially a sympathy vote) with Liverpool manager Bill Shankly scored third spot and Brian Clough took fourth. Another Old Trafford legend, Sir Matt Busby, who despite Fergie’s efforts still holds the record as the longest serving Manchester United manager of all time, was voted into fifth place.

The top ten also included Sir Alf Ramsey, ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, Bob Paisley with Jock Stein bringing up the rear.

The poll was taken by over 1,000 UK football fans (and is therefore should be titled ‘Greatest football managers in the UK’) – here’s the top 10 with their percentage of votes received:

Sir Alex Ferguson – 26%
Sir Bobby Robson – 14%
Bill Shankly – 9%
Brian Clough – 8%
Sir Matt Busby – 6%
Sir Alf Ramsey – 5%
Jose Mourihno – 4%
Arsene Wenger – 3%
Bob Paisley – 2%
Jock Stein – 1%

Football Manager 2010 is out in the stores on Friday 30th October and you can pre-order your copy right away.

Share your thoughts on who you think is the best football manager – past or present – in the comments below.

Arsenal Holdinga have announced pre-tax profits of £45.5m, with matchday revenue exceeding £100m for the first time and 445 of the 655 private apartments already sold to the tune of £172.4m.

When all is said and done, there is no indication that Arsenal lack in transfer funds or the ability to match wages offered by Chelsea or Manchester City. On the contrary, it’s Arsene Wenger’s prudence (and his remarkable dedication to the club to help them repay their debts as quickly as possible while still maintaining realistic title ambitions) that dictates Arsenal’s transfer policy.

Arsenal Holdings said pre-tax profit rose to £45.5m in the year to 31 May, up from £36.7m from the previous year. Revenue was £313.3m, with matchday revenue contributing £100.1m and the sale of 208 private apartments at Highbury Square bringing in £88m.

Arsenal also said manager Arsene Wenger had money to spend on new players.

Transfer activity

Arsenal have only brought in two players, Andrey Arshavin and Thomas Vermaelen, in the current year.

The club said the “limited” transfer activity was due to Mr Wenger’s assessment “rather than any necessity or financial constraint”.

“The 2008/09 season was not without footballing success, although the first team finished it without a trophy,” said chairman Peter Hill-Wood.

Football revenue rose to £225.1m, from £207.7m last year, which the club said was down to more matches as Arsenal reached the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and the Champions League tournament.

Matchday revenue exceeded £100m for the first time.

Wage costs

Players’ wages rose to £104m, from £101.3m in 2008.

The club sold striker Emmanuel Adebayor and defender Kolo Toure to big-spending Manchester City in the summer, and has been reluctant to match the amounts rivals in England and Europe are paying for players.

“There continues to be significant upward pressure on players’ wage expectations and the activities of other clubs in the market and the introduction of the 50% income tax rate from April 2010 mean this looks set to continue,” Arsenal said.

After tax, the company reported a record profit of £35.2m, up 37% from last year.

Arsenal said that it had now sold 445 of the 655 private apartments in its Highbury Square redevelopment of its former grounds in North London.

That has brought in £172.4m to the club so far.

Source: BBC

‘If in doubt, get it out!’ It’s a cry heard from many a parent and even coaches every weekend around the country at junior football games.

It’s a cry that can sum up in a nutshell the attitude English football has carried for many years. And looking at some of England’s attempts to win major championships since 1966, it’s a slogan that the national team should have had stitched to their shirts at times.

Especially in recent times with both Sven-Göran Eriksson and Steve McClaren’s sides having the habit when under pressure, of aimless punts up field presenting the ball to an opposition more than willing to punish them. The punishing usually a lesson in how by keeping the football you can effectively dominate the game.

In the 5-1 Wembley demolishing of Croatia and the one hundred percent breeze through World Cup Qualification Fabio Capello’s team have handed the type of footballing lesson to teams that England have been on the receiving end of in the not too distant past.

Although these are promising signs, scratch beneath the surface of the first team squad, and there isn’t a large amount of established technically proficient attacking players waiting in the wings in case of injury. And don’t forget there is still the chance for England to revert to type when the pressure is truly on in South Africa, and come back full circle to “If in doubt, get it out.”

There are other reasons to be positive, and they come from the unlikeliest of sources. While training with the England team at Arsenal’s Colney training ground, he said Arsenal had set “a very important example for the other English academies.” Concluding that the future of English football is in good hands.

The same Arsenal hands that fielded a 16-man squad without an English player in 2005. The hands belonging to the long time enemy of English footballers Arsene Wenger, who has received criticism for not giving British players a chance from numerous sources, including Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Trevor Brooking and memorably from Alan Pardew accusing Arsenal of “losing the soul of British football.”

Yet the evidence coming from the Arsenal academy seems contrary to Pardew’s statement. Kieran Gibbs holding the Gaël Clichy’s left back position at the end of last season, even being trusted in hugely important Champions League quarter and semi-finals. Henri Lansbury, at loan on Watford, who has captained the England under 19 outfit. And Jack Wilshere who burst onto the scene at the tender age of 16 during Arsenal’s six-goal massacre of Sheffield United in the League cup last season. Wilshere has been widely tipped for a surprise call up to Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad.

While these three are the headlines, there is also Gavin Hoyte, Jay Simpson and Mark Randall looking extremely promising. The Arsenal 2009 F.A Youth Cup winning squad contained 12 out of 16 English players. Suddenly Arsenal could have a golden generation of English talent.

Liam Brady, Head of Youth Development at Arsenal, knows that this is not due to chance. “I would say this is probably the healthiest state the Academy has been in since I’ve been here.” This is the same Liam Brady who in 2000 launched a scathing attack on the standard of young English footballers, saying “You can’t blame Arsene or any other manager for bringing foreign players in.” So what has changed?

“I think that’s because we are starting to see the first generation of players who have come all the way through the age groups at Hale End. Boys like Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Henri Lansbury, Jack Wilshere, Emmanuel Frimpong and Sanchez Watt have all attained England schoolboy recognition and they have been with us since they were nine and ten.”

Maybe through hard work, organisation and good coaching Arsenal have removed the “If in doubt, kick it out” mentality from English footballers. By following a more continental approach to teaching young footballers England may finally have a conveyor belt of footballers both technically perfect, equally able to control a game by passing a team out of it and to play the ‘English’ high tempo, athletic game. Now wouldn’t that be an exciting thought?

So can Arsene Wenger be the saviour of English football? He seems to think so, “I know how much the English national team means here to people. To contribute to that would be a big pride as well.”

It was Mark Lawrenson who once said that he didn’t concern himself with the League Table until 10 or 12 games into the new season. Until then, Lawro suggested, no pattern has formed, as teams are finding their feet early on, often facing the challenge of introducing new players, managers or formations.

Wise words indeed from a man who is not everybody’s ‘cup of tea’ as a pundit but you only need to look at seasons past (take the last 2 for example) to see the evidence. So yes, I’m steering well clear of revising my pre season predictions based on the action so far and will leave that to the (many) others out there who enjoy such perilous pursuits!

As we turn into the international break ‘Big picture’ subjects are far safer… with the season but a fledgling. But that’s a loaded word… ‘safer’! Taking another glance at the title of the article I’m all but certain that somewhere out there in cyber space erwf and his ilk are lying in wait, carrying weapons…equally loaded!

There’s no doubt that many of the top managers in the game make fascinating case studies. Let’s face it; they don’t get the job in the first place unless they have proven quality. Most are their own men, tough and idiosyncratic, constantly in the spotlight, with their every word reported (and often twisted). It’s no place for the faint hearted.

Of course as fans we love them and hate them depending on our allegiances but we can never ignore them. Ultimately, most managers survive or perish on fan loyalty. It remains one of the few great powers that fans have and any manager worth his salt knows this.

So let’s put fan loyalty under the microscope with one of my favourite case studies…Arsene Wenger.

I’ve written about Arsene before (Arsene Wenger: Legacy at the Crossroads), invoking both the wrath and the agreement of Arsenal fans in unequal measure. My main point was hardly original; being that Wenger has possibly become obsessed with proving he can take Arsenal back to the heights through youth alone. Seduced by the (deserved) lavish praise his team has received over the past two years for their fluent, passing football, Arsene seems intent on refusing to buy in the 2 or 3 players who could make the difference between producing the best team in a generation…or not.

In the last two seasons Arsenal have at times been sublime and a joy to watch but ultimately strength in depth, particularly in defence, and most obviously last season the lack of a quality defensive midfield player, have proved their undoing. The most telling moment in Arsenal’s season for me was Wenger’s interview following the Champions League exit to United. Having watched the Emirates’ faithful flood the exits with 20 minutes still to play, Wenger portrayed the figure of a haunted man and his disappointment was palpable.

It was at that moment I felt that the penny had finally dropped….where he secretly conceded to himself that he did need to buy in some solid defensive cover to go with his wealth of attacking flair. And so, when the transfer market opened I expected Arsene to be quick out of the blocks scooping-up a quality DM and a couple of extra defenders quicker than Perez could utter 80 million! The Arsenal fans were expectant and ‘money’ was apparently available.

Two months on and we’ve seen one quality defender arrive and another one leave, along with an unloved striker. The money-in column alone suggested that Arsene had what he needed to make a move. And the argument that nobody of quality was available falls on deaf ears with me. There are always decent players available, especially if you’ve 40 million to spend! No, the only conclusion I can make is that somewhere between that defeat to United on the 5th of May and the opening of the transfer window on July 1st, Arsene convinced himself that he could still do it his way and reap the rewards and glory that he craves. It’s a huge call he has made, one that frustrates many Arsenal fans, but the jury is still out and right now I refuse to predict that he can’t do it.

Wenger is a man under pressure, as are most managers, but in terms of putting pressure on yourself it’s hard to think of another case in recent history as profound as this. Similar to Wyatt Earp at the OK Corral, Arsene is backing himself to the hilt on this one and as we all know, Wyatt came up smelling of roses back then. So can Wenger shoot down his critics? Can he take this team to the Holy Grail of the PL or CL titles? If he does, the accolades will be unprecedented and then some…and every single one will have been hard earned and fully deserved.

In his first nine seasons at Arsenal Wenger delivered 3 PL titles and 4 FA Cups and established Arsenal as the only real rivals to United. He put together some formidable teams in that time and achieved enough to establish himself as an all time legend at Arsenal. A ‘job for life status’ was bestowed upon him…and rightly so. But those years of plenty have been followed by 5 seasons without the title and 4 without any silverware at all. The ‘Invincibles’ imploded and broke-up, and since then Arsene has started and stuck with his crusade. (admittedly the investment in the new stadium was a catalyst in this at the outset.)

But is it conceivable that the Arsenal fans could lose patients and turn against him?

Personally, I think that would be a tragedy. I like Wenger! Despite all the rivalry over the years I think he’s intelligent, has a good sense of humour and is one of the icons of the Premiership era. Sure he goes off on one every so often….but name a manger who doesn’t!

Reading the musings of the Arsenal fans in recent times it is clear that there are two factions out there. The first refuse to criticize, often making the point that they are happy having a team that tries to play the game the ‘right way’, and believe in Wenger’s ability to succeed. The other group remain unhappy with Arsene’s refusal to spend and believe that greatness is just around the corner if he would just loosen the purse strings a little. Few though have lost faith and frustration does not mean lack of loyalty.

But how far will this go? Each faction beats-up on the other on a regular basis….and that often becomes the festering sore that leads to unrest. How far can Wenger go before the ‘untouchable’ tag he earned in his first 9 years starts to erode? How much rope does he have before he hangs himself in the eyes of the fans…if ever?

Well here’s my theory.

Firstly, I wouldn’t bet a red cent against Wenger delivering this season or next but if he fails to do so the prognosis may be terminal. I think he can afford to come-up short again this season, as long as Arsenal have a decent campaign and are involved at the ‘business end’ in one way or another. The risk with this though is the potential for further loss of key players. We’ve seen the ‘drip drip’ effect in the past few seasons where some (not insignificant) Arsenal players seem to lose faith and move on. How long before Fabregas, or others, take the same path? Certainly, another trophy-less season will bring some pressure to bear in this regard but Wenger has enough credit to survive this.

But what if Arsenal remain without a trophy this season and next, while Wenger sticks to his obsession? Where is the point where the straw breaks the camel’s back (the camel being the Arsenal fans in that analogy)? I believe that it’s right there! Two more barren seasons and I think Arsene may just have used up his credit with the Arsenal fans. That would be 7 seasons without the PL title and 6 without any silverware at all. Not that the club would ever sack him….it would be a disgrace if they did, but if Wenger knows that he’s lost the fans (and managers always know when that turning point arrives) he’ll surely walk.

And that will be a sad day for English football if it ever comes to pass. As a Man U fan I don’t ever wish Arsenal success but if Arsene realises his dream…achieves the Holy Grail on his terms…and remains an icon of the Premier League, then something within me will be delighted for the man.

Many perish on the rock of misguided idealism but for those who succeed it is both churlish and shallow to deny them their moment of glory based on bias or rivalry…. and I will be the first to applaud.

But if the worst happens it will be down to the Arsenal fans and their mood. Their catch phrase is ‘Arsene knows’. Whether he does or not, his heart is undoubtedly in the right place.

Hopefully, they’ll make the right decision….. but the wants and emotions of fans, coupled with loyalty, can make strange bedfellows!

Speaking to the press on Thursday at UEFA’s elite coaches forum, Alex Ferguson agreed that something has to be done to eradicate diving from the game and that UEFA took the decision on Eduardo to set a marker for the rest of the season.

But while the Beeb would have you believe (along with a fantastic photo) that Ferguson was backing UEFA’s ban on Eduardo, what was far more interesting and relevant were his comments about Wenger’s reactions to the ban.

Ferguson:

“I agree with Arsene, I would ask the same question ‘is it going to happen to everyone?’

Privately, as I’ve done many times, you have a different view, but I wouldn’t do it publicly.”

Put this in context of what Wenger said about protecting his players in the public eye by saying that ‘I didn’t see it’ (or something to that effect), and you have two managers being remarkably candid and honest about how they deal with diving.

Why can’t the BBC see this?

Tuesdays have never been so exciting. Even the institution that is the UEFA Champions League and the subsequent “Champions Tuesdays” fanfare it precipitated hasn’t managed to turn a day of boredom and wistful gazing towards weekends past and future into anything more than a filler day.

Seasoned office conversationalists agree on very little- the Euro, Jordan, the eternal cheese versus egg debate- yet most manage to reach a gruff compromise when it comes to naming the most banal day of any week. Tuesday.

Because it works like this. On a Monday you have weekend tales to tell, and in a strange way it can be nice to see people you haven’t seen for an entire two days again. You might even have a new shirt and tie from your weekend excursion to Gap. Wednesdays, well they tend to have office five-a-side in the evening, so the day can be spent picking and re-picking teams, as well as poring over the midweek football coupon.

Thursdays, well they are the start of the weekend these days aren’t they? And there are the five-a-side stories to embellish also. And the Friday feeling, twenty years after the PR department Crunchie tried and failed to, simply cannot be explained. You take that tie off and throw on the new polo, you plan a few drinks in a low-quality alehouse, you talk incessantly of plans for the weekend as if they are of great importance, and the work seems secondary somehow. Phones do not need answering, customers do not need serving, and the clock seems to be in on the act, ticking faster than normal.

Tuesday, by contrast, has nothing going for it. Sure you can chat about the Champions League action, but that only really helps fans of a couple of clubs (or the purist, but since when do they have office jobs?), you can maybe dissect a Monday night game (though SKY and ESPN seem reluctant to utilise this Premier League invention). Tuesdays drift by with nothing to discuss, nothing to enjoy, nothing to anticipate.

Well not any more. This week sees the most exciting time of year condense itself into….a Tuesday! Yes, the transfer window is slamming shut a day later than originally scheduled, due to an unforeseen Bank Holiday which will undoubtedly lead to a pile up of paperwork in the Premier League’s admin department, with most staff off parading round Notting Hill in hula skirts. So the 31st August deadline becomes the 1st September one. The Monday night deadline becomes the Tuesday teatime one.

And boy are we excited. Not as excited as Sky Sports News of course, that would be impossible, but excited nonetheless. Already sensible, grown men are preparing their phones for endless texts to news institutions offering dubious tip-offs. “Marouane Chamakh just arrived at my taxi rank looking for Shenley Training Centre, whatever could it mean?”

Some managers love the last few days of the deadline, Harry Redknapp is like the gambler who takes a jackpot out of a fruit machine- or twelve points from twelve- only to go after that repeat chance and throw another couple of million at a promising young full back.

Tony Pulis’ scout appears to have set up home in the North East and is attempting to relieve both Middlesbrough and Sunderland of all their players- expect Danny Collins and perhaps Kenwyne Jones to appear in a sentence beginning with “Stoke bid” before 5pm on Terrific Tuesday.

Paul Hart too, should be a busy man, Portsmouth’s squad quality may have plunged depths low enough to make Alain Perrin cackle, but he added four new faces on Friday. All of them rubbish. Expect a few more to fatten out the numbers over the next few days, with the last two remaining good players- David James and Niko Kranjcar- likely to leave.

Arsène Wenger is a lot more sensible of course, but still capable of a little deadline day indulgence. Andrey Arshavin was the (tedious) story of the last window, Lassana Diarra was snaffled on deadline day a couple of years back, Denílson a year previously. This year, he may decide to keep his credit card in his wallet after a useful start to the season, though if you ask most he should be scouring the aisles marked “Goalkeepers with goalkeeping ability” and “Strong tall centre midfielders”. Whether he will remains to be seen, Wenger is nothing if not loyal to his charges, but expect plenty of player sightings in and around St Albans this week.

Sir Alex Ferguson is another who is publicly sceptical of deadline day, though that didn’t stop him performing a Bronx-style kidnap on Dimitar Berbatov this time last year in a bid to stop the Bulgarian from taking his languid, chain-smoking, hair-flicking style to Manchester City. This year he has claimed a disinterest in further strengthening the Champions’ squad, though early signs suggest they may need a little fine tuning, perhaps in midfield. Looking round the pool of talent available however shows there are little obvious solutions to such a problem, particularly with Arjen Robben swapping white for red and Real Madrid for Bayern Munich this week.

Rafa Benítez meanwhile is turning over couches all over Merseyside as he looks to stump up enough cash to add in a bit more depth and quality to Liverpool’s squad. Sotirios Kyrgiakos may have been added, but at £2m represents the goo at the bottom of a barrel of sweets in terms of signings, and with the likes of Ryan Babel and Andriy Voronin showing little sign of covering for Gerrard and Torres consistently, a new forward option is patently needed. One wonders whether loan moves for the likes of Eidur Gudjohnsen or Ruud Van Nistelrooy would be feasible.

Manchester City seem to have quietened down a bit since they managed, via Joleon Lescott, to dismantle/galvanise (depending on who you listen to) Everton’s team spirit. Lescott & Sylvinho may be the end of Mark Hughes’ summer spending, but with City struggling to turn dominant possession into commanding wins, there may be a sneaky signing or two to arrive at Eastlands, even despite Pep Guardiola’s insistence that he holds little or no interest in signing Robinho.

And speaking of Everton, they are finally in a position to spend a bit of cash. But like the lad who has been out of work for so long that when he finally gets a paycheque, he spends it on needlessly costly designer clothes, David Moyes is taking risks in the market. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov cost £10m from Lokomotiv Moscow, whilst Sylvain Distin cost £5.3m from Portsmouth, both made a winning debut against Wigan yesterday. Reports suggest that perma-frown Scott Brown of Celtic, Johnny Heitinga of Atlético Madrid, and Ever Banega of Valencia will follow them into Finch Farm over the next few days, though Moyes’ forte has always been the capture and polishing of lesser known, hungrier players. His new policy will be under firm scrutiny over the coming months.

Elsewhere down the division, West Ham will be looking to sell before buying. Their latest raid on Serie B has been completed with the capture of Alessandro Diamante from Livorno (jury hasn’t even turned up yet on this one), but the likes of Carlton Cole, Matthew Upson and James Collins are all sure to be linked away as Gianfranco Zola attempts to balance the books, with an FA fine and potential ban for crowd disorder expected to add to the financial constraints at Upton Park. The Hammers have already turned down a bid for Upson from….Fiorentina?!!…but will be bracing themselves from bids from the likes of Villa &, of course, Spurs.

Phil Brown at Hull will be busy, and not just in the mirror either, as he looks to add low quality Sunderland players to his squad. Paul McShane looks a done deal, now if only we could get Daryl Murphy too, we would be certain to go down. Benjani may represent a better signing, though the fact that he was last seen carrying Emmanuel Adebayor’s luggage through the lobby of the Manchester Hilton may count against him.

Sunderland themselves are hatching a sneaky plan of their own, buoyed by Lee Cattermole’s decent start at the club, Steve Bruce is looking into a plan whereby every player who has a 6/10+ performance for Wigan over the last two seasons arrives on Wearside for big money- Maynor Figueroa and, cough, Titus Bramble the latest to be linked. Which is handy, because Roberto Martínez is adhering to a similar policy himself, with a sign in the DW Stadium reading “Wanted: Players. Must have Swansea/Spanish roots”. Jason Scotland and Jordi Gomez could soon be joined by Ferrie Bodde, Angel Rangel and John Toshack at Wigan (suppose it’s either that or bring back Amr Zaki and his ego?).

Which leaves the quieter clubs, Bolton, Blackburn, Villa. Villa should add to unfortunate Richard Dunne to their ranks before the close, whilst both Gary Megson and Sam Allardyce will no doubt be maximising the filter option on Football Manager in a bid for cheap/loan signings. The Lancashire clubs in particular appear in dire need of some investment, even if Bolton’s just comes in the kit department.

So make the most of this week boys (and girls, there is no reason why girls can’t love a bit of transfer action), enjoy the moment, this Tuesday may be one of a kind. Terrific, tasty, tantalising……tedious. Wait and see.

Get all the latest premier league transfers and transfer news from Europe here.

Come on, admit it. That was pretty good wasn’t it? The Premier League has its knockers, and rightly so in a lot of instances, but for entertainment and watchability, it is up there with the best dramas, the best comedies and the best contests, no question.

The opening weekend of the season is a rare time in football, a time when all clubs start on an even keel, with shiny new strips, shiny new haircuts and shiny new players, not to mention some seriously elevated ambitions. Unless you are Portsmouth of course.

For English fans, ESPN has filled the chasm vacated by Setanta and its crude mustard/black presentation, and on Saturday evening the American company were treated to the game of the weekend as Arsenal produced a display of devastating efficiency and pleasing aesthetics to nail Everton firmly to the bottom of the embryonic Premier League table.

Inevitably, the fallout- on Everton’s side at least- from The Gunners’ 6-1 rout at a bewildered Goodison Park centred on Joleon Lescott, and the impact his on-off move to Manchester City may have had on both his own mindset, and that of his team.

Lescott was reported in some papers to have requested a day off on Saturday because his head was “not right”, and by half time it may not be unfair to say that David Moyes may have wished he had agreed to such a brazen, and unprofessional, request. Ok so he was faultless for Arsenal’s first goal, a simply magnificent curling effort from Denílson which left Tim Howard grasping thin air en route to the top right hand corner of the net, but the lack of organisation and awareness displayed at the free kicks which allowed Arsenal’s central defensive pairing of Thomas Vermaelen & William Gallas to wrap up the game before half time smacked of a team suffering a communication breakdown. Marouane Fellaini seemed to be at fault for at least one of the goals, but in truth no Everton player- Lescott certainly included- was doing his job.

Three down to Arsenal at home on the opening day of the season is probably the worst case scenario for a team struggling for inspiration, Arsène Wenger’s side can keep the ball for fun at the best of times, with Everton ragged it became a cakewalk. Cesc Fàbregas produced two classic finishes at the end of two classic counter attacks to make it five, before Eduardo Da Silva arrived from the bench to finish off a rebound after Andrey Arshavin’s deflected effort had spun like a Shane Warne flipper around Howard and against his post. Everton did manage a consolation through Louis Saha in stoppage time, but the roar that greeted it was akin to that of a man who finds a voucher for a free Bounty bar (i.e. not very loud).

It is hard to draw conclusions from the opening day of the campaign at the best of times, and in this case it is doubly so. Were Arsenal good? Yes, but how good? Were Everton bad? Yes but how much was down to distractions, how much was down to a lack of investment through the summer- ironically their only major acquisition, on-loan striker Jô, was as bad as anyone- and how much was down to the quality of their opposition?

It is an unarguable fact that no side moves the ball with as much fluidity and ingenuity as Arsenal, and Everton’s midfield was simply unable to cope with the pace and purpose of the Gunners’ passing game. Fellaini & Tim Cahill looked too inherently similar to deal with the movement and intelligence of Fàbregas, Denílson & the ever-improving Alex Song, whilst Leighton Baines was given a torrid time by the Nicklas Bendtner, who may well be one player to step up in the absence of his old sparring partner Emmanuel Adebayor.

On the other flank Arshavin is simply a magician, and looked dangerous just about every time the ball reached him, supported ably by Gaël Clichy from full back, whilst Robin Van Persie appears to be growing into the role of focal point with each game, keeping him fit will be pretty close to the top of Wenger’s wish-list for the season I’m sure. Better still for Wenger, the likes of Theo Walcott, Samir Nasri, Tomáš Rosický & Jack Wilshere did not even travel. How Everton would love just one of those names to add to their squad, which looks positively threadbare by comparison.

And even at the back, the place were most detractors are insistent that Arsenal lack quality, there were more plusses than minuses to take home down the M6. Vermaelen was assured and rarely troubled by Jô, Cahill or Fellaini on his debut, Gallas was equally composed, and in Sagna & Clichy they still have two of the best full backs in the league. If those are Arsenal’s problems, then I’m sure most clubs would like a slice.

Neither side is in league action in midweek, Arsenal face an enticing trip to Glasgow to face Celtic in the Champions League qualifiers, whilst Everton must pick their faces up off the floor in time to face Sigma Olomouc in the Europa Liga on Thursday night. It will certainly be interesting to see whether a certain centre back starts that particular game. Especially with reports linking Newcastle’s Steven Taylor, and Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross with a move to Merseyside as potential replacements.

This morning, Tony Mowbray looked out of his window, saw the clouds and the threat of rain, and though “a bit of rain will help our game tonight”. He made his breakfast, ate it, enjoyed it, and began the journey to the Lennoxtown training centre in a buoyant, if not overly-confident mood.

But, somewhere along the way, he must have ran over a black cat. Or smashed a mirror. Or both. For the luck most certainly deserted his Celtic side on a night which belonged to Arsenal courtesy of two wicked deflections which knocked the stuffing out of a boisterous Parkhead crowd.

Both sides sauntered into this game on the back of comprehensive away victories with which they had begun their season, both had been three up and able to relax at half time at the weekend, and both had talked confidently about their respective plan of action for this particular encounter.

Arsène Wenger, naturally, opted for the same eleven that had instigated the rout of Everton on Saturday. Conversely, his student Tony Mowbray sprung a slight surprise in naming Georgios Samaras as his lone frontman, leaving Australian Scott McDonald and £3.8m signing Marc-Antoine Fortuné among the substitutes. Mowbray may well have been forgiven for adding an extra body in the midfield however, welcoming Scott Brown back for his first start of the campaign.

And after a typically deafening “You’ll Never Walk Alone” chorus, and tribal roar, the tempo in the opening exchanges was predictably frantic. Celtic keen not to give Arsenal room to play, the visitors eager to show that they were still prepared to play in the face of strong arm tactics. It was Wenger’s side who had the ball in the net first through the sublime Andrey Arshavin, albeit from an offside position. Celtic threatened intermittently, often from left back Danny Fox and his well angled crosses, and later from a counter attacking surge from Aidan McGeady which forced Thomas Vermaelen into a useful challenge on Brown, but it was Arsenal, with Arshavin & Cesc Fàbregas in regal form, who dominated the ball.

Still, when the opening goal did eventually come, it owed as much to an outrageous slice of fortune as anything else, Fàbregas hitting a 30 yard free kick powerfully to Boruc’s bottom right hand corner, the ball smacking off William Gallas’ back and nestling painfully in the bottom left, with the Polish keeper completely stranded. It was a harsh blow, three minutes before the break.

And it seemed to stifle Celtic’s roars, in the seven minutes after half time; Arsenal might have scored on three occasions. Arshavin finding oceans of space in the centre of the park and feeding Robin Van Persie, who angled his left foot strike wide of Boruc’s far post, before Denílson saw a carefully guided 20 yarder flash wide with the keeper beaten. Van Persie fluffed another presentable chance soon after following a powerful burst forward from Gallas, whilst in between these incidents there were vociferous penalty appeals from the Parkhead crowd as Nicklas Bendtner handled a free kick from Shaun Maloney, though referee Massimo Busacca- who refereed last year’s final- can be forgiven for adjudging it as accidental.

Celtic, to their credit, managed to regroup after the initial onslaught of the second half, and the introduction of McDonald & Fortuné for the ineffective Samaras gave them a greater presence up front. Fortuné’s searching ball for his strike partner may well have brought about an equaliser were it not for Gallas, at full stretch, deflecting the ball dangerously wide of his front post with Manuel Almunia committed to the cross.

It proved to be the final real chance for the Hoops, four minutes later Wenger sent on Abou Diaby for Arshavin, and within a minute the Frenchman had beaten Andreas Hinkel with a beautiful piece of footwork and fed Gaël Clichy down the left, the Frenchman’s cross was hard and true, and the luckless Gary Caldwell- sent off for Scotland in Norway last week- had to get something on it. Unfortunately his studs carried the ball past the diving Boruc and into the net, giving Arsenal the all-important second goal, and compounding Mowbray’s rotten luck.

Caldwell was philosophical after the game, claiming that his team were beaten by a better side (true), whilst Mowbray decried the “two or three slices of luck” that had gone against his side (equally true). For Wenger and co however, there is a nice cushion to play with in the second leg at the Emirates in a fortnight’s time, and with his side in such imperious form in possession, things are looking nice at the moment in the Arsenal garden.

Man of the Match – Cesc Fàbregas is the heart and soul of this Arsenal team, and his performance fitted his reputation, despite various attempts to stifle him.