Arsenalised Planet

Mesut Ozil has sealed a spectacular €47 million move to Arsenal after signing a five-year contract. The Gunners have smashed their transfer record to land the Germany international, who underwent the second part of his medical in Munich on Monday after agreeing personal terms with the club. Ozil has signed a deal worth around €150,000-a-week that will run until 2018 after Real Madrid gave the green light to his departure. He will comfortably become Arsenal’s highest-paid player as well as the club’s record signing, after Arsene Wenger sanctioned the first €23m-plus transfer in their history. THE VIEW FROM GERMANY  For the majority of people in Germany, Mesut Ozil’s move to Arsenal has come as a huge surprise. Arsenal are a well-respected club in Germany but are no longer considered in the same class as Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Barcelona. However, with the World Cup coming up next summer it is essential Ozil is playing first-team fo...

The time has surely come for Arsenal to utilise a portion of its capital. Okay, some fans prefer to use a few more Fs and less pretentious discourse (and let’s be honest, it’s got more of a ring to it) but the point remains the same. Arsène Wenger and his team of elite negotiators are yet to spend a penny in the transfer market – and the fans don’t like it. I’ve always kind of resented the chant as childish and naïve. I’m by no means an expert but I’m 100% certain that buying players the transfer market is a little more complex than picking up groceries from the supermarket. The chant also makes the assumption that everything will be okay if you just throw money at the problem. Sure, sometimes it works, but there have been plenty of occasions when it hasn’t. Having said that, even the most optimistic of gooners would struggle to mask their frustration at Arsenal’s lack of summer activity thus far. Plenty of fans will be, and are, pleased to see the back of the likes of Seb...

ARSENAL WILL MOST PROBABLY WIN A TITLE NEXT SEASON. Why? Arsenal are set to receive a huge sponsor boost from Puma at £180m, additionally they  have a new Emirates deal worth £150m which was signed 2 months ago. Wenger is going to be given around a £120 mln transfer kitty out of that. For the first time in years this seems to be likely. In earlier years, the £400m Emirates Stadium drained Arsenal resources and the club  mainted a sell our players to maintain club finances policy. After Henry, Song, Fabregas, Adebayor, Clichy, Toure, Nasri & RVP... additionally, a big influx of money came from the sales of the Highbury Square apartments...that time is gone. For the first time we are going to be in control. All signs point to a spending summer and  we better have new star players. Another good thing is that all our key players have contracts and no player is going to be holding Arsenal ransom to their demands. For the first time we might have a clean season without p...

Premier League preview: Arsenal v Norwich Inconsistent winger Gervinho could be the key for Arsenal when they host Norwich in the English Premier League with third spot on the line. Gervinho has been a popular target for disgruntled Arsenal fans this season as the London-based side have failed yet again to challenge for the Premier League title but with two goals and three assists in Arsenal's past three fixtures, the 25-year-old Ivory Coast international has found top form. Arsenal can boost their UEFA Champions League qualification hopes and move from fifth into third spot in the English Premier League with a win over Norwich at the Emirates on Saturday and Gervinho could well be critical to the home side's chances. The former Lille man set up the opening goal in Arsenal's 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion last week, while he played a role in three of his team's four goals in their 4-1 thumping of Reading on March 30. With Tottenham Hotspur, who sit...

Arsen al  and West  Brom  come into this Premier League clash in two very different sets of circumstances. For West  Brom , this season already represents a success. Steve Clarke’s first season as a Premier League manager has been remarkably impressive, and the Baggies now sit comfortably in eighth place in the table. For a side whose initial aim is generally to ensure Premier League survival, it’s an unusually cozy spot. They are ensconced safely in mid-table; it is unlikely they will reach Europe and inconceivable that they’ll be dragged in to any kind of relegation scrap. The players’ minds may already be turning to their summer holidays. Arsenal still have plenty to play for. Their minimum requirement for every season is to reach the top four and qualify for the Champions League. As yet, Arsenal trail both Chelsea  and Tottenham in that particular race. Every point is vital for the Gunners. Recent Form West  Brom ’s form is befitting...

Arsenal 's comprehensive Premier League victory over  Reading  means they have kept up the pace in their pursuit of both Tottenham and  Chelsea . With the Manchester sides seemingly certain to finish in the top two, the three London clubs are all competing for the two remaining Champions League places. The math does not work cleanly—one club will miss out. If Arsenal play as they did against Reading for the remainder of the season, they stand a very good chance of edging their way back in to the top four. This was a promising performance with impressive contributions from some surprise sources. Gervinho’s Confidence Is Restored Jamie McDonald/Getty Images Arsenal fans are used to seeing Gervinho causing chaos.  However, all too often that chaos has been detrimental to Arsenal's game. Gervinho's erratic running patterns and unpredictable decision-making can make him look like something of a headless chicken. In this game, however, he was at his ...