There has been numerous (thousands even) of anti-Wenger statements appearing on the Arsenal blogs since last summer. They gradually lessened as Arsenal remained in the hunt for trophies, but since the Gunners tamely dropped away at the end of the season, the clamour for Arsene Wenger’s head has increased in volume.

So cynical have the Gooners become, that they are already assuming that Wenger will refuse to buy a new goalkeeper this summer, and have every intention of staging a protest during the Emirates Cup. Arsenal have been linked with just about every goalkeeper on the planet in the last fortnight, but the diehard fans are simply refusing to believe he has any intention of adding a new Number One to the squad.

I don’t suppose it helps when Wenger keeps stating that Lukasz Fabianski is a massive talent, when it has been increasingly obvious that he has problems coping with any pressure in the penalty box. And Almunia is already out-the-door as far as Arsenal supporters are concerned.

Many fans have even suggested that perhaps the two Arsenal youngsters, Vito Mannone and Wojciech Szczesny, should be promoted to first and second choice, although the consensus think that Arsenal need cover for another couple of years so they can mature a little.

Okay the fans may be unhappy, but do they really think that the (increasingly stubborn) Wenger is seriously going to listen to their protests? And, after finishing third in the Premiership with a squad of youngsters, should they be questioning the great man’s authority?

Jack Wilshere wants Arsenal to extend his loan at Bolton.

The 18-year-old, who joined Bolton on loan from Arsenal on a temporary deal back in January to gain
experience by playing regular football, could just be the pioneer of Arsene
Wenger's upcoming generation of young and talented players, if Coyle's
words are to be taken into full consideration.

The Bolton boss has already urged Wenger to entrust the lad to him for an additional year .

The England Under-21 star, who is yet to start a Premier League game for the Gunners has made 18 appearances for the trotters in the just concluded Premier League campaign.

According to friends, the youngster has admitted that he would be very happy if Arsene Wenger accepts Bolton's initiative.

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The Arsenal and England legend David Seaman was at the South Bank saving penalties for Yahoo! this weekend (or letting them in!) and was inevitably asked about the goalkeeping situation at the Emirates.

He seems to agree with Arsene Wenger that Lukasz Fabianski is very talented, and that Manuel Almunia is the perfect age for a goalkeeper. In fact he thinks all four keepers at Arsenal are pretty good!

He said: “If you look at the keepers at Arsenal there is a hell of a lot of talent – but there is a hell of a lot of young talent there. Manuel Almunia is 32 so is reaching now the perfect age for a keeper. I am not too sure whether Wenger needs to buy one, maybe he just needs to bring through what we’ve got . I know Lukasz Fabianski had a bad end to the season but is still a really talented keeper. You’ve got Wojciech Szczesny and Vito Mannone, so you have young talent. I’m not sure – he may just want to bring them through.”

When asked about Wenger should be investing in the transfer market anyway, Seaman thought that just two arrivals were needed.

“It’s the big question for Arsenal this summer.” he said. “Does he go out a buy an all-signing, all-dancing finished article or does he stick with what he does which is buy someone you have never heard of before and make them into superstars? I think he needs to buy a couple of experienced players. The younger players need experienced players to fall back on when things aren’t going right. I don’t think he needs to buy lots of players – the squad is good – he maybe just needs one or two players – a central midfielder and a central defender.”

Arsenal fans know the deal when it comes to transfer deals: it's only official when it's announced on Arsenal.com.

That won't change this summer. But we know that transfer speculation will be rife in the build-up to the 2010/11 campaign and we intend to keep you abreast of the gossip between now and the Big Kick-Off.


Phil Jagielka (Everton)
Defender - 28 years old

According to the Sunday Mirror, Arsenal and Manchester United are "battling to sign" Everton centre back Phil Jagielka. The 28-year-old is regarded as one of England’s most improved defenders and was tipped for a place in Fabio Capello's World Cup squad before suffering a serious knee injury last year. Jagielka returned to the Everton side late in the 2009/10 campaign but will not travel to South Africa for this summer's tournament.