WE WILL WIN....




.....BITCH PLEASE

Laurent Koscielny has finalised personal terms with Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis and according to reports in France his move to north London is expected to be announced on Monday.

The 24-year-old is expected to sign a 4-year deal worth more than £10 million, with bonuses also included after negotiations stalled with Lorient officials on Wednesday evening.

Koscielny was little-known a year ago when Lorient signed him from Ligue 2 side Tours for just £1.5m but an impressive season brought him to the attention of Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.

Veterans defenders Mikael Silvestre and contract rebel William Gallas are both expected to leave this summer, leaving just Thomas Vermaelen and Johan Djourou as specialist centre backs with Djourou having made just one appearance all last season and only 48 in the League since 2004.

Arsenal are set to sell Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo to make room for ex-Chelsea star Joe Cole, according to The Mirror.

As Goal.com UK exclusively revealed previously, the 28-year will move the Emirates on a three-year deal, for £80,000 a week imminently.

This expense will stretch the wage bill and manager Arsene Wenger will be forced to balance the books by selling some of his fringe players.

Both Eduardo and Rosicky have struggled for form and fitness in recent years, while their first-team chances will be threatened further by Cole’s arrival.

Aston Villa have been linked with the Croatia international, while a return to the Bundesliga could be on the cards for Rosicky. (Goal.com)

So there you have it. This source believes that Joe Cole will soon be an Arsenal player, that said other sources claimed that the former Chelsea man was on his way to Tottenham and Man United so it’s hard to know what to believe.

If Arsene Wenger does seal this deal though he will have completed a very impressive signing of a player eager to prove many people wrong about what he still has to offer at club and country levels. The 28 year old failed to persuade Carlo Ancelotti of his worth and now finds himself bombarded with offers to choose from.

The pair linked with Emirates exits are two players who have disappointed of late after promising starts. Tomas Rosicky has of course been sidelined with injury for large chunks of his four years at the club and has amazingly only started 51 Premier League starts in that time.

Eduardo has as well been out for large chunks, primarily following that hideous challenge by Birmingham City defender Martin Taylor, and started well when he arrived but has become something of a damp squib over the past year. There is no doubting the Croatian international’s ability to finish in front of goal but he has flattered to deceive for a while now and the signs are that Wenger may be ready to cash in on both players.

Eduardo 6

It has become popular to say that Eduardo's top-level football career was ended at St Andrews in February 2008. While it would be disingenuous to say this is completely untrue, I for one don't agree with that assessment.

Nobody said that when he scored that brilliant goal against Burnley in the FA Cup. Nobody said that when he was showing great movement at the beginning of the season. And nobody said that when he powered home that header against West Ham also in the Cup.

But for me, the crucial point about Eduardo is that he was signed to be a 'fox in the box' and score tap-ins. Playing that sort of game is all about timing runs to perfection and getting matches to always be ready to take your chance. Which is why I find it so odd that Wenger is planning to sell Eduardo.

Now I'm the first to say he hasn't played particularly well this season. He definitely suffered from the backlash after the Celtic penalty incident.

But this is somewhat moot: we waited a year for him to get his fitness back and then he wasn't really played. Nobody really knows whether his top-level career was ended at St Andrews because they haven't seen him play enough. So by all means loan the Crozilian out. But don't sell him, Arsene. Please.

Carlos Vela 5

I appreciate it must be depressing for Vela. Even with Van Persie, Eduardo, and Bendtner out, Wenger chose to play Arshavin up front on his own in December rather than turning to the Mexican. He must think he'll never get near the team and this is self-perpetuating because the result (seemingly) is that he doesn't train hard enough and often looks overweight (and doesn't get near the team).

But I have little sympathy for him. For one, apparently he played 20 games last year. Now I remember his goal against Fulham because it was our most recent game. And I remember his cameo against West Ham because he was quite good. But isn't it an indictment on Vela that those are the only memories of his season?

He's only 21. He still has a chance to make it at Arsenal. But only if he bucks up his ideas and stops ridiculous fiascos like his lost passport. Must do better.

Nicklas Bendtner 7

The problem with Bendtner is that that he attracts derision. There were the trousers falling down outside a club. There was his crashed Aston Martin. The pointless changing of the squad number. And there was his talk of being the best player in the world.

But on the other hand, Bendtner is clearly a player who cares. When he came on as a sub at Stamford Bridge, he clearly wanted to change the game and make Arsenal win. This desire is something certain players in the squad (Diaby) lack big-time. He clearly wants to be a fans favourite and he definitely does try harder than he did a few years ago.

Also, a record of 12 goals from 21 starts this season is nothing to be sniffed at. It would be interesting to see how good that would be if he hadn't pulled a muscle against Spurs when in form. And he's still only 22. I have high hopes for Bendtner to be another Arsene Wenger success story. I just hope he doesn't slip too far down the pecking order with the arrival of Chamakh. Losing him would be a mistake.

Robin Van Persie 8

It feels like a long time ago that I wrote 'The Strange Case of RVP'. Probably that's because it was a long time ago, November 2008 to be precise.

But it also feels like such a long time because Van Persie has changed so much since then. He scores lots of goals and he also creates lots of goals - he is the consummate attacking player. His cameo against Spurs after 5 months out was nothing short of breathtaking.He genuinely is one of the top strikers in the world.

The only shame is that he can't stay fit. It's a weak argument to say Arsenal should not sign Joe Cole because of his injury record - Van Persie's is much, much worse. That said, it's fair to question what would have happened if Giorgio Chiellini hadn't broken Van Persie's ankle. It might just have been a glorious season for Arsenal.

Conclusion: Eduardo and Vela both have appeared not to be up to the Arsenal standard, but I hold out more hope for Eduardo than Vela although I think it's more likely Eduardo will be sold as he's older. More depth was clearly needed, as shown by Arshavin having to play as a lone striker for over a month. With the signing of Chamakh, Arsenal have three good strikers in RVP, Bendtner and the Moroccan. It's simply a case of getting them to play well together, because I don't foresee another striker coming in.