Nacer Barazite will rejoin Arsenal on January 1st, after Vitesse Arnhem decided against buying the 20-year-old. The Eredivisie outfit had the option to extend the loan until the end of the season, but also turned down that option.

Barazite was told in the summer that he did not figure in Arsenal’s long term plans, and would be available for transfer. Liam Brady arranged a trial with Scottish Champions Rangers, and although he impressed, wages proved to be a stumbling block. On transfer deadline day, Benfica and Vitesse both made loan with a view to purchase offers, and Nacer chose the latter.

The Holland Under 21 international has made seven league appearances this season, mostly as a substitute. However, despite finding goals and assists in The KNVB Cup, the winger fell out of favour with new manager Albert Ferrer and has been in and out of the squad. Barazite spoke recently of his desire to stay in Arnhem, the place of his birth, but the club moved last night to sever links.

Vitesse had agreed on a season long loan, with the option to buy and review the loan in January and again next summer. A fee of around €3 million euros was, in principle, agreed.

Arsenal will now seek to find a new club for Nacer.

Roberto Mancini has warned the Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli it is time for him to forget his own hype and prove his worth on the pitch. Balotelli, who has attracted as much attention for his behaviour as his performances, is yet to match the high esteem he holds himself in.

The £24m summer signing from Internazionale this week dismissed Arsenal's Jack Wilshere as "Jack who?" in assessing the man who finished runner-up to him as the best young player in Europe. He also claimed that of the past winners of the award, only Lionel Messi had been a "little stronger" than him at the time.

Mancini has told Balotelli before City's Boxing Day game at Newcastle United to cut the bravado and play with a smile, rather than a scowl. "He must improve in this situation," said the Manchester City manager. "You need to smile to play football; that is the best thing you can do.

"It is good when a player has confidence in himself. Mario Balotelli has everything you need to be one of the best players in the world. But he must improve and he must show it. Only if you play well in every game can you say these things. It depends on him.

"The Premier League is so different from the Italian league. Mario must understand. If he thinks what he says, he must show it in every game.

"But he's happy. He is in a fantastic team playing in probably the best league in the world. He is special because he has great attributes to play football but you have to put with that your heart, your strength on the pitch.

"If not, I know plenty of players, talented like Mario, who didn't play football for a top team. He has to prove he has the character to play at the top level."

Mancini also invited Carlos Tevez to do his talking on the pitch. Asked whether the striker should follow the example of Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and apologise to the supporters following his transfer request U-turn, Mancini said: "Maybe. I don't know. The fans still love him. But I think what is most important is that Carlos plays well, scores goals and the fans will love him."

Arsene Wenger is well aware that his team’s record against Chelsea and Man United has not been very good for the last five years, but after Arsenal’s two narrow losses in the away games against the Big Two he says that they now have to prove they can equal them by winning the return games at home, starting with Chelsea on Monday.

In fact he even goes so far as to say that it could be a “season decider”. He said today: “We have a good opportunity to show in the coming months that our improvement is bigger than any other team,”

“We are a very young side and it’s about how well we respond to what happened to us at Chelsea and Manchester United. That will be the decider for our season.

“Of course we have mixed feelings because we came out of both games against Chelsea and Manchester United thinking that it was possible and that there was not a difference between the teams.

“But the statistics are history and every game is a new start. Every guy before he wins, he has lost and one day he wins. We have to make sure for us that day is on Monday.

“We are in a strong position now in December and we know our home form against the big teams will be the decider for the championship.”

The French manager will be reluctant to see prodigious midfielder Jack Wilshere taking part in next year’s European Championship.

English FA’s director of football development, Sir Trevor Brooking, would like to see Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere join the England U-21 team and participate in the European Championship next summer.

But Arsene Wenger is determined that young Wilshere should be properly rested after estimating that he will play over 40 games over the course of this season, according to the Telegraph.

"Playing with the first team until June and then playing in the under-21s – that will not work. Every time he plays he has to put 200 per cent in to win the ball. So, when a guy like him has played 40 games in the season, he needs a rest.", the Frenchman commented.

Furthermore, the Gunners boss claims it is counterproductive to bring a senior international back down to U-21 level.

"I don't believe a player ever performs when he has been in a top team and comes back down to the under-21s. It is always a bad decision. It's because you feel you go down. You take any player who plays at Arsenal in the Premier League, put him down to Division One, you would be disappointed by him.", he stated.


Wenger has previously clashed with England U-21 boss Stuart Pearce when another Arsenal player, Theo Walcott , was selected for both the young and senior teams, and subsequently experienced a frustrating season hampered with injuries.

Arsene Wenger may be fuming at Nani's dismissal of Arsenal's title chances - but the Gunners chief can take comfort from knowing the man who really matters at Manchester United is not adopting the same attitude.

Nani's claim that only United or Chelsea can end the season as champions has not gone down well in north London, with Wenger sarcastically labelling the winger "1600 times more intelligent than me".

Unlike his winger, Sir Alex Ferguson can boast experience of sending a team out into battle.
And the United boss puts Arsenal in an elite group he does feel are capable of lifting the ultimate prize.

"I don't think there will be anyone outside ourselves, Chelsea or Arsenal," he said. "Those three will certainly be there.

"I know Harry (Redknapp) is talking up his chances at Tottenham but they are involved in the Champions League, which is a new thing for them.

"If they get through the next stage it is not easy to manage European competition at that level and doing your league programme, plus FA Cup ties. Usually experience gets you through.

"Manchester City have got a chance of course. But they will also have the Europa League that will make it difficult.

"Maybe they, and Harry too, could buy in January because it is very difficult to manage both."

Ahead of the Boxing Day encounter with Sunderland, Ferguson confirmed he expected this to be Edwin van der Sar's last season.

The 40-year-old has not publicly said as much but the indications have been apparent for some time that, whilst the veteran Dutchman is still performing at the highest level, he is fearful of a sudden dip in form.

Anders Lindegaard has already been purchased from Aalesunds, although the Denmark international will not be eligible until the FA Cup tie with Liverpool on January 9, whilst another recruit is expected before the start of next season.

"I did expect this to be Edwin's final season," said Ferguson.

"To still be playing at this level at 40 is amazing.

"You can only do it if you have the structure and the mind to be able to programme himself and train the way he does. It is phenomenal."

It is an enduring regret of Ferguson's that he did not sign Van der Sar as Peter Schmeichel's replacement in 1999 as he intended.

But the lesson has been learned and United will not be leaving themselves similarly exposed.

"I am very lucky to have had both Van der Sar and Schmeichel," said Ferguson.

"But we have learnt from when we tried to replace Peter.

"I should have signed Van der Sar after Schmeichel but I made a mistake. Now we know where we are going."

Van der Sar will take his customary place in goal against the Black Cats, who have taken points off all the title contenders this term.

Ferguson claimed the goalless draw at the Stadium of Light in October was his side's hardest away game of the season, which is some statement considering he felt United should have been eight down at Aston Villa before coming back to collect a draw.

The Red Devils chief labelled Sunderland's three-goal triumph over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last month as "a perfect performance", emphasising his own players will have to be on their guard at Old Trafford.

Certainly they can ill-afford another penalty miss by Wayne Rooney, whose failure against Arsenal a fortnight ago attracted attention for the striker's bizarre zig-zag run-up.

"Carlos Tevez used to do it," recalled Ferguson.

"Wayne didn't do it in training but he did it at Ibrox and it worked. In fact he tried to hit exactly the same spot.

"The one against Arsenal was an unusual penalty for him to take.

"I don't think he has ever hit one over the bar. It was a bad miss from his point of view but fortunately we got through the game."

Carlo Ancelotti claims Arsenal are "afraid" of Didier Drogba ahead of Chelsea's trip to the Emirates Stadium on Monday night.

Gunners captain Cesc Fabregas admitted this week his side go into games against the Barclays Premier League champions and Manchester United "scared of losing".

And no player appears to give them the jitters more than Drogba, who has scored an incredible 13 times in 13 games against them.

The Ivory Coast striker has not been at his best this season following a malaria scare but still found the net against Arsenal in October.

Chelsea boss Ancelotti said: "I think they are a little bit afraid of the performance of Drogba, because he's done very well against them.

"If Drogba plays at his best, we'll have more opportunity to win."

Drogba showed signs of rediscovering top form in his last outing at Tottenham almost two weeks ago and Chelsea may need a repeat performance if they are to secure the win that would reignite their faltering title defence.

One win in their last seven league games, which has seen them slump from top to fourth, means they could find themselves six points behind leaders United when they take to the field on Monday.

"We don't want that gap to widen, so it's important to obtain an important result in this game," said Ancelotti, who insists his squad is strong enough to cope with four matches in 10 days over the hectic Christmas period.

Blues captain John Terry has suggested his side no longer have the strength in depth to handle the kind of injuries that have co-incided with their worst run in the Barclays Premier League for more than a decade.

Terry claimed Chelsea would be unable to rotate over the busy festive period due to the increased number of youngsters in their squad following a summer cull of more experienced names.

But Ancelotti backed his fledglings, saying: "When you are not in a good moment, it's very difficult to put in the young players because you don't want to put responsibility on their shoulders.

"But now it's different.

"The squad is good, the players are in good condition, players without injury, and the squad is enough in this moment to play this game well - at our best."

Despite the vote of confidence, Ancelotti hit out at a schedule that sees his side host Bolton just two days after Monday night's match at the Emirates Stadium.

"I want to say something about the Bolton game because we won't have the possibility to recover," he said.

"We'll have two days, compared to Bolton who, unfortunately, play on the 26th. We play on the 27th.

"That's not a good thing, to have one day less to recover. I'm not happy about that."

В преддверии лондонского дерби с "Челси" Арсен Венгер поделился с журналистами своим мнением об игре "аристократов", о возвращении Лэмпарда, о ситуации с Дэвидом Дином и о словах Луиша Нани.
О том, что спад, имеющий сейчас место в "Челси", может случиться с абсолютно любым клубом...
"Сейчас результаты "синих" немного хуже, чем ранее в нынешнем сезоне, однако такое может произойти со всеми в чемпионате Англии. Мы видим, что некоторые команды, которые были на полнейшем ходу, теперь испытывают проблемы. Возможно это связано с качеством лиги".

"Всегда тяжело расставаться с такими ассистентами, как Рэй Уилкинс, но мне самому очень сложно говорить о "Челси". У "синих" есть свои проблемы, у нас - свои. Я стараюсь разобраться в них".

"Футбол - волшебство, потому что это командный вид спорта. Добавление одного футболиста к другому, при присутствии уверенности в собственных силах, приумножает качество игроков. "Челси" является командой высокого уровня, мы знаем это и не ожидаем какой-либо слабости с их стороны".
О возвращении Фрэнка Лэмпарда...
"Мне нравится Лэмпард, я очень ценю его. Вы не можете радоваться тому обстоятельству, что он выйдет в матче против вашей команды, но с другой стороны, мы сыграем с сильным "Челси". Если одержим победу, то она будет иметь ещё большую ценность".
О своём разочаровании касательно ситуации с Дэвидом Дином (бывший вице-президент "Арсенала" числился в кандидатах на пост президента ФА Англии, однако не сумел стать им)...
"Когда услышал новость, то был полностью удивлён и разочарован".
О недавних словах Нани...
"В Премьер-Лиге у всех есть свое личное мнение, и ничье из них не идеально. Мы живем в обществе, где все знают всё, и здесь, сказать, что ты чего-то не знаешь позорно. Но даже я не знаю, кто выиграет лигу, несмотря на то, что я руковожу командой уже на протяжение 1 600 игр. Если Нани это знает, то он должен быть в 1 600 раз умнее, чем я".

Защитник немецкого "Вольфсбурга" Симон Кьяер близок к переходу в один из английских клубов. На 21-летнего датчанина претендуют "Арсенал" и "Челси".

Отметим, в стан "волков" Кьяер перешел летом из итальянского "Палермо". В нынешнем роызыгрыше Бундеслиги он сыграл 17 матчей и забил 1 мяч.

Главный тренер "Челси" Карло Анчелотти убежден, что будущий соперник его команды в лице "Арсенала" опасается нападающего Дидье Дрогба, который должен стать главным оружием "синих" в предстоящем матче.
Все 5 последних встреч лондонских грандов завершились победами "Челси", а Дрогба в этих матчах забил 6 голов. Анчелотти считает, что ивуарийский бомбардир окончательно поборол последствия малярии и сейчас готов помочь команде прервать безвыигрышную серию.

"Думаю, они слегка боятся Дрогба. Против них он всегда очень хорошо играет. Если Дрогба продемонстрирует свой высокий уровень, наши шансы на победу будут выше".

"Арсенал" способен демонстрировать фантастический футбол. Но возможно им кое-чего не хватает в обороне, так что нам нужно использовать свой класс и постараться создать им проблемы", - цитирует Анчелотти Daily Mail.

Добавим, что матч "Арсенала" и "Челси" состоится в понедельник вечером на поле "Эмирэйтс".