Defender Johan Djourou will start training again in as little as four weeks after Arsenal confirmed he does not need reconstructive surgery on his dislocated shoulder.

The Switzerland international suffered the injury in the Gunners' FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester United and there were fears initially he could miss the rest of the season.

But after exploratory surgery the club announced he will be able to return sooner than expected.

A statement on the club's website read: "Arsenal defender Johan Djourou has undergone exploratory surgery on his dislocated shoulder, sustained at Old Trafford in the recent FA Cup fixture against Manchester United.

"The club can confirm the positive news that there isn't a need for reconstructive surgery and he will now begin a period of rehabilitation on the shoulder before returning to training in around a month."

Arsenal’s injured goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny may have some explaining to do to team-mate Nicklas Bendtner after labelling him ‘arrogant.’

The Polish keeper made the tongue-in-cheek statement during a fans' forum at the Emirates ahead of the match at West Brom.

The 20-year-old, who was a virtual unknown before this season, was asked who was more confident between himself and striker Bendtner. He replied: “I am confident, he is arrogant.”

Bendtner famously described himself as ‘the best striker in the world’, but Szczesny has not enjoyed the best of months. The howler that gifted Birmingham the Carling Cup has tested his confidence, and he suffered a finger injury in the Champions League defeat at Barcelona. The latter – combined with injuries to Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone – forced Arsene Wenger to bring in experienced former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

Szczesny was also less than complementary about the defence in front of him. New French pair Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci have been widely ridiculed, and injury-ridden Thomas Vermaelen has only made three appearances after an impressive debut season. Szczesny joked that he would rather play behind Steve Bould, who retired 11 years ago due to arthritis, than the current crop.

These comments follow an ill-advised Twitter update mocking Ashley Cole for missing the penalty which knocked Chelsea out of the FA Cup – comments which came back to haunt him at Wembley a week later.

And in a final tirade, Szczesny had his say on Lehmann’s return to the club after a three-year absence. “I was only young the first time he was at the club, but he is still a nutcase,” he said.

However, Szezesny did suggest the charismatic German could have a galvanising effect on an inexperienced dressing room in the title run-in.

Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has made a surprise appearance at England training today.

The 41-year-old made a shock return to Arsenal last week as goalkeeping cover to Manuel Almunia and was present earlier at the London Colney training ground.

The German was seen shaking hands with new England captain John Terry and chatting to former Arsenal team mate Ashley Cole.

It is believed that Lehmann was continuing to improve his fitness as he looks to push Almunia for a place in first XI.

Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has increased his holding in Arsenal to more than 27 per cent.

Red & White Holdings Limited - which is jointly owned by Usmanov and Farhad Moshiri - made the brief announcement on Tuesday without disclosing any details as to the additional stock acquired.

American Stan Kroenke remains the largest individual shareholder in the Premier League club, with 29.9%.

Under the strict financial rules of the City, were any party to cross the 29.99% takeover threshold, they would be obliged to make a formal offer for the remainder of the shares.
Committed

The news Usmanov - who unlike Kroenke does not yet have a seat on the Arsenal board - has continued his steady accumulation will fuel speculation that the Gunners are set for more changes behind the scenes.

The Red & White group released a statement in April 2010 maintaining that a full-blown offer was not on their agenda and they remained 'a committed long-term investor in Arsenal'.

However, Usmanov was then quoted in December as saying that his objective was to bring up a 'blocking state' of 29.9%, and from that point 'we will just keep looking'.

Former director Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith put her family's 15.9% stake up for sale in April, and these latest dealings could be the result of some minor tradings.

Non-executive director Danny Fiszman, who controls 16% of shares, is the club's other major shareholder.

So the season looks to be shaping up and Arsenal have a huge chance in the title race, so here are a few facts I have found about this season. Pretty funny some of them, I’ve gotta start with the funniest(for the record, all of these facts are real):

• Lucas Leiva (Liverpool FC) has made more tackles compared to any other Premier League player this season (125 total tackles.
  

• Almunia’s (Arsenal FC) match against West Brom was shocking, and here’s why, to date, (and this season) he has only amassed a total of 7 saves! 7 saves! And they talk about Lehman not having match fitness
  

• In five Premier League games for Chelsea, Fernando Torres has produced one shot on target – v Blackpool.
  

Chelsea’s form over the last eight games (19 points) makes them the best team in the Premier League at the moment.

• Andrei Arshavin’s strike ended 355 minutes without a goal for any Arsenal player in all competitions.
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Robin van Persie insists that being knocked out of three competitions in three weeks will be an "advantage" as Arsenal try to win a first major trophy for six years.

In recent weeks Arsène Wenger's side have lost the Carling Cup final and exited the Champions League and the FA Cup. On Saturday they could only draw 2-2 at West Bromwich Albion to lose ground in the Premier League on Manchester United, who defeated Bolton Wanderers 1-0.

Arsenal stand five points behind United having a game in hand and Van Persie said: "It is a real blow that we threw away three trophies within the space of only three weeks. However, we still have another big objective and that is winning the Premier League title. We are five points behind Manchester United but have a game in hand, so we can narrow the gap to two points.

"It is actually an advantage that we are no longer active in other competitions, so we won't get distracted. We still have everything in our own hands and will do our utmost to win the league title, even though we have been dealt a few big blows in recent weeks.

"This is football. These kinds of things are all part of the game," he added. "Birmingham [City] beat us in the final, but then lost the following four league games. The Premier League has been absolutely crazy this year. I hope that we learned something from the lost final, but you never know whether you actually did. When something goes wrong the first time, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will go better the next time."

Arsenal legend Tony Adams has backed Manchester United to see off the challenge posed by his former club by winning the Premier League title this season.

The former Highbury stalwart suggests Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have the experience and knowhow of having won the league title on numerous occasions, and during the crucial stages of a season, that experience can prove crucial.

The former England captain believes the likes of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes will play an integral role for United as the season reaches its climax, and because of that, Adams feels United have the edge over their perennial Premier League rival.

Adams told Eurosport: “My heart says the Arsenal of course but my head says United - they’ve just got too many players who’ve won it before.

“When you have done it and you’ve crossed the line, you know when to peak and when not to peak and when to win games.

“Once you’ve done it once, you know when to step up to the plate.”

Adams suggests the Gunners’ failure to land an elusive bit of silverware during the League Cup Final against Birmingham City, will inevitably have a bearing on this season because it was such a superb opportunity to end their six-year hiatus without a trophy.

He added: “During the winter break I went back there for the game against Manchester City and I did a couple of interviews and I honestly thought the League Cup was the one for them this season, to start the ball rolling.

“Unfortunately they missed out on that one; I’d like to see them win a trophy soon.”

"Арсенал" согласовал приобретение 15-летнего центрального защитника берлинской "Герты" Леандра Сьеманна, сообщает издание Sport.co.uk.
Талантливый немец в прошлом месяце побывал на просмотре в "Арсенале" и сумел произвести крайне приятное впечатление на главного тренера "канониров" Арсена Венгера. Лондонский клуб незамедлительно начал переговоры о трансфере игрока.

Сообщается, что на днях "Арсенал" наконец согласовал размер компенсации за Сьеманна в размере 250 тысяч евро. Свое дальнейшее развитие Леандр продолжит в академии "канониров". В свои 15 лет защитник обладает ростом в 170 сантиметров - никаких других примечательных достижений в "Герте" за ним не числится.

"Я всегда мечтал стать профессиональным футболистом, и "Арсенал" - это огромный шанс для меня", - сообщил Сьеманн.

Голкипер "Арсенала" Войцех Щесны выразил надежду вернуться к полноценным тренировкам уже через 4 недели.
Напомним, что Щесны вывихнул палец руки в ответном матче 1/8 финала Лиги Чемпионов против "Барселоны" ранее в нынешнем месяце. Потеря Войцеха вслед за травмой Лукаша Фабиански заставила главного тренера "канониров" Арсена Венгера срочно пригласить в команду Йенса Леманна, чтобы иметь подстраховку для Мануэля Альмунии.

Щесны признался, что ему очень трудно смириться с травмой, особенно в тот момент, когда он стал основным стражем ворот команды. Поляк надеется, что через полтора месяца он вернется в ворота "Арсенала".

"Травма не такая серьезная, но имеет место надрыв сухожилия. Поэтому в ближайшие 4 недели моему пальцу требуется покой - это позволит сухожилию восстановиться".

"После этого потребуется еще пара недель, чтобы набрать форму и вернуться в состав. Мне непросто это осознавать, ведь мои дела шли очень хорошо. Когда подобное происходит, с этим ничего нельзя поделать. Нужно двигаться вперед и упорно работать над своей физической формой, чтобы вернуться еще сильнее", - сообщил Щесны в интервью Arsenal TV Online.