The Arsenal Way

SOUTH AMERICAN INVASION

Following the success that was the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, it’s only fair that the self-proclaimed best league in the world goes on to pick some of the best talents on show during the greatest show on earth, right?

That they have done and the Premier League has a new South American flavour to it all of a sudden, with the arrivals of Angel Di Maria, Alexis Sanchez, Radamel Falcao, Enner Valencia and Abel Hernandez just a few of the names that represent the South American continent on English shores. The real question is which of the Latinos will shine this season for their new clubs? Here’s our pick.

Alexis Sanchez: Arsenal

Struggling to fully rub shoulders with the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar in Barcelona, the Chilean star has decided to head towards North London to add a combination of pace, flair and excitement that has been vacant ever since the departure of Thierry Henry in 2007.

With his electrifying speed and hunger to run up and down the field, Sanchez is bound to be an instant hit in the Premier League and promises to be the real big signing all Arsenal fans have been waiting to see arrive at the Emirates Stadium.

Sergio Aguero: Manchester City

A familiar face to us all in the baby blue of Argentina and Manchester City, Aguero still maintains the tag of one of the hottest properties in the Premier League and is likely to be the difference for the Citizens if they are to defend their title.

Aguero’s World Cup performance for Argentina was certainly below par and his recent injury troubles is a worry for Manuel Pellegrini’s men, but if his goal scoring record is anything to go by, then look no further than the number 16 for top South American imports.

Angel Di Maria: Manchester United

Central to Real Madrid’s ‘La Decima’ triumph in the UEFA Champions’ League, Di Maria has gone in search of pastures new, following the transfer of James Rodriguez from AS Monaco to Real Madrid this summer, which has seen the Argentina international arrive at Old Trafford for a whopping £59 million.

In search of love, Di Maria has all the attributes required to be a Manchester United legend out on the wing, with his work rate just another positive which has become so synonymous with South American stars. Di Maria should play a pivotal role in Louis van Gaal’s revival of the Red Devils.

Diego Costa: Chelsea

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho bemoaned many times throughout last season the lack of a pure world class striker at Stamford Bridge in 2013/2014 that had the capability to power the West Londoners to the league title, and so the Portuguese man wasted no time in signing Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid.

Although he isn’t officially a South American, the Brazilian-born Spain International helped Atletico Madrid get their hands on the La Liga title last season and promises to be the final missing piece from Chelsea’s jigsaw. Mischievous, powerful and with darting runs good enough to bamboozle most defences, Costa is sure to grab a headline or two in his time in England.

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The Title Race

The world’s most exciting league is back this weekend with all its twists and turns. With 20 teams come dreams of millions, but which of the 20 will walk away with the biggest slice of the cake this season?

Arsenal

Manager: Arsene Wenger
Stadium: Emirates Stadium
Nickname: The Gunners
Media Prediction: 3rd
Last Position: 4th
Key Players: Aaron Ramsey, Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Özil
Top Signings: Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck, Paco Alcacer

Above all the protests and furious discussions regarding Arsene Wenger’s future at Arsenal, there is still hope that the Frenchman can still deliver the Barclays Premier League title back to the Gunners, having finally laid his hands on a trophy last year with the triumph of the FA Cup.

Arsenal were on top of the Premier League for 128 days last season, almost four times more than the eventual champions, Manchester City, so there’ll be much hope that with the addition of Alexis Sanchez and a few more, Arsenal can again go for top spot.

Chelsea

Manager: Jose Mourinho
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Nickname: The Blues
Media Prediction: 1st
Last Position: 3rd
Key Players: Eden Hazard, Nemanja Matic, John Terry
Top Signings: Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Didier Drogba

Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea are hot favourites for the Premier League title this season, having strengthened what appeared to be an already very strong side.

One of Chelsea’s weaknesses seemed to be their potency in front of goal, to which Mourinho has overhauled his frontline with the signings of Diego Costa, Loic Remy and club legend Didier Drogba.

Costa’s combination with Cesc Fabregas has got many the Blues salivating, with the likes of Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian adding to the depth at Mourinho’s disposal.

Liverpool

Manager: Brendan Rodgers
Stadium: Anfield
Nickname: The Reds
Media Prediction: 5th
Last Position: 2nd
Key Players: Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson
Top Signings: Mario Balotelli, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren

Liverpool came very close to their first league title in the Premier League era last season, but Brendan Rodgers has a lot of reconstructing to do, following the £75 million sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona this season.

The Reds have invested heavily in the squad and will be relying on Daniel Sturridge and bad boy Mario Balotelli to the deliver in front of goal in Suarez’s absence, as Rodgers seeks to gel his new roster together as soon as possible.

Things don’t look to be as straight-forward as that, however, with the investment of Tottenham Hotspur’s Gareth Bale money serving as a warning for Liverpool, who will also have Champions’ League football to worry about this season.

Manchester City

Manager: Manuel Pellegrini
Stadium: Etihad Stadium
Nickname: The Citizens
Media Prediction: 2nd
Last Position: 1st
Key Players: Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany
Top Signings: Eliaquim Mangala, Fernando, Bacary Sagna

On its day, Manchester City’s attack was one of the most potent in the league last season and contributed massively to their league title at the end of the season. The loan departure of Alvaro Negredo has seen City’s frontline diminished to three, with Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic being Manuel Pellegrini’s preferred options up front.

The Chilean manager has added experience to his side in the form of Frank Lampard and Bacary Sagna, as well as Porto duo Eliaquim Mangala and Fernando, but the reliance on Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany is still considered City’s Achilles heel, which is why they aren’t as likely to win the title as Chelsea.

Manchester United

Manager: Louis van Gaal
Stadium: Old Trafford
Nickname: The Red Devils
Media Prediction: 4th
Last Position: 7th
Key Players: Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, David De Gea
Top Signings: Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Daley Blind

Last season was nothing short of pure disappointment and depression for the red half of Manchester, in what was their first season without the management of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Finishing 7th under David Moyes, Manchester United have turned to the Netherlands national team coach Louis van Gaal to turn around United’s sinking ship, to which the Dutchman has brought in Angel Di Maria, Ander Herrera, Radamel Falcao, Luke Shaw and the trusted Daley Blind, racking up the biggest spending spree in the Premier League.

With no European football to serve as a distraction this season, United can focus solely on getting back into the top 4 at least and maybe, just maybe, challenge for the title.

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August 2014

Barclays Premier League

Other Competitions

Manager of the Month

Arsene Wenger

Arsenal’s Player of the Month

Morgan Schneiderlin

A goal versus Spurs in the North London derby wasn’t a bad way to start your Arsenal career, was it? Aggressive in his pressing and producing accurate passes when in possession, contributing to our control of play, Schneiderlin has been fundamental to our good start to the season.

Verdict

A superb start to the season and just the beginning we needed to get the team in the mood to fight for the title early. We got big wins versus City and Tottenham this month, were handed a reasonable Champions’ League group and have a good set of fixtures to build upon next month. Things look very positive already.

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LATE SWITCH FOR CAMPBELL

Arsenal winger and Costa Rican international Joel Campbell has completed a late move to Inter Milan on loan, as the clock ticked dangerously close to the end of the summer transfer window.

Campbell, who also plays as a centre forward for his nation, played just twice for the Gunners and now joins Roberto Mancini’s side until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent deal setting the Italians back £9 million.

The 22-year-old was in search of first team football and soon found out that it couldn’t be promised by Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, joining Inter instead, where he hopes to impress once more.

“It’s another big opportunity for me in my career and it’s one I’m very excited about. Serie A has been quite famous in recent seasons for the nurturing of South and Central Americans, so I’m hoping my spell in Italy will serve me well.

“The important thing is that I help my team win. Whichever team I’m representing next season doesn’t matter, as both Arsenal and Inter Milan are fantastic clubs.”

Campbell played just twice for Arsenal in his career, having been loaned out for his first three seasons at the club to Lorient, Real Betis and Olympiakos after failing to land a work permit.

The Gunners also had offers for wantaway forward Lukas Podolski from AS Roma, reportedly, but the Giallorossi failed to meet Arsenal’s valuation of £10 million for the German international.

Arsenal completed their last piece of business with the loaning of youth player Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill, who joins Wrexham on loan after some fine early displays this season for the Arsenal Reserves and Under 19s.

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Top 30 Summer Transfers 14/15

Morgan Schneiderlin: Arsenal - £19,000,000
Paco Alcacer: Arsenal - £15,250,000
Mateo Musacchio: Chelsea - £15,000,000
Kevin Mirallas: Paris Saint-Germain - £14,750,000
Eduardo Salvio: Chelsea - £13,250,000
Tom Huddlestone: Southampton - £9,750,000
Manolo Gabbiadini: Inter Milan - £8,800,000
Wellington Nem: Benfica - £8,500,000
Ari: CSKA Moscow - £7,750,000
Omer Toprak: Wolfsburg - £7,250,000
Andriy Yarmolenko: Chelsea - £7,000,000
Nicolas Nkoulou: Barcelona - £7,000,000
Branislav Ivanovic: Bayern Munich - £6,750,000
Yuto Nagatomo: Paris Saint-Germain - £6,500,000
Aleksandar Dragovic: Southampton - £6,000,000
Antonio Valencia: Villarreal - £5,750,000
Adriano: Chelsea - £5,750,000
Vladimir Darida: Everton - £5,250,000
Mathieu Flamini: Southampton - £5,250,000
Fabian Schär: Arsenal - £5,000,000
Jack Cork: Tottenham Hotspur - £4,600,000
Stefan Savic: Benfica - £4,400,000
Martin Harnik: Newcastle United - £4,400,000
Nigel De Jong: Liverpool - £4,300,000
Martin Olsson: Hull City - £4,200,000
Gotoku Sakai: Wolfsburg - £4,100,000
Jean: FC Porto - £4,100,000
Alexandru Maxim: Everton - £3,900,000
Simon Kjær: Napoli - £3,700,000
Niklas Stark: Basel - £3,400,000