Rankings are now top 3

The Silly Season is as tight as ever. Pre-season is up and running, the squads are settling in together. But who will Arsenal sign before the end of the transfer window? The rumours are abounding, but repeating themselves more and more. Three rumours on each list should suffice.

This is my "most likely" list - or rather "least surprising" list - of today:

3. Loïc Remy: Arsenal aren't really in the market for a striker, I should think, despite Eduardo leaving. Unquestionably talented, the Nice striker looks to join West Ham or Liverpool for a fee in the region of £12m-14m. Still, there's a report saying a mystery, top club are late entrants in the race for Remy. And our French scout Gilles Grimandi has recommended Remy perhaps more than any other target from the French leagues, it's been said. While not an actual probable rumour, one to watch.

2. Pape Diakhaté: honestly, I'm letting Diakhaté be a representative for the entire central defender community. Arsenal are looking to bring in another potential partner for Thomas Vermaelen, but different reports point at different targets. We've been consistently linked with the Saint-Étienne/Dynamo Kiyv defender since May, in fact most links with defenders have lasted throughout the summer. But Brede Hangeland has said he won't leave Fulham, and Everton have priced Phil Jagielka out of contention. Per Mertesacker won't be allowed to leave Werder Bremen, and Madjid Bougherra was perhaps never a viable alternative. This leaves Diakhaté almost as a default option.

1. Mark Schwarzer: reported to have been offered a player/coach role for the next few seasons. The Australian international will be a number 1 choice until Vito Mannone or Wojcech Szczesny are seen as mature and ready enough. Different reports say that Fulham have been unwilling to sell for less than $4m, which is a princely sum for a 37-year-old. Anyway, Fulham are without a manager, and may still lose out on first choice Martin Jol from Ajax. No deal will be made until a manager is in place. But the haggling will continue.

And here is the "silliest" rumour list:

3. Luis Suarez: the Uruguay striker is hot property, so hot that Ajax has put his price as high as £30m. That's what a club can do when the Premier League comes knocking. Arsenal aren't THAT desperate after strikers.

2. Mesut Özil: after not signing Joe Cole (losing out on him or turning him down, depending on different reports), most Gooners and media agree that Arsenal really have enough attacking midfielders. Trying to compete in the £20m bracket with Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona and any other club his agent is trying to put in the mix is futile.

1. Keisuke Honda: the same logic applies to the Japanese star. Turning to Honda, whose market value has soared since the World Cup and already earns massive amounts with Roman Abramovich's CSKA Moscow just isn't logical. There just aren't enough T-shirt customers in the world.

What and who do you think is realistic to expect? Feel free to comment.

Out on a limb again

The rumour mill is getting up to a decent speed again, with some of the usual suspects being bandied about in more or less serious media outlets. However, let me go out on the proverbial limb and tell you that there are two rumours I actually believe in:

1) Arsenal will sign another defender; Wenger is on record (the only useful thing coming out of arsenal.com in ages) stating as much. Now, in the very worst case, that means signing up Sol Campbell for another year, but I believe that deal hinges on all alternatives being exhausted.

Names? I believe most names from earlier in the summer can be forgotten, like Brede Hangeland, Pape Diakhaté, Matt Upson, Gary Cahill etc. Were there any real possibilites for these deals, they'd be made before WC2010. And if there ever was a bid for Phil Jagielka, as reported by some, it was turned down. Wenger is not likely to pay over the odds for an English defender anyway.

Somehow, Arsenal have been linked with most of Udinese's first XI at some time this Silly Season, and I think the Cristian Zapata rumour is just the club (or an agent) fishing for a transfer offer from anywhere, Arsenal included.

Serdar Tasci of Germany and Stuttgart has been mentioned recently by several fairly serious journos. He's up-and-coming, reputed to be fairly bright (for a footballer, anyway), and can play across the back line much like Jerôme Boateng (who has already signed for Man City). Tasci is my current favourite if a defender is to be signed.

2) Mark Schwarzer will end up signing because Fulham can't stop him. At Arsenal, he's offered Champions League football and coaching duties. At Fulham, he doesn't even know which manager is coming in. All that's left is the haggling.

What I believe is less likely to happen? Doesn't mean it won't, just that I'll be a bit more surprised.

3) Joe Cole can end up at Arsenal because we can give him a signing-on fee combined with a weekly salary that in sum will keep him happy, as well as the number 10 shirt and Champions League football. However, for Wenger, this will depend on selling Eduardo (who has suitors like Besiktas and maybe Aston Villa). He could sell Tomas Rosicky, but noone will buy him at this stage, plus he just signed for four years.

Cole's problem is that noone is offering the money he really wants, very well described by Matt Lawton of the Daily Mail here. When Cole's people see the errors of their ways, and let Wenger haggle, he will prefer Cole to Yoann Gourcuff because Cole will end up cheaper for Arsenal.

But still, Arsenal won't sign an attacking player before letting another go, IMHO.

Silly Season top 5 - second installment

Here are updated, personal top 5 lists of Arsenal's supposed transfer targets this summer.


Credible list first:

out:  Simon Kjær: the Danish defender, rated at £10m, is now crocked after a WC warmup game for Denmark. Jack Rodwell: definitely staying with Everton, signing a five year deal. And Marouane Chamakh has actually been signed, remember?

5. (3) Brede Hangeland: this everlasting rumour was lastly pushed by the Evening Standard. For £10m, you get Norway's international captain, Fulham's MVP and one of the best defenders in the league. They say.

4. (new) Mark Schwarzer: at 38 he would be too old to be a Wenger signing? Well, we signed Mart Poom back in the day, and even re-signed John Lukic at almost 40.

3. (new) Yoann Gourcuff: playmaker from Bordeaux, about to hit the World Cup. This deal will either happen very quickly or not at all. Most probably the latter.

2. (new) Laurent Koscielny: a defender from French football who the local papers there report are scouted and a subject for bidding. These stories have been uncritically translated by the Mail and the Mirror. We'll see...

1. (2) Pape Diakhatè: now wanted even by Bacary Sagna. Supposedly on the skinny side for a central defender, but that would just be a typical Wenger signing, wouldn't it?

The silly list is all new, or it would be boring:

5.  Joe Cole: being a free transfer doesn't help. His salary would be as far from free as you could imagine.

4. Lassana Diarra: just what Arsenal needs now, an injured midfielder. And one who wasn't good enough  the last time he was at the club.

3.  Shaun Wright-Phillips: just what Arsenal needs now, a kind of winger-cum-midfielder, on the slight side but with good dribbling skills... Touted by his step-dad, not by any others.

2.  Zlatan Ibrahimovic: sure, you could just see him link up with Bendtner, waiting for the right moment to pass to him... And at least the Dane can handle the rain.

1.  Luka Modric: as if he was even good enough...

Feel free to comment and discuss  any target on this blog.

Silly Season Top 5 - so far

Due to extreme boredom (read: hardly any proper rumours) today, I've decided to rank the silliest rumours and the most credible rumours. It's not scientific at all... but, then again, neither are the rumours themselves. If the people who actually make a living off football writing can imagine things, why shouldn't I?

Credible list first:

5. Simon Kjær: a Danish defender in Italian football. Represents the vast majority on the transfer-target-possible-rumour-bonanza list: players Arsenal surely have scouted. But nevertheless won't sign.

4. Jack Rodwell: on the list not because he'll end up at the Emirates, but because Arsène Wenger would definitely be interested. Too many others want to offer him a deal, though. Not least Everton...

3. Brede Hangeland: this rumour won't go away, even if Wenger has said that Arsenal have never bid for him. (Hasn't said they never will, mind.) Been linked with Arsenal last year, and the year before that, too. But easily Fulham's most important player, and with at least two years left on his current deal.

2. Pape Diakhatè: fills every known criteria for a Wenger signing: fairly young, reportedly athletic, skilful and fast, and you've never heard of him.

1. Marouane Chamakh: come on, it's a done deal and everyone knows it. Will be announced when Chamakh's deal officially runs out, 1 June or 1 July is my best bet (haven't bothered to research it).

Silly list:

5. Gianluigi Buffon: while still a good goalkeeper, the former Italian international has only been linked with Arsenal because a) he is a goalkeeper, and b) he really, really wants to play in the Premier League and enjoy the fans and the experience and... and... earn the most he can get in Europe.

4. Robert Green: rumour started in the Metro. 'Nuff said.

3. Sebastien Frey: Arsenal are ALWAYS linked with Frey. It's a ritual.

2. James Milner: as if Villa want to sell him. As if Villa want to sell him for less than umpty-fifteen million. As if anyone but Man City has that kind of money.

1. Fernando Torres, David Villa, Mario Balotelli: I split this in three because they are all mentioned in the same "story" in the Metro. About strikers Arsenal would like to sign. Yeah. and who wouldn't? Please...

So, that's me sticking my head out, then. Feel free to comment and discuss any target on this blog.

Chamakh all but confirmed

The signing of Marouane Chamakh has been confirmed by the player himself this week, in an interview with French sports paper L'Equipe. This means that any mention of Chamakh will no longer be listed on the 'Players coming in?' page.

47 players in all are listed there as of today. The one transfer target with most mentions in the media is Norway captain Brede Hangeland of Fulham. Even though Arsène Wenger has said that Arsenal never have been in for the defender, the rumours persist. As a compatriot of Hangeland's, this writer would thoroughly enjoy seeing him play for the Gunners... perhaps even alongside Håvard Nordtveit!

Another rumour gathering pace the last few days are Arsenal's supposed interest in Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon. However, the story seems to be Buffon being interested in the Premier League. Almost all British media outlets have connected the goalkeeper with the club known for goalkeeper problems... Arsenal, of course.

A typical Silly report

The Daily Mirror website has published an item which really typifies the kind of "news" posing as news we get used to during Silly Season. In a piece not attributed to any journalist, only the staff credit "Football Spy", Arsenal are being linked with the following:

- Scott Parker, this week named as the only West Ham player not for sale,
- Joe Hart, an England goalkeeper on the astronomical wages of Man City,
- James Milner, valued at umpteen million pounds by Aston Villa.

The story regurgigates the rumours of Cahill, Hangeland and Chamakh as well, perhaps to lend it some touch with a tabloid reality.

But there are no sources to these rumours, no approximate transfer fees are mentioned and signing established stars like that is very unlike Arsenal's transfer policy.

And Wenger's quote at the end... where does that come from?

"We have plenty of young players, now we need ready-made ­players.” Can anyone help me with a source for that comment? When on Earth did Wenger use those words?!

Don't believe the hype, people.