Suarez bid is real as Higuain seems to be slipping away

Hello,

Quite a bit going today, but little of it is positive, so I'll start with the good bits.

Szczesny and Koscielny will be fully fit in a few days, according to the manager, with the former having a good chance to play on Friday. It's nice to hear, for a change, that the "knocks" aren't so serious as they were feared to be. Anyway, our defense could not take much more, so there's double relief in Arsene's words.

Meanwhile, Podolski told the official site, he's not scared of competition, now that his ankle problem is a thing of the past. He also emphasized the need to enhance the squad, becoming an umpteenth member of the team to do so.

However, given how things pan out, Podolski isn't about to face a competition for places stronger, than it was when he arrived. Higuain seems to have sealed a deal with Napoli, which, if true, is outrageous from our point of view. Until I see the picture of him holding the shirt though, I'll reserve my judgement.

The matter, in which I can't do so, is our fresh bid for Suarez. It is, as expected, a £40 million bid.

Giroud shines again as Arsenal beat Nagoya Grampus 3-1

Hello,
Yesterday saw us beat Nagoya on their home turf in a match much more thrilling, than two previous ones.
We opened the scoring in the 3rd minute already. Some quick-tempo passing down the right flank resulted in Rosicky sending a wonderful cross into the box, which Giroud converted with his head. Another moment of brilliance from the Frenchman makes it 6 for him in three games. He seems to gathering momentum, and I hope, he keeps it up, when the campaign starts.
In the 25th minute, Giroud sparked into life again, this time making a run inside the box, which saw a defender handle the ball in a desperate sliding tackle. Arteta made an on-spot decision to let Miyachi take the penalty and Ryo put it away calmly and beautifully.
We added a third in the 55th minute. A brilliant pass from Zelalem, who's been active throughout the game, cut Nagoya's defense open, and Theo made no mistake in a one-on-one situation.

Defensive woes

Hello,
Not much happening, so just a quick round-up for you.
Today sees us facing Nagoya Grampus as part of our pre-season tour. The only thing I know about the club itself, is that Arsene Wenger was their manager for two seasons (1995-1996, if you're interested), before joining the Gunners. Nagoya now has Dragan Stoikovic pulling the strings, who is a former player. A lot of warm words were spoken by both managers before the game, but I just can be bothered which. The usual chit-chat.
However, there's a much more practical side concerning this game, namely, defensive shortage. You may well be aware that Vermaelen has a severe (and chronical, it seems) back problem, which prevented him from joining the Club during our Asia tour and will, eventually, keep him out for three months. But it's not the end of the story. After yesterday's training both Szczesny and Koscielny limped out, nursing a back and ankle problem respectively. While both injures are supposed to be short-term, we are walking on thin ice already, with Sagna deputising as an emergency centre-back. If that wasn't bad enough, there are reports of Monreal being injured too (though he's off the tour).

Light at the end of the tunnel

Good morning,
Sorry for my three-day absence. Acclimatisation seems to have finally got to me, restricting me to become a passive onlooker.
Anyway, I'll start with the good news. Wheels of signings finally started turning, with Arsenal agreeing terms (both personal and with the club) to buy Bernard, a young Brazilian midfielder from Atletico Mineiro. According to the ESPN, Arsenal paid around £19 million to wrap up the deal. I haven't heard of the guy before, but with several prominent clubs sneaking around, we seem to have found someone of real value. Fingers crossed it's not made up by the reporters, and we'll see some confirmation soon. What's interesting, is that news of the deal started spreading shortly after Arsene said we were nowhere near signing anyone. He may have bluffed, of course. We all know, how he likes to keep things quiet when it comes to transfers.

A pinch of salt

Hi,
Quite a bit has happened during my forced absence from the Internet. Got to tell you, never have I encountered a wifi connection so appaling in roughly 10 years of my travels. Things are really looking bad for Greece. Anyway, I'll try to keep my overview short, for the benefit of those already familiar with the news.
Yaya Sanogo has finally joined the Club after a lot of talk. If I recall correctly, the transfer happened on the 1st of July. The French international was handed the 22nd number, but has yet to make an appearance as a proud owner of the T-Shirt. Here's hoping he'll have a good pre-season under his belt, though I think he'll be restricted mainly to Capital Cup appearances in the forthcoming campaign.
However, our "out" department seems to have a lot more on their hands, than the "in" one, with Mannone, Denilson, Djourou and Coquelin all leaving, either permamently or on loan, with the futures of Gervinho, Bendther, Chamakh and Park all hanging in the balance.