Summer Roundup

• Arsenal stars had a rather quiet world cup; however, two of the starting XI, namely Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas, featured in the final. Fabregas was a substitution late in regulation and he created the winning goal, scored by Andres Iniesta, late in extra time. Robin van Persie started for the Dutch, and worked hard off the ball, even though there was a lack of opportunities for him and his team to score.
• Fabregas – The captain has been the talk of much transfer speculation this summer as he has openly stated that at some point during his career he would like to return home to Barcelona. Arsenal have already turned down an offer of 30 million pounds for him, but Barcelona may be ready to make another offer in the region of 40 million pounds.

• Transfers: Arsenal signed free agent Marouane Chamakh, who had been on the club’s target list for a long time. Chamakh who played for French outfit FC Girondins de Bordeaux had become a prolific goal scorer in ligue 1, France’s top league. Arsenal also brought in Franco – Polish defender Laurent Koscielny (see image) from Ligue 1 side Lorient. Koscielny had only played one year at the top level, but he adapted quickly, which thoroughly impressed Arsene Wenger. The only notable departure is that of Eduardo, who has moved to Shaktar Donetsk for a fee in the region of 6 million pounds. After suffering a horrendous leg break Eduardo struggled to fully make his mark in the first XI, but hopefully Shaktar Donetsk will be the place where he regains his form. William Gallas, Mikael Silvestre, and Sol Campbell, are all free agents, and while Gallas and Silvestre seem ready to sign with other clubs, Sol Campbell is mulling offers from 3 different clubs, which are, Arsenal, Celtic, and Sunderland. Campbell would provide good cover for the starting Centre Backs if he chooses to stay.Before the World Cup Phillipe Senderos departed for Fulham. Senderos has become a forgotten man at Arsenal over the past few seasons, and a move to Fulham may hopefully ressurect his career.
• Preseason – Arsenal kicked of their preseason fixtures with 2 wins, one against Barnet (4-0) and the other against Sturm Graz (3-0)
• Goalkeepers – as of now Manuel Almunia has been excluded from the squads for both friendlies, and Arsene Wenger has openly courted Mark Schwarzer, the current number one for Fulham. Wenger has already had one offer (about 2 million pounds) for Schwarzer turned down, but is still working on a deal for the shot stopper.