Walcott, 26, is Arsenal’s longest-serving current player, making his 300th appearance for the club last season. He has scored a total of 76 goals since joining the Gunners in 2006.
Theo finished last season in outstanding form. The England forward netted a first-half hat-trick against West Bromwich Albion in the final Premier League match of the season, before scoring the opener in the FA Cup final victory over Aston Villa the following week.
As well
Cazorla, 30, enjoyed another excellent year for Arsenal in 2014/15. Playing in a deeper midfield role for the Gunners, he made 53 appearances in all – more than any other player.
In total, the gifted Spaniard has featured 148 times for Arsenal since his arrival from Malaga in 2012. His tally of 27 goals includes many important strikes, most notably in the 2014 FA Cup Final victory over Hull City.
An experienced international, Cazorla has won more than 70 caps for his country and was part of the squad that won the European Championship in 2008 and 2012.
Arsène Wenger said: “We’re delighted to have extended the contracts of Santi and Theo. Both are top quality players who are hugely important and influential to our squad.
"As well as their huge contributions on the pitch, they both have a great deal of experience and are very popular off the pitch. We’re very pleased with them both signing contract extensions, as it provides our squad with further stability of quality.”
Everyone at the club is looking forward to the continued contributions of Santi and Theo in the seasons ahead.
The striker has long been on Arsene Wenger's wishlist and
has suggested he could be moving clubs with a cryptic Instagram message as he
departs los Blancos' pre-season tour early
Karim Benzema appears to have dropped a huge hint that
he could be leaving Real Madrid, with the Frenchman pictured aboard a private
plane as he left the club's pre-season tour.
While the rest of the squad flew to Shanghai for the next stage of their
International Champions Cup campaign, where they take on AC Milan, Benzema
headed in a direction of his own.
As revealed by Goal in May, Arsenal have long been laying the
foundations for an ambitious bid to sign the France international, who played
no part in Madrid's most recent friendly, a 3-0 win over Inter, and has been
speaking cryptically about his future.
Using Verlan slang, which inverts syllables in a word, Benzema wrote on his
Instagram page "#directionturfu", which, rather than being a typing
error, translates as 'Next stop: the future'.
He
also wrote "let the past remain in the past", which adds further fuel
to the speculation that Benzema is on the verge of calling time on his six-year
stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.
New Madrid boss Rafa Benitez has previously insisted the 27-year-old would remain at the club, while his agent said it was "1000 per cent" likely he would line up for
the Spanish giants next summer.
But the striker's latest comments, and Benitez's plans to use Cristiano Ronaldo
or Gareth Bale up front, give fresh hope that Arsenal can pull off an audacious
deal, with Wenger known to want a new forward this summer with a £200 million
warchest at his disposal. Source: www.goal.com
The Arsenal boss believes the PFA Player of the Year needs to decide matches more consistently if he is to be considered alongside the two best players in the world
Hazard was one of the stars of the 2014-15 Premier League season and claimed the PFA and FWA Player of the Year awards as he helped the Blues claim their first title since 2010.
He told reporters ahead of Sunday's Community Shield clash against Chelsea: "It is all about opinions. You have to compare the numbers. I must say players like Messi and Ronaldo still score 50 goals and that is exceptional.
"He [Hazard] can decide the games and you put the top players in this kind of calibre when they can decide the games with something special.
"Hazard is in this category, now to reach the other two or three that are dominating world football at the moment I think it demands consistency which he is still to do." Source:www.goal.com
The Chelsea boss said the Frenchman should "get a calculator" when looking at his side's signings over the last few years
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has defended his spending in the transfer market in recent seasons after Jose Mourinho claimed the Frenchman spends more than his reputation suggests.
The Chelsea manager said Wenger should "get a calculator" following their substantial outlay on the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez over the past two years - signings the Portuguese says should make the Gunners title challengers.
When asked for his response to the former Real Madrid boss's comments, Wenger refused to bite back after suggesting his spending has been justified by the way his players have developed at the Emirates Stadium.
He told reporters: "One day you will look at the players we have developed here compared to the spending of other clubs and you will be surprised.
"I get different reproaches - that I don’t spend enough then I spend too much. I let other people talk."
Wenger was also asked about his pursuit of Eden Hazard before the Chelsea winger joined the Premier League champions from Lille and insists that he was "a few millions" short of being able to take the Belgian to Arsenal.
PAYING UP Arsenal are ready to up their offer for Real Madrid striker Karim Benzem
The Frenchman is reportedly top of Arsene Wenger’s summer shopping list as he hunts for a ‘marquee’ addition.Gonzalo Higuain has also been linked with a move, but according to a report in the Telegraph, the north Londoners will bid again for Benzema after being turned down in their first approach last week.
Real Madrid want to keep the player and rejected Arsenal’s opening offer of €43.4m.But the Premier League giants are said to be prepared to up that offer to €49m, or even break their transfer record to sign the player.The current most expensive player is Mesut Ozil, who arrived at Arsenal from Real in a €58.8m deal two years ago.
Wenger also tried to sign Benzema that summer, but the Spanish giants wouldn’t do business.
The Bernabeu side want to make a high-profile signing this year, and could cash in on Benzema to finance a deal for Borussia Dortmund star Marco Reus.Source:Irish daily star
Arsenal will host the Emirates Cup for the eighth time this weekend with Wolfsburg, Villarreal and Lyon joining the Gunners for the traditional pre-season tournament.
Arsène Wenger's side will be aiming to win the trophy for the fourth time since its inauguration while fine-tuning their preparations for the 2015/16 season.
2007 winners: Arsenal
Paris Saint-Germain, Valencia and Inter Milan were the guests for the inaugural competition in 2007 and Arsenal kicked off their campaign with a 2-1 win against the French giants courtesy of goals from Mathieu Flamini and Nicklas Bendtner. PSG's 3-0 victory over Valencia on the Sunday had left the Gunners in the knowledge that a win against Inter Milan would see them lift the trophy in front of a packed Emirates Stadium.
David Suazo's goal on the hour mark left Arsenal's fate in the balance but a quick reply from Alex Hleb and a stunning 85th-minute winner from Robin van Persie handed Arsenal the trophy.
Arsenal won the inaugural Emirates Cup in 2007
2008 winners: Hamburg
In 2008, European heavyweights Real Madrid and Juventus were the opponents alongside Hamburg. David Trezeguet's first-half winner condemned Arsenal to their first defeat in the tournament and just their second at their new home. The result, combined with Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Hamburg on the opening day, meant Arsenal needed a big win over the Spanish club and a favourable outcome in the other game if they were to retain the trophy.
An Emmanuel Adebayor penalty was enough to beat Bernd Schuster's team in an entertaining game but Hamburg's 3-0 win over Juventus earlier that afternoon saw the German side lift the cup.
Abou Diaby in action against Real Madrid
2009 winners: Arsenal
Arsenal welcomed PSG, Rangers and Atletico Madrid to N5 in 2009 and opened up with a late winner against the Spaniards. Substitute Andrey Arshavin looked to have won it for the Gunners when he volleyed in Cesc Fabregas' cross but German Pacheco levelled seconds later. However, the Russian forward wasn't finished and in stoppage time he flicked over Sergio Asenjo and slotted home from a tight angle to give Arsenal the points.
A 1-1 draw between PSG and Atletico in day two's opening game meant Rangers were the only side who could overtake Arsenal going into the final game. However, the Scottish champions were blown away with two goals inside the first 15 minutes from Jack Wilshere and Eduardo. Wilshere, who was voted man of the match in both of the Gunners' games, volleyed home a third 18 minutes from time to cap a memorable weekend for the teenager.
The Gunners regained the cup in 2009
2010 winners: Arsenal
Arsenal retained the Emirates Cup for the first time in 2010 after drawing with AC Milan and beating Celtic. New signing Marouane Chamakh scored his first Emirates Stadium goal to give Arsenal the lead against Milan but they were pegged back by Alexandre Pato with 13 minutes remaining.
The Gunners lifted the trophy for the third time in four tournaments after surviving a late fightback from Tony Mowbray's side on the Sunday. Carlos Vela's early goal set them on their way before strikes from French duo Bacary Sagna and Samir Nasri either side of half-time seemingly put Wenger's men in cruise control. But Daryl Murphy pulled one back for Celtic and Ki Sung-Yueng's goal seven minutes from time set up a grandstand finish, but Arsenal held on.
The trophy is retained in 2010
2011 winners: New York Red Bulls
Emirates Cup 2011 had a more global feel to it with the New York Red Bulls and Boca Juniors joining regulars PSG in north London. Arsenal looked set to open their tournament with a win after Van Persie and Aaron Ramsey goals had given them a two-goal cushion against PSG. But quickfire strikes from Lucas Viatri and Pablo Mouche pegged Arsenal back and left the tournament wide open going into the second day.
PSG's 3-0 win over Boca Juniors meant Arsenal needed a win against the Red Bulls to clinch a fourth Emirates Cup. Van Persie's first-half header looked to have secured the silverware for Arsenal for another year but a late Kyle Bartley own goal, with Thierry Henry the catalyst, was enough for the American side to lift the cup.
Gervinho takes on the Red Bulls
2013 winners: Galatasaray
The 2012 Olympics in London meant the Emirates Cup had to be put on hold for a year but the competition returned in 2013 with Napoli, Galatasaray and Porto visiting the Emirates.
Arsenal opened their tournament against Rafael Benitez's Napoli, who they would later face in the Champions League group stage. Two goals in the first half from Lorenzo Insigne and Goran Pandev put the Italians in the driving seat but Arsenal launched a spirited comeback in the final 20 minutes. Olivier Giroud's instinctive overhead kick reduced the arrears before Laurent Koscielny headed Arsenal back on terms with four minutes to go.
With the advantage of playing second on the Sunday, Arsenal again knew that a win against Emmanuel Eboue's Galatasary would ensure they finished the tournament in first place. Theo Walcott's opportunist goal five minutes before the break sent the Gunners ahead but former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba was the scourge of Arsenal with two goals in the final 15 minutes to hand the Turkish side the trophy.
Theo Walcott curls in Arsenal's goal against Galatasaray
2014 winners: Valencia
After Germany's impressive summer in Brazil Arsenal were without several of their World Cup stars for the 2014 tournament, but the Gunners' youngsters stepped up to put on a show for those inside Emirates Stadium.
Yaya Sanogo - deputising for the absent Olivier Giroud - got Arsène Wenger's side off to a flying start by scoring four goals in a convincing 5-1 win against Benfica, with Joel Campbell adding another. Valencia and Monaco played out a 2-2 draw in the other opener, meaning Arsenal led the tournament going into the second day's game against the Ligue 1 side.
Radamel Falcao scored on his return from the knee injury which kept him out of the World Cup to deny Arsenal a fourth Emirates Cup triumph, before Valencia came from a goal behind to take the trophy back to Spain for the first time.
Valencia win the Emirates Cup Copyright 2015 The Arsenal Football Club plc
SOURCE: Read more at http://www.arsenal.com/news/features/20140730/emirates-cup#UdwhWIAjs8cFE4s6.99
Arsène Wenger spoke to the media on Monday following his side's arrival in Singapore for the Barclays Asia Trophy. This is what he had to say:
on being in Singapore...
I'm happy to be in Singapore. I have beenHERE before, I know it's a very good place, a very safe place and usually things are well organised. So we can hope to have a good combination of competition and preparation in our training sessions, as well as good conditions in our hotel, which is important.
on it being Important to get off to a goodSTART in pre-season...
We want toWIN every game. A few years ago nobody was interested in these games but now there is so much interest in the preparation that if you do not win these games it's already a crisis! It's important that youSTART on a positive foot.
Of course, Everton and Stoke are twoCOMPETITIVE teams. Stoke had a great season last year and they always make life difficult for you. In the Premier League were are used to playing against each other and the games are always very tight.
on the possibility of winning the title this season...
Look, we finished third last season and won the FA Cup. The pressure is on us to do better, but there are plenty of competitors to win the Premier League. You have seen the buys clubs have made already, but we will give absolutely everything to do it.
on further transfer deals...
That doesn't depend only on us, it depends on whether we can find them, but if we can find one or two players we will do it.
I believe he has many guarantees. He will give us his talent, his experience, his knowledge of the top-level game. He can contribute to stabilise our defensive sector. I must say that in the second part of the season we conceded 13 goals from 19 games, so there is not much wrong there. That means that the requested level is very high.
on how many points he will be worth...
That is difficult to measure, but what he can give us is to contribute a stability. Also all the other keepersHERE are still young, so he can contribute as well by developing our goalkeepers because they are top quality.
on whether he will he be the only new signing...
It depends, if we find ideally what we want, we are still hoping to do something else.
on Raheem Sterling...
It looked a done deal for a while, because Sterling said he wanted to leave. For me Sterling is a top-class player. It's a good buy for Man City. An expensiveONE, but they can afford it. Personally I like him. I didn't make a bid because he plays in an area where we have plenty of players. We have Welbeck, Walcott, Chamberlain. Sanchez, Wilshere can play there, Gnabry. He's a wide player basically, or behind the striker.
on Manchester United's signings...
We knew they wouldn't be happy with finishing outside the topTHREE, they will respond. They have made some interesting signings. They came out of the season thinking they have to rebuild their midfield, and they did it by buying two important players - Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin. They are two top-class players. One who is now coming up to the top level - Schneiderlin, and one who has done it all. It will be interesting to see how they mix with the other players.
New boy Petr Cech will wear the number 33 shirt as he starts his career as Arsenal’s first choice keeper.
The number 1 shirt will be retained by Wojciech Szczesny while David Ospina holds on to 13 pending a decision on his future.
The Czech international completed his £11 million move from Chelsea this last month, penning a three-year contract that will keep him at the Emirates past his 36th birthday.
On his Twitter account this evening he revealed his new number ahead of his first Arsenal appearance in Singapore next month
It has already been a positive summer for Arsenal in the transfer market, with key target Petr Cech arriving from Chelsea to give the club a top-class goalkeeper with huge Premier League experience. More signings are expected, although there is plenty of speculation as to who is being targeted to aid the Gunners’ attempts to win a first Premier League title in 12 years.
A midfielder has long been thought to be on the agenda, with Arturo Vidal strongly linked with a transfer to north London. That interest would appear to have quietened of late and there was much talk in recent days that the all-action Juventus star was closing in on a move to Real Madrid. Yet Juventus chief executive Beppe Marotta has dismissed those claims.
“Vidal? It's just rumors, Real Madrid have not come forward,” he said, according to the Daily Mirror. “We have a great relationship with them.”
It would seem unlikely that Juventus would be willing to lose the Chile international, given they have just allowed Andrea Pirlo to go to New York City FC, while there continues to be speculation over the future of Paul Pogba. And there must also be doubts about whether Arsenal would be willing to put together a financial package sufficient to convince Juventus to sell and Vidal to move to the Emirates.
Arsenal’s list of midfield targets was widely believed to have at one stage included Borussia Dortmund’s Ilkay Gundogan. The Germany international had stated at the start of the summer that he would not be extending a contract that had just a year left to run, but that decision was reversed when last week he committed himself to the Bundesliga club for a further year. Yet that fact hasn’t stopped some reportsseizing on quotes from Gundogan about having “Wanted a new challenge” as reason for optimism for Arsenal.
However, the 24-year-old has stated that he will be remaining at Dortmund for the coming season, although he did leave the door open for interest next summer.
“The solution we found now provides security for all parties,” he told German magazine Kicker, per ESPN. “I can concentrate totally on football; the club know they will earn a reasonable fee if I make a move in 2016. That was important to me.”
Arsenal have also been surprisingly linked with another Germany international, in Mario Götze. The man who scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final is floated as being a target for Arsenal, as well as Manchester United, by the Daily Star. The Tabloid’s assertion is based on comments from the 23-year-old’s agent stating that the player has lacked support at Bayern Munich. Götze has certainly struggled to make a real impression since his transfer from Borussia Dortmund two years ago -- before which he was linked strongly with Arsenal. However, the Gunners would be hugely surprising suitors given Arsene Wenger’s wealth of options in the attacking midfield positions -- including Alexis Sánchez, Mesut Özil, Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
That strength in depth would also likely preclude a move for Barcelona’s Pedro. The winger’s future is uncertain following a frustrating season watching on as Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar grabbed the headlines, as well as the recent signing of Arda Turan. And, citing stories in Spain, The Independent has reported that Arsenal have contacted Barcelona about the Spanish World Cup winner. He may well be on the market, but he wouldn’t appear to fill any of the priorities Wenger has for strengthening his squad ahead of what promises to be a crucial season for the Gunners.
We’ve now seen the squad thats been named for the tour to Singapore and there are a few names missing that will raise an eyebrow…!
I would of thought after a long loan spell that Wellington Silva finally joining the side would of mean’t Arsene would want a good long look at him but seems he not is the squad to travel. Maybe he has been lined up for a loan spell in England. Isaac Hayden is another missing from the squad again maybe he is lined up for a season long loan but otherwise it would seem that Arsene doesn't see him as part of the 1st team squad.
We normally say the pre-season tour gives us an idea of the youngsters that Arsene rates and Dan Crowley, Jeff Adelaide and Chris Willock will all hope to shine along with Chuba Akpom who I think has a big opportunity to throw down a marker especially with Danny Welbeck still recovering from a knock.
It will be interesting to see the younger players alongside the regulars and to see who impresses or who fails to show the necessary skill to step up when needed. It’s not just about the ability its about being able to show the talent on the bigger stage and to be able to make a mark when playing against seasoned pro’s and experienced players. Attitude and mental strength are a prerequisite and am sure Arsene will be looking at how the young players conduct themselves as he does love a bit of mental strength……
A lot of social media hot air yesterday with several sources saying Arsenal are close to a huge signing, not sure if thats giant haystacks huge or a world class player but as yet nothing has happened so I’ll hang tight until we announce the signing of Messi.
Arsenal have announced a 27-man
squad for the Barclays Asia Trophy in Singapore.
Arsène Wenger will be without Alexis and David Ospina following
their involvement in the Copa America, while Serge Gnabry is
also resting after the European Under-21 Championship.
Danny Welbeck and Tomas Rosicky will
stay in England to recover from minor injuries but Calum Chambers will
travel to Singapore, as will France Under-17 international Jeff Reine-Adelaide,
who joined the club from Lens.
"Calum has decided to shorten
his holiday and come back on Friday," Wenger told Arsenal.com. "He
didn’t play in the under-21s and needs preparations.
"Welbeck isn’t completely
recovered from the problem he had [at the end of last season]. He’s not back in
full training so he will stay behind.
"Rosicky will stay back because
he got a small injury at his last game against Iceland with Czech Republic.
"Ospina is on holiday until
July 27 and Alexis is
on holiday until August 3. Serge Gnabry is
on holiday after playing with the under-21s. He’s back on July 20."
![WANTED: Arsenal are reportedly bidding again for Benzema [GETTY]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uSoHAcn0339SCdZcImVPjl1osVW0fFLLQGmgXYJPpFnokHeXxA1QVEu8COTdhlQFprI_KAYCDX48qRloH1nK-vaLPfDy93_gWu65mP7sQZYHIHqNQXmYF6CqfNwohw5iyhvZeMeZZR0LQfwhssUwQpUxoPYPZ7bdRcIIuQrQ=s0-d)
It has already been a positive summer for Arsenal in the transfer market, with key target Petr Cech arriving from Chelsea to give the club a top-class goalkeeper with huge Premier League experience. More signings are expected, although there is plenty of speculation as to who is being targeted to aid the Gunners’ attempts to win a first Premier League title in 12 years.
