Wenger wants Miyaichi to stay at Arsenal

   
By Giuseppe Muro

Arsène Wenger wants Ryo Miyaichi to stay at Arsenal this season and will push for the work permit the Japanese winger requires to play in England.

The 18-year-old arrived in January and spent last season on loan at Feyenoord in order to help his adjustment to European football while awaiting the clearance needed to play for his mother club.


Miyaichi linked up with Wenger’s squad at the start of the summer and has impressed during pre-season though he was not allowed to play in the Emirates Cup because it was a FIFA sanctioned tournament.


But Wenger has seen enough to convince him that the teenager is ready for the first-team this season and will seek to make that happen.


“My plan is to get a work permit for him and to put him on the pitch for Arsenal Football Club,” he said.

debosky:

Let's not go overboard - while wanting signings we shouldn't be signing criminals for the sake of making a signing.

Although you never know with Wenger. . .

Guardian writers' prediction: 5th

Last season's position: 4th

Odds to win the league: 9-1

First the good news. Jack Wilshere seems perfectly happy to play for Arsenal. Thomas Vermaelen looks ready to resume a promising career for the club after a season blanked out by injury. Gervinho might prove to be another classic Arsène Wenger bargain, an athletic and pacy ball player raring to step up a level, spirited over from France for a fee that doesn't make a certain manager with a well-documented devotion to cautious housekeeping choke as if he was asked to fix the Greek economy before breakfast.

Unfortunately at this point the scales lurch with a foreboding clang towards the less good news, the downright depressing news and the bewildering lack of news in critical areas that have made this the most pessimistic close season for Arsenal in decades.
For some years now summertime has merely represented a mix of dread about the best players being picked off, together with frustration that the handful of ambitious signings required to turn potential into the real deal never came. But few really expected, or even asked for, a radical overhaul.

Until now.

This summer was always going to feel different. For a start, patience wore down to breaking point as the 2010-11 campaign imploded in a way that was as miserable as it was predictable. Why are the lessons never learned? Arsenal were mauled like a pretty animal in a David Attenborough documentary that ends up as dinner to even the rangiest of scavengers. To make matters worse their fate was largely self-inflicted as they made traps for themselves to fall into (witness the fiasco against Birmingham City in the Carling Cup final).

So much goodwill in the bank from Wenger's past successes has been raided. Also, for the first time, it became obvious that some players had lost belief in the manager's philosophy. The atmosphere in the dressing room became increasingly bitter during a run of two wins from their last 12 league matches post-Carling Cup final. They knew, with even more clarity than any fan or pundit, that this youth project, for all its valiant idealism, has profound failings.

The other fundamental difference about this summer is the new scene at board level, with Stan Kroenke's takeover and Alisher Usmanov's increased shareholding suggesting that something somewhere would be adjusted in terms of the club's direction. But so far, the only thing to be altered is ticket prices, hiked with timing perfect in its clunkiness.

Even though there was never much chance of Wenger departing, this summer required major surgery in all departments to lift the mood. Experienced players are a necessity. Dead wood needs binning. A change in both the coaching staff and ideals can refresh an approach that is too feeble, too flawed, to last the distance (Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp's new roles elsewhere look like an opportunity missed, and while the competition are signing up the likes of Steve Clarke and Roberto Di Matteo as assistants, Pat Rice was talked out of retirement to prolong the status quo).

Wenger doesn't want to practice defending? Fine, so long as you bring someone in who will. The squad players not up to the task when the going gets tough? Fine, so bid au revoir to Manuel Almunia, Emmanuel Eboué, Sébastien Squillaci, Carlos Vela etc.

Some have departed, and others have flashing "for sale" signs attached, but Arsenal have not yet been as aggressive and decisive in the market as suggested by the promise from Wenger that they would be "very active". There is still a lot to do, with, astonishingly, the defence barely touched thus far. Where is the new robust centre-half, the experienced left-back to replace Gaël Clichy, the alternative to Alex Song in defensive midfield and the goalkeeper to prevent any more sightings of Almunia if injury strikes again?

The lack of arrivals is presumably linked to the demoralising sagas concerning the futures of Cesc Fábregas and Samir Nasri. But a "very active" window was needed regardless. Waiting for last-day bargains, as Arsenal tend to do, doesn't seem like a brilliant idea. Could be a bit late by then.
August brings meetings with Liverpool and Manchester United, plus a crucial Champions League play-off and a trip which is bound to remind them of all their worst foibles, to Newcastle United, where last term the good, the bad and the hideous of Arsenal morphed into one extraordinary game.

Arsenal remain in an elite group who have qualified for the Champions League for 14 successive seasons, and they have managed it with the "sustainable business model" that operates at a fraction of the outlay of their competitors. It is admirable. But with the big four now potentially a big six, it may not be workable for much longer.

Without a shaken-up squad, the only other source for change is at the training ground if the will and wherewithal is there. Andrey Arshavin has suggested they have been working on set pieces and a more intense pressing game during pre-season. Notably Arsenal's most impressive performances of last season, wins against Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona, showed how energetic pressing, rather than languid passing, reaps rewards. Equally notably, that approach didn't transmit to less interesting challenges. It remains to be seen whether Wenger can inspire enough of a change, whether a few alterations here and there is enough.

Last season Wenger asked people to judge him in May. This time, judgement might come as early as September

You’re dealing with egos and heavy contracts and it’s very difficult to unload Almunia, Eboue, Squillaci, Bendtner, Chamakh, Vela and Fabianski,

Only Clichy has been sold so far.

Denilson has been loaned.

Ibime:

The only problem with Wenger's philosophy is in applying the philosophy to the defence, buying non-physiacl "ball-playing defenders" and looking to "groom" defenders just like he does midfielders. I continue to insist that Wenger can do himself a favour by buying cheap but battle-tested defenders. I cannot see past a ninja like Carlos Cuellar as a perfect signing for Arsenal - a player who fits Wenger's transfer and wages profile, but one who is extremely battle tested. Wenger should also look at Ninjas like Dedryck Boyata, a player who fits Wengers age profile but with immense physicality. Our Nigerian brother Nedum Onuoha is also someone who has no-nonsense defending style. His passing is atrocious, but then again Sol Campbell was one of the worst passers in the Prem, and Chris Smalling's atrocious passing hasn't hurt United yet.

Ibime:

The only problem with Wenger's philosophy is in applying the philosophy to the defence, buying non-physiacl "ball-playing defenders" and looking to "groom" defenders just like he does midfielders. I continue to insist that Wenger can do himself a favour by buying cheap but battle-tested defenders. I cannot see past a ninja like Carlos Cuellar as a perfect signing for Arsenal - a player who fits Wenger's transfer and wages profile, but one who is extremely battle tested. Wenger should also look at Ninjas like Dedryck Boyata, a player who fits Wengers age profile but with immense physicality. Our Nigerian brother Nedum Onuoha is also someone who has no-nonsense defending style. His passing is atrocious, but then again Sol Campbell was one of the worst passers in the Prem, and Chris Smalling's atrocious passing hasn't hurt United yet.

dayokanu:

^^ Yet he splashed money on Walcott who doesnt have any of those eye pleasing skills

Nor did I see any of those abilities in Squilacci, Sol Campbell, Kolscieny Bendtner etc

dayokanu:

Whats technical about Walcoot aside take the ball sprint. Pius Ikedia is technical?

Walcott cant turn to save his life never mind threading a pass.

Sol Campbell was just a brute no nonsense defender with little ball skills, 90% of Sols ball out of defence were hoofs to the middle or throw-in

Not forgetting the grate Specialist Senderos, Pascal Cygan  Stepanovs

Squilacci and Kolscieny are similar though they dont boot the ball out but have little ball skills I even forgot Silvestre

bendtner a Specialist? In what exactly? maybe Gynaecology  

The ball players from Defence in Arsenal, the greatest was Kolo Toure and this isnt suprising given that he started as a midfielder

debosky:

That doesn't tell the full picture - the defence playing a high line means that WS needs to be a sweeper at times. The team will either need to drop back slightly deeper in defence or WS will simply be dribbled instead of getting lobbed.

eldee:

First Sauron comes up with B.S about . . . teams from other countries don't have to obey basic contract laws of football transfers.
Now some  on Twitter is telling me Liverpool made a bid of 15mil for Barton on a [b]free [/b]transfer.

I think we should start giving people compulsory business classes on this thread.

proudly9ja:

Ive read this somewhere else but just read it again on Myles Palmer's page, (pls dont throw away the baby with the baby-water)

Basically, its talking about us paying high wages to our young players and thus making it difficult to offload them when they don't live up to expectation (clubs are finding it hard to meet up with their wages).

Makes some sense.

debosky:

Make up your mind. . . didn't you say it was because they weren't good enough that no one was interested?

Besides, this same Myles Palmer claims Arsene will 'soon' sign Cahill AND Jagielka, plus another player from abroad all this week. . . .I leave you to decide whether someone making such a claim is worth believing or not.

debosky:

Make up your mind. . . didn't you say it was because they weren't good enough that no one was interested?

Besides, this same Myles Palmer claims Arsene will 'soon' sign Cahill AND Jagielka, plus another player from abroad all this week. . . .I leave you to decide whether someone making such a claim is worth believing or not.

Ibime:

Sharrraaaaaap!!!

Were you not no 1 Myles Palmer fan until Dayo and I told you he is nothing but a rabble-rouser?

Any punk can sit behind his computer and claim to be "in the know" about inner workings of the club. Did I not write few articles for Goal.com some years ago? Me sef am "in the know". 

coogar:

show me the article you wrote for goal.com!

Ibime:

They dont exist no more. I wrote almost every week. I had posted some links on NL some years back but those links are dead.

Most of the cats who used to write for goal.com write bollocks from the comfort of their home and pass it off as investigative journalism.

Ibime:

They dont exist no more. I wrote almost every week. I had posted some links on NL some years back but those links are dead.

Most of the cats who used to write for goal.com write bollocks from the comfort of their home and pass it off as investigative journalism.

theyve stepped their game up though.

ritchboy:

You must have been the king
Now you've brought your expertise to NL

ritchboy:

You must have been the king

Now you've brought your expertise to NL