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It might be a common theme among many Arsenal fans this morning who are mixing a sense of dread with a little bit of excitement regarding Arsene Wenger’s latest comments about Eden Hazard. Excitement, in fact, may be too optimistic; intrigue might be more appropriate. Wenger is never one to openly admit he is after a player, rather looking to take a diplomatic route in respecting a player’s club and making positive comments from afar. But Wenger has a least given some light to Arsenal’s financial state, insisting that the club needed to make between £15-20 million profit each season. What he was not clear on is how and whether if affects the club’s position in the transfer market.

It’s a welcome stance that Arsene Wenger has decided to take, if only for a very disappointing revelation. Someone from the club, who the supporters can trust, has given an indication that the club may not be in the position many would have hoped following the move to the Emirates. Players such as Eden Hazard may actually be a little out of reach and players who are on the third or fourth tier in terms of quality may be all the club can hope to bring in for the foreseeable future.

Again, it’s not entirely clear what Wenger is referring to when he says the club need to make a profit. He specifically points out that it’s the duty of the manager to determine a fair price for targets, which means he may be looking for real quality as many rumours suggest, but they are likely just out of the club’s spending range. From Wenger’s position at least, his statement will likely buy him some time. He is absolutely correct in giving fans a little bit of clarification on why he refused to spend in January—one of the reasons so much vitriol has emerged recently. Instead, the supporters’ anger should now be wholly deflected onto the board, who have seemingly put the club in this very weak position financially.

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The problem again, however, is what the board have said in recent times, specifically Ivan Gazidis; saying that the club do give Wenger sole power of the expenditure at the club and would never deny him the funds to buy a player he needs. The summer activity suggest nothing of the sort and it clearly indicates that something is not right at the club. Why were the club so slow to get a deal done for Juan Mata, and then only at the last minute decide to go on a spending spree on players who may not have been desirable at the start of the summer? The is still too much uncertainty surrounding what Wenger has said and contrasts greatly with the board’s apparent unconditional financial support for the manager.

Does this mean Wenger is the only one paying any real attention to the Financial Fair Play ruling of Uefa? Is he referring to the Champions League income and in turn mean it is “imperative” for the club to finish in the top four? Perhaps he’s too over cautious in regards to the stadium debt. Nigel Winterburn spoke on the weekend of the lack of funding at the club and the lack of ability to pull the trigger on first choice summer targets. He referenced the fact that the club could not get the Cesc Fabregas deal done quickly enough and had held a very weak hand in the market. This does tie in with what Arsene Wenger has had to say. Maybe there is a reported £60 million sitting in the vaults at the Emirates, but it is untouchable. If so, why? Why increase the season ticket prices, why waste £3 million on a player the manager has no intention of playing, and furthermore, why keep insisting that the manager has the full backing of the board on all fronts?

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All questions that dodge Wenger and go directly to the boardroom. Exactly what was needed. The hostilities towards the manager are getting out of hand, and he has already done too much to deflect criticism away from the board. There was nothing wrong with what Wenger had to say, in fact it was greatly welcomed and might trigger a response from those above Wenger at the club.

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Whilst a 2-1 victory over a side who is currently bottom of the Premier League is rarely something worth celebrating with much gusto, I’ll forgive those Manchester City fans who are feeling fairly pleased with themselves following the Blues victory over West Ham on Sunday. There were great performances all over the pitch and even Mario Balotelli looked fairly impressive despite toiling away without much reward.

I was disappointed with one performance however, from a man who has failed to impress me throughout the course of this season. City may well have one of the best defences in the country, but as far as I can tell at the moment it has one major weakness and his name is Aleksandar Kolarov.

It may be a little harsh to judge the Serbian left-back after just one season in the Premier League, but thus far I’ve seen little to suggest that he has the ability to make it in a team that hopes to challenge for silverware. Kolarov joined City last summer from Lazio for a fee of £16m and he came complete with an excellent reputation.

Watching him play, however, has been another matter entirely. He’s not as great going forward as was originally believed and he lacks conviction in his defensive duties. Just look at his half-hearted challenge in the build-up to West Ham’s goal on Sunday. Can you imagine Vincent Kompany or even Joleon Lescott make such a weak attempt to win the ball?

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If it weren’t for Micah Richard’s injury it’s highly unlikely that Kolarov would be getting the chance he’s currently getting and he’s hardly grabbing at the opportunity with both hands is he? Richard’s injury necessitates Zabaletta playing at right-back and opens up a space in the left-back position.

As far as I can tell Kolarov isn’t a good passer, needs to work on his tackling, doesn’t read the game too well and can often lose track of his man. He’s distinctly lacking in pace and doesn’t get up and down City’s left-flank anywhere near as fast as is desirable. On the positive side, I will grant that the Serbian has a ferocious shot. It’s rare, however, that he manages to get these shots on target.

There will be fans who argue that it’s unfair to judge a player after just one season in the Premier League. To some extent, I’d agree, but for me to support Kolarov I’d have to have seen more from him this season that what he has offered up. You’re more inclined to grant players time to adjust if they show ‘signs’ or ‘flashes’ of brilliance or ability, but that’s simply not the case with Kolarov.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Serbian was moved on in the summer and a replacement was brought in to add more competition in City’s defence.

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Read more of Harry’s articles at This is Futbol

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Arsenal fans have a discernible bond of trust with their manager Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman’s transfer dealings and youth development policy have gifted the Premier League with some of its most talented and engaging stars. Yet if the studious manager has one noticeable defect, it is his reluctance to source a reliable goalkeeper who could assimilate into other top teams. Manuel Almunia has saved five of the last six penalties he has faced. His understudy Lukasz Fabianski saved a penalty in Arsenal’s away win at Partizan Belgrade this week. However when placed in the context of an entire game those statistics pale into insignificance. Wenger has been accused of dithering in the transfer market but do the Gunners’ problems run deeper than their heavily publicised goalkeeping predicament?

Almunia is an athletic, nimble keeper who occasionally displays his impressive reflexes. Yet those important traits are easily dismissed when he delivers an error- strung performance, as exemplified last weekend against West Bromich Albion. The Spaniard was at fault in the early stages of that encounter, clumsily fouling Peter Odemwingie in the area. He temporarily redeemed himself by saving Chris Brunt’s tame penalty kick. He was criticised though for West Brom’s second goal as Gonzalo Jara’s low near post shot went in off his arms. For their third the maligned stopper erratically rushed towards Brunt on the edge of the area which allowed the Northern Irishman to square the ball to Jerome Thomas for a comfortable finish. If Wenger has been mistakenly loyal towards Almunia, he has been equally at fault in describing Fabianski as “world class.” The Polish keeper has earned an unfortunate yet amusing nickname in the tabloid press. In the Champions League on Tuesday, however, the Pole gave a confident performance, saving a late penalty and making an important save from Ivica Iliev shortly after.

For a club of Arsenal’s stature a goalkeeper enjoying a good game should be customary rather than remarkable. With the beleaguered Almunia suffering from an elbow injury Fabianski may look to cement his position as the club’s next No1. However his manager arguably conceded the requirement for a new goalkeeper this summer by expressing an interest in recruiting Fulham’s Mark Schwarzer. It is received wisdom that teams cannot win the league title without a world class stopper. Alan Hansen wrote in the Telegraph this week, “History has shown time and again that you need a top class goalkeeper in order to be successful.”

The esteemed Scottish pundit’s assertion may be apposite but it is difficult to imagine Petr Cech or Edwin van der Sar being left as exposed as Arsenal’s equivalents. Sunderland’s right winger Ahmed Elmohamady thoroughly exploited the weaknesses Gael Clichy in their 1-1 draw last month. The Egyptian international won 23 of the 29 challenges he contested in that match, the majority being against the French full-back. Clichy was dominated in the air and his poor clearance allowed the prolific Darren Bent to capitalise. He was additionally beaten resoundingly in the air by Brunt when Scott Carson’s goal kicks were dispersed to the right channel. On the opposite flank his colleague Bacary Sanga was equally inept, allowing Thomas to surge past him and assist the in form Odemwingie.

The team have indisputably missed the presence of Thomas Vermaelen, who as a left footed centre-back can offer aerial protection to Clichy. New signings Sebastien Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny have demonstrated their capabilities but are still getting used to each other’s style. The latter failed to apply pressure on Jara on Saturday although his shot should have been effortlessly stopped. Significance may additionally be placed on the continuing absence of Cesc Fagregas. Is his presence now as crucial as Gerrard’s for Liverpool or Rooney’s for Manchester United? Nevertheless if the defence can operate coherently, communicate and deny opponents time on the ball, the goalkeeping dilemma may take care of itself. There will be no tougher test of that defensive strength than at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

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Mario Balotelli has been charged with violent contact following his stamp on Scott Parker. The Italian striker is in hot water with the FA as Howard Webb claimed that he would have issued him with a red card had he seen the incident. Manchester City have a big decision to make as to whether they appeal the decision, because if they were it would subsequently free up Balotelli to play in the Carling Cup semi final second leg at Anfield. Failure will obvious see the ban increased, as City found out to their cost with Vincent Kompany a few weeks back.

Harry Redknapp is answering charges over £587k that was paid into a secret bank account named after his dog and his age. The Taxman is investigating three deposits into the ‘Rosie47’ account, during his time as manager at West Ham and Portsmouth – Daily Telegraph

Mario Balotelli has been charged with violent contact for his stamp on Tottenham’s Scott Parker. Howard Webb claimed he didn’t see the incident in his referee’s report, which meant the FA could take retrospective action – Daily Telegraph

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has come out in support of Arsene Wenger; following the barrage of abuse he received by the Arsenal faithful. The substitution of the young winger is what caused the unrest among the Gunners’ support, but Chamberlain has full respect for his manager and believes he makes the right decisions in the best interests of the club – Guardian

Chris Smalling believes that Manchester City will crumble in the coming weeks as the title race heats up. Smalling reckons that if United keep racking up the wins then the pressure will hit City – Guardian

Lucas Leiva remains upbeat as he returned to Liverpool following his operation and a period of recuperation in Brazil. The Reds enforcer is positive that his surgery was a success and that he is ahead of schedule with his recovery – Independent

Queens Park Rangers may force Anton Ferdinand to shake the hand of John Terry ahead of this weekend’s clash in the FA Cup. The FA are keen to make sure that the game passes without incident and will speak with both clubs in advance to ensure that the players act responsibly – Daily Mail

Tottenham are plotting a move to sign Mauro Zarate in a loan deal from Lazio. The Argentine striker is out of favour in Rome and his agent Barry McIntosh has suggested Spurs are one of many clubs interested in bringing him back to English football – Daily Mail

Peter Crouch is facing the prospect of a three-match ban following his attempted ‘eye gouging’ incident at the Britannia Stadium – Mirror

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Liverpool are reportedly in talks to snap up Real Madrid’s Esteban Granero. The Spanish midfielder is out of favour at the Bernabeu and Kenny Dalglish is apparently keen to secure a short term loan deal – Mirror

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Gary Cahill has been linked with move to many Premier League clubs throughout the season – but it appears that Liverpool and Spurs will be leading the chase for his signature this summer, according to reports in The People.

The Bolton centre half has been in superb form for the Trotters and his performances has seen him called up by Fabio Capello for England’s recent games against Wales and Ghana. His stock is certainly rising and Owen Coyle has a job in trying to persuade his big centre half to remain at the Reebok.

Whether Bolton will be able to resist large bids remains to be seen, given the financial losses the club have recorded this season and while Phil Gartside has been bullish that the debt will not see them having to cash in on their top players, any bids in the region of £15m+ would certainly given the money men at the Reebok food for thought.

Gary Cahill is their most saleable asset at the Reebok and with both Tottenham and Liverpool unlikely to be the only interested parties this summer, maybe Bolton will see this as the ideal time to sell him on.

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Robinho’s time in England is over. Seemingly incapable of producing anything close to form away from Eastlands meant that every mercurial performance he produced in front of his home fans went hand-in-hand with total anonymity when City went on their travels.

It is the type of expensive mistake that really only Man City can afford to make. £32.4m is a lot to spend on a player that was sceptical of coming in the first place. His desire to leave Real Madrid was never in doubt, but his preferred destination was Scolari’s Chelsea team. When Abramovich stalled over the fee, City made their move.

Now despite calling Robinho’s time at the club an error, I still believe the club were right to do it in the first place. City needed to make a statement of intent, and Robinho was the marquee signing to do that. It is almost as if the club were prepared to pay £30m to show the rest of the world what they were capable of. If it worked out, then brilliant, they would have a gifted player on their books, if it didn’t then at least people knew they meant business.

Despite Robinho’s away day blues, his first season was relatively impressive. He was an important part of what was becoming a very exciting City team to watch. When Roberto Mancini was appointed, the relationship between manager and player began to dwindle. Mancini may have been one of the beautiful footballers to play the game, but he is still an Italian, and with comes the infamous catenaccio style.

Mancini won league titles in Italy with a defensive set up (and the fact that he inherited a team far better than his rivals), and a player that didn’t pull his weight defensively was always going to struggle in one of his teams. Robinho is essentially a luxury, and teams that wish to compete at the absolute peak, can’t afford them, no matter how rich they are.

Now that Robinho is at Milan, he will probably do quite well. He will make up a trio of Brazilians up front with Pato and Ronaldinho, as well as the hulking sulk that his Zlatlan Ibrahimovic. They are reasons for optimism for the Rossoneri, but that is a lot of ego to manage and I can’t imagine they will become a harmonious partnership for years to come. Robinho has signed a four year contract at the San Siro, whether he will be there for the duration is questionable.

Maybe Robinho should be viewed as a fling; a glamorous affair that was short and exciting when it all began, but eventually turned sour, and split after various bust-ups. City shelled out money treating him to good times, and in return they got some good nights out, but there was never any future in the relationship. It is almost impossible to know whether Robinho was misunderstood or mismanaged, because I’m not sure if anyone has answered that question yet. There have been spells in his career where he has been in scintillating form, but never over a considerable period of time. In Brazil, Spain, England and now Italy, some of the best managers in the game have failed in fully realising his undeniable potential.

It is difficult to call Robinho mismanaged because we then have to believe that everybody has been at fault, rather than the man himself. So does that make him misunderstood? Well, to the extent that no one can understand why he has struggled at the clubs he has played for. His managers must become so frustrated with trying to help him succeed. City should be glad that he is no longer their player; while Mancini tries to mould a team together, the disruption that Robinho brings is the last thing they need.

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Blackburn boss Steve Kean has stated that he expects to stay on as the side’s manager, despite the Lancashire club being beaten 2-1 by relegation rivals Bolton on Tuesday night.

First half goals from Mark Davies and Nigel Reo-Coker gave The Trotters a half time 2-0 lead; Yakubu managed to pull one back but Rovers still suffered defeat.

The loss means that Bolton leapfrog the Ewood Park club in the standings, with Rovers now bottom; despite this Kean would be shocked if he was sacked.

“I expect to be here on Boxing Day,” the Scottish coach told Sky Sports.

“I would be completely shocked if they (the owners) decide to replace me, yes.”

Kean denied that he had an ultimatum meeting in the offing, and blamed defensive issues for the side’s current state of affairs.

“That’s a report that’s not correct. I’ve not got a date when I’m going to meet the owners. I spoke to the owners before the game started.

“When I speak to the owners we will speak about the transfer window and give them an update on when I expect people to be fit.

“I’m very confident. I’ve spoken very extensively with the owners about the positions we need. We need to strengthen and we have got to address that.

“I have said it many times, we need to get a back four.

“We just don’t have a defence at the moment and it’s costing us. But when you miss Ryan Nelsen, Scott Dann and Gael Givet, these are big players for us.

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“We always score, but we are the only team at the moment who can’t keep a clean sheet,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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Blackpool manager Ian Holloway has set his side a survival target of just two more wins this season.Next weekend’s game at home to Wigan has been touted as a relegation decider, but Holloway said that game will not be the only crucial match in the run home.

Blackpool host Arsenal on Sunday – a game Holloway insists they can win.

“We can lose our next five and win our last two and still stay up because I believe 39 points will be enough to survive,” Holloway said.

“I have already heard people going on about Wigan – it is being made out to be the game that could decide whether we stay up or not.”

“Our season won?t depend on what happens against Wigan. But that is nonsense as it will decide nothing.”

Blackpool have won just twice since the turn of the year and Holloway knows they will have to do better than last weekend?s 3-0 capitulation at Fulham if they are to compete with title-chasers Arsenal.

“We will have to play better than we did at Fulham,” Holloway said.

“We?ve got to get back to our attacking ways and against Arsenal, with the ground bouncing, the fans can help us do that.”

“Everyone can beat everyone else in this league on any given day, and we know we are capable of scoring goals and getting victories.”

“‘Who’s to say Arsenal will not turn up at Bloomfield Road on a cold Sunday afternoon with our fans roaring and not fancy it?”

?It is unlikely because Arsenal are a class team, but you never know.?

Richard Kingson will continue in goal as Matthew Gilks (knee) is still unavailable, while defender Chris Basham (broken leg) and forward Billy Clarke (knee) will also miss out.

Barcelona have expressed their disappointment at Cesc Fabregas' decision to stay at Arsenal for at least one more season.

The Spain international finally ended speculation about his future by releasing an official statement on Friday that confirmed he had no intention of leaving the Emirates Stadium.

Barcelona then issued a press release of their own, which read:"In the light of the statement released regarding the contractual future of Cesc Fabregas, Barcelona regrets the decision of Arsenal to declare the player not for sale and their decision not to take into consideration the offers proposed.

"None of those offers, in any way, exceeded Euros 40million."

The 23-year-old has been the subject of a persistent campaign from Barca players and officials to try and tempt him back to the Camp Nou, despite Gunners boss Arsene Wenger insisting that no deal would be done.

Fabregas told the club's official website:"Firstly I would like to apologise to all the Arsenal fans for not speaking sooner about my future, but I have not known what I was going to do until this moment.

"I cannot deny that joining a club like Barcelona was not an attractive move for me.

"This was the club where I learned my football, it is my home town where my friends and family are and a club where I have always dreamed of playing.

"There are not many players in the world who would not want to play for Barcelona.

"I have had many conversations with Arsene Wenger both in person and over the phone over the last few months and although the content of those conversations will remain private, the conclusion is that Barcelona have had two formal offers rejected by Arsenal.

"I am a professional and I fully understand that it is Arsenal's prerogative not to sell me.

"I owe a lot to the club, manager and the fans and I will respect their decision and will now concentrate on the new season ahead with Arsenal.

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"I can assure all the fans that now the negotiations have ended I will be 100 per cent focused on playing for Arsenal.

"I am an Arsenal player and as soon as I step out on to the pitch, that is the only club I will be thinking about.

"I am looking forward to the start of the season and putting this speculation behind me."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

West Ham were by far the worst team in the Premier League last season, winning just seven games throughout the whole campaign. Avram Grant could not have done any more in helping the Hammers to relegation and should have been sacked in January when Martin O’Neill was lined up as his replacement before it was leaked to the press.

The football was terrible to watch each week and a lack of passion and commitment was obvious throughout the majority of the squad. Relegation however has been a positive learning curve for the remaining squad players, owners and fans. Lessons have thankfully been learnt at Upton Park and the club will only benefit from the changes that have been made.

Goals win games

The first lesson that has been rectified to a degree was the lack of goals. Carlton Cole has never been and will never be a prolific striker and Freddie Piquionne and Victor Obinna failed to make much of an impact at all. Robbie Keane seemed to forget what a goal looked like which left Demba Ba to be the only player that could put the ball away after his January arrival, but that was too little too late.

33 goals in 38 games is unacceptable and narrow defeats were a regular occurrence for the Irons who made sufficient chances throughout the season. Over the summer the owners and new manager, Sam Allardyce realised the obvious problem and signed John Carew and Sam Baldock to add fire power, as well as attacking midfielder Kevin Nolan. Astonishingly the Hammers have already scored more goals in the first third of this season than the whole of the last campaign and that has been the catalyst to their good form.

A lack of loyalty from some players

Another lesson learnt was probably more for the supporters than it was for the club and that was the lack of player loyalty. The East End club gave chances to players when other teams wouldn’t and perhaps assumed that the players would repay the faith shown in them. But that wasn’t the case; Thomas Hitzlsperger was out injured for the majority of the season and then jumped ship in the summer after relegation. Demba Ba was asked to stay on at Upton Park after the Hammers were the only club willing to give him a chance in January, but he turned it down. Other out of contract players such as Mathew Upson did not sign new deals and left the squad very thin on numbers when pre-season arrived.

Perhaps I was naive when I felt that maybe Ba and Hitzlsperger would stay until January at least to give something back to the club that gave them a chance, perhaps, but  only in football would that lack of loyalty be accepted.

The fans will always stick with the team

One thing that the rest of the Premier League learnt about the Hammers was that no matter how bad it got, the fans would always follow them wherever they went. Home attendances were consistently competitive and the away following would sell out 90% of the time. The trip to the DW Stadium on the penultimate week of the season sums it up perfectly. Anything less than two wins from two games would see them relegated and for a club that had only won twice away from home in 18 months, not likely. But 5,000 travelling fans sold out the away end in the North West and sang and cheered throughout the whole 90 minutes and the following three hour train journey home, even after relegation was confirmed.

Yes Blackpool fans may have done the same, but it was a first for them, they hadn’t been to Old Trafford, the Emirates and Anfield all in the same season in the top flight, they hadn’t expected anything more than relegation back in August. West Ham did.

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A cup run did not help the league form

Another aspect that the Hammers will have learnt from last season is that a cup run does not always help your confidence and form in the league. Birmingham City were a prime example of that but they played just one extra game than West Ham last year and they won that at Wembley

The London club were one game away from Wembley twice last season after losing in the Carling Cup semi final and the FA Cup quarter final, both to late goals. That heartache of last gasp cup defeat, twice heavily dented the confidence of the West Ham squad that failed to recover from either result. A chance for a club like West Ham to get to Wembley is a huge achievement and would have brought the players and fans together for a joyous occasion, but it was cruelly snatched away.

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The owners have shown their colours

The final lesson learnt is one definitely, solely for Hammers fans and it is that the clubs owners David Gold and David Sullivan are definitely putting their money where their mouths are. The two David’s are often seen in the press, speaking their minds on all things West Ham, and at first it took a while for the supporters to get behind them. But this summer and the realisation of relegation has brought the fans and owners together to get behind the manager and the team at all times.

For a club that was in unbelievable amounts of debt when bought by the former Birmingham City chairmen, to now spending money freely as a Championship club with the signings of Kevin Nolan, Sam Baldock, Matty Taylor etc, is a real achievement. They are pumping their own money into the club and they are very unlikely to see a return on that, making it a very selfless act and one that should definitely be praised.

Currently sitting in the top two of the Championship, West Ham have a great chance at returning to the top flight at the first attempt and will be bigger and stronger for the year away.

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