Gooner Talk

Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner has begun his well-awaited return from injury by taking part in running exercises at London Colney, and the Dane admitted that he faces “a huge step forward” next week as he trains with the ball for the first time in 3 months.

The 22-year-old feels that his troublesome groin problem has finally gone away, while his comments also rubbish reports from the Danish FA which suggested that Bendtner had aggravated the injury.

My basic form is now fully in place, and I have started to sprint. Next week I’ll try to train with the ball and it will be a huge step forward,” Bendtner told Sporten.dk.

He started up front in all three of Denmark’s World Cup group games, scoring in the 2-1 win over Cameroon, as the 1992 European champions missed out on a place in the last 16.

However, the injury flared up again, meaning Bendtner is likely to be out until mid-October at the earliest.

Leave your thoughts on Bendtner’s possible return in the comments section below.

Arsenal have all but finished their business in the transfer window – as far as signings are concerned – after Fulham confirmed to Sky Sports News that goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is staying at Craven Cottage.

The Gunners have been widely expected to bring in a replacement for first-choice shot-stopper Manuel Almunia, as neither Lukasz Fabianski nor Vito Mannone have been able to step up to snatch the No 1 spot from the former Celta Vigo ‘keeper.

Fulham manager Mark Hughes would have been in serious trouble if he were to allow Schwarzer to make a move without finding a replacement, as the ageing ‘keeper’s understudy, David Stockdale, is sidelined for a few weeks due to ankle ligament damage.

Schwarzer has sat out Fulham’s opening three Premier League matches of the season with an apparent back injury since Australia’s 2-0 loss in Slovenia earlier this month.

Deadline Day:

Italian side Juventus have announced that they have released French full-back Jonathan Zebina and signed his compatriot Armand Traore on a season-long loan from Arsenal.

Dutch forward Nacer Barazite has agreed a move to Vitesse Arnhem on loan. The winger signs after turning down a move to Heracles Almelo at the last minute.

Fulham shot stopper Mark Schwarzer has spoken about his pending move to Arsenal, admitting that he’s “waiting for things to happen”.

Manager Arsene Wenger has been chasing the 37-year-old Australia keeper all summer but two separate offers have been rejected.

And despite Manuel Almunia’s comfortable performance in the 2-1 win at Blackburn, Wenger believes he needs a new goalkeeper to sustain a credible title challenge.

“I’m biding my time waiting for things to happen and then I’ll be on move – if you see what I mean,” Schwarzer was quoted as saying on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, Cottagers boss Mark Hughes also seems to be softening his stance, saying after Saturday’s draw with Blackpool:

“Mark Schwarzer has made it clear that he would like to go to Arsenal so we are trying to look at other options.”

The fact that the Gunners have reportedly increased their offer from £2.5m to £3m might also have made Hughes sway towards letting Schwarzer go.

A busy transfer deadline day is expected tomorrow with coverage on both the blog and Twitter, so stay tuned.

Italian giants Juventus are close to signing Arsenal youngster Armand Traore on loan, with the Frenchman flying into Turin today to complete the move.

The story, which first emerged on Sky Sports News yesterday afternoon, became concrete after Juventus director general Beppe Marotta stated that he had asked for Traore on loan.

Traore, 20, rejected a £3 million switch to Benfica last week after he heard about Juve’s late offer which looks set to be confirmed before the closure of the transfer window at 6pm tomorrow. 

The Frenchman is currently behind Gael Clichy and Kieran Gibbs in the Gunners’ pecking order.

Arsenal have arguably been handed a favourable Champions League group draw, after being paired with Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, Portugal’s SC Braga, and FK Partizan of Belgrade.

The draw was made earlier this evening and many pundits are already suggesting that the Gunners will breeze through their group.

Shakhtar Donetsk boast a Uefa Cup win in 2009, the biggest problem with the Ukrainians from Arsene Wenger’s point of view will be the travelling distance. However, it will see former Arsenal striker Eduardo returning to the Emirates Stadium with his new side.

SC Braga have also done well in Europe’s second competition in recent years, they have not created waves in the Champions League. Nevertheless, the Portuguese side denied Celtic in the qualifiers for the group stage and will be ones to watch. Arsenal’s third and final opponents will be Partizan, who won the Serbian domestic league last season.

Squillaci signs

In other news, Sebastien Squillaci’s drawn out move to Arsenal has finally been completed but the French centre back won’t be registered in time for Saturday’s match with Blackburn.

“We needed a centre-back of quality and experience if possible, and at the right price – Sebastien was all of that,” Wenger said.

“He is a real defender and is good in the one against one, good in the air, and can score goals on set-pieces as well.

“I believe he will be suited to the English game.

“He will train with us tomorrow morning, but will not be involved on Saturday.”

There may have only been two league games played this season, but even opposition fans have got to admit that this particular statistic is outstanding.

Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen is yet to give the ball away in 180 minutes of Premier League football, with all of his 69 passes being to his own team-mates.

And before someone rubbishes the analysis, those passes haven’t been the “sideways” sort that Denilson has been critcised for in the past. As you can see from the Guardian chalkboard diagram below, Vermaelen has moved the ball forward on the majority of occasions, creating attacks and supplying the midfield.

Read the rest of this entry »

Arsenal’s Nicklas Bendtner has revealed that he’ll wait for his groin injury to “completely clear up” before making a return to action for the Gunners.

The striker had surgery to rectify the problem in November last year, but said the pain had returned during Denmark’s World Cup campaign in South Africa.

Bendtner, 22, said that he is on the road to recovery and pin-pointed mid-October as a potential return date.

“I feel good because it feels better every day. I feel less and less pain to my groin. I can do much more than before as it’s [groin] gradually getting stronger and stronger,” Bendtner told Ekstra Bladet.

“I’m getting treatment and doing core exercises out here [London Colney] every day and I’ve had over one and a half week without noticing any big problems,” he said.

“I hope I get my fitness up during September and then I can start to train with the team.

“From then, I could return in two weeks. It all depends on how the injury feels.”

This news came shortly before Bendtner sacked his “self-publicist” personal physio yesterday evening. Denmark manager Martin Olsen has also been speaking this week on his hopes of the forward featuring in the Dane’s Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.

Thanks to Nicklas Bendtner News for sharing the quotes.