Gooner Talk

Jack Wilshere has a pre-contract agreement with Arsenal when he signs on pro forms in January which will see him make an enormous £15,000 a week.

The 16-year-old was promoted to the first team after impressing boss Arsene Wenger during pre-season and was subsequently rewarded with the number 19 shirt.

He continued to impress in the Emirates Cup and his 15-minute cameo role against La Liga winners Real Madrid confirmed the fact that Wilshere looks the part in the Arsenal first team squad; he is now set to earn 200 times his current wage packet.

Then, the England Under-17 star scored in the Carling Cup thrashing of Sheffield United. Premier League money-bags Chelsea were immediately linked with the Stevenage-born starlet.

Wilshere will sign his first professional deal when he turns 17 on New Year’s Day. Keep up to date with all the latest news and views on Arsenal’s reserve & youth set-up over at our good friends Young Guns.

Arsenal’s reward for thrashing Sheffield United at the Emirates Stadium in the Carling Cup is a fourth round trip to Premier League tough-nuts Wigan Athletic.

The last time both teams met in the competition was in 2005 when a memorable injury time goal by Jason Roberts secured their place in the Carling Cup final.

Last season, Arsenal fought a scrappy contest to beat the Latics 2-0 at the Emirates thanks late goals from William Gallas and Tomas Rosicky. At the JJB, Arsene Wenger’s side forged a 0-0 draw mainly due to Wigan’s stern defensive display.

The ties will be played on either the Tuesday or Wednesday the 11th or 12th November

The full draw is as follows:

Arsenal v Wigan Athletic
Brighton & Hove Albion or Derby v Leeds United
Chelsea v Burnley
Manchester United v Queens Park Rangers
Stoke City v Rotherham United
Sunderland v Blackburn Rovers
Swansea City v Watford
Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool

Premier League leaders Arsenal take on surprise package Hull City at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

The Gunners are flying high at the top of the Premiership and take on top-flight debutantes Hull on the back of a 6-0 destruction of Championship side Sheffield United by their youngsters in the Carling Cup, but expect manager Arsene Wenger to bring back senior players for the visit of the Tigers.

Tigers boss Phil Brown faces his toughest task yet in the Premiership in trying to come away from the Emirates with something to show, but his Yorkshire side are unbeaten in their travels away from the KC Stadium this season and continue to surprise the many people who tipped them for relegation straight back down to the Championship.

Wenger is set to recall senior players like Cesc Fabregas and top-scorer Emmanuel Adebayor for the clash at the Emirates, but is still without long-term absentees Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) and Eduardo (broken leg) along with Abou Diaby (thigh). However, Arsenal could welcome back French International Samir Nasri from a knee injury, with new signing Mikael Silvestre possibly in line to make his Gunners debut.

Hull’s only injuries are to striker Craig Fagan (broken leg), and Anthony Gardner (thigh), with Daniel Cousin set to partner Marlon King in attack again for the Tigers at Arsenal.

Predicted Starting XI

Almunia
Sagna – Toure – Gallas – Clichy
Eboue – Fabregas – Denilson – Walcott
Adebayor – van Persie

Match Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Hull City

Catch all the post-match reaction and player ratings here on Gooner Talk seconds after the final whistle.

Leave your views and predictions of tomorrows game in the comments section below.

Arsenal midfield maestro and Euro2008 Champ Cesc Fabregas believes he will have to raise his game after the performances of Arsenal’s young guns on Tuesday night.

Arsene Wenger used a squad with an average age of just 19 for the Carling Cup clash with Sheffield United at the Emirates, but still saw his talented men put in a masterclass display as they dismantled the Blades 6-0.

Fabregas – himself the yougest-ever player to appear in the Gunners’ first team – admits the performance left him on the edge of his seat, and believes it won’t be long before the pretenders to his crown will be knocking on the door.

“I was really excited on Tuesday – it was sensational. You can see all the players have ambition, they want to show how good they are,” the 21-year-old told The Sun.

“I cannot go to sleep as one day or other they will want to play more and more and the manager will want them to play more.

“I will have to be better and better. Wilshere, Ramsey, Merida — they all play in my position. This is great for me. I love competition.”

And Fabregas, who joined the north Londoners as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in September 2003, believes nobody is better for giving youngsters a chance than Gunners boss Wenger.

“He doesn’t care how old they are and it’s amazing. It’s why we have so many good young players. It’s the club’s policy,” said the Spaniard, who is expected to return for the club’s Premier League clash with Hull City tomorrow.

“Even if you’re 14 or 15 he always looks relaxed to you and instils confidence in you. For what he does with young players, no one compares with Wenger.”

Gooner Talk will provide all the build-up towards Saturday’s 4pm kick-off against Hull City and a match report will be posted up immediately after the full time whistle – stay locked, on the #1 site for all of Arsenal’s first team news and views.

Arsenal’s French defensive duo Gael Clichy and summer signing Mikael Silvestre are fit for Saturday’s Premier League match with Hull City.

Clichy, 22, was on the receiving end of a strong challenge from Bolton’s Kevin Davies and was immediately driven to hospital with what looked like at the time, a broken leg. Luckily for the former Cannes youngster, he only sustained bruising to the shin.

As for Silvestre, the ex-United defender looks set to play a part in the game after recovering from a mixture of thigh and ankle injuries since joining early last month.

“I am really pleased that Gael is available,” said the manager. “He had a training session today for the first time and he should develop well in the next 48 hours.” said Wenger.

“However Mikael Silvestre is available and we did not have any injuries from last week [against Bolton]. The likes of Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott have recovered fully so everyone is available.”

Cameroonian International Alex Song took a knock on his hip during the latter stages of Tuesday’s Carling Cup mauling against Sheffield United and remains a massive doubt.

“Alex has a fitness test tomorrow,” said the manager. “He had a kick on his hip [in midweek] and it is very tender.

Saturday’s opponents Hull City have injury problems of their own. Neither Greek legend Stelios Giannakopoulos nor Anthony Gardner will take part in the gamel.

Gooner Talk will provide all the build-up towards Saturday’s 4pm kick-off and a match report will be posted up immediately after the full time whistle – stay locked, on the #1 site for all of Arsenal’s first team news and views.

Arsene Wenger says he would not be afraid to play any of his young Gunners in the Premier League after Arsenal demolished Sheffield United 6-0 in the Carling Cup.

Wenger had named a side with an average age of only 19 – and was not disappointed as the youngsters stepped up to the challenge to leave the Championship side in tatters.

Mexican striker Carlos Vela grabbed a hat-trick, while Nicklas Bendtner hit a first-half double and 16-year-old Jack Wilshere weighed in with his first senior goal.

There were also impressive displays from Wales Under-21 midfielder Aaron Ramsey and aspiring full-back Kieran Gibbs, which all left the Arsenal manager confident the club’s future is in safe hands.

He said:

“The team showed a good mixture of talent and a mature collective spirit to play football the way we want to play.

“The way the team remained focused and they looked a complete team. I am very proud of that.

“We looked strong in every individual position, and that takes a lot of hard work.”

Wenger added:

“We knew about Bendtner, but we discovered more about Vela. He is a clinical finisher.

“I integrated Wilshere into the first team sometimes last season when he was 15 and he did not look out of place and it is natural for him.

“I was not surprised because I see them every day, but you never know on a big stage how they play.

“They did that with the belief we want them to have and the spirit we want then to have.

“Now for us the biggest challenge is to keep them together and slowly integrate them into the first team. Some have done that already.

“These players do not play like kids. They play with intelligence, talent and with spirit.

“They can beat many teams and I would not be scared to play any individual in the Premier League.”

Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger named his youngest ever team for the third round clash with Championship side Kevin Blackwell’s side and it certainly paid off. There will be more to come from Wenger’s young Gunners and I personally, can’t wait.

As if the first team wasn’t youthful enough, Gunners manager Arsène Wenger has consistently used the Carling Cup to blood promising youngsters. Expect, then, to get a first home glimpse of Welsh wonderkid Aaron Ramsey and maybe even teenage English winger Jack Wilshere who impressed in pre-season. The thinness of the squad, however, may also mean a start for surprise centre-back signing Mikael Silvestre.

Sheffield United will be a stern test and boast plenty of Premier League experience with one-time England defender Ugo Ehiogu, former England striker James Beattie, as well as midfielder Gary Speed who seems to have been around since decimalisation. Kevin Blackwell’s side will fancy their chances against a club with one eye on forthcoming Champions League encounters.

Arsenal met Sheffield United in last year’s Carling Cup fourth round. Croatian striker Eduardo da Silva scored a brace and Denilson added a third as a young Arsenal side strolled into the last eight. The Gunners were eventually eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur in the last four.

Fabianski
G.Hoyte – Djourou – Song – Gibbs
Wilshere – Ramsey – Randall – Merida
Bendtner – Vela

Match Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Sheffield United

Arsenal v Sheffield United is unfortunately not being broadcast on live TV but it should be avaliable online with p2p streams likely to be posted.

Catch all the post-match reaction and player ratings here on Gooner Talk seconds after the final whistle.

Leave your views and predictions of tomorrows game in the comments section below.