It is now over a year since the Czech midfielder last appeared forArsenal in an FA Cup tie against Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium.However, his long-awaited return to the fold is closer than ever.
Speakingahead of Saturday抯 clash with Sunderland, Ars鑞e Wenger delivered somepositive news on Rosicky before revealing the latest on his otherinjured personnel.
"Tomas needs three weeks to play in trainingfully fit,
Ars鑞e Wenger believes that Andrey Arshavin can answer all the questions surrounding the success of Russian players in English football.
The new signing from Zenit St Petersburg will be involved in Saturday抯 game against Sunderland, though the manager is yet to decide if he will start on the pitch or on the bench.
Should he play, Arshavin will become the first Russian to represent Arsenal. Surprisingly few players from that country have made a significant impact in English football. But then, as Wenger admits, there is adaptation needed on and off the field.
"You can never be sure 100 per cent about any player,
Robin van Persie insists he is keen to sign a new contract with Arsenalbut has sent a warning to the club insisting he will only do so if heis convinced the club share his ambition.
The Holland forward's contract expires at the end of next season and heconfirmed the Gunners have offered him a new deal.
''Financiallythe last offer made by the club is fine but that isn't everything forme. It's about my ambitions and how they can be fulfilled in the comingyears. The club and I want the same and it is our intention we achievethat,'' he told The Sun
''Arsenal have promised me they will do everything possible to make that extrastep to a level where we win prizes on a regular basis.
''In the last four years I've had only one prize, the FA Cup, and that's notenough.
''I want to achieve more and I feel I can play an important role in bringingArsenal to a higher level.''
With Arsenal fifth in the Premier League and five points behind Aston Villain the last Champions League place Van Persie's fear must be that nextseason the Gunners will not feature in Europe's top competition -unless they win it this year.
Although it has been adisappointing season for the Gunners the club will point to the captureof Andrei Arshavin as evidence of their ambition.
Arsene Wenger to unleash Andrei Arshavin
There are parts of north London in which questioning Arsene Wenger would be regarded as an act of treachery, yet particular scrutiny is still guaranteed on Saturday afternoon when Andrei Arshavin makes his long-awaited Arsenal debut against Sunderland.
Amid repeated calls from supporters for a new holding midfielder, Wenger spent
Regarded as one of the hottest properties in Ligue 1 before he made hissummer switch to Arsenal, it is little wonder that Samir Nasri hadsomething of a swagger about him when he was taken to the EuropeanChampionships with France in the summer. But the 21-year-old抯confident demeanour caused upset in the French camp, with WilliamGallas hinting at the problems the prodigious young midfielder createdin the squad.
Gallas claimed that the Marseille-born star stoleThierry Henry抯 position on the team bus and acted insolently intraining. Nasri has, however, refuted these allegations in an interviewwith The Independent.
揑t was all over something and nothing,擭asri protested. 揚eople said I showed a lack of respect for ThierryHenry. Quite simply when I started out in the French national side,Henry had been out with a back injury and I had been sitting in a placeon the coach, which, on his return, turned out to be where he sat. Assoon as I discovered that I got up and let him sit down.
揗aybepeople were looking for excuses because we had done badly in the Eurosbut certainly I don抰 think you can blame that on the fact that I satin Thierry Henry抯 seat.
Like Cantona and Zidane before him, Nasri learnt his trade the oldfashioned way in Marseilles. Now Arsenal are benefitting from theblossoming skills of France抯 latest midfield prodigy, writes SamWallace
'We all love football in Marseilles,' says Arsenal's Samir Nasri of his upbringing in France
Whenyou have been a prodigy since the age of eight and you come from one ofthe most famous cities in Europe for producing great footballers, it islittle wonder that sitting in Thierry Henry抯 favourite seat in theteam bus is no big deal. So it goes with Samir Nasri, the man fromMarseilles now at Arsenal who still believes that his club can make animpact this season.
This is Nasri抯 first interview since hecame to the Premier League although he has grown accustomed to being inthe spotlight for longer than might be expected of a 21-year-old. Whenhe was still just a kid in Marseilles
Post time 21-2-2009 02:28 PM
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