Arsenal News 24/7Writer: Nick Simmonett 
Date:Wednesday December 20 2006
Time: 2:37PM
UK time is: 16:00:01
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The Rumour Mill
There are rumours-a-many in the press today so I thought I would bring some of them to our outstanding Vital Arsenal readers.
CSKA 'keeper Igor Akinfeev says that a move to Arsenal would be very tempting. When speaking to sport-express the Russian international said: "I`m delighted that a club of such calibre [Arsenal] Arse interested in me.
"You can`t have too many chances like this in your career.
"Of course, if they make an offer, I`ll take it seriously and will think about it."
Timo Hilderbrand could be on his way to Arsenal at the end of the season after talks about a new deal broke down. Horst Heldt, sporting director at VFB Stuttgart said: "We have withdrawn our offer. Timo Hilderbrand has informed us that he cannot make a decision yet.
The German would be available on a free transfer at the start of July which means that he can discuss a move elsewhere in little under two weeks time.
Jens Lehmann could go the other way, leaving Arsenal for VFB Stuttgart in the summer.
Triabal football reports that Arsenal want the cash for Jose Reyes in January so they can raid the January transfer market.
Arsenal are rumoured to be after a new left back. Reports suggest that a £4M bid for Leighton Baines or a £7M bid for Southamptons 17-year-old Gareth Bale could be in the pipeline.
And finally, Arsenal could move for midfielder Manuel Fernandes. The centeral midfielder has returned to Benfica after a loan spell at Portsmouth. A fee in the region of £8M is being suggested.
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Your Comments
Whats the cash involved involved in the Reyes deal?
SeasideEssexXile
Baines and Bale make sense...young British talent for a change!
sandgroanun
manuel fernandes, yes please !!
hazzagooner
If mad Jen is actually insisting on a 2 year deal instead of taking extensions on a yearly basis then I think we will need a new goalie.
HK_Gunner
Akinfeev is quality. We would benefit by getting him in January so he has half a season to learn from Crazy Old Jens. As well as only being 20 / 21 he has extremly good positional awarenes and shot-stopping abilities, along with a great, almighty, accurate kick on him (the only thing I think Jens lacks in). If the price for Bale is accurate, I'd much rather we got Baines - He's proven himself more than competent in the PL throughout the last two seasons.
Parano!d
One English target amongst them!
merlin
Baines is an absolute stud...I'd love to see him in a Gunners jersey if he was available. Bale would be pretty nice as well. And Arsenal need to get another goalie by the summer regardless of what Lehmann decides, cause he's not getting any younger.
Shinobi
I hear you were in for Drogba and Terry.
OLASAL
And your point Merlin??
simmy8_2000
Olasal, I would rather re-sign Jeffers than have Drogba. King Kolo and Willy Gallas (remember him?) are by far the best partnership in the league.
simmy8_2000
Akinfeev is on the small side though a good keeper. Hilderbrand as a bigger guy. Weren't you linked with Rene Adler at Leverkusen not so long a go? I can't imagine you going for both Baines and Bale. I think due to your relationship with Southampton, the latter is more likely. Finally why Fernandes ... you have Gilberto and Fabregas, Song and Diaby, Dennilson and now are planning to look at Fernandes .. I suspect the last one is paper talk designed to force the hand of Portsmouth.
Sir_Harry
Baines would be a great addition to the team, hope wenger doesent get abidal cuz he's crap..
luckys_10
Merlin we cant all afford to pay £21million for the likes of SWP or Bribe stupid English Left backs with untold riches to steal them from our rivals! Who was the 1st english team to field an all foreign side? Without your lotto win you would have 2 english players, Terry and Lampard so really.....whats your point?
iceman10
Im guessing we wont get any of them, well not in jan.
But i can definetly see alot of players in and out of arsenal in the summer!!!
merz
Yaya toure would be the best jan signing!!!
merz
What does that tell you Merlin? That English players are crap! Put down your tabloid old boy, until English players get some sort of work ethic, you'll see very few in an Arsenal shirt. Besides whcih, your club has destroyed SWP, Johnson and Parker. You're well on the way to corrupting the two Coles too.
Little Dutch
I would like Akinfeev
ArsenalRob
they won't buy both baines and bale as both are left backs. now the rumour i heard recently and this is the shocker, TREZEQUET ! remember where you heard it, we will buy in jan as he won't be cup tied and will give us fire power and experience up front, the fact also that its Henry's no1 strike partnership aswell for country. he is not happy playing serie B and wants a move.... could this rumour really be true ?
PUREGOLD
Not a chance. Trezeguet has been linked with Arse countless times before...and really, he's a flat plank of a striker. Useless against us last season in the champions league, and botched up the penalty in the WC final. No thanks.
I'd be astonished at either Akinveev (sp) or Boruc...if both, all I can say is thats a (young) partnership that can compete with Cech and Cudicini. Very tempting to sign both, I'd say. I'd be equally happy with either Baines or Bale...both with their advantages. Baines is slightly older, pushing for a national (irrelevant that he's english, I really dont care) place, Bale's only 17, but potential literally glows around him.
I just really wish we had more genuine wingers.
Jammathon
jammathon i like your call about wingers, when arse won leagues we played with wingers.. Overmars, Wiltord ( although a striker too ) Pires aswell... we need width to stretch play.. maybe thats how wenger sees Theo. he is also interested in Jesus Navas who is a winger, so you never know ;)
PUREGOLD
I'm not convinced AW ever has played with wingers. Pires and Overmars cut in just as frequently as Hleb and Rosicky. The problem at the moment is that we used to have Vieira to sit and win possession back to feed them. Cesc is a different animal, and at the moment he is still gaining the maturity to stay in a game for a whole 90 minutes. Building the side around Cesc is the right way to go, he's that good, but it may cost a little at the moment because he's still finding out how to dominate whole games, rather than just periods of games. Reading away is an example of him being dominant for 90 mins....and look what happened that day!
Little Dutch
I argree, i think vieira was very important to the way we played.
But i also think we missed edu, he was a player i really didnt want to leave arsenal.
DOES ANYONE THINK 4-5-1 WORKS IN THE PREM?
merz
Litttle dutch.......... AMAZING. Finally an Arsenal fan who recognises that Fabregas is not the best player in the world. Unlike most of you
Jacky B
Cesc is the best player of his age, and in two or three years I am sure he will be the top midfielder in the world. Rooney was considered a child prodigy, but he played a free role. Cecs plays central midfield, a position with a lot more responsibility than the likes of Rooney and Messi have. The fact that you make this crass assertion about Cesc when he is 19 points to how good he really is.
Little Dutch
I dont feel there was anything Crass about what i said. Its just that most Arsenal fans think he is better than he is. Really i was just appreciating your astute comment regarding how he needs to develop into controlling a game for 90 mins. He is, and will be a great player - just not the finished article. Much like a certain Aaron Lennon
Jacky B
Jacky dont compare lennon to cesc just yet. lennon isn't even close to cesc at the moment. cesc proved last year just how good he is in the champions league last season, and lennon hasn't played at that level, and i'm not sure he will for the next few years if he stays at spurs, so comparing lennon to cesc at the moment isn't right, lennon has great potential, but he needs to play at the highest level of club football (which is the champions league) to really develop into a world class player..
luckys_10
Point taken Jacky B, apologies for being on the defensive.
Little Dutch
i cant wait to see denilson playing alongside cesc,but we have the central midfield ball winner-covering back four sorted,with gilberto,fabrice muamba,abou diaby,maybe gilbert and song(dont laugh),neway its quite possible that the only player we need is a keeper.
fran merida
cant see you needing anyone other than a keeper and cover at left back for clichy. everyone is raving about bale, terrific left foot but maybe a little slow for the prem and CL.
oxfordspur
Lucky 10......... Lennon was a revelation in the World cup. Had we a decent manager, we may have seen more of him. We may just give him the champions league experience he needs soon.
Jacky B
only if lennon leaves for a bvetter team will he ever see champions league football,neway forget the cl,im for the prem
fran merida
jacky, he barely played in the world cup, and you may do that, you may do this, everything is uncertain about your club, and that's why he may not be the player you all think he will be, and if you don't make it to the champions league soon, players like him and king may leave to further their careers. king is a defender i really rate, and how old is he, i reckon he must be 26 or 27, and he still hasn't played in the top club competition of the world. just how long will he wait to take his game to the next level, and how long will others in your team wait? the future is very uncertain..
luckys_10
Merlin, I really would be interested to know what you meant by your comment?
simmy8_2000
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