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Really, you have to applaud Arsene Wenger’s obstinate outlook on life. First he proclaims that changing his philosophy of developing the Gunners’ young players and scouting for bargain signings (despite spending spending over £20 million on Lukas Podolski and Oliver Giroud) is unthinkable despite seven years without a major trophy. Now he’s hoping that Robin Van Persie will do a Rooney type U-turn and remain at the Emirates Stadium as they prepare for make-or-break talks over his future. The Holland forwards very public disagreement with the clubs direction gave the impression that his bridges were burnt in North London and he’d be sold before the new Premier League season starts. But Wenger is still hopeful of persuading Van Persie to stay with the Gunners through the prime years. They always say the third time is a charm and after failing to use his powers of persuasion to hang on to Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri last year perhaps Van Persie will be his ace in the hole.

This week on FFC does Wenger need to address his ideologies to take the Gunners forward and is the club in a more stable position than the media like to admit?

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Best of FFC

North London giants are in a far better place than the media will have you believe

Wenger’s Philosophies Must Evolve and Adapt

Why Arsenal must make an example of him

Could the Arsenal board learn a trick from Levy?

Is this really Wenger’s preference or has his hand been forced?

Would Arsenal benefit from their presence at the club?

Does buying these transfer gambles ever work in favour of Arsenal?

The prices Arsenal set gives fans every right…doesn’t it?

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Best of WEB

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One Of Us Speaks – Another Green World  – A Cultured Left Foot

Should we fork out £23M for this Fiorentina ace? – Gunnersphere

Arsenal – a team with no core or backbone – Online Gooner

Why Gunners should go for Moses – Gunnersphere

Is our chrilden learning? – Arseblog

Time for decisive action from Wenger before these two get away. – Le Grove

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Intent! Potential signing that will make the big guns quiver in their boots – not!!- Highbury House

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Quote of the Week

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“I could have left 10 times to join another club but I didn’t because I have worked with the same vision and philosophy at Arsenal for the last 16 years, and that won’t change. Besides, money was never a motivation for me.” Arsene Wenger vows to stick by his Arsenal policies of investing in youth

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Featured Video

The start of another League One season is only days away and whilst it seems only weeks ago that we were screaming at poor refereeing decisions or moaning about the horrible weather on a cold Tuesday evening, fans of football league clubs can finally look forward to a new campaign full of optimism and hope. One club doing just that is League One side Leyton Orient.

Last season was one of surprising highs. The O’s earned a seventh-placed finish and enjoyed an FA Cup run that included wins against two newly promoted Premier League teams and an amazing draw against Arsenal. Equally impressive was that Orient did all this playing attractive passing football rather than the long ball ugly game that often weighs down the lower leagues. There is a strange feeling of expectation around Brisbane Road. As many fans know this is of course a very dangerous feeling and needs to be balanced with a dose of realism due to the unpredictably of the lower leagues.

But in the euphoria of football returning after the summer break, I am going to preview the O’s season with a new sense of expectation. Pre-season has gone well for Russell Slade’s side. We remained unbeaten until a visit from Premier League Tottenham and Slade has brought in a number of new faces that add depth and experience to a relatively small squad.

Most crucial though is that we have kept last season’s stars together. Finding a lower league gem is hard enough but one good season often sees your best players snapped up by bigger teams. Jamie Jones and Jimmy Smith in particular were out of contract and look destined to move on but yet somehow both stayed and signed long-term deals with the club. Key men like Charlie Daniels and Dean Cox faced the inevitable whispers of them looking to move on yet both remain in East London for the new season. Keeping a set of players that are driven by a good spirit and great understanding of each other’s play is a great advantage for Slade.

And then we come to the manager himself. Not often do Orient bosses get head hunted by higher league sides but this summer the O’s looked on the verge of losing their most important asset to Championship side Barnsley. But Russell stayed and whilst it seemed like a case of chairman Barry Hearn slamming the door shut on any potential move, all parties seem happy and ready for the new season.

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Orient kick off the new campaign against Walsall this Saturday before facing local rivals Southend in the cup. With a slightly bigger squad at our disposal I believe we have the team to challenge in both competitions and early wins would set up the season well. But what about our other competitors? Who is going to be the danger team next season?

Despite experiencing a disastrous campaign last season I expect Charlton to do well. They have added to the squad wisely this summer and if they can make a good start, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make their long-awaited jump back up the leagues. Under the leadership of new boss Uwe Rosler and in the wake of some impressive signings, Brentford would be an outside bet for a play-off push next term. The clubs that were relegated from the Championship last season (Preston, Scunthorpe and Sheffield Utd) also have a good chance of making an impact in the third tier of English football.

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Whilst on paper the league looks weaker after the departures of Peterborough, Brighton and Southampton (and the long-term losses in previous years of ‘big teams’ like Norwich and Leeds that used to improve the league), League One promises to be another exciting campaign. The unpredictability of the lower leagues means its hard to say whether Orient can go one step better than last season but to be honest, come next May, I would be happy with another top ten finish.

How do you think Orient will do next season? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5

The pressure is starting to grow on Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier. After last night’s 1-0 defeat to Sunderland at Villa Park, a match in which striker Emile Heskey was sent off, Villa now find themselves in the bottom three. The result last night was even more disappointing given the encouraging performance put in by the players in the 3-3 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge at the weekend. Villa are just one point off the foot of the Premier League table and definitely find themselves in a relegation scrap.

Many Aston Villa fans and journalists from the print media have already called time on Gerard Houllier’s tenure at Villa Park, but if he were to be sacked by Randy Lerner, who should replace him? The early favourite for the job is Sam Allardyce, who himself has only recently been fired by Blackburn, but other contenders include Aston Villa favourite Kevin MacDonald and maybe even former manager Martin O’Neill. Who would you like to be installed as the next Aston Villa manager?

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Daniel Levy has delusions of grandeur according to one respected Guardian journalist, who joined the growing pack of media wolves who are out to get the Tottenham chairman, following his decision to remove the Fleet Street darling that is Harry Redknapp from his managerial duties at the club. It is Armageddon time at N17, as the press fail to see how Tottenham can ever improve on Harry’s reign.

I have to admit that I am not one to normally get riled by media coverage or opinion, but the reaction to Harry’s departure got me shaking my head in disbelief. The sheer short-sightedness in their opinion and research I found absolutely staggering to say the least and the very fact they chose to turn a blind eye to key reasons as to why Redknapp was dispensed with, only cheapened their articles. I suppose the sheer shock of losing the only manager who gives the press the time of day has left them bereft and clouded their judgment on the real story that needed to be reported. Tottenham were never going to be sustainable going forward with Harry at the helm, largely because he was never going to conform with the changes the club needed to make, and because you could never be certain with the stability of the club, given Redknapp’s favourite pastime of jumping ship when a better opportunity comes along.

Why the media seemingly drum home the fact that we have finished 4th twice under Harry in three years, I believe a little perspective is needed on the quality of this achievement. There was a time when finishing in the Champions League was a tough gig; however over the years the doors to them have opened wider and any team that can show consistency has an outside chance. Newcastle being the perfect case point of a club that can get promoted from the Championship and within two years came extremely close to getting a top four place. Arsenal and Manchester United have arguably the two worst teams they have ever possessed in the last 15 years and despite the former losing over a quarter of their Premier League clubs, these two teams still managed to finish 2nd and 3rd this season. The Premier League isn’t what it once was and I find it amazing that the Press still look upon a top four finish with the same level of achievement as before. It is also worth pointing out that Tottenham had two consecutive top 5 finishes in the years prior to his appointment, so to suggest that Harry took a team from mid-table obscurity to the upper echelons on the Premier League is pure fallacy once again – why let the facts get in the way of a rag to riches story eh?

I don’t think there is a Tottenham fan, or in fact a board member at the club, who isn’t grateful for the work that Harry has put in over the last four years. The football has been absolutely fantastic to watch and we have witnessed some fantastic games, but the reality is that it isn’t football reasons why Harry Redknapp was sacked and I wish people who criticise the club’s decision would wake up to that fact. Tottenham are looking to restructure the football club from top to bottom, so you need everyone that is prepared to pull in the same direction. Daniel Levy needed to make a decision with the long-term future in mind, regardless of our current position.

The problem Tottenham are facing at present is that Daniel Levy is swamped with club duties. A lack of trust in Harry to conduct transfers and Redknapp’s reluctance to have a Sporting Director has meant we had a chairman who not only had to conduct transfer negotiations in buying players, but selling them as well. The role is too much for one man to conduct, so you can understand his preference to have a middle man installed to help out with this process. Another area of concern at Tottenham has been the lack of a youth policy at the football club with only Ledley King and to a lesser extent Jamie O’Hara progressing through the ranks to the first team. Spurs made a conscious effort a few years back to address this issue by deciding to build a new state of the art training and academy complex (similar to the one Manchester City are looking to build) in order for the club to start becoming self-sufficient (helping us adhere to the FFP rulings) and producing first team players from the academy ranks. Spurs need a management team that will buy into this philosophy of progression, rather than just throwing them in what the manager seems as pointless cup fixtures. Another important element of this development is Tottenham’s plan for a new stadium will come with a high cost, therefore the need for Spurs to remain competitive while working on shoestring (something we have to begrudgingly credit Arsenal for) is imperative and something that needs to be put in place, before the placing of the first bricks at the Northumberland Stadium Development are put in place. Like it not, but that is the way it has to be at Spurs if they are going to move forward, as we haven’t got a billionaire who can bankroll us going forward.

Why as football fans we only look at things in the short term, the reality it is that the club has to change its operations. UEFA’s new financial rulings, coupled with the pressing need for a new stadium has meant the club needed to make a change for the greater good. Harry has always been a short-term manager in his ideology and therefore isn’t the right man to lead what will be a long term project. The Press no doubt will take great satisfaction in taking a swipe at the club in the future if Tottenham drop out of the top four, but they unfortunately never look at the bigger picture and the reasons why Daniel Levy needed to make the change.

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Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani will definitely play at Anfield next season, his agent said on Thursday.The Italian spent last season on-loan at Juventus, but the Serie A club were reluctant to use their option to sign him permanently.

Recent reports have linked the 27-year-old to Fiorentina, but Aquilani’s agent Franco Zavaglia said he would remain with Kenny Dalglish’s English Premier League outfit.

“Aquilani will certainly stay at Liverpool,” he told Il Corriere dello Sport.

“Alberto has recovered from his ankle problem. He’s back in the international set-up and has the characteristics needed to do well in the Premier League.”

“He’s in pre-season training with Liverpool and has played in all of the team’s summer tour games so far.”

Aquilani had been linked to Fiorentina as midfielder Riccardo Montolivo continues to be tipped to join Serie A champions AC Milan.

In other Premier League news, Manchester City could sign Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi unless the Italian club offers him a new deal.

The midfielder’s current deal expires next year and Roma run the risk of losing him on a free transfer unless he receives a substantial pay rise and a clear outline of new owner Thomas DiBenedetto’s future plans for the club.

The Eastlands club are ready to put together a 23 million euro deal to secure De Rossi’s signature and can also significantly bump up his wages.

De Rossi would agree to sign a contract extension with Roma should he receive the certainties he craves and the club are believed to have offered to increase the Italy international’s wage from four million euros to six million euros per year.

Elsewhere, Benfica have announced the signing of Villarreal defender Joan Capdevila on their official website.

The World Cup-winning defender has signed a two-year deal with Jorge Jesus’ men, with a 20 euro million release clause inserted into the contract.

Capdevila has won 59 caps for Spain, scoring four goals since making his debut in 2002 and he played every minute of his nation’s triumphant World Cup campaign last year.

The left-back has enjoyed spells with Atletico Madrid, Espanyol and Deportivo La Coruna before joining Villarreal in 2007.

Santos midfielder Ganso has revealed he only wants to play for AC Milan once his current club eventually decides what to do with him.

The 21-year-old Brazil international has been strongly tipped to join Milan, who are yet to make a formal offer.

Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport claims Ganso has already told Milan defender Thiago Silva of his ambition to join him at San Siro.

“I only want Milan and I am ready to wait,” Ganso reportedly told Silva.

Iraq limped into the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup after a lacklustre 1-0 win over North Korea in Doha on Wednesday.The defending champions secured second spot in Group D with the win, but will need a much improved performance when they face Asia’s top ranked side, Australia, in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

Kerrar Jasim’s 22nd minute strike was all that separated the two sides at the Al Rayyan Stadium, with Iraq needing to fend off a late North Korean rearguard to seal the three points.

Iraq went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock on 17 minutes when Samal Saeed’s goal-bound header was deflected onto the crossbar by team-mate Mustafa Kareem.

But Mustafa made amends just five minutes later by setting up Iraq’s opener.

The striker found the ball on the edge of the area and unleashed a powerful shot which North Korean goalkeeper Ri Myong-Guk could only parry, allowing Kerrar Jasim the easiest of tap-ins from the rebound.

While Iraq were pushing forward in numbers, North Korea’s only avenue to goal looked to be striker Jong Tae-Se, who was playing a lone hand up forward.

Jong had his side’s two best chances of the half, first seeing his curling free kick well saved by Iraqi goalkeeper Mohammed Kassid before spurning a great opportunity when his heavy touch cut short a free run at goal.

Kareem was proving dangerous up front for Iraq and should have had a goal of his own on 36 minutes when Mahdi Kareem broke away down the left flank.

The winger delivered a precise cross into the area and Kareem got to the ball ahead of keeper Ri, only to misdirect his volley with an open goal to aim at.

Younus Mahmood found himself through on goal in the early stages of the second half after a sloppy North Korean pass, but a desperate challenge from Pak Nam-Chol blocked his shot.

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North Korea were becoming more adventurous in the second half and Jong again went close after connecting with Jon Kwang-Ik’s cross on 62 minutes, but the striker could not get his header on target.

Despite having the lead Iraq were looking anything but dominant in the second period, and some lacklustre defending nearly let Ryang Yong-Gi sneak between the centre backs and poach a goal.

Iraq were holding on for dear life in the final 10 minutes and the Koreans were again unlucky not to find an equaliser when Hong Yong-Jo seized on Basem Abbas’ poor clearance and fired a volley from the edge of the area, with Ahmed Ibrahim’s deflection pushing the shot wide.

Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri has decided to dismiss Sam Allardyce as manager this summer and has two men on his shortlist, according to The Mirror.

What’s the word?

The experienced coach’s appointment at Goodison Park in November was met with mixed reactions from fans and pundits alike.

There was plenty of promise under Ronald Koeman following his summer spending spree in the transfer market, but it was not to be as he was dismissed after the club dropped towards the relegation zone.

Allardyce has managed to keep the Toffees in the Premier League as they currently have 41 points, with 40 usually being the benchmark for safety.

However, the performances have not been the easiest on the eye, despite having creative players, including Theo Walcott.

The Mirror claims that Moshiri is ready to cut ties with Allardyce and replace him with either Shakhtar Donetsk boss Paulo Fonseca or ex-Watford manager Marco Silva.

Does Everton’s chief have tunnel vision?

The Mirror reports that Moshiri was keen on Silva and Fonseca prior to Allardyce’s arrival, but compensation fees put him off.

If the businessman is willing to pay up £6m to cancel ‘Big Sam’s’ contract then he is clearly determined to bring in one of the Portuguese coaches.

Recruiting a younger manager with fresh ideas is a good call from the hierarchy at Everton, but it also presents a risk, particularly if Fonseca is the man to take over.

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The 45-year-old has caught the eye in Ukraine, but he has no experience of English football, while Silva has had stints at Hull City and Watford.

The latter is currently out of work, which would mean that Everton would avoid having to pay any compensation for his signature.

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On Tuesday 5th July 2005, Steven Gerrard handed in a transfer request to leave Anfield for Chelsea Football Club; just weeks after leading his boyhood club to the much-celebrated Champions League victory against AC Milan in Istanbul.

The transfer request came at a time when Chelsea were at the start of something huge. They had just been crowned league champions and Roman Abromovich was an owner with plenty of ambition and stacks of money to go with it as well. The Blues also had one of the most talented managers in the world in Jose Mourinho, who led Portuguese side Porto to Champions League glory the year before.

In light of Gerrard’s recent announcement, is there still a slight part of Gerrard that wonders what might have been? 2005 was as good as it got for Gerrard in terms of winning trophies for Liverpool. Chelsea, on the other hand, have grown from strength to strength since then, becoming one of Europe’s powerhouses. The one title that alludes Steven Gerrard is probably the most important, the Premier League. If he led Liverpool to glory last season, he may have considered that job done. However, when you are a player possessing Gerrard’s ability, the absence of a league title to your name is almost farcical.

Joining Chelsea would have undoubtedly been a risk, but one that could have paid off. A Chelsea team with Steven Gerrard included would have been sublime, and having a player of that ability in the side could have resulted in more trophies arriving at Stamford Bridge over the years. Although the offer to move to West London would have been a hard one to turn down, Gerrard eventually opted for a heart-over-head decision to stay put with Liverpool.

Some may say that it was the wrong decision. However, Gerrard has become one of the greatest Liverpool players of all time and his commitment to the club will never be forgotten.

His association with Liverpool is similar to the impact Alan Shearer had at Newcastle United. Shearer was offered the chance to sign for Manchester United from Blackburn Rovers in 1996 before deciding to join his beloved Newcastle United. He then went on to become the Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer with 260 goals. Shearer will always be remembered for just how good a player he was, not for the amount of trophies he may have lost out on by joining Newcastle.

The same applies to Steven Gerrard, if he is remembered for not winning a Premier League title in 30 years time and not for being one of the finest footballers of his generation, something has seriously gone wrong with the world.

He has enjoyed a glorious career where he has shone at his hometown club, leading them to levels that would have been unachievable in his absence – think of Cardiff in 2006. He became a great England captain and has continued to perform brilliantly on a consistent basis both domestically and internationally.

The only regret that may be in his mind at the moment is the possibility that he is leaving Liverpool football club too early. Realistically, he is still Liverpool’s best player. As he has got older, he adapted his game slightly to suit his tiring legs, yet he is still the club’s top goalscorer this season.

Although Liverpool may feel like it’s the right time to let their captain leave, Frank Lampard has proved at Manchester City that he is still one of the league’s best at what he does. The same applies to Steven Gerrard, there is an overriding sense that he is joining the MLS prematurely and fans of the Premier League are missing out on another couple of seasons of Gerrard at the highest level.

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Overall, Gerrard may look back on what happened in 2005 and wonder if he made the right decision. However, since then he has cemented himself into Anfield folklore and is easily one of the best central midfielders the Premier League, and the world, has ever seen.

He may not have a Premier League title to his name but Gerrard remains one of the greatest talents this country has produced and his achievements in the game will be fondly remembered for a long time to come.

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Chelsea and Arsenal are set to go head-to-head in the race for Marouane Fellaini, according to reports from The Metro.

The Belgian has a reported £22m escape clause in his contract with Everton, which is available to teams competing in European competition.

It’s believed that this was written into his deal when it was extended in 2011, with the player keen to perform on the biggest stage in club football.

Chelsea are said to be highly interested in the 25-year-old and see him as the ideal long-term replacement for Frank Lampard, who is set to leave the club at the end of the season.

Arsenal are also thought to be in the race, after being impressed by Fellaini’s recent performances.

The ex-Standard Liege man has been in fine form this term, with manager David Moyes utilising him in a position just behind the striker.

He has weighed in with nine goals in 18 league games, attracting the attention of many top clubs.

Fellaini arrived at Goodison Park in 2008 from his homeland in a £15m deal.

He has gradually improved season-by-season, but has really evolved during the start of the current campaign.

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Despite his level of ability there are concerns regarding his temperament after he received a three-match ban for head-butting Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross.

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The Chelsea fans in the Transfer Tavern have been reacting to their club’s loan watch on Twitter. Chelsea’s officialÂTwitter account tweeted a link to the Chelsea website, where they detail how all of the players who are currently out on loan are getting on at their temporary clubs. A number of fans have been reacting to the tweet, calling for the club to recall a number of their on-loan stars.

Chelsea have developed a reputation over the years for loaning an obsceneÂnumber of young players and thenÂfailing to promote them to the senior squad upon their return. This season a number of players have left Stamford Bridge on a temporary basis. Players such as Michy Batshuayi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Marco Van Ginkel, Charly Musonda and Kenedy are just a handful of those who have been overlooked by the hierarchy at Chelsea as they look to eventually break into Antonio Conte’s first-team.

Some youth players have even opted to leave Chelsea on a permanentÂbasis to secure first-team opportunities over the last couple of seasons. Dominic Solanke, Nathaniel Chalobah and Nathan Ake all moved on from Stamford Bridge last summer after the Blues failed to give them a chance in the first team. Now the fans have been calling for the London club to give some of the current loan stars a chance upon theirÂreturn as they fear that they could be set to lose more young talent.

You can read our resident Chelsea fans’ verdict here: