The triangles, flicks and six-yard passing look faster and more fluent at Arsenal. Aaron Ramsey is forcing his way into the team because, despite the fact he may infuriate occasionally, the Gunners play better when he is in the team. Alongside the usually nerveless Wilshere and Gibbs, the team looks robust and unintimidated. Ramsey has learned to play at a higher tempo, rushing and smothering in the style of Pedro – maybe the best at pressing in the world – who does it so well at Barcelona.

Mikel Arteta generally takes the deeper role, where Wenger likes him to receive the ball and dictate the tempo. Room will be found for Wilshere next season, but Coquelin will go. Frimpong appears not to have a future – lacking technically, a less capable version of Wanyama. Diaby has a contract until June 2014 and unless there is a sea-change in his fortunes, Wenger will release him at the end of it. The smart money is on a bid for Lyon’s Maxime Gonalons. He is a tall, dynamic defensive midfielder with a superb passing range.

I am a Podolski fan and a Giroud sceptic – something tells me the German won’t be around long. The vain Frenchman has touch, strength, knows the role of a target man, and has a decent left foot. I accept those qualities but see weaknesses that time won’t change.

The exciting story doing the rounds in Spain is that Arsenal have a ‘preliminary agreement’ in place for the under-appreciated Gonzalo Higuaín. Higuaín is leaving Real Madrid this summer and escaping the goldfish bowl of playing for the most glamorous club in the world. In his words: “every little thing you do gets analysed; everything has twice the impact it would somewhere else.” Could Wenger sign the star striker and in doing thus instantly give the team the sharpest of sharp edges? You can’t mention his name in Madrid without hearing Benzema being compared, so perhaps he’ll thrive as the main forward at another big club.

Benzema is a technical forward who lights up quick combinations, whilst Higuaín is the poacher, the more athletic, counter attacker. Mourinho tried to distance himself from the debate – he just wants to win, but others consider Benzema the more artistic, romantic player.

Higuaín’s critics think he is greedy and question his attitude. However, I’ve often felt those Madridistas wanted reasons to not like him – rather than actually having reasons to not like him.

We hear Higuaín could be sold for £22m, Arsenal want him for £18m. If Wenger sanctions the signing of an established world class forward of Higuaín’s finishing calibre, I predict the combination of Arsenal’s slick build-ups and rapid counter-attacks – combined with his fast game – will mean he would become an unprecedented success.

Follow me on Twitter @Detective82

Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin will join German side Schalke this summer, according to reports in France.

The 22-year-old has told Gunners boss Arsene Wenger of his desire to leave the Emirates Stadium due to a lack of first team opportunities.

French U21 international Coquelin, who has previously been on loan at Lorient, was signed by Wenger in 2008 after impressing during a trial.

Wenger remains an admirer of Coquelin’s work-rate and technical ability and would prefer to loan him out for a second time instead of selling him on.

In total, the 08/09 FA Youth Cup winner has made ten appearances for Arsenal this season, most of which have been as a substitute.

Former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has aspirations of managing Arsenal in the future, it has emerged.

The somewhat surprising revelation comes less than a day after Mancini’s sacking from last year’s Premier League champions.

Mancini guided City to their first title for 43 years in 2012 but failed to win any major silverware this year following an FA Cup final defeat against Wigan coupled with a winless Champions League campaign.

According to one of Mancini’s advisors, the Italian has ‘career aspirations’ of managing Arsenal before he retires.

Current Gunners boss Arsene Wenger hasn’t won a trophy for almost eight years and it is unknown whether he’ll extend his contract with the club before it expires next summer.

Would you appoint Mancini as Arsenal manager when the Frenchman’s deal runs out in 2014? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Arsenal are close to finalising preparations for the 2013 Emirates Cup tournament.

The prestigious pre-season competition didn’t take place last year due to the schedule clashing with the Olympic Games, but it is set to make a return this summer.

Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan are just a few of the elite names which have previously graced the two-day tournament.

Several European giants have been approached by Gunners’ officials and it is expected that Turkish champions Galatasaray, Serie A side Napoli and Portuguese team FC Porto will all be involved.

Galatasaray have former Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue in their ranks, while Napoli boast arguably one of Europe’s best strikers in Edison Cavani.

This year’s Emirates Cup will be staged over the weekend of Saturday 3rd August 2013 and Sunday 4th August 2013.

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has refuted reports that Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is set to leave the club this summer.

The Frenchman is said to be at the top of Paris Saint-Germain’s managerial wish list to replace Carlo Ancelotti, with French daily Le Parisien claiming that Wenger will meet with PSG’s owners as early as next week.

Wenger is renowned across the football world for honouring his contracts and his current deal at Emirates Stadium doesn’t expire until the summer of next year.

“I think this [PSG report] is complete nonsense – in fact, I know it is complete nonsense”, Hill-Wood told the Daily Star.

The aim of the app is to make predictions on upcoming Arsenal games and games from
all over the world. Gain bragging rights amongst your mates, see the latest football
stats from more than 100 leagues across the world and compare your knowledge with
football lovers all over the planet with this cutting-edge free app.

A user-friendly interface greets you as you start the SpoW experience, and you can
log in through Facebook.
Compete against your friends by making predictions on upcoming games; every time you
predict you get points for accuracy, with the goal of moving up divisions in your
profile, just like in real football.

From your interface on your Apple device, you will be able to see the history of
your predictions as well as cool stats about them. You start in Division 5, and
depending on your performance you can move up divisions to win cups! But relegation
is a threat too if things do not go your way…

The idea is to follow your favorite leagues, such as the Premier League, with
lightning-fast score updates and play against your friends for the best predictions.
Pick from over 100 leagues of world football, and customize those that you want to
keep track of to stay up to date with all the latest results and ongoing action
across the globe.

You can also check the average prediction of countries and clubs. Interested in the
predictions from England for Arsenal’s crucial next Premier League game? With SpoW
you can check what all the countries and clubs in the world are saying about any
match!

Get push notifications for goals and red cards and check the latest info on the
season such as goals, substitutions, yellow/red cards, penalties scored/missed,
assists, lineups, and much more. All the news and info you could ever need on
Arsenal is available, as the side push towards the top four.

All this information will help you make an informed decision when the next round of
fixtures comes around and you need valuable points to leapfrog your friends and be
promoted to the next division.

When you tap a specific match you are brought to the Match screen, from which you
can check game details, stats, lineups, your friends predictions and comments. Watch
as the latest events unfold and your predictions come true or fail to materialise.

You will also be given a newsfeed that will keep you posted on the latest
developments of your chosen fixtures and keep you updated when one of your friends
makes a new prediction or comment.

The world of football is becoming more analytical and stats-driven, and with the
SpoW football app you have all the important information about the teams and the
divisions you love at your fingertips. Be a true Gunner and play for pride with this
free app; before long you could be top of Division 1 and be the undisputed football
top dog amongst your mates.

You can download SpoW for your iPhone here. For more information about SpoW, visit the SpoW website, like SpoW on Facebook or follow SpoW on Twitter.

Arsenal take on newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester United on Sunday at the Emirates, and Arsene Wenger will know that his side will need to pick up all three points to stave of top four rivals Chelsea and Tottenham.

Despite the visitors sitting top of the table, Arsenal are 5/4 to win against Manchester United with Ladbrokes, in what should be an exciting and end-to-end game.

The Gunners sit a point ahead of Chelsea and two ahead of Spurs before the weekend’s games, but the chasing pair have an extra game to play – ironically against each other. The Emirates side have their Champions League destiny in their own hands, with games against QPR, Wigan and Newcastle to play also.

United have won the last three meetings between the sides, including a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the last encounter at the Emirates back in January 2012. Wenger’s men will want to break this run of defeats, however they will have to be at their best if they are to get a much-needed three points.

The game will have a number of sub-plots that could well decide the result. Former Arsenal attacker Robin van Persie returns to the Emirates for the first time since his summer transfer to Old Trafford, and the hosts will need to monitor their former charge closely; Van Persie has netted 24 times in the Premier League this term.

Gunners fans will hope that their opponents will take their foot off the gas slightly given that they have already wrapped up the league title. Any slackening by United should be punished ruthlessly by the north London hosts, in a game that means a lot to Arsenal but does not have meaning for United at this stage of the campaign.

Since losing the north London derby to Tottenham at White Hart Lane, Arsenal have been in good form and won six out of their last seven games in all competitions. A hard-fought 1-0 win over Fulham in their last outing has the side in poll position in the race for Champions League qualification, but the Gunners must deliver in their final four games.

Olivier Giroud was sent off against Fulham however, and will miss the clash with United due to suspension. Arsene Wenger has a choice to make in terms of who will lead the line, with Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski ready to step into the France international’s shoes.

The clash should be an exciting game, however the most important thing is a positive result. With Chelsea taking on Swansea at home and Spurs away to Wigan, Arsenal need to get points on the board to maintain their current third place standing.

Arsene Wenger remains one of the wealthiest football managers in the United Kingdom, it has been confirmed.

The Arsenal boss is joint second on the Sunday Times Sport Rich List alongside ex-Ipswich chief Roy Keane and has seen his net worth increase to £29m from last year’s £26m.

French tactician Wenger, who has been at the helm of Arsenal since 1996, is highly regarded within the game for changing the club’s playing style and revolutionising training methods.

Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson has kept his place at the top of the list and remains the richest Premier League manager – seeing his fortune rise to £34m from £32m.