It’s clear that many of the Gunners squad are still carrying the mental scars incurred last season, when they let a sizeable lead at the top of the Premier League slip during the months of February and March, to leave the club potless by the end of the campaign. Arsenal players such as William Gallas, Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie will attempt to help their countries win Euro 2008 to try and compensate, with the latter especially frustrated by the previous domestic campaign.

The Daily Mirror reports that the striker is keen for the Dutch to continue their good form after thrashing Italy 3-0, rather than have a few dazzling displays and then nothing to show for it, a la Arsenal last season.

“We played some great football and it reminded me of the football we play at Arsenal because we have an amazing counter-attack at the Emirates as well,” said the 24-year-old frontman.

“But at Arsenal this season it was so frustrating. We deserved to win at least something for the football we played, but we lost a little bit of momentum at one stage – away at Birmingham, for instance, when we lost two points.

“Those weeks in February and March were quite tough and that was when we lost it. It was a small period but it’s a thin line between winning or losing.

“For me, I can put that right a little bit by winning with my country. This is the chance for me to end the season on a big high, because I’m desperate to win something, to play in a final and win it. We want to show you can win a big title like this playing great football.”

Sadly, there are going to be some disappointed players this summer, with Germany, Spain, Holland and Portugal all laying claims to the Euro 2008 crown after decent opening game performances. Perhaps at least one or two Arsenal players can experience success, rather than being the bridesmaid.

Some might argue that Theo Walcott hasn’t made a great deal of progress since leaving Southampton for Arsenal, although there are countless examples of Arsene Wenger signing a player and helping them progress into a world-class talent. Take Cesc Fabregas for example, or Kolo Toure. Maybe Thierry Henry instead, or Emmanuel Adebayor. Will Aaron Ramsey be a star of the future, or even next season, after agreeing terms with the Gunners according to the BBC?

Aaron Ramsey has joined Arsenal from FA Cup finalists Cardiff City in a £5m deal, BBC Sport understands.

Champions League winners Manchester United and Premier League giants Everton were also fighting to sign the 17-year-old Welsh wonderkid.

But Ramsey has chosen Arsenal after the Gunners flew him out to Switzerland for face-to-face talks with boss Arsene Wenger, who is at Euro 2008.

Cardiff confirmed that Arsenal was the “best cash offer” for the young star.

Once the midfielder was on that plane, Arsenal moved firmly into the driving seat to sign him, although it remains to be seen as to whether he plays much of a role next season or instead farmed out on loan to glean some Premier League first-team experience.

Perhaps a little unwisely, Alex McLeish claims that the broken leg suffered by Eduardo in February had a negative effect on Birmingham City, and was part of the reason why they were relegated from the Premier League – as well as not being very good.

The Express and Star report that Big Eck acknowledges that the horrific injury to the Croatian put a severe dent in the Gunners’ season, although cites the incident as a turning point for Martin Taylor and the rest of the Blues team. Quite whether anyone will have a degree of sympathy for this club is open to question, especially given the emotionally-charged accusations that followed immediately after the challenge.

He said: “It was a factor here at Birmingham City, absolutely. Martin Taylor had played very solidly for a few games in the Premier League.

“He was affected as much as Arsenal FC were and we were affected by losing him.

“When he came back I didn’t think Taylor was quite himself. He played against Wigan and it wasn’t the Martin who had been playing before the Eduardo incident.

“Our other centre-half, Liam Ridgewell, must have played with five different partners last season. The one thing you see with the good teams, like Manchester United, is that their back four is pretty much the same.”

Most Arsenal fans were delighted to see the back of Birmingham City last season and won’t be wishing them a speedy recovery from relegation to the Championship. Especially as Eduardo was denied this and played no further part in the Gunners’ season, nor Euro 2008 for Croatia.

Anything that Cristiano Ronaldo can do, so can Emmanuel Adebayor, according to his biggest fan – himself! Never mind the speculation surounding the Togolese striker’s potential move to Milan, the Gunners number 25 insists that he’s stayng put at The Emirates and plans to make it a season to remember next term.

Setanta report that Arsenal is the only place for Adey right now, despite being offered a more lucrative wage elsewhere.

“I scored 30 goals last season and I can get 40 next time,” he told the Daily Star. “I am happy and I love scoring.

“We want to do well after last time. We will do everything to win things next season. In our heads we want to win.”

Adebayor’s slump in front of goal last season saw the Gunners go on a five-match winless run, which effectively brought their title challenge to an end. However, in fairness, he’d be heaped with a whole pile of goalscoring responsibility throughout the season, especially with injuries to Van Persie and Eduardo.

According to Goal.com, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are doing what they do quite often: competing. This time, however, they are competing in the boardroom, as opposed to the pitch.

“Arsenal and North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are being linked with a possible move for highly-rated young Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. Wolves goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey is reported by several media sources be a target for both Arsenal and Spurs after demonstrating during the 2007-08 season for both club and country that he is a top prospect. Some reports suggest Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is mulling over an £8 million bid, though others put Hennessey’s price at closer to £5million.”

While I would be shocked if Spurs or Arsenal would pull the trigger for £8 mil, I would not be shocked to see either team keep tabs on the Welsh international. He did have a great year for Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers. He kept 21 clean sheets last season and was voted in as the keeper for the Professional Footballers’ Association Team of the Year (Championship).

This move seems to make more sense for Spurs, as they are in much more need of a goalkeeper. Boss Juande Ramos has made it painfully clear that he has zero faith in Paul Robinson. With Radek Cerny moving on to QPR, Spurs could definitely use the services of young Hennessey. Though his value has fluctuated in the papers, Spurs’ top choice Joe Hart could cost the club between £8 and £10 million. If that turns out to be the actual figure, Hennessey would be cheaper, but far less proven than City’s Hart.

For Arsenal, it casts doubt about how strong Wenger’s faith is in his current goalkeeper Manuel Almunia. With long-time Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann moving on to the Bundesliga, Almunia’s lone backup will be promising young keeper Lukasz Fabianski. I doubt Wenger would buy another expensive keeper, unless he does not see either Almunia or Fabianski as long-term contributors. Though I may be more sold on Fabianski than some, I doubt he is willing to give up on him already. If they were to sign Hennessey, I don’t see Almunia being at the Emirates for the long-term.

Though this might just be paper talk, I see Spurs pursuing him much more seriously than the Gunners, because they have a much more pressing need at keeper. That being said, I still think he is only strongly considered if Spurs lose out on, or are priced out of, the Joe Hart/ Allan McGregor sweepstakes.

It’s clear that the Gunners got shot of Fredrik Ljungberg at exactly the right time. Injuries were beginning to take their toll on the Swede and, despite Arsenal offering him a one-year-deal last summer, the winger instead moved to West Ham on a lucrative contract and immediately got friendly with the physio team at Upton Park. Despite all this, the Daily Mail report that Ljungberg is still chomping his way through sour grapes by claiming that Arsene Wenger forced him to play while injured among other things.

He said: “It’s all about my injuries. Wenger simply doesn’t like those who show a weakness. With him, you generally feel as if you were in the army – it’s only in public that he may appear to be some sort of man of liberal views. In reality, his belief is natural selection. The truth is I picked up a knock doing my job and following Wenger’s instructions. I always played like this and, at some point, ran out of luck.

“So while I was being treated for the injury, they went out and found a different player for my position.

“After I recovered, I was given a chance in the typical Wenger way: I was expected to run and intercept and score just the same as before. He just didn’t give me enough time to do it properly. I had no time.”

“And also I still feel a bit offended about Arsenal. They showed the door to too many people. Why did they let Thierry Henry go? When I found out about his move, I realised that the Arsenal I used to play for was finished.

“So I went to West Ham in order to play against Arsenal as often as possible. I wanted to prove that Freddie Ljungberg hadn’t had his last word as a player. And at West Ham, no one gives you a puzzled look if you get called up for your national team and players are never asked to play on injections.

“I would like to stay there – if they offer of course.”

I’m sure West Ham fans will be delighted to hear that Ljungberg’s primary motivation for signing at Upton Park was the opportunity to play against Arsenal last season! It’s a shame that the player has to continue bad mouthing his former club in such a way, especially as he must have so many happy memories of turning out for the Gunners.

It appeared to be a done deal. Many newspapers were last week reporting that Samir Nasri was practically an Arsenal player, thus bolstering the Gunners squad after the departure of Mathieu Flamini. However, the Daily Telegraph report that Arsene Wenger is not so confident anymore, and has conceded that he will have to wait until after Euro 2008 to try and sign the Frenchman.

“Nasri, he interests me,” Wenger said. “I hope I will do it after the Euros. It is more complicated now because the wage differences [between the French and the English league] are not as big as they used to be. Just look at Karim Benzema. He is 20 and recently signed a new deal with Lyon.

“England is considered one of the two top leagues and the best players want to play against the best players.”

It’s surely a dangerous game to wait until the end of the month, especially if Nasri plays a starring role for Les Bleus over the coming weeks. It appears that Arsenal are still in pole position to sign the playmaker, although the issue of the club’s wages is rearing its ugly head once again. Will other clubs come in for the player and offer a higher salary than the one currently on the table?

Just like it’s strange to think of Manchester United without Sir Alex Ferguson, it’s also weird considering another manager taking charge of Arsenal. However, the Gunners might have to start preparing for life without Arsene Wenger according to The Independent, who report that the Frenchman has been advising strategy for Paris St Germain, possibly with a view to taking over as coach in 2011.

The speculation has been starting to build up since Charles Villeneuve became president of the French club last week, somebody who has close ties with Wenger. Although he states that the Arsenal manager has unfinished business at the Emirates, could it really be the case that he might leave in a couple of seasons?

Villeneuve, who recently retired as head of sport for the television station TF1, admitted that he had spoken to Wenger before accepting the post. “When they offered me the job, I consulted Arsène and he said, ‘Charles, are you ready to suffer?’ I decided to accept the challenge.”

Villeneuve dismissed the notion that he is keeping the seat warm for Wenger, pointing out that he is contracted to Arsenal and is as determined as ever to win the Champions League.

“Arsène has won almost everything but he wants to get the cherry to put on the cake,” he said. “I think he will need two or three years to do that.” He then confirmed that he himself only envisages staying at PSG for three years.

Arsenal fans, presumably you want to keep Wenger at the club for life?!

Cesc Fabregas was 17-years-old when he broke into the Arsenal first team and it’s possible that Aaron Ramsey will follow in his footsteps at the Emirates. However, the Gunners will have to up their bid for the Cardiff City midfielder after being told by the FA Cup finalists that they value their starlet at a much higher price than the £5 million on the table.

The Daily Telegraph report that Liverpool have also made a similar offer to try and secure Ramsey’s services, although it’s possible that the player will remain at Ninian Park for at least one more season before warming the bench of a Big Four club (plenty of time to do that as Theo Walcott can testify).

Liverpool and Arsenal, planning to build on their recent summer transfers, have both seen offers for 17-year old midfielder Aaron Ramsey rejected by Cardiff City.

Both offers, said to be close to £5m, were deemed unsuitable by the FA Cup finalists as a large part of the deals were based on provisions dependant on the teenager’s development. Cardiff are looking for a more sizeable cash settlement up front before they release their prize asset.

This rebuff clearly won’t stop Premier League clubs sniffing around the player, in an attempt to snare him before his valuation goes through the roof. However, with the Bluebirds gunning for promotion from the Championship next season, the princely sum of £10million could be enough to acquire the player and give City the chance to sign a handful of new players in the process.

Despite Robin Van Persie urging Arsenal to change their wage structure so that the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor would stay at the club, it appears that the pair are now going to stick around without doing anything so drastic. The Sun report that, despite Milan showing a great deal of interest in the Togolese striker, Adey is going to stay at the Emirates and ‘fire them to glory’ (whatever that means).

30-goal Adebayor said: “I came to Arsenal with a mission to succeed.

“I’ve assured the gaffer Arsene Wenger I’ll stay because I believe in the team and I want to assure the fans my concentration is here.

“I have no reason to leave so I’ll stay to ensure that together we’ll win silverware.

“Mathieu’s a good player but his departure doesn’t mean Arsenal is about to collapse. Our team is a deep well of talent.

“I am confident we are capable of winning titles and we will return for next season hungrier to be successful.”

So, it appears that just Flamini and Hleb will be leaving the Gunners this summer, so much for the mass exodus! With new signings imminent, particularly that of Samir Nasri, could it be that Arsenal’s squad will be even stronger than last season? Especially with the likes of Adebayor, Fabregas, Van Persie and Clichy likely to continue improving as players.

Who needs Flamini when you’ve got Samir Nasri! Gooners will be delighted to read (in the Daily Telegraph amongst other publications) that Arsenal have landed their man from Marseille for £12.5 million as they start building for next season. It’s clear that Monsieur Wenger has been busy in the transfer market recently and it will especially please him to see that the midfielder has been selected in the French squad ahead of the Flamster. In your face Mathieu!

It seems Nasri, labelled the new Zidane in some quarters, is pretty pretty versatile with regard to where he can play. The midfielder can play centrally and on the left, so it’s not strictly the case that he’s a a like-for-like replacement as far as Alex Hleb is concerned. It will come as a relief to Arsenal fans to see a quality import such as this one, and set their mind at ease that the Gunners squad for next season can be stronger than ever.

Looks like the latest player to knock on shell-shocked Arsene Wenger’s door asking for a ‘little chat’ is Cesc Fabregas, the jewel in Arsenal’s crown. The Telegraph reports that the Spaniard, armed with new agent Darren Dein (no prizes for guessing whose son he is) is ready to discuss the contract extension that Arsenal are so desperate for him to sign. Unfortunately for the Gunners, Dein Jr is the man who negotiated Thierry Henry’s lucrative final contract, earning the Frenchman the equivalent of £200,000 (doubters and pedants click here) a week. And to make matters worse, Papa Dein is not only on bad terms with the Arsenal board but the cosy bedfellow of Russian fat cat Alisher Usmanov…

Arsene Wenger has described Carlos Vela as a similar player to Eduardo, and Arsenal fans can look forward to seeing the Mexican striker in action next season. Le Boss has confirmed that the 19-year-old will be involved in the first team next season, after the club landed a work permit for the player yesterday. The Daily Telegraph report that Vela has been at the club for eighteen months, although spent last season on loan at Osasuna.

“Vela will be involved with the first team next season. He has played the whole season at Osasuna on the left wing but, for me, he’s a central striker, an Eduardo type. He’s a great young player.”

Who are we to doubt the man who has a proven track record of moulding rough diamonds into polished gems? The same article reports that the Gunners are on the brink of signing Marseille midfielder Sami Nasri, while Lyon’s Hatem Ben Arfa continues to be another Arsenal target. Surely fans of the club must be heartened by this kind of news, despite Flamini leaving and Hleb’s agent continuing to flirt shamelessly with the big clubs on the continent.

Many people were surprised when Lassana Diarra’s frustration got the better of him in January, causing the midfielder to leave Arsenal and sign for Portsmouth where he was almost certainly guaranteed first-team football. Despite the best efforts of Harry Redknapp to massage the Frenchman’s ego at every available turn, it appears as though the player will be moving on again in the summer, although Arsene Wenger claims he only left the Emirates in a fit of panic and might have been a touch hasty to do so. Sporting Life reveals all:

“I came to the conclusion that Diarra could not cope with the fact that he was behind the other players here in midfield,” said the Gunners boss.

“I thought the best option was to let him go because I already had Denilson, [Abou] Diaby and Gilberto all trying to get into the team as well. It was a congestion.

“I bought Diarra in the summer because I thought Flamini might leave at the end of the season and if he was able to be patient, he would get his chance.

“It turned out he wasn’t capable of that. With Euro 2008 in mind, he panicked.

“I did explain when he joined that he might have to be patient, and he acknowledged it, but he couldn’t cope with the situation, and also did not want to go on loan anywhere either.”

Therefore, all those people who said Wenger made a mistake by not keeping hold of Diarra can now realise that the Arsenal manager was pretty much powerless when it came to keeping the diminutive midfielder. It’s interesting that Le Boss expected Flamini to shove off in the summer – do you think he’s regretting the release of Diarra considering his performances for Pompey in 2008?

Arsene Wenger has come under fire for not signing enough established talent in recent years and personally I find such talk laughable, especially when you consider just what his side achieved last season, finishing just short of the title (when most people began the season thinking the Gunners wouldn’t even challenge for the Premier League). Now the French master is lining up two more youngsters to his fantastic squad.

Meanwhile, Arsenal want to add £6m rated Frenchmen Clement Chantome, from PSG, and Laval’s Francis Coquelin to their ranks. (Various)

A statement from Laval states: “We are hearing here and there different destinations for different transfer fees. The truth of the moment it that Francis Coquelin is free.” (Setanta)

20-year-old Chantome is a midfielder in a Flamini vein, has already become a fixture in Paul Le Guen’s PSG team and is on the verge of a full international call up. 17-year-old Coquelin, another midfielder, looks very near to joining the Emirates ranks. What do Arsenal fans think about this potential pair of new signings?