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Mid-Day Ticker: Arsenal agree Gervinho fee, Chelsea still after Modric, & more

Gervinho - Getty

By CALEB SONNELAND

Things seem to be looking up for Arsenal fans.

With the club poised to snatch up Ivory Coast winger/striker Gervinho from Ligue 1's Lille in the following few days, Gunners fans finally have something to smile about.

The attacker notched a solid 15 goals in Lille's championship-winning season last year but has long been linked away from the club, and Arsenal has been consistently showing interest in the player.

According to the London club, Gervinho's move is set to be completed after "a regulatory process".  The news was announced on the same day that Gunners boss Arsene Wenger stated his belief that captain Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri would stay at the club after the summer.

Here are some other stories to keep your Monday rolling along:

BLUES POISES TO LODGE IMPROVED MODRIC BID

Chelsea is looking to begin its summer spending with the capture of Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric with a reported upcoming £22 million bid for the playmaker.

Modric has made his desire to leave the club public in past weeks, even stating that club chairman Daniel Levy told him that he would not be leaving the club for any amount and for any club.  Modric claims that Levy had previously made a gentleman's agreement to let the player leave for a "bigger club" if one came along.

However, if he is to be swayed, Levy is said to be looking for a bid in the region of £30 million, but his resolve may be tested with the continued public statements of discontent from Modric and an apparent bid coming from Chelsea.

Modric has made 91 appearances for Spurs, scoring nine goals since his £16.6 million move from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008.

SNEIJDER NOT LOOKING FOR SUMMER MOVE

Dutch star Wesley Sneijder has come out today and stated his desire to remain at the club in the future and will only move if the club decide to sell him.

Sneijder is said to be on the radar of Manchester United and the new big spenders Malaga of La Liga, but both sides may now have to look elsewhere. 

The midfielder claimed his family is settled in Milan and stressed his love for the team and the city, and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini stated that he is looking to hold onto the key Dutchman as well.  

Sneijder was hit by injuries with Inter last season and netted four goals in 20 appearances for the Serie A giants.

WOODGATE SEALS SWITCH TO STOKE

In a career riddled with injuries, defender Jonathon Woodgate is hoping to reignite his career at EPL side Stoke City after he completed his transfer to the club.

The 31-year-old was snapped up on a free transfer on a pay-as-you-play deal in an effort to find his fitness once more.  

Limited by a groin problem in his last two campaigns with Tottenham, Woodgate managed only four first team appearances for Spurs.

He is Stoke's first signing of the summer, and the club is "delighted" with the acquisition of the former England International.

QUICK KICKS

Gokhan Inler leaves Udinese for Napoli — Sanchez and Zapata exits next? 

Valencia club president sales Juan Mata is "not for sale".

Michael Essien could face six months on the sideline after knee injury.

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How do you rate Gervinho?  Does Sneijder's desire to stay in Italy mean Manchester United pursue Samir Nasri?  Will Modric make the move to Chelsea?

Share your thoughts below

Comments

  1. Gervinho is a great player, but every time I see him all I can think is, “Dude, please just shave your head!” Dreads with a massive receding hair line makes him look like a clown.
    Spurs should sell Modric, buy Scott Parker, and have some cash left over to get a class striker.

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  2. They’re three starters and three quality bench players away from any certainty at being higher than 5th.

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  3. But, with respect to VdV, at the time, they WERE in the CL. So there was no issue of having to slog through another Premiership campaign in hopes of playing high profile European fixtures next year.

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  4. I agree. Spurs have the talent to stay around 5th or 6th without him, but you need someone of his caliber in midfield if you want to make the Champions League. And how on earth would they replace him? Modric must understand that 22 million pounds is not a reasonable fee for a 25 year old who was arguably the best midfielder in the Premiership last season. Levy should set the price in the mid 30s and not take a penny less. Otherwise he has no chance of making acquisitions that could come close to filling Modric’s void. And if he doesn’t get a bid that high, then explain to Modric that he’s staying because Chelsea didn’t want him that badly.

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  5. Arsenal still need a goalkeeper, a star left back, and an upgrade in defensive midfielder if they want to be competitive for the EPL and CL. Otherwise, they’re fighting for 4th place. Gervinho is nice, but unless we lose Nasri or move him inside (because we lose Fabregas), he’s gravy.

    People don’t realize that Barcelona are not all that deep a squad, not relative to their peers. If they want to imitate Barca’s success, though, they need 11 stars plus a handful of role players. Walcott, Van Persie, and Nasri are a fine top 3 (and yes, someone needs to replace Arshavin anyway), but if Arsenal are to actually improve, they need to be competitive on midfield. Fabregas is fine quality there if he stays (though I doubt they’ll be able to keep both him and Nasri), and Wilshire is promising. But Song/Diaby, while decent, are not simply up to the holding midfield role against the best teams in the world (maybe Frimpong will be the answer? Big gamble). And we simply do not have a left back or a goalkeeper right now who should be playing for a top team. Fabianski? Traore, Gibbs? Oh, great.

    Wenger’s failure to focus on the defensive side of the ball is now getting to be an unforgivable flaw, and his recent pronouncements regarding his reluctance to enter the market on that side of it ruins any enjoyment regarding Gervinho.

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  6. the end of this seems somewhat obvious – he leaves. I understand that spurs want to get as much money as possible, but let’s hope they can get the money with time to use it in the transfer window.

    In response to the argument that they can’t attract players like modric – in fact they can attract players like modric, the proof being they attracted modric (he wasn’t a home grown talent). Also, they signed Van der Vaart last season, and at the time there was little thought they would do so well in the CL.

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  7. Or sign a similar butt-kicking, two-way, Keane-esque midfielder. The Gunners badly need height and a backbone – Wenger seems to have forgotten Arsenal had its best seasons when Vieira manned the middle.

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  8. personally, I still think they are still 5th place material with

    Crouch – Defoe
    —-VdV—–
    Bale——Lennon
    —-Hudd—–
    Ess-Daw-Gallas-Corluka
    —-Friedel—–

    Modric doesnt push them over the hump to get them into 1st-4th contention

    A bit of good fortune gets them into CL…limit injuries, win the games you should

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  9. I agree that a solid EPL or La Liga signing would be nice, but I completely disagree with your assertion that many signings from the Euro leagues have “not had much team impact for Arsenal”

    There have been a few flops along the way (and the jury is still out on the likes of Koscielny and Chamakh), but looking at the current side, Van Persie, Vermaelen, Song, Nasri and Sagna are 5 of the most important players in the team and each came from the Eredivisie or Ligue 1.

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  10. I’m an arsenal fan and I’m ecstatic over the signing. Have you seen this guy play? He’s comparable to Theo (not as much pace, but then again not too many have his pace) but more crafty, physical and a better finisher. He play play as a winger or up top. He’s one piece of the puzzle. They need some steel in the middle of the pitch and in the center of defense.

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  11. What would make me happy as an Arsenal fan are a few signings of solid EPL or La Liga players. Many have come from Euro leagues and have not had much team impact for Arsenal.

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  12. I’m assuming he means because of the distraction of having him stay when he clearly wants to leave. Still doesn’t make sense, because they are not going to replace him with someone of equal or better skill. All the players at his talent level will not want to come to Tottenham. They need to have Modric stay if they want any chance of making the CL again…

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  13. how does letting go of the creative lynchpin in your midfield help you make a push for the Champions League?

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  14. Modric obviously does not want to stay at White Hart Lane. Tottenham need to let him go if they want to make another push for Champions League.

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  15. Anymore news on that supposed 1st african DP signing Ives? It was supposed to be announced today or tomarrow…

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