ARSENAL READY TO SWOOP FOR JACK COLLISON
Matthew Upson also in Arsene Wenger's sights
ARSENAL are lining up a January transfer window move for West Ham midfielder Jack Collison.
And Arsene Wenger will also consider raiding the Hammers to bring back Matthew Upson.
The Icelandic holding company in charge of West Ham have staved off being forced into liquidation for now but are under increasing pressure to sell the club or cash in on players to pay creditors.
Wales midfielder Collison, 20, has rapidly emerged as one of the club's prized assets and is just the sort of dynamic midfielder Wenger wants to complement skipper Cesc Fabregas.
Arsenal lost out to Juventus in the summer for the signature of Fiorentina's Felipe Melo as they were not prepared to meet the £15million price tag. And despite Collison's inexperience, Hammers would demand a similar fee for the Welshman.
Troubles
That is also the sort of fee they want for England centre-back Upson but as he is 30, the Boleyn board need to be more realistic.
Spurs tried to nab Upson during the summer transfer window but had a £4m offer turned down. Despite their cash troubles, a £10m offer in January would probably be enough to tempt West Ham to sell.
Upson was Wenger's first major signing in 1997 when he joined as an 18-year-old from Luton. Wenger now wants him back to shore up his defence.
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This article has 24 comments
i doubt Collison will even want to leave West Ham in the first place. he and Noble are important to the midfield and at least play with pride and passion not like some of the flops we've had in the past. besides Arsenal have Fabregas, Denilson, Ramsey, Merida (in the future), etc. what more can they ask for?
By JCM.. Posted November 17 2009 at 7:20 PM.
instead of upson30 why not try to lure per mertesacker or chielleni
By samy.. Posted October 4 2009 at 12:31 PM.
toulalan or gourcuff would be a great signing song doesnt really get back to help the defence but toulalan does it sometimes you may even see him in the defence
By sammy .. Posted October 4 2009 at 12:36 PM.
Hammers need not fear this ridiculous rumour.
As it stands Denilson, Ramsey, Merida and Wilshire are battling it out with Song,Diaby, Walcott & Vela for a place in the Arsenal midfield that will always have Fabregas, Arshavin, Rosicky & Nasri as first team certainties.
On top of that Wenger has a handful of midfielders on loan or in the reserves who will develop nicely over the next year or two.
By Duckster.. Posted October 4 2009 at 1:45 AM.
I'm an arsenal fan 100%. No matter what happens I will remain one, but the truth must be told that Wenger sense of judgement of his players in the last 4 years has been wrong. Viera, cole, Flamini, Henry, Diara, Pires,Toure etc. He labours so hard only to disorganise his team at the end. That is why Arsenal has remain trophyless in the last few years. He sold those players without finding replacement for them. For God's sake why did he sell Henry for only 16m pounds when Barcelona was ready to buy the player for 50m pounds in 2006. If he must sell players he must be ready to find a player of the same or better quality. I think something is wrong somewhere or how could u explain his selling of players that are 30 and above and only recently bought silvestre and now wants to by upson that is 30. In my opinion,the coach doesn't know what he is doing. Arsenal will be lucky to be in the first six this year.
By Dele Akande, Ibadan, Nigeria.. Posted September 24 2009 at 1:32 PM.
look wenger wont spend £10m on a 30 year old upson, how long has he left to play top flight football. i agree we need to strengthen the backline but not with the likes of upson, so much a geriatric.
By kofi.. Posted September 22 2009 at 4:41 PM.
Why would Collison go to Arsenal and leave a team he actually plays for and as for Upson we can't lose him he is the rock of our defence
By Ross Dawson.. Posted September 22 2009 at 12:56 PM.
Arsen should buy minimum 2 defence players like Vermaalen,otherwise being among big 4 under a huge risk. If no trophies Cesc will leave Arsenal.
By kairat.. Posted September 21 2009 at 6:13 AM.
remidy to arsenals lack of trophy since 2005 is 2 replace viera,ashly,pires,flemin and thiery with serious and ambitious contenders,remember the unbeaten team and how long did it take them 2 leave?please arsenal protect ua top guns...tru fan from kenya.
By salano.. Posted September 21 2009 at 6:08 AM.
Einstein definition for insanity:" Is to continue doing the same thing whilst expecting a different result". Thats what Wenger has been doing for Gunners for the last 5-6 years. Arsenal definitely need a change to resurrect its fast declining status.
By Brown.. Posted September 21 2009 at 5:13 AM.
Had a good laugh when I read this. Why would Wenger buy Collison when he already has Cesc, Arshavin, Denilson, Ramsay, Wilshere, Diaby, Nasri, Eboue, Rosicky and Walcott in midfield?
By Chris.. Posted September 21 2009 at 4:58 AM.
with a world cup around the corner and upson firmly in the mix, i very much doubt upson would move before the summer and risk becomming a bench warmer somewhere else, i reckon he will move on after the world cup in next summers transfer window. as for collison, hes 20, his dad has just been killed in a road accident i doubt if january would be a time he would up root himself, nor the club sell him.
By rob baker.. Posted September 20 2009 at 4:40 PM.
The club needs men like upson to help the already
exsiting midfielders and tohave some replacement
in case of any injury .Otherwise the club should
buy players to contend for trophies in europe
By joshua k uganda.. Posted September 20 2009 at 3:48 PM.
Dream on gooners. Collison is a real prospect. You have to ask yourself what financial sense it would make to cash in on him before he really becomes something even if West Ham were still a selling club. It won't happen and wouldn't make any sense to anyone. This is just more head turning tactics by those pathetic rumour merchants hoping to cause some in house turmoil at a club that will emerge as a better club than Arsenal over the next decade. Arsenal are on the slide and there's not much you can do to stop it. Nice try gooners. Bless.
By marleeen depreciation society.. Posted September 20 2009 at 2:33 PM.
Just what we need, hope it happens. Upson's injury record is a shocker, but on the other hand, we need a couple of rock-hard British players.
Especially with the new Brit player quotas coming in.
By Rob2102.. Posted September 20 2009 at 2:37 PM.
Arsenal must buy Quality players. They play great football but they need one quality striker and two quality defenders
By Sechaba-from-SOUTHAFRICA.. Posted September 20 2009 at 1:22 PM.
Bearing in mind Arsenal's lack of trophy success recently I would have thought that West Ham players under Zola might consider themselves better off where they are. West Ham are looking a decent team this year and have a good chance of European qualification themselves.
By Graham.. Posted September 20 2009 at 10:53 AM.
Arsenal have a tremendous midfield attacking wise but they have no real Defensive Midfielders. Song does not track back enough and Denilson goes forward too much for a DM. I thing Collison has what it takes
BTW how can you say Wenger has no money...?
He made 40m from Toure and Adebaywhore
Chamakh looks like he's on his way to Arsenal as well
Sorry Hammers :(
By Koloskee.. Posted September 20 2009 at 10:25 AM.
Don't worry Happy Hammers Wenger has got no money to spend
By harry rendap.. Posted September 20 2009 at 9:42 AM.
Wenger can have upson if it gives West Ham some free cash , but hands off Collison thats the clubs future, we cant become a selling club again.
It was disapointing Collins went to Villa, I would have rather lost Upson then
By paul west ham.. Posted September 20 2009 at 9:18 AM.
Arsenal have a perfectly fine midfield.
By Tom14.. Posted September 20 2009 at 8:58 AM.
Arsene needs to sort out his midfield!
Great result last night...but i believe if we are to maintain top flight status, Diaby,Song and Eboue are not first team choice.... Good players but not top players.
By Graham.. Posted September 20 2009 at 8:21 AM.
I doubt this is any true. Wenger would look to bring in a hard tackling DM in the jan windows, due to the departure of Song to the Afc
By VanDaManPersie.. Posted September 20 2009 at 2:09 AM.
How many times have we heard that this summer .. Upson back to Arsenal... Wenger is too tight with this wad ...
and will Jack Collison fight out with Merida, Ramsey, Song, Denilson for a place in that first team ?
That said I still think he will dip into the Jan window
By PET.. Posted September 19 2009 at 11:42 PM.