Szczesny believes Arsenal are getting better with or without van Persie

RVP (L) Szczesny (R)

Joining Szczesny at Arsenal already this summer are strikers Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, while the Mail claims Arsene Wenger still hopes to sign Malaga’s Spanish international winger Santi Cazorla and Turkey playmaker Nuri Sahin, currently with Real Madrid.

Szczesny admitted he would be sad to see van Persie leave the Emirates Stadium but insisted that after the uncertainty last summer surrounded Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, the current state of the club was much improved.

He added: “At the beginning for pre-season last year everyone was saying it was doom and gloom. No-one’s left the club at the moment. We have new signings, we’re stronger defensively and so we’re in a better position.”

Szczesny - who has been given the Arsenal No.1 shirt following the departure of Manuel Almunia - also insisted the Gunners’ defence would be stronger in the coming season, praising the work done by new assistant manager Steve Bould on plugging the leaks of last term.

Malaga asking more for Cazorla

The former Real Madrid coach believes the Spanish midfielder is worth more than €20m, after waving off Arsenal’s previous bid. The Chilean coach has stated that selling the midfielder for less that his asking price is like ‘giving him away’. Cazorla, the former Villarreal player, has not been receiving his wages on time and Malaga are struggling to pay all their players the promised wage. Pellegrini managed to lure Cazorla from Villarreal who were relegated at the end of last season. However, since Malaga have been failing to pay their players the wages which they have promised, and since they have not paid the full price of Cazorla to Villarreal, they might be banned from taking part in the qualification stages of the UEFA Champions League. Malaga would really want to keep Santi Cazorla as he is a fantastic player to have in the team; however, if they fail to pay his wages, it won’t be long till they lose him.

WONDERS:Lagos Pastor Prophesies Another Plane Crash

He predicted the recent Dana plane crash, which claimed the lives of over a hundred and fifty Nigerians.

Famous man of God and preacher, Prophet (Dr) David Babalola, General Overseer of His Presence Redemption Ministries International, Ikeja, Lagos has said that a young president would emerge from Edo State to offer a lasting panacea to this the troubled entity called Nigerian. He however warned about another yet-to-come tragedy. The cleric at a recent media chat said that the danger is not yet over for the aviation industry as another disaster would take place in no distant time. Babalola cautioned. He further forecasted that two airlines, one of which is owned by an indigene of Delta State, would have their licenses withdrawn as an aftermath of the coming disaster. Nevertheless, There was a ray of hope concerning his foresight about the state of the nation particularly with regard to the spate of incessant killings by terrorists in the northern part of the country. Below is a catalogue of his prophecies, some of which according to him were revealed to him as far back as January 7, 2012.

1. Another air crash is imminent on or before December 2012.

2. Death of one of the state governors in the country.

3. Demise of a serving Minister in the country.

4. A man called Mr. Douglas, working with Mr. President should pray because God wants to heal him for a purpose. He needs to avoid some things to guarantee his total restoration.

5. A serious flood at Lekki, Parkview and Oniru areas will claim many lives.

6. There should be prayers for Queen Elizabeth against untimely death. The UK should expect two Kings in quick succession

7. Ministers of God, a prominent general overseer and a woman of God, will pass on this year. Not for evil but for good; as their assignments on earth has been concluded. One is from the east; the other is from the west.

8. President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson of Liberia should pray against sickness. She will be terribly sick.

9. A young president by revolution is coming from Edo State to bring peace forever to our nation, Nigeria.

10. The Lord told me, the only airline that is safe to fly is Air Nigeria.

11. We should pray for a former Senate president for sound health.

12. The Lord revealed to me that Central Bank Governor, Lamido Sanusi and Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State are planning to become leaders of this country as President and Vice President.

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Chelsea set to miss out on Spanish wonderkid Torres despite 'dizzying' offer

Not content with Fernando Torres - Chelsea are raiding the striker’s former club for Spanish wonderkid Oliver Torres. The European champions have reportedly made a ‘dizzying offer’ for the 17-year-old Atletico Madrid midfielder, Despite also being scouted by Manchester United last season, Atletico are confident that their most promising prospect will stay put. They are ready to match the wages on offer from Chelsea to improve his contract through to 2017 and have talked of his graduation to the first team this season.

Torres has been quickly promoted in the Spain youth set-up and, despite being two years younger than some of his team-mates, was a key part of the Under-19 European Championship winning side in Estonia this month. Chelsea have put an emphasis on signing some of the world’s best young talent in recent times, but, according to Marca, could miss out on Torres

Mancini frustated over van Persie delay

Mancini is keen to improve his squad and build on last season’s breakthrough title triumph and he has targeted Van Persie, who wants to leave Arsenal, as the player to make the difference. The manager wanted to see quick and decisive action from City’s transfer market dealers, led by Marwood, but he has been irritated by their more painstaking approach. Manchester United and Juventus are also jostling for Van Persie’s signature. Mancini spoke out before City’s friendly against Arsenal in Beijing today and, although he did not name Marwood, it did not take a detective to pick up on the club’s internal tensions. “For this question, speak to the man in charge,” Mancini said, when asked about Van Persie. “I am not in charge of this. It is important [to get players quickly] because, after what we did last year, we must continue to win. This year will be harder than last, so we need to improve our team. We have a man who works for this and we hope that they can do a good job.” The climate at City is different this summer. In recent transfer windows the club have paid huge sums to acquire their targets, sometimes paying over the odds and using their financial clout to catch up with the elite in a hurry. But there has been a change of tempo – and not only because there is an acute awareness of the incoming Financial Fair Play legislation. City are aware that they have to move on some of their unwanted strikers, including Emmanuel Adebayor, Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz and, possibly, Edin Dzeko or Carlos Tevez. Given the players’ massive salaries, that is proving difficult and time-consuming. Adebayor has been close to a permanent move to Tottenham Hotspur for some time, the fee of €7 million having been agreed between the clubs, but his personal terms have not been finalised. Adebayor has one year remaining on his City contract, which pays him €217,000 a week. Dzeko, who is of interest to Milan and Juventus, gets €5.7 million a year after tax. Mancini does not accept City’s more prudent style. To him the business should be simple; he gives Marwood a name and the signing follows swiftly. Mancini’s position has been cemented not only by the title win but by the new five-year contract he agreed at the beginning of the month. City have yet to make a signing this summer and Mancini is fearful that, if United did land Van Persie, he could power them to new heights. City had appeared favourites to sign him but United and Juventus are now the front-runners. All three clubs have had offers rejected by Arsenal, with Juventus indicating lately that they are prepared to go close to the €25 million asking price. United will also bid again.

Tomas Rosicky: Arsenal Midfielder Is Likely to Miss Start of EPL Season

Tomas Rosicky (L)

Arsenal's hopes of a solid start in the upcoming English Premier League season have taken a major blow, with midfielder Tomas Rosicky confirming that he will not be fit in time for the commencement of the season. The 31-year-old has had another operation on his Achilles tendon, after injuring it during the recent 2012 European Championships. According to Sky Sports, the midfielder is likely miss at least two months of action—potentially making him unavailable for Arsene Wenger until some time in October. The player's manager, Pavel Paska, told the website: There was some swelling that we needed to get rid of. Tomas [Rosicky] has already started physio. The news comes as a bitter blow to Arsene Wenger, who will be desperately hoping to start stronger than he did last year. Rocked by the last-minute sale of then-captain Cesc Fabregas over the summer transfer window, the Gunners picked up just seven points in their first seven matches of the league—dropping a potential 14 points in the opening two months of competition. With the same situation possibly taking place with Robin van Persie this year, Arsene Wenger will know how important it is to have his full squad as healthy as possible for the start of the 2012-13 English Premier League season. Will Tomas Rosicky be back before November for the Gunners?

Video: Wizkid – Dance For Me

EME are back with another scorching video off their collaborative “Empire Mates State of Mind” album.its creative and stunning visuals from the acclaimed Sesan, here’s the video for their Sarz-produced single “Dance For Me” by Wizkid.

Check this Video out......

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Tuface Shoots Ihe Neme video (Photo)

African music legend,Tuface Idibia who is on his way to the UK for the New World Nigeria concert, shot his video for the hit "Ihe neme" last night.
Here are some screen shots.....

The video which is directed by ace video director,Clarence Peters features his friend and musician,W4 who brightens the set with his colorful attire and umbrella to match. Ihe Neme is a single off his latest album Away & Beyond. The last collaboration between Clarence Peters & Tuface was for the song ''Only me" which was one of the best videos of 2011

Wenger - I want to bring more players in

Arsène Wenger says he is not finished in the transfer market this summer. The Arsenal manager has already strengthened his attacking options by signing Lukas Podolski from Cologne and Olivier Giroud from Montpellier. But he has been linked with further signings, including Spanish international Santi Cazorla. Wenger would not be drawn on specific targets when he faced the media in Beijing on Wednesday but the Frenchman hopes to add to his squad before the transfer window closes. "You see I have come here to say as little as possible!" joked Wenger, before adding, "I am ready to talk a lot, but not a lot about transfers, because it is a very fragile subject and a very secret subject. "We bought Giroud and Podolski and I hope that we bought Diaby and Wilshere too, who didn't play at all last season. We will add Wilshere to the squad as soon as possible. But we are not at the end of it [transfers] - we will still bring players in." Wenger was also asked about the future of Robin van Persie after landing in China for the second leg of the Arsenal 2012 Tour, presented by Emirates. His answer was unequivocal. "There is nothing to elaborate. The options are clear - we want to keep our players. I would be happy for him to stay in the English Premier League - at Arsenal."

Jack Wilshere says he could be back in action for Arsenal next month

The Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is still hopeful of returning to action by the end of August, despite the latest gloomy update from Arsene Wenger that the player's comeback is still so far off that he cannot even put a date on when he may play for the club again. The 20-year-old is approaching an entire year out of the game – he last played against New York Red Bulls in the Emirates Cup 12 months ago, a week today – and has not travelled to Malaysia for the club's tour of Asia. Wenger hinted this week that Wilshere may not be fit to play before October but the player is understood to be more optimistic about his return date. The Arsenal manager told English newspapers in Kuala Lumpur this week that Wilshere would not be ready for the start of the season. "Any player still in the gym in July is not on the pitch for August, that is for sure," Wenger said. There have been frequent differences of opinion between club and player over the year in which he has had surgery first on an ankle, and then, in May, on his knee. Wilshere hopes to be back in action, towards the end of August and the start of September. His original injury was a stress fracture to his ankle which subsequently required surgery last year. When it became clear that he would not play at Euro 2012 or the Olympics he opted to have a non-essential minor operation on the tendonitis in one of his knees – a procedure that could have been delayed but was undertaken because of the window afforded by the free summer. That slowed down his rehabilitation but those close to Wilshere say that he has only had five days off all summer, working intensively at the club's training ground to strengthen his ankle and knee. Arsenal play today in Kuala Lumpur against a Malaysia XI with no resolution yet on the future of Robin Van Persie. The club are also closing in on the signing of Malaga's Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla with the player understood to have told Arsene Wenger he wants to make the move to London. Cazorla is sick of the financial difficulties at the Qatar Sports Investment owned club and was one of four players who filed an official complaint over unpaid wages last week. Malaga risk being thrown out of the Champions League after Villarreal reported them to Uefa for unpaid transfer fees.

The Next Arsenal Captain?

Under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal have endured an inconsistent reign of captains, from the passion, commitment and success filled leadership of Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira to the less inspiring captaincies of William Gallas or Robin van Persie. Whilst the list includes plenty of technically gifted players, the lack of a ‘natural leader’ is something Arsenal fans have been needing for years. So with Robin van Persie’s future in turmoil, Arsene Wenger looks to announce his third captain in as many years in the new few weeks as the curtain is raised on the new season. With a considerably long wait for a trophy, who are the contenders to become the next player to wear the Arsenal armband? Thomas Vermaelen: For many Gunners fans, their Belgian centre back is the first choice to pick up the armband from his close friend Robin van Persie. Having shown his hunger to win trophies in North London, he has frequently led from the back, demonstrating bouts of passion and dedication. As Vermaelen joined Arsenal in 2009, he is by comparison one of the more experienced Arsenal players, and served as Ajax captain prior to his departure, as well as previously captaining Belgium at international level. Very much a fan favourite and the kind of physical centre back Arsenal so badly needed upon his arrival in England, he has also spoken of his ‘love for the club’; although that needn’t stand for much nowadays in his campaign for captaincy. The Arsenal number 5 currently captains the team in their tour of the Far East. Bacary Sagna: One of the longest serving players currently in the first choice Arsenal eleven, the French full back has been ever present when injuries haven’t taken their toll. Although set to miss the start of the season due to a broken leg, he is still a hugely viable candidate for the job. It is no secret that Wenger thinks highly of Sagna, dubbing him the ‘best right back in the Premier League’ since joining five years ago. His 153 appearances in a red and white shirt demonstrate just how ever present he has been, on top of 32 for his country. His nickname amongst the Arsenal faithful of ‘Mr Reliable’ could see him become a strong candidate in the race for captaincy, being just the dependable man the Gunners need to take on the armband. Mikel Arteta: The Spaniard may have only played for Arsenal for a year since joining from Everton last summer, but has already demonstrated his worth to the club. One of last seasons stand out performers despite a turbulent campaign, the 30 year old immediately demonstrated he knew what playing for Arsenal was all about. With 203 appearances in the Premier League, few players can boast the experience of the domestic game Arteta can, especially not in an Arsenal shirt. Leading by example with fantastic technical displays, he has already worn the armband for Everton and for Arsenal in the FA Cup last season. Whilst he may not be the kind of guy to shout out orders and bark at the rest of the team, a technically gifted captain has been Wenger’s choice before as Cesc Fabregas was club captain before leaving for Barcelona. Jack Wilshere: At just 20 years of age, to nominate Jack Wilshere for captaincy may seem utterly bemusing. However, Wilshere has already proved in his career that his age counts for very little, as he has worked his way into both the Arsenal andEnglandset ups commendably. Despite missing the last year due to injury, should Wilshere rekindle the form he demonstrated so aptly earlier in his career when he returns, he could be the perfect candidate for the Arsenal captaincy. One of the few first team players who has worked his way through the youth set up, Wilshere demonstrates fantastic technical displays but would also not be shy to impose himself on his teammates irrespective of age. The Arsenal captaincy may be hotly contested, and the above players will no doubt be considering themselves in contention for the armband. Whether or not van Persie will stay in North London remains to be seen, but his inevitable stripping of the captaincy regardless leaves Arsene Wenger facing another difficult decision.

Henry: I’ll go back to Arsenal

Thierry Henry, fuming at the Premier League for taking that goal against Blackburn off him, has vowed to return to the Premier League to score that all important 229th goal for the club. Well, not really, even if the Dubious Goals Panel are a pack of spoilsports, but the club’s record goalscorer has hinted at returning to the club in a coaching capacity. At almost 35 years of age the likelihood of him playing for us again is remote (yeah, we know he’s better than Chamakh and Park put together to form a Dr Moreau hyrib Parmakh beast), which leaves open the tantilising prospect of Henry the coach and, who knows, manager Thierry. Speaking ahead of New York Red Bulls clash with the insufferably despicable Chelsea, Tezza said, “I would like to go back to England with Arsenal for sure. “I wasn’t planning to go back to play last season. It was only because Gervinho and Chamakh went to the African Nations Cup. I was there to train and they asked me if I wanted to play. Who knows what might happen in the future? “I’ve not yet spoken to Arsene about it so I don’t know what capacity I could go back in. “Coaching does interest me but I don’t know what my talent is going to be after I have finished my career. But I will go back to Arsenal.” It’s true that great players don’t always make great managers, but how nice would it be if Henry was one of the exceptions to that rule. Two seasons in a row unbeaten, that should do it.

VIDEO: Darey And Flavour In ‘Sisi Eko’ Remix

Darey and Flavour turn the heat up with the release of the video to their duet ‘Sisi Eko’ remix Video director Mark Hofmeyr definitely brings the streets of Lagos alive with the help of the stunning and trendy WOODIN! African prints. Watch and stop wondering why Darey comes out tops all the time…

Vermaelen delighted by Koscielny new deal

Thomas Vermaelen has welcomed the news that Laurent Koscielny has extended his contract with Arsenal. The France defender was one of Arsène Wenger's outstanding performers last term and put pen to paper on a new deal with the Club on Tuesday. Vermaelen, who signed a contract extension in 2011, has struck up a fine understanding with Koscielny since returning from injury last October. "I heard the news that Laurent extended his contract and I'm really happy," Vermaelen told a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday. "From the start when he came to Arsenal he has shown he is a great player and he is developing really well. I think he has done everything for the Club already and I hope he will stay a few more years. "Of course he is not here at the moment because he is not fit - he had a holiday because he played in the Euros. But he is a great player and I'm happy that he signed for the Club." Vermaelen has been named captain for the Arsenal 2012 Tour, presented by Emirates, and it's a responsibility he is relishing. "First of all I want to say that I am only captain for now," he said. "Last year I was vice-captain for Arsenal and I was really proud to be in that role for such a big club. "I dreamed to play for this club and to play an important role as a vice-captain. It makes me really happy to help the players and help the team go forward and win trophies this year."

VIDEO: Man Healed From Turning Into Different Creature In TB Joshua's Church

A possessed man claiming he went to TB Joshua's church with the mission of initiating TB Joshua and his church members. Check out the video below...

Tuface, D’banj MI, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage And Others At Star Re-launch Party (Photo)

It has not happened for a long time where you will see some of the best artistes Nigeria parades at a single event to honour a brand

That was exactly what happened when Star lager beer paraded Tuface Idibia, D’banj, MI, Wizkid and Tiwa Savage at the Star re-launch party. The Expo Centre of Eko Hotel and Suites where the event held was filled to capacity with more than 6,000 consumers’ of Star

Adams Oshiomole Shows Off Azonto And Etighi Moves

Following Adams Oshiomole’s reelection two weeks ago as Edo State governor, a victory party was put together at the King’s Square, Benin City to celebrate his victory.

Pop singer Chuddy K was one of the performers and during his performance Oshiomole, a former labour leader and who is known to be the strictest of persons, surprised the crowd when he came on stage and displayed a few dance moves ranging from ‘Azonto’ to ‘Etighi’! The crowd of course went ‘Gaga crazy’…