Mathieu Flamini has today signed a 4 year deal with Italian supergiants AC Milan. He will leave Arsenal on a free transfer. Flamini has had an amazing season for the Gunners and was in demand by several clubs including Juventus and Bayern Munich.

After a long agonising wait (for us Arsenal fans) the news we had been expecting was announced officially today that he would be leaving Arsenal as of July 1st.

Flamini - who has stated on ocassions that he would love to play in Italy - due to his Italian connections (his father is Italian and his lawyer also...as well as many other friends & family) will be very happy with his new contract to play in Serie A.

There will be further information to follow tomorrow with regards to his salary and his own comments on the amazing move to Italy.

I am sad to see him leave Arsenal (as I'm sure Fabregas, Hleb & Rosicky will be - the "Magical 4" as I call them) as I am sure many other Arsenal fans are too.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish him all the very best with AC Milan.

I will continue to update the site - I just hope I can find as much info on him at AC Milan..:)

For now Flamini will need to concentrate on the Euro 2008 matches upcoming for France and to see if he can reach his second Cap. Good luck Flamini!!!

There was great news for Flamini when he received his debut call-up to the French squad! With his previous experience at Under 21 Level with his home nation and with some superb performances for the Arsenal - his hard work had paid off and been recognised by the French squad.

Flamini was chosen amongst the squad for an important game v Agentina - they don't come much bigger than that! He was chosen as a substitute for the night but unfortunately for Mathieu, France went down 1-0 to the Argies only 15 minutes into the match and never came back from it. It was a shame Mathieu did not feature in the game but it was excellent experience to be alongside such wonderful and significant players in his homeland. It can only be a positive experience for him and help him with his confidence.

Lets hope this is the first in a long line of international matches for Mathieu - he has the talent and the passion to succeed  so lets see him peform alongside hsi fellow compatriots - he will be comepting against ex-Arsenal skipper Vieria and also Makelele so its tough opposition but I'm sure Mathieu can rise to the challenge!

It was not how Arsenal wanted to end their campaign for 2006 - a shock away defeat at Brramell Lane - home to Sheffield United. On paper, you would expect a comfortable win for the Gunners but this match turned into a nightmare.

A combination of injuries and bad luck did not help whist playing the in the rain and mud on a cold evening did not make for an enjoyable experience for the Arsenal team. The picth was in bad condition due to the adverse weather conditions and it never really came together for Wenger's troops.

As stated above, injury & illness have plagued the team meaning several surprise inclusions for the line-up. Aliadiere making his second start in the Premiership this season alongside RVP with a midfield of Rosicky, Baptista, Flamini & Gilberto (two of which have only recently come back from injury). It did look a hard task ahead with the our line-up not as strong as it can be, but it proved to be lot harder than anyone could imagine.

A fiery start from Arsenal in the first 10 minutes saw many chances but none were taken. For the remainder of the first half, Sheffield Utd took control of the match making the Gunners look mediocre. The inveitable happened and Nade scored his first goal for his side in the 42nd minute. Once again, the similar sight(and seemingly predictable of late)  of Arsenal going into the break a goal down.

Wenger waited longer than expected to make his changes to liven up the match - off came Hoyte and on came the ever skillful Fabregas to try and create some majic and help produce a match winning performance. It was not to be and even with Sheff Utd keeper Paddy Kenny being sub'd through a groin injury and being replaced by Jagielka (not a goal-keeper - although has experience as stand in from time to time) Arsenal just couldnt seem to create any chances to even test their replacement. RVP suffered in particular from the wind-up merchant Morgan and his frustrations finally showed when he got booked.

The same of Cesc too, unfortunately when trying to make an impact on the game, he was also booked and it was his 5th booking of the season so he is now suspended and out for the next 3 matches. A massive blow to everyone at Arsenal as he will miss the all importany away tie at Liverpool in the F.A Cup.

Wenger than replaced an out of sorts Rosicky in the latter stages with the young Brazilian Denilson coming on to make his first ever Premiership appearance.

The last 5-10 minutes saw a hype of activity from Arsenal but none of the chances hit the back of a net was a surprise defeat was the final result and not the plan Wenger had in mind to end the 2006 year.

Arsenal are now fifth in the league table and other results did not go their way with both Liverpool & Bolton winning.

The boys are next in action on Tuesday at the Emirates v Charlton so lets hope they can kick start a more successful campaign to the 2007 season.

Happy New Year to you all.

After the postponement of the midweek foxture at Liverpool in the Carling Cup, Arsenal fans were treated to an early Christmas present by seeing the Gunners roar to an impressie 6-2 win at the Emirates over Blackburn.

As ever, we seemed to find ourselves 1-0 down in the early stages so once again recovery mode was in action. Another ex-player was in the Blackburn squad, David Bentley who seemed to determined to show his worth but never managed to put the goal in the net in front of his old team.

With Henry out injured until new year - we saw Rosicky return to the starting line-up and Hleb back so forming a powerful 11.

Captain Gilberto equalised in the minute - adding to his impressive scoring tally for this season whilst Hleb who has been in great form netted a second for Arsenal 13 minutes later.

Adebayor scored an important penalty for us just before the break to give us a 3-1 score at half time. The game was never clearly won with Blackburn battling hard to and they scored in the 69th minute to put some pressure on the Arsenal.

The match really came alive within the last 5 minutes, RVP scored 2 vital goals - and wonder boy Flamini who had came on at 71 mins (he had nearly been left out of the squad to to a shoulder injury) proved his goal scoring is no fluke - scored a superb goal in the 90th minute to wrap up a wonderful victory!

How nice to hear the announcer refer to Flamini as "Goal Machine" when they announced his goal. 4 goals for Flamini and only in December - his form this season has been terrific and I think the Arsenal faithful are starting to see the true potential in the Frenchman - his performances have come alive recently and his attacking game has come on leaps and bounds.

Once again, massive well done to Flamini and all the team - made for a very exciting match just before Christmas and all Gooners are certainly happy to celebrate that result - great entertainment all round.

Another hard game for the Gunners. Two matches per week seems to be the norm lately for Arsenal and maybe their punishing schedule is starting to affect their form.

With ex-gunners Kanu & Sol Campbell palying for Portsmouth - it was always going to be a close one - with the case lately seeming to be we are facing all the previous Arsenal stars...!

Wenger continued to rotate his squad by making a surprise switch with resting Adebayor and starting Frenchman Jeremie Aliadiere up front for the first time this 06-07 season. A player plagued by injuries and never really had the chance to show us his true form so it was a gamble by Wenger to play him in a hard fixture v Portsmouth. Flamini was also rested to the bench until later in the game.

Freddie Ljungberg was taken off early in the match with a  possible hamstring injury leaving young Theo Walcott to come in. Things did not go to plan for the Arsenal when they found themselves 1-0 down after the first half. After the break, Portsmouth continued where they had left off and soon scored another in the 47th minute. Arsenal were facing the true possibility of losing their first match at the Emirates Stadium - could they fight back? This when you know the side is made of strong characters - Wenger had to make the decision to take Aliadiere off (who played well but never had the chance to create many chances) and replace him with in-form stricker Adebayour.

And boy did the game come alive - within 3 minutes of him coming onto the pitch = he had scored and given us hope. Gilberto then equalised 2 minutes later but there was no time for celebrations - the boys were focused to get on and win the match.  They had many chances - mainly from RVP who just didnt seem to have the luck with him to score and then Flamini came on towards the end of the match - playing in right back, replacing Eboue. Once again - showing the versatility he has and how important he is to this team and had a great chance to win the game but it wasnt to be. The team had to settle for a hard fought draw and leave with just the one point in the bag - but they had battled hard and after a tiring schedule - maybe the result was to be expected.

Once again, there is hardly a break between fixtures as Arsenal go to Liverpool on Tuesday evening in the Carling Cup needing a big result.

Its been a busy period for the Arsenal team recently with games midweek along with Chamopions League fixtures so Wenger decided to rest some of its key players and rotate the squad.

Flamini started the match in midfield. After some of the more recent matches, this wasnt one of the most entertaining or one of the most fulfillng matches for the Arsenal. It looked for the majority of the match we would end up with a scoreless draw which would have been disappointing to come away with just the one point.

Tiredness had got better of Flamini and he was brought off after 74 minutes into the match after having several efforts at goal and setting up assists on goal so a good performance again.

Cesc & RVP were brought on to spice up the match and get the game into a more attacking mode and it worked - 88th minute saw Adebayor score the winner and bet 3 points for the Gunners.

In the end a good result, but it was not easy and it is the sort of match Arsenal should see they should win more confortably.

Saturday sees Arsenal face Portsmouth and 2 ex gunners in Sol Campbell and equal top scorer in the Premiership - Kanu.

Arsenal have also been drawn to face PSV Eindhoven in the next Knockout Cup stage of the coveted Champions League.

Arsenal were just minutes away from wrapping up a superb victory against title rivals Chelsea today. The media had given Arsenal no hope of doing well against their London rivals and without the likes of Henry, Rosicky & Toure, it looked like being a tough match for the Gunners.

Arsenal started with five in midfield to help protect the young defence with Adebayor the sole man up front. Chelsea created many chances but the boys soaked up the pressure and didnt panic. Come the second half, Arsenal were up for it and showed they meant business!

There had been trouble in the match with Drogba diving (nothing unsual there!)and being involved in an incident with Lehmann. It was always going to be a fiery affair when those two met...

Then finally a goal and from none other than FLAMINI! Set up by Hleb who was fantastic today, Mathieu remained cool and collected under the pressure and delivered a powerful strike which took us 1-0! He was overjoyed as can be expected and ran straight to the crowd to share his emotion. Third goal this season from him and each one has been in a very important game, v Liverpool, in the Champions League (the very first goal winner at the Emirates) and now v Chelsea. He has really showed he can deliver and against the big boys when it really matters so a performance to to be proud of.

Within seconds after going a goal down, Chelsea staged their fight back and unluckily for us, Essien scored to equalize with minutes to spare. The Arsenal boys were looking tired after a run of 3 successive, very hard fixures in a short period of time so were battling to protect their draw. In the dying seconds Essien missed a sitter and hit the post whilst goal scorer (and hero for the Arsenal!) managed to get a foot on a try from Lampard and stopped it from going into the back of the net - a wonderful stop and a vital one at that.

It was a match full of everything and Arsenal can feel justifiebly unlucky not to have won today as before the Essien goal, Ashely Cole had brought Hleb down and the referee had let play continue and the goal came. Understandably, Wenger was very disappointed and it would of course had to be Cole on his first match v his old team who was involved in the incident which makes it all the more bittersweet..

None the less, a wondeful performance from the boys and if they can continue that form, they should begin to move up the table. Today Flamini showed the fans his dogged determination, his calmness under pressure, great goalscoring and a brilliant save so lets here some praise for this boy! What a shame his goal was not the eventual winner as his hero staus would have been elevated but it was a great effort today.

Next Wednesday is back to the premiership v Wigan so lets have 3 points in the bag after that one!

It was a vital 0-0 draw v Porto in the champions league final group match. It was an unusual situation as both teams went into the match knowing a draw was enough for both teams to secure a place in the next stafe. A lot depended on other group match Hamburg v CSK Mosow but fortunately Hamburg did us a favour and pulled off a 3-2 win to make sure Arsenal & Porto would take the top 2 places of the group.

Flamini started in his preferred midfield role position which was a surprise selection by some commentator's admissions but it was clear Wenger wanted to play a more "defensive" line-up and I feel Matheiu played at his usual high workman like rate and made some great tackels so a good performance from the likeable Frenchman.

Porto dominated the match and had the majority of chances to score whilst Arsenal looked nervous in defence. It looked like Arsenal may concede a goal or two but luckily they hung on. The style of football Arsenal were "having" to play did not suit them and you could see they were not in their normal comfort zone. In the end, there was relief all round for both sets of players and managers and fans alike with the drae taking them further on into the competition.

Now its a case of waiting to see who Arsenal could face next as current cup winners Barcelona are one of the teams we may face...

Last Sunday was the FA Cup draw and we have a tough away fixture at Liverpool. Probably the hardest draw of all the fixtures so not an easy task but one the boys can overturn. Tomorrow see's a massive challenge in the premiership against London rivals and title winners - Chelsea. Always a feisty game especially considering it will be the first time Ashely Cole will play against his old team. It would have been the first encounter for Gallas to face old boss Mourinhio but he is out with injury. Lets hope the Gunners play a more attacking game tomorrow and show Chelsea they mean business!

Arsenal were back to winning ways in a fierce batte against London rivals Tottenham! Always an exciting encounter with bitter rivals Spurs and this one didn't disappoint.

Henry & Flamini were both interested spectators from the sidelines today as both were out with injuries - which left Adebayor upfront to put some hope back in the Arsenal faithful.

Adebayor scored the first goal in the 20th minute and played a pivotal role in the win today.  A penalty was awarded to Arsenal when Rosicky was brought down an Gilberto was the man to take it and placed it precisely into the back of the net. It was good to see the Gunners leading going into half time as previous matches have seen a slow start for the boys.

Tottenham showed more determination in the second half but could do nothing when RVP was brought down to win the second penalty of the game for Arsenal. Once again, captain Gilberto took the pressure of taking a second penalty and scored again! The crowd erupted as this sealed the victory against their arch rivals....

A fantastic effort from the whole team which puts us back in 3rd place in the Premiership.

Sunday sees the FA.Cup draw so we will see which lucky team faces an all confident Arsenal. Wednesday is an important match v Porto in the Champions League so we need a strong, committed and fit team to show we mean business. Lets hope both Flamini & Henry are back in the squad...

Arsenal lost their second Premiership match in a row on Wednesday against Fulham. Henry & Rosicky and Van Persie were all back but Wenger had decided to rest Fabregas whilst Song made a rare start in midfield. Flamini was back playing in left back - a position he hadnot played  for quite some time and at times you could see he was not comfortable with being in defence after time played in his more natural midfield role.

19 minutes into the game and the Gunners were 2-0 down - not what you woulde expect to happen to a team as strong as Arsenal. RVP claimed a goal back in th 39th minute to help reduce the defecit going into the second half. Fabregas came on to replace the inexperienced Song and Arsenal played with passion but could do no more to even level the match. It was an eventful match with 6 yellow cards issued toArsenal players including Senderos being sent off.

It was a poor performance from the team who are certainly not looking comfortable of late. It must be worrying times for Wenger as our placing in the Premiership is not what it should be whilst there has been many lucklastre performances from some of the top stars.

Saturday sees a massive local derby as Totttenham come to the Emirates in hope of outdoing their London rivals. Henry & Flamini are both missing from the squad with injuries so it will be interesting to see which players start and how they perform, they will be under massive pressure to go out and win......