Wenger admits watching Holtby

Categorized | Possibly True, True

Wenger admits watching Holtby

Posted on 04 January 2013. Tags: Arsenal, Lewis Holtby, Schalke

Written by: Lee Hurley on January 4, 2013.

Arsene Wenger has told Sky Sports that Arsenal have watched Schalke’s Lewis Holtby but does not say that the club are interested in signing the player.

Speaking about the player, who is out of contract with the German side in the summer and will not be renewing his deal, Wenger said

We have looked at Holtby and have played against him.

Our scouts are kept on alert and the quality of the scouting is linked with that.

With Liverpool and Tottenham also being linked heavily with the player it is doubtful that Arsene would be upfront with any concrete interest in the player however from what he has said I am unsure if we seem to be pursuing an interest in the player.

Of course, it is hard to know for sure and Holtby has been linked with a move to Arsenal long before the other clubs made an appearance but I don’t feel like this one will happen although I’m not entirely sure why.

There’s every chance that I’m totally wrong of course. This happens often.

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ladyarse

I think I know what’s wrong – ever had a major emotional crisis when you couldn’t break down, then when it was all settled you could collapse? That’s me today I think….
Aogfc

Quality…and much agreed.. Cheers from Tulsa (and well done on the Pod)
- ladyarse
  
  Cheers Appreciate that
Fully1982

I thought Rambo n clichy were brilliant n I love beating the mancs but it just feels blah right now.
RockyLives

Chin up LA. Try seeing it as the first blow struck in next season’s campaign.
- ladyarse
  
  I’m all good…modd starting to lift already
ladyarse

Kos was immense today, should have mentioned that in the blog
ladyarse

They all were
ladyarse

Think I’ve figured out my mood was more to do with hunger/low blood sugar than anything else lol
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Don-McMahon/672381130 Don McMahon
  
  LA you need a sex slave to feed you and pamper you while you go about your journalistic shenanigans!
Asurah

Nice blog there LadyArse. Pretty much sums up my feelings as well.
The point is – this wasn´t a brilliant performance. It was a good one, but not spectacular. And yet, even without the Skipper, even with Nasri and Djourou (please tell me he´s not off on an injury again…) on the second half, we managed to get a win. It was the kind of wins that United managed to grab all throughout the season. One goal, and a good job keeping it up afterwards. All the players contributed all over the pitch. You could see Van Persie tackeling in our third of the pitch. Koscielny leading attacks in mid-pitch. Wilshere and Rambo managing the midfield like veterans. Song was one of United´s worst nightmares today. And not to mention Szczeny´s amazing performance today. He was all over the place, making some great saves and commanding his area on corners and free kicks. Very promising stuff.

I think Wenger should take this tape and pump it into the player´s brains for next season. This is how Arsenal should look like. Fighting, dominating and winning. That´s the stuff champions are made of.
Aislyn61

As usual, a quality blog. Thanks to you, 7AM and Arseblog for giving us your opinions tempered by sound judgement and just a wee dose of kindness.
Seb

Apart from that raking of micheal ownes thigh, I thought clichy had probably his best game of the season today, some of his crosses were actually approaching being quite good! I can think of two where walcott nearly scored, he ws also surprisingly better at tackling aswell.
Whatever arsene’s said to them on the training ground this week has seriously had a effect, and should be repeated every week.
Skid64

What ifs’ and ‘if only’s’ – Sorry that’s the only thing I’m feeling right now. Great team performance today but the pressure was off would we have got the same result if the title was on the line and the pressure on, I don’t know !

Big up to Kos who was class and if he keeps improving we’ll have a quality player on our hands.

I hope AW isn’t blinded by this performance and still gets rid of the deadwood and brings a couple of quality signings in.

For me I can’t help but think we’ve thrown this PL title away I won’t mention the games but it hurts a lot to be so close, to have it in our grasp but then throw it all away.
JJKenya

Am I the only one who hasn’t given up on the title?
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Don-McMahon/672381130 Don McMahon
  
  Nope……we eternal optimists are right there with you:)
http://twitter.com/HDhee Dhee Abshir

Couldnt help but feel a bit emotional when Rambo scored after the year he has had.. not just the goal but the effort he put into the game. So happy for him! I thought the team looked immense today.. we had the usual passing but the difference was the pressing (especially Song and Koscielny) and the aggressiveness we’ve asked for. Jack.was as brilliant as always and I fall further in love Szczesny everytime he plays.. he is awesome NOW so we dont need no.new goalie. I can go on bout how we would have been 1st had we won the other three games but that’s just boring and depressing. No matter what position we were in, it was important that we won against ManU and I love how we have made their lives a bit more difficult. Awesomd blog BTW
Fatgooner

If only…………

If only we had managed to hold on to a 4-goal lead at St James’ Park

If only we had beaten Spurs at home when we were 2-0 up at half time and bossing it.

If only we had beaten Spurs having been 3-1 up at WHL.

If only we had held on at Sunderland away when 1-0 up deep into injury time.

If only we had beaten Blackburn and Sunderland at home when both of them were in free fall and couldn’t buy a point.

If only we had beaten Liverpool at home when we went ahead in the 7th minute of injury time.

If only Almunia hadn’t played against West Brom home and away.

If only Squillaci hadn’t scored an equalising own goal when we were beating Wigan away.

THEN WE WOULD HAVE WON THE LEAGUE.
- Skid64
  
  If only LF hadn’t gone walkabout at home to Newcastle.
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Don-McMahon/672381130 Don McMahon
    
    Hey Skid64…….Great game today…………almost everyone played to their full potential ……Wenger made the absolute perfect substitutions, Szcesny was a giant and Rambo showed us why everyone tried to buy him but he knew which manager and club was right for him. Imagine no Cesc today….yet an accomplished performance from the almost men who can now rightly remove their diapers and wear men’s clothes!
    Glad to see you rolling in the retrospection……and recriminations………wouldn’t it be awesome if the ¨if only¨ actually meant something and added to the pleasure of the moment! Anyway we’re always proud to be Gooners after a game like this…the rest of the run in will be a Bang!!!
    - Skid64
      
      Man U played into our hands yesterday they would have been happy with a point and let us have the ball, sat back and defended deep. Thankfully their tactics didn’t come off.
      
      The “if only” does mean something, it means we’ve come up short again. There’s no point getting carried away it was a great performance but the pressure was off, it’s a lot easier to play when you have nothing to play for. Let’s hope AW still gets rid of the deadwood and brings in a couple of experienced signings to supplement the youth.
      
      If you’re not interested in trophies then I’m sure you will enjoy this victory more than fans like me who look at the bigger picture. Once again too little to late.
      - http://www.facebook.com/people/Don-McMahon/672381130 Don McMahon
        
        What true supporter isn’t interested in silverware and isn’t disappointed when we don’t win anything BUT I am a Gooner for both the process and the results….that’s the bigger picture for me…the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, the hope for improvement and the joy of watching our Arsenal, for better or worse.
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Don-McMahon/672381130 Don McMahon
  
  If only we didn’t have to listen to ¨ If only’s¨ from our moaners and groaners ( Yes we won but we aren’t letting anyone forget we’re still shit), doomers and gloomers (Hell its just one game…so we played very well but we’ll soon return to the shit team we really are), whiners and nihilists (Too little, too late…we just aren’t good enough…the season ended back in August) and finally the Wenger is shit-kick him out brigade (Why did Wenger wait so long to make the sun rise and the rain to stop?)!!!!
  I could name about 100 If only’s for referee decisions, opponents’s results, WW2 battles and so on…….waste of time and since hindsight is 100% no point in saying it isn’t true…but its simply finding the thunderstorm behind every silver lining…something the above lot NEED to do, regardless of our performance on the day.
  - Fatgooner
    
    Oh dear, Don! you really are a hard-core AKB, aren’t you?
    
    It looks like you missed the entire point of my post. You see, my Wenger-loving friend, we really should have won the Premier League this year. It was ours for the taking. And had our wonderful French manager done last summer what he should have done then the title would have now been just a game or two away.
    
    If only he had gone out and bought the top-quality goalkeeper that we have been crying out for since Lehman left, and a couple of decent centre-halves, and a quality second striker, then we probably would have won those key games that I wrote about. And we would now be on the verge of being champions.
    
    I suppose you, like Wenger, just think that we have been unlucky this season. How sad. This time next season, after we have failed yet again and Wenger comes up with the same old tired excuses, you will still be backing him to the hilt.
    
    Depressing.
    - http://www.facebook.com/people/Don-McMahon/672381130 Don McMahon
      
      If you are depressed take a valium, x-lax and a holiday Fatgooner…..but you’re already predicting next season’s disasters now….now THAT is the definition of a Gloomer and Doomer. I am neither an AKB nor a Wenger hater like you, just less fragile than you in my belief and trust in the Arsenal coming right. I got your point about ¨If only¨….but its just your opinion, not biblical or divinely inspired so relax and enjoy the rest of the run-in. I know it is hard because your deep psychological need to be pessimistic about your beloved club is hard to resist.
  - Billy
    
    Oh dry your eyes fella, the irony of your whining about people whining is obviously lost on you.
    - http://www.facebook.com/people/Don-McMahon/672381130 Don McMahon
      
      Not whining……….ironic that you’re one of the worst whiners Billy boy…the pot calling the kettle black-no?….Everything is lost on you laddie….even the meaning of irony….but it IS ironic that a totally blinkered Gloomer and Doomer like you is telling others how to react to the negativism you lot embrace. However if you say it is so…it must be so because you said it!
- aditya
  
  If only phil dowd was killed in the most merciless manner before the start of the season.
  I guess this statement in reality would have won us the league. Totty @home, Sunderland away & newcastle away. 9 fucking points……..
  - Skid64
    
    Spuds at home didn’t Cesc raise his hand to give them a pen which VDV converted ? Sunderland away was a poor performance all round, we scored the flukiest goal of the season and missed a pen that would have sealed the win. Newcastle away 4up with 20 minutes to go and we couldn’t hold on for the win ! Blame the ref as much as you like but at the end of the day we weren’t good enough !
Girl Gunner

excellent game tonight, everyone did a great job…. 3 good points, happiness from seeing the team i love win and i also win a bet my cousin and i made…. what a beautifull day….atleast now AW and all of us can smile…. lets go gunners!!!! god bless <3
Kipmonster

Great to see Ramsey back & so happy for him to have scored the winner.
It’s a shame that the horse has long since bolted though & this vibrant & determined performance wasn’t a regular feature of the past few weeks. I can’t help feeling that had we had still been in realistic contention today, rather than play like we did today we instead would have froze once again when it mattered in the big game.
I have long since given up on expecting respect & fair praise from Sky or any other media for that matter. It’s guaranteed to never change as long as our current & subsequent managers indulge a media that thank us in return by frequently slapping us in the face. Old ‘Red Nose ‘ whingeing about the ‘Owen penalty ‘ is laughable. Will the media ridicule him as they ridicule Wenger for his post match comments after disappointments ? NO of course not !!
Suggesting even that the 2 penalty decisions evened themselves out is ridiculous. The relevance of the 1st decision & the impact & potential impact of it is key. If the penalty against Vidic had been given he would have had to have been sent off. Even the most one eyed ManUre fan would have to concede that down to 10 men having lost their best defender whilst their team were being stopped from playing well , they most likely would have been beaten by more comfortable scoreline.
Yes ManUre stopped from playing with as you say Arshavin putting in tackles, Song was all over them & in particular Rooney like a rash whilst Kosceilny & Djourou were commanding & praise the Lord we had a Keeper who actually looks like a proper Keeper !!
I just hope Wenger’s stubborness does subside & he accepts some changes are necessary regarding adding steel & experience to the squad. It’s time too to unleash Walcott down the middle as striker. He is NOT a winger !! He could become a prolific finisher for us & after 5 years with us it’s time he was played there.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Don-McMahon/672381130 Don McMahon

LA …heard you on the POD….what a charming accent you have and you make as much sense on the POD as you do on this blog! My grannie had the same accent,but she was an Innisfail girl.
Powerful game today for the following reasons:

1) Got the Manure monkey off our backs finally!
2) Spuds got the 3 blind mice treatment again, probably taking them out of any chance for a CL spot next year,
3) Chris Foy fumbled his lines (given to him by SAF)….no SAF Scotch single malt for him at Xmas!
4) SAF sounded like Wenger on steroids…penalty claims, decrying ¨poor¨ officiating, Arsenal were lucky, the Mancs were dominating BUT were hard done by….whine,whine,whine.
5) Everybody now believes in Kos and Szcesny!
6) Wenger’s substitutions were very powerful today…especially Arshavin!

I was always and will always be proud to support the Arsenal but today is special!
PhilMagnet

Had a look at the Owen incident and if it had been given a penalty would we have been saying it was offside? You tube only gave me a quick highlight with a tight shot and he looked offside.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OWZQQTB5RNGGJB7SYWS2WG6PYM yahoo-OWZQQTB5RNGGJB7SYWS2WG6PYM

It was a tough year and everything, but this is the most hopeful I’ve been in a while. We can only get better, and we have a ton of real winners in our lineup, guys who hate losing. Im sorry, but RVP has to get the captaincy. He is one of the older players, a guy who has been here for a while and he is Arsenal’s only guy demanding high quality performances from everyone every game. Cesc just walks around as if he in entitled to be riding the bench in spain these days. RVP also happens to be our best player.
Then theres Rambo and Jack, essentially a Xavi and Iniesta for the future, and I’ll put money Jack will be captain of the England side along with Rambo who already is an international captain. Jack literally goes110 percent into everything he does on the pitch, and how could one question Rambo’s character after coming back from the Shawcross incident.
There’s Song, who when healthy is Arsenal’s most important player when it comes to just winning games. How many times have we seen him break up counter attacks that would annihilate us in the past? He’s even developed a strong attacking game as well.
People are asking for Shavy to be traded, but many times has the little Russian genius been huge in our biggest games? Brilliant against Barca, and one of the gutsiest performances I’ve ever seen on defense saving our asses against Man U when our wing backs got caught forward.
Kos and Djourou are young, but when they’re together they can stop Barca.
Most importantly we have a real keeper finally who will be as good as anyone in the world. He’s 21 and he commands this defense as well as anyone we’ve had in a Long time. He hates to lose and he hates Tottenham. What more could you want.