Arsenal close to signing Swedish starlet Kristoffer Olsson, IFK Norrkopping director admits

Arsenal are close to signing Swedish Under 16 talent Kristoffer Olsson, according to IFK Norrkopping's sporting director.

The midfielder has reportedly impressed Arsene Wenger during a number of try-outs with the team, with a permanent move looking likely with the youngster wanting to join the Gunners.

Norrkopping sporting director Tony Martinsson told Fotbolldirekt: "Sure, it's good money for the club. We would prefer that our players stay in Norrkopping and grow to be first-team players.

"But in this case Kristoffer wants a move, and we will make that happen.

"[A contract] could take days, it could take weeks. It could take longer. We will keep this to ourselves until it's done."

Feyenoord keen to keep Arsenal’s Ryo Miyaichi on loan for another season, technical director Martin van Geel confirms

Feyenoord technical director Martin van Geel has revealed the Dutch giants would "love" to keep Arsenal's young Japanese midfielder Ryo Miyaichi on loan for another season and are now waiting on a response from the Gunners.

Arsenal beat off a host of top European clubs to sign Miyaichi last January after he impressed on trial the previous summer, and Arsene Wenger immediately decided to loan the youngster to Feyenoord to gain European experience.

The 18-year-old winger has since been a revelation in the Eredivisie, with his dazzling skills and trickery earning him the nickname "Ryodinho" from the Dutch media in honour of Barcelona and Brazilian legend Ronaldinho.

Miyaichi's impressive form has reportedly led Arsene Wenger to consider giving him a chance of first-team football at the Emirates Stadium next season, but Feyenoord believe further experience in the Netherlands would benefit the youngster.

Van Geel confirmed his club have made an inquiry into the possibility of keeping Miyaichi for another season, but admitted the decision now rests with Arsenal.

"We would love to have him here on loan for a year," Van Geel told Voetbal International.

"Arsenal know we are good for him. Now we can only wait for their answer."

Arsenal & Tottenham have both made offers for £26m Porto striker Radamel Falcao

Arsenal and Tottenham have tabled offers for Porto's £26m-rated forward Radamel Falcao, his agent has claimed.

The Colombian striker has enjoyed his most prolific season in European football, helping the club to the treble, and his agent has confirmed that the 25-year-old's performances have attracted attention from the two north London clubs.

Claudio Mossio of Sivori and Asociados, the company that represents the striker, told goal.com: "Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are the two clubs that are keen to sign him, and have already tabled an offer for Falcao."

The striker, who has a buy-out clause of €30m (£26m), has also courted attention from clubs from Serie A, but due to a lack of EU passport, a move to Italy is unlikely to materialise at this stage.

Mossio continued: "He is 25-years-old, but he still has plenty of room for improvement. The problem with a transfer to Italy is that he does not have a EU passport. He has a contract for two more years with Porto and has a buy-out clause of €30m.

"The club that matches that clause has a good chance of signing him. Porto want to open contract talks and offer him a new and improved deal to insert a higher minimum fee release clause."

Mossio added that the chances of a move to Italy would increase if the Italian Football Federation were to allow its clubs to sign an extra player from outside the EU, but conceded that a move to Spain or England is more likely.

He said: "The chances of a move to Italy increase if that would happen. However, the Spanish and English clubs are sitting in pole position. Inter already have [Giampaolo] Pazzini as striker, while Juventus have [Alessandro] Matri. He would be a good addition to Roma."

Falcao struck a record 17 goals in the Europa League in 2010-11 as Porto enjoyed a memorable campaign under the tutelage of coach Andre Villas-Boas.

Since joining the club from River Plate in the summer of 2009, the striker has won the Portuguese league title, two Portuguese cups, two Supercups and the Europa League.

Speaking exclusively to goal.com last year, Falcao's father, Radamel Garcia, confirmed that his son is interested in playing in England and has already started to learn the language.

“All his life he has wanted to play in English football," he said.

“A footballer always wants to go to the best team. It depends on the possibilities. He will listen to the best offer and see what suits him best.

"He also finds the Italian and Spanish leagues attractive. It depends on the club. But he hopes it’s in English football."

He added: "He speaks some English. He’s been learning it for five or six years.

"In Portugal he has English classes every afternoon. He’s preparing for the possibility of going to England.

“He watches English football on TV a lot. He watches all the matches. He likes Wayne Rooney a lot and liked Thierry Henry when he was there."

Velez Sarsfield want to keep Arsenal target Ricky Alvarez but would deal at around £12m

 

Velez Sarsfield want to keep starlet Ricky Alvarez at the club through the summer but admit that an offer of around £12 million could tempt them into selling their prized asset.

The club's hierarchy met on Tuesday night in order to discuss the player's future amid rumours that Arsenal were seeking a deal for the imposing attacker.

Speculation was rife last week that the 23-year-old had signed a pre-contract agreement with Arsene Wenger's side but those reports remain unsubstantiated. 

Alvarez has three years left on his current deal at Velez and only a massive offer would see him move to Europe.

"Velez have no current intention to sell Alvarez," a source close to Velez told goal.com after the board meeting. 

"We have a philosophy at this club of not selling players at a young age and letting them reach their potential.

"Velez would require an offer similar to what we received from Al-Sadd for Mauro Zarate."

The Qatar Stars League side paid £12m for the Lazio striker in 2007 and Velez were also able to hold on to 20 per cent of Zarate's contract rights as part of the deal.

An Arsenal representative is understood to have travelled to Buenos Aires on Tuesday and could watch Alvarez in action for Velez in nearby Montevideo during Thursday's Copa Libertadores tie with Penarol.

PLAYER OF THE SEASON

 

It's time to announce the Arsenal.com Player of the Season - as voted for by the fans.

And the winner is... Jack Wilshere.

The 19-year-old enjoyed a meteoric rise in 2010/11, starting the campaign on the fringes of the Arsenal side and ending it as a regular for club and country. 

Jack received 41.4 per cent of the votes in our poll. Here, Arsenal.com reporter Chris Harris gives his verdict on the young midfielder.

“The thing that is different about Jack is that he is very consistent. You hardly ever see him have a bad game. We have got lots of players in the Reserves that are very good players, in my opinion even as good as Jack on their day. But they don’t have that day as often and that is where the difference is."

Of all the tributes paid to Jack Wilshere in recent months, perhaps the most telling was that one from Emmanuel Frimpong.

The midfielder is nine days younger than Wilshere, has grown up alongside him at Arsenal, won the Youth Cup with him two years ago and has designs on a first-team place of his own in the not-too-distant future.

But like all of the talent bubbling under at London Colney, Frimpong needs to produce the goods week-in week-out to emulate his friend. Because it's consistency, as much as quality, that has transformed Wilshere from a promising youngster into a mainstay for club and country.

Samir Nasri was Arsenal's stand-out performer before Christmas. Robin van Persie was a class above in the New Year. But Wilshere was exceptional from August to May, a midfield metronome for all seasons.

It's hard to believe how far Wilshere has come in such a short period. This time last year he was, in Arsène Wenger's words, "completing his footballing education" with a loan spell at Bolton. The Reebok was perhaps an unlikely finishing school but it hardened Wilshere and gave him valuable time in the centre of the pitch after starting his Arsenal career on the flank.

Even so, if there had been a betting market for Arsenal's Player of the Season in 2010/11 you could probably have named your price if you were backing Wilshere. He was still only 18, for heaven's sake, and Wenger had a battery of midfield talent at his disposal.

That all changed in pre-season. Wilshere was practically an ever-present and his stock climbed again when Fabio Capello handed him his international debut against Hungary in August - partly due to the teenager's promise, partly a reaction to England's World Cup woes and the demand for a 'new generation' to be given its head.

Wilshere did well in his brief Wembley cameo and his next opportunity was just around the corner: a starting place on the opening weekend of the Premier League season at Liverpool. 

Perhaps he would not have featured that day had Cesc Fabregas or Alex Song been fully fit, but Wilshere did not look out of place and gave Steven Gerrard and company a run for their money during the hour he spent on the Anfield pitch.

You might have expected the youngster to take a back seat after that. But Wenger picked him again. And again. And again. And as the weeks and months unfolded, it became increasingly obvious - Wilshere was a bonafide Premier League player and deserved his place in the team.

His position helped his development. Wilshere emerged through the ranks as an advanced, goalscoring midfielder, but for the first team he was deployed in a deeper role alongside Alex Song. It gave Wilshere a chance to see the play in front of him, allowing him to pick his passes and choose his forward runs carefully.

That partly explains why the goals that littered his climb through the youth ranks have dried up. Wilshere did score against Shakhtar Donetsk and Aston Villa but he may need a positional tweak as well as the experience that brings calmness in the penalty area to get back among the goals.

It's hard to pick holes in any other area of Wilshere's game. He is a tenacious tackler, a wonderful passer - remember his assist for Nicklas Bendtner against Ipswich? - and can drift past opponents with a drop of the shoulder. What's more, he's got bottle and lots of it. When the chips are down Wilshere lifts his team - whether he's in the Nou Camp or the local park.

The 19-year-old admitted that he had exceeded his own expectations in 2010/11 and no wonder. He made 49 appearances for Arsenal - more than any team-mate - and was honoured by his peers in April when the PFA made him their Young Player of the Year.

Arsenal's fans have followed suit and you cannot blame them. They love to see a genuine local talent come good and Wilshere's attitude has also won him support. He shows his emotions, he clearly loves the Club and he connects with the supporters more than most players - Wilshere has more than half a million followers on Twitter.

Our Player of the Season was clearly tiring as the Premier League finish line homed into view but his omission from the England Under-21 squad this summer should afford him a long, deserved rest.

That's just as well - Wilshere has been billed as the future of England but, more importantly, he's the future of Arsenal too.