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Nas tells AW: Snap up my mate

By 2011/03/25 5 Comments

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by CARL ELDRIDGE Samir Nasri is nudging Arsene Wenger in the direction Udinese’s Mehdi Benatia – so says the Moroccan defender. Benatia, 23,  played with Nasri in the Marseille youth team and is still in touch with the France international.

And Benatia has revealed that Nasri has asked AW to take a closer look at him as the club seek a stand-in for TV5, who has been out with an Achilles injury since September. “My friend Nasri wants me in London with Arsenal. We’re great friends. We got to know each other in Marseille where we shared a room,” Benatia told Gazzetta Dello Sport.

“He wants to do it. When I was in France, at a small club, he said to me ‘I am going to talk to Arsene Wenger’. And I told him that he was crazy, but now he is more decisive.” Benatia’s impressive performances have attracted the interest of several clubs across Europe, and he has been linked with moves to both England and Spain this season.

Meanwhile, AW is said to be poised to sign Dutch wonderkid Stefan de Vrij, despite the Feyenoord youngster revealing that his first choice would be a move to Barcelona. As we know, we are desperately short of cover in the centre of defence, after injuries to TV5 and Johan Djourou left us with just Sebastien Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny as our only fit options.

But AW is not looking for a quick fix, instead opting to stay true to his policy of signing young prospects with a future in the game. And it is reported that he has now made 19-year-old De Vrij his number one target, after witnessing the youngster impress in the Eredivisie.

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Eldo71

Arsenal fan for 40 years. Schoolboys, North Bank, Clock End then East Upper. Then Emirates. AFC dream team: Wilson, Dixon, Sansom, Adams, Pates, Brady, Williams, Pires, Bergkamp, Henry, Wright. Subs: Seaman, Eldridge, Wilshere, RVP, Ball. Manager: Arsene Chapman.

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  • John in Norfolk

    Not sure I would be too ready to sign a player who has expressed a wish to play for Barcelona….We’ve seen where that can lead.

    If Wenger is seriously looking for centre back coverage, Wes Brown is said to be leaving Man.U in the summer, could he be the next Sylvestre? :lol:

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  • oz gunner

    surely a title winning defender from manu couldn’t back fire on us?!

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  • oz gunner

    great way to get your name in the spot light, just say your good friends with nasri. If you look up the bloke you’ll see he’d struggle getting into cardiff, let alone arsenal.

    i’m thinking arsene rings up fergie and offers him a few players for vidic. Chuck in denilson, diaby, almunia, fabianski, rosicky, bendtner, and squidge. Im mean thats 7 players for 1 so by shear weight of numbers its a good deal. VDS is retiring so we are giving them 2 world class keepers to help out, hargreaves is going so we are giving them two world class defensive midfielders, giggs and scholes are coming to the end so rosicky can take over there mantle, rio is done so in squidge you have an ever reliable defender who can partner with smalling, and finally fergie can offload rooney because of all the in-fighting they have and use bendtner up top!

    Everyones a winner!

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  • John in Norfolk

    Oz gunner, I like your thinking, it’s amazing but your list of players to leave matches mine exactly.

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  • Bigsyisback

    Just have Defoe from us as he is a world class striker who does nothing for 7 months and scores 10 goals in 4 games, and people still rave about him, he must be the reason Harry walks with a limp, and also have VDV, he will be able to speak to Van Persie in the treatment room in their native tongue..but you are not having GALLAS, he is a quality defender who has really shored up our back line and was a freebie wonder, now who could be silly enough to let him go ? a man who knows nothing about defenders I reckon.. :D

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