Thomas Vermaelen News

Lucrative commercial tie-ups and new TV deal mean Gunners are ready to pay A 20m-plus for first time AND cough up huge wages Arsene Wenger will be given a huge budget to transform Arsenal back into genuine contenders next season by making summer signings.

Liverpool today said goodbye to a club legend when Jaime Carragher bows out from professional football.

A year after the Manchester heavyweight contest was decided by a knockout blow at the bell, the Premier League was unable to squeeze any late suspense from the only truly meaningful battle left on the final day: a middleweight scrap between the two North London clubs for the fourth and final Champions League place.

Wenger looks pre-historic, post-Fergie; Moyes - leave Everton players alone; Newcastle need leader in Kevin Nolan mould a Part two: QPR to Wigan Athletic West Ham United's Kevin Nolan and Newcastle United's Hatem Ben Arfa in action.

Arsenal defender Johan Djourou has little desire to return to the club when his loan deal with Hannover 96 expires as he looks to stay in the Bundesliga.

Thomas Vermaelen says his first season as Arsenal captain has been a valuable learning experience - regardless of his own ups or downs.

The Gunners are increasingly confident of signing the Swansea City centre-back this summer as they prepare a summer bid, having held initial discussions in April Goal correspondent Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Ashley Williams after holding a second round of talks with the player's representatives, Goal can reveal.

Despite Arsenal 's sterling run of form since their defeat to Tottenham in February, few would deny that there is ample room for improvement during the summer.

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur may have missed out on Ajax centre half Toby Alderweireld, following reports that the Belgian international will join Roma at the end of the season.

Swansea defender Ashley Williams has reportedly been given a A 10million price tag by the Welsh club - leaving prospective suitors like Arsenal and Liverpool to ponder his worth.

Pep Guardiola, who is set to take over as coach of the Champions League finalists in the summer, wants the French central defender as part of the new Bavarian regime at the Allianz Arena.

FC Basel defender Aleksander Dragovic says a move to the Premier League would represent the "highest level" of competition following reported interest from Arsenal .

Reports claim the Bundesliga champions have enquired over the availability of the Frenchman, who has established himself as a key part in the Gunners' recent resurgence.

Arsenal will only care about the three points they took from their 1-0 win over QPR, because the performance that produced the result was mediocre at best.

It has been stated that Pep Guardiola, who will join the club in summer, is a huge fan of the centre-back and he is on their list of the potential trnsfers as Pep is working on his new squad at Munich already.

Theo Walcott feels he has shown manager Arsene Wenger he has what it takes to play a central striker's role as Arsenal look to secure a top-four finish.

The Spanish midfielder was appointed as vice-captain to Thomas Vermaelen last summer and has relished his new responsibilities on and off the pitch.

It's a familiar scenario, and one that many fans - not to mention club staff and former players - feel uneasy and dissatisfied seeing as the ultimate goal of every season.

One of the players whose stock rose the most after Arsenal 's recent draw against Manchester United was Laurent Koscielny .

Regardless of where Arsenal finish this season, it is clear that the team has some rebuilding to do ahead of next season.