As unsettled midfielder Lassana Diarra looks on the verge of
leaving the Emirates Stadium for Portsmouth, full back Bacary Sagna
maintains Arsenal are a young team very much on the up.
Diarra, 22, only arrived from Chelsea in August, but he has voiced
concern at a perceived lack of first-team opportunities after just
eight starts, and only four in the Barclays Premier League.
Manager Arsene Wenger had made it clear he wanted Diarra to stay
and fight for his place.
But after leaving the midfielder out of the squad for the first leg
of the Carling Cup semi-final against Tottenham earlier this month,
the Gunners boss now appears willing to allow a clearly unhappy
player to leave.
Portsmouth are understood to be close to completing a £5.5million
deal, as Harry Redknapp seeks re-enforcements for a squad which has
been hit by players leaving for the African Nations Cup.
Wenger, meanwhile, maintains he has no intention of dipping into
the transfer market despite the loss of Ivory Coast duo Emmanuel
Eboue and Kolo Toure, his regular centre-back, as well as youngster
Alex Song.
Arsenal saw themselves slip off the top of the Barclays Premier
League following a 1-1 home draw with Birmingham last weekend,
which was followed by Manchester United's 6-0 thrashing of troubled
Newcastle.
The Gunners head to Fulham on Saturday looking to extend their
unbeaten run to 11 games and in search of a sixth away league win
to keep the pressure on the Red Devils.
Sagna, who joined from Auxerre in a £6million deal during the
summer, is in no doubt Wenger's men have the "mental strength" to
last the course.
"Before the start of the season, everyone was speaking about our
team, and it being young. We wanted to show them we can play better
and better, even if we are younger," he said.
"We have shown how mentally strong we are and that we can win even
if we are losing."
Sagna told Arsenal TV Online: "Everyone can support the pressure -
and I think the pressure is actually on the other teams, but not
us."
Born in France to parents of Senegalese descent, the full-back has
quickly established himself in the Gunners side, forming an
impressive partnership with Eboue down the right before the winger
left for the African Nations Cup.
Sagna has chalked up close to 30 first-team appearances already,
with Wenger admitting the defender's rapid progress had come as a
"complete surprise".
The 24-year-old has credited his fast adaptation to a "fighting
spirit" and being able to throw himself into his role head
on.
"It is a great chance for me and I am very happy," Sagna said. "I
arrived and tried to play my own game quickly.
"Playing for Arsenal is fantastic. I try to do better game after
game and I would like to thank everyone who has helped me
adapt.
Sagna added: "It is different for a forward because defenders are
so hard on them, for me it was easier.
"I have always had a fighting spirit and wanted to play for a great
team. Now I am playing for Arsenal and want to show what I can
do."
Wenger may have ruled out any major moves into the transfer market
himself, but reports suggest Arsenal are close to a deal for
highly-rated Torpedo Moscow defender Vyacheslav Dmitriev, which
would bring the 17-year-old to Emirates Stadium at the end of the
campaign while Russian striker Andrei Arshavin is another said to
be on the Gunners' radar.
With talks on-going to secure the arrival of youngster Luke
Freeman, 15, from Gillingham, Wenger remains keen to recruit
home-grown talent whenever possible.
That policy, though, often comes at a price, albeit with no
concerns over whether they can settle into a new way of life.
Wenger reflected: "There is less uncertainty about English players'
adaptation period. You know what you get.
"When you get a player from Spain, for example, there is always a
question mark. Will he adapt to the English winter? Will he love
the country? Will he want to stay?
"With English players you don't get that kind of problem."
The Arsenal manager accepted the luxury of time to weigh up a
potential transfer target is not often available.
"We need to make quick decisions because we are competing with the
other clubs. Some you have to say 'yes' or 'no' without the time to
get all the guarantees," Wenger said.
"You can go home at midnight and if you don't make a decision by
5am then the guy has gone somewhere else. He'll have two planes
booked. One goes to, say, Paris St-Germain and one comes to
London."
