He's had it coming for years and now he's finally off. No, not Luis Suarez, but Arsenal misfit Nicklas Bendtner, who is one of 11 players who will leave the club at the end of the month.
The Gunners have confirmed that the Danish striker will be released when his contract comes up at the weekend, reports the Evening Standard. Also on the way out are Bacary Sagna and Lukasz Fabianski, who have organised moves to Manchester City and Swansea City respecively. Another striker who couldn't hit a barn door, South Korean frontman Park Chu-Young, currently preparing to fly home from the World Cup in Brazil, will also become a free agent.
Loan signings Kim Kallstrom and Emiliano Viviano will head back to their parent clubs after making little or no impact at the Emirates, while the rest of the unwanted players are youngsters, although the once highly-rated Chuks Aneke is among them.
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Meanwhile, despite being banned for four months by Fifa, bitey bad boy Luis Suarez could still move clubs this summer. Metro reports that the player will be allowed to join another club during the transfer window, although he will not be allowed to play for them until the autumn. That, says the paper, is "good news" for Barcelona, who are still keen on the £80m striker, whose presence at the Camp Nou would certainly give a new twist to the Catalans' motto: more than a club.
On to players who still have a part to play at the World Cup, and the race to sign Belgium striker Divock Origi is hotting up faster than the water Suarez currently finds himself in, with the Daily Star claiming Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham are all on "red alert" after the 19-year-old admitted he quite fancied filling his boots in the Premier League.
Origi is the talk of the town after scoring Belgium's winner against Russia on Sunday and the Star says it's only a matter of time before he leaves French club Lille for pastures new. Apparently the Premier League trio all sent their scouts to France last season to run the rule over Origi, and he's responded by confessing his love for English football – or at least the domestic league.
"As a little boy I always dreamed of playing in the Premier League," he said. Pressed on whether a move across the Channel was imminent, he replied: "Now I'm in an important tournament so I'm try to focus on the team... then my entourage will see with [Lille] what I'll do." The Star says Spurs have already tabled a £6m bid but that's £2m short of Lille's asking price.
One can only hope that Arsenal have a sturdy set of scales at the Emirates because not a day passes without the Gunners apparently "weighing up a move" for some big name – or not, as the case may be.
Today, according to the Daily Express Arsenal are poised to make a move for Molde goalkeeper Orjan Nyland as Arsene Wenger looks to find a replacement for Lukasz Fabianksi. Earlier in the summer Arsenal were said to be chasing Real Madrid gloveman Iker Casillas but that was before the shotstopper's skills went Awol during Spain's woeful World Cup. Instead, the Express says reports in Norway suggest Arsenal scouts have been tracking the 23-year-old for the past season and a bid is pending for Nyland, who last year was voted goalkeeper of the tournament at the Under-21 European Championships.
Meanwhile, might the Gunners still be on the tail of Mexico star Guillermo Ochoa? Talksport seems to think so, and the broadcaster reports that the Gunners and Liverpool "have been handed a huge boost" in their bid to sign him after Barcelona confirmed they had landed Chile gloveman Claudio Bravo. The Catalan club had been reportedly closing in on Ochoa, who was outstanding for his country in last week's goalless draw against Brazil, but those rumours turned out to be as groundless as a pledge of good behaviour from a Uruguayan striker. Instead Barcelona have confirmed they've signed Bravo from Real Sociedad.
The future of 19-year-old Diego Poyet is a cause of intense speculation following the publication of a statement on the official Charlton Athletic website. Poyet, son of Sunderland manager Gus, has told the London club he won't be reporting for pre-season training "as he wishes to explore his options elsewhere". Where those options might be, the website didn't hint, but Sky Sports says the talented midfielder has recently been "linked to the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham".
Finally, the Daily Mirror reports that Manchester City have signed Porto star Fernando in a £12m deal. The Portuguese club released a statement on Wednesday evening in which they confirmed that the 26-year-old midfielder is on his way to the Etihad. City have been after the Brazilian-born playmaker since January and is seen by the Sky Blues as a like-for-like replacement for Yaya Toue, expected to leave the club after the World Cup.
