AW “Every Monday I want to rest RVP then every Friday I pick him again! RVP is growing as captain! For me, Olympics, is not a real football tournament; it’s for track and field! Confidence will improve free-flowing play! Szczesny is a real No.1!” RVP “Koscielny is the man!” Koscielny “Me & Per work well together!” Toni Linked!

• Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger doesn't want his players taking part in the London Olympics.

Wenger doesn't rate the football tournament.

He declared: "For me, it is not a real football tournament. The Olympics is for track and field basically.

"If you look at the organisation of the whole summer, it makes life impossible for the clubs and especially the players.

"At some stage you have to decide how far you can go medically for the players to play so many games under so much pressure.

"I would say there is already no real break because of the European Championship and the Olympic tournament."

Wenger then joked: "Why not organise another tournament behind that, so we lose the players again?"

• Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says Robin van Persie is growing into his captaincy.

Wenger admits he did not look a natural leader when he joined for a bargain £2.75million from Feyenoord seven years ago.

Wenger said: "He's made a big improvement on the mental side since he has arrived at this club.

"And I think the final step was the armband. Yes, he had a history of being a bit temperamental. But he is a guy who takes things on board."

• Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admits their football hasn't been as free-flowing as previous seasons.

While they have not played sparkling football, Arsenal's results have certainly improved.

And Wenger still insists that his team will eventually deliver the type of football for which they are famous.

He added: "Our football doesn't trouble me too much at the moment. I do not want to convince people that we play in a fantastically eye-catching way at the moment — but I believe the critics go overboard because, in the past, we've played exceptionally well and they are used to that kind of game.

"And because we have bad results people have just put in their mind that we have a bad team.

"But if you analyse our games deeper, and if you are watching it again, we have some improvements still to make — but it is not as bad as people say it is."

• Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insists Andrey Arshavin is a valuable player in his plans.

Wenger insists Arshavin still has a lot to offer the north London club and is convinced the diminutive playmaker will prove his critics wrong in the next few months.

Wenger said: "You would not be surprised that I disagree with that [George Graham's comments]. That is his opinion. I think he has been great for us and he will still be great in the coming months.

"He is a great player and you have to give him credit for that. He stands up for his performances. I personally respect him highly and I think he's a great player.

"I like Andrey because he has a great attitude. It was a difficult game for him on Wednesday and for all the players who played up front because Marseille defended, they played for a point.

"There was not a lot of space for the strikers and as long as you don't find an opening they will not come out, and that is what happened in the game."

• Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admits skipper Robin van Persie is too important to rest.

The Dutchman's awesome strike rate of 28 goals in 35 games for the Gunners means Wenger is unable to give his injury-prone talisman a much-needed break.

The Arsenal manager revealed: "On a Monday, I always decide to rest him and on Friday, I play him again.

"It is always a difficult decision to make but I'll have to do it at some stage. Robin has scored 28 goals in 35 games so you always have that dilemma. But, as well, you know you cannot continue like that.

"In the last six months he has certainly been at his most efficient.

"You like Robin because he's not a typical goal-scorer. When you see him play it never comes to your mind that this guy is a goal-scorer.

"And then you look at the record and think he's not only a good player, he's a top-class goal-scorer as well.

"For all the other goal-scorers you do the opposite. You think they do not contribute too much to the game but they score the goals. For him it's the opposite. You look, see this is a good player — and then you see that he scores many goals as well."

• Arsenal captain Robin van Persie has heaped praise on defender Laurent Koscielny for his recent improved performances.

The Frenchman was at the heart of the Gunners defence which kept a clean sheet against Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday and has been impressive lately after a shaky start to his career with the North Londoners.

“He played very well in Marseille. From the moment he came here he’s been really good," van Persie said.

“Every player has his unlucky moments but he has done really well for us since arriving. After just one season in the French top division he came to Arsenal and I’ve always liked him, he’s strong, quick, physically good, heads the ball well.

“For me he has everything to be one of the top centre backs around. When you have all those things it just needs a little fine-tuning here and there to become one of the best defenders.”

• Laurent Koscielny is happy over the way his defensive partnership with Per Mertesacker is developing at Arsenal.

The Frenchman fees comfortable alongside the German .

"Personally, things are getting better and better with Per," he said.

"He is a very experienced player, he is an international player, he knows what the very high level is about.

We know that the English league is very different than the other European leagues and there is always time to adapt. Soon he will become a key player in this team."

• Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is delighted with what he's seeing from goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny this season.

And Wenger feels the Pole is far from the finish article.

“It's difficult to say how much but what is for sure is that he has improved - especially in his confidence and his decision-making,” Wenger said.

“I think his determination to come for crosses is calm but commanding. Many aspects of his game he has improved and I expect more to come because he is a young goalkeeper.

“I think he has convinced people that he is at the level to play for us, along with Fabianski and Mannone who I believe are at the level to do that too.

“There is a good competition going on there.”

• Arsenal starlets Conor Henderson and Sanchez Watt have both signed contract extensions with Arsene Wenger.

Henderson has yet to make the breakthrough into the first team but the Republic of Ireland Under-21 midfielder was a regular for the reserves last term.

Striker Watt has scored five goals in six appearances for the second string this season, and the 20-year-old had loan spells at Southend and Leeds.

• Arsenal are being linked with a surprise move for Juventus veteran Luca Toni.

Turin media sources say Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is lining up a January move for the Italy World Cup winner.

Toni, 34, is off contract in June and Juve are eager to cut him loose when the market reopens.

The Bianconeri are unlikely to demand a fee for the striker, instead being satisfied just to get his big wages off the books.

The arrival of Toni would allow Robin van Persie to drop into his more natural position as a 'second striker' working off the big Italian centre-forward.