- Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny has revealed that Thierry Henry is running around at training like he is 20 years old again.
The 34-year old French veteran, on loan from New York Red Bulls, has grabbed the headlines this week after returning to the Gunners line-up to score the winner in the FA Cup third round against Leeds United on Monday and his teammates are astounded by his energy around the club, particularly Koscielny.
"He is leading by example, we saw it on Monday night," Koscielny said.
"At training, he runs everywhere. It's like he is 20 years old.
"It's thanks to players like him that we all improve. He is one of the greatest players to have played football and the squad needs to look up to him in the next two months to improve.
"Maybe he has missed the atmosphere here, at the club and the stadium. We can see at training that he plays like if he was 20 and as if he had just broken into the first team.
"He wants to score, to help the team and to improve."
- Arsenal attacker Gervinho has hailed Robin van Persie as a ‘dream’ player and hopes he does not leave the club.
The 24-year old is currently on national team duty with Ivory Coast ahead of the African Cup of Nations but still managed to get in some words about his club captain who had a quite brilliant 2011 but has just 18 months left on his contract.
"I don't want the sale of Robin van Persie. Arsenal is a team that needs good footballers and leaders on the field,” Gervinho said.
"Robin is a player who pushes companions to work harder and give more effort during matches. He is a dream to play with.
"van Persie is the captain and the boss in the group, without doubt. I saw that from my first day at the club.
"For me, when opponents see Robin on the other side, it is a huge psychological blow. I am always happy playing with him."
- Arsenal legend Robert Pires admits he could already be playing top flight football again this season.
The 38 year-old is currently training at Arsenal to keep fit, but revealed he was all set to sign with St Etienne only for a change of president to scupper the move
"I can and I still want to play. It will be very difficult in Europe," he added.
"I'm at a stage of negotiations with China. I also have interest from India."
- Fiorentina have opened talks with Arsenal for Marouane Chamakh.
Chamakh's African Nations Cup commitments haven't put off the Serie A club, which are already discussing a fee with Arsenal for the striker.
An agreement is close, though nothing will be rubberstamped until the final days of the market as Fiorentina monitor Chamakh's fitness while he's away with Morocco.
- Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta is grateful for his grounding in Glasgow.
Arteta was just 19 when Rangers secured his services from Barcelona in 2002, following a successful loan spell with Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1.
“In my second year at Paris St-Germain we played Rangers in the Champions League at Ibrox,” he said. “I was really impressed with the stadium and everything that went with it.
“In February that year they came over and said they wanted to sign me. At the time I was only on loan in Paris and Barcelona wouldn't sell me to another Spanish club.
“It wasn't easy to find another club like that because they were asking for quite a lot of money for me for my age. So I took the chance to go there. At that moment, Rangers were a big club, with big players, playing in the Champions League.
“But Scottish football was tough, really tough. It was really physical, people got at you and I had to improve on that a lot. I think I did that to get to the level that the Premier League required of me.”
- Arsenal youngster Ignasi Miquel is delighted to be working with club legend Thierry Henry in an official capacity.
Miquel believes his experience will prove vital on and off the field.
“It's amazing,” the 19-year-old said. “He can give us a lot of experience, a lot of things that he has learned in his past and give it to the team.
“The team needs it and I think it is a big, big signing. I am sure he is going to help a lot. It is strange but this is the world of football.
“You see the best teams playing in Champions League Finals or winning titles and then suddenly six or seven years later you find yourself around them. It's surprising but I am happy for it.”
- Arsenal youngster Ignasi Miquel has put his hand up to help out at left-back.
Although having played the majority of his Arsenal career in the centre, the 19-year-old is confident that he can make the transition to full back.
“In the last two or three years I have been playing at centre back so it's quite hard for me to get back to left back,” Miquel said. “But to be fair I used to play there and you more or less try to remember what you can from when you were younger.
“Once you get there training and playing a couple of games, it is just another position. I think it's a position I'm going to learn much more in so I just have to try and keep focused anytime I play.
“I think I have had a lot of opportunities this season, unfortunately because there were a lot of injuries, but overall I am happy to be getting minutes for the first team in the Premier League and the Champions League.”
- Arsenal defender Ignasi Miquel was eyeing a loan move.
He was seeking a loan to the Championship if didn’t play.
Spaniard Miquel, 19, has been filling in for the club's crocked defenders.
He said: "Before these injuries I was thinking of the Championship."
- Wolves defender Stephen Ward says Arsenal loan signing Emmanuel Frimpong has settled quickly.
Ward admits he has not only been impressed with Frimpong's abilities on the pitch but also with the player's character, allowing the new recruit to settle in quickly.
"Manny did very well on his debut. It was a massive game for him to come into," the Republic of Ireland international said. "It was nice for him to get involved and he acquitted himself very well.
"He's a young lad with plenty of energy and he got stuck in.
"He's big and strong and he'll be a bonus for us - he's enthusiastic and he wants to play. He can put his foot in too, although he's not so used to the way we play and train. But he's a nice lad and he's settled in quickly which is good because one thing the gaffer always makes sure about is he brings in good characters.
"And Manny is a really top lad so he'll be a very positive acquisition. Hopefully he can bring a bit of that silky play at Arsenal to Molineux for a few months.
"I'm sure if there are one or two more of the same character with similar quality who we can bring in, it will be a case of onwards and upwards for us in the second half of the season."
- Anderlecht fullback Jordan Lukaku has ambitions of playing for Arsenal.
Jordan is the younger brother of Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku.
"My favorite team is Arsenal," said Lukaku. "I hope soon to go to London to visit Romelu, but also to see Thierry Henry train."
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