Arsenal Transfer Rumours: Cahill, Fabregas, Nasri and Today's Top Stories

Arsenal are all over the news reports and musings coming out of the rumour mill this week, with the start of the 2011-12 Barclays Premier League season just around the corner. Setting aside Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri (for just a moment), the Gunners practically blew up the football world today when they officially signed Southampton starlet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on a £12 million transfer after weeks of speculation and negotiations between the two clubs.

Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has not been shy to stoke the flames of gossip surrounding the Emirates, hinting at the strong possibility of some other big moves to be made:

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"We want to add not quality, but super quality. We hope to give you some good news soon. Next week, something might happen." 

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The Gunners are set for their first EPL fixture against Newcastle United at St. James' Park on Saturday, with a UEFA Champions League play-off match against Udinese of Italy's Serie A the following Tuesday.

There is still plenty of business for "Le Professeur" and his players to attend to before then. Let's have a look at who and what to watch for in north London this week.

Gunners Look to Shore Up Defence From Among Pack of Players

 Now that Oxlade-Chamberlain is on board, Gooners are hoping that Wenger will (finally) turn his full attention to addressing the club's defensive shortcomings.

Unless, of course, anyone thinks 19-year-old Carl Jenkinson is the solution to Arsenal's woes in front of the net.

The need for new blood is even more pressing now that defenders Thomas Vermaelen and Kieran Gibbs have succumbed to injury, Vermaelen with a minor back issue and Gibbs with a problem in his thigh.

The Gunners have long been mentioned in connection with a number of high-profile back liners, including Gary Cahill of the Bolton Wanderers, Phil Jagielka of Everon and Chris Samba of Blackburn Rovers, though a new name has emerged as perhaps a more likely possibility.

According to ESPN Soccernet, Wenger has been in negotiations with Werder Bremen of the Bundesliga about acquiring German international Per Mertesacker. The 26-year-old centre back will reportedly cost Arsenal somewhere in the neighborhood of £6 million in transfer fees, which would be a significant savings for the Gunners considering that the aforementioned Englishmen would each run cost approximately £20 million to bring on board.

With the Premiership season so close at hand, Wenger doesn't exactly have much time to waste negotiating and gathering funds to acquire a big-money footballer. Hence, Mertesacker, who is well known for being a clean defender despite his height (1.98 meters/6'6") and excellent on set pieces because of it, makes perfect sense for Arsenal at this point.

Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri Going Nowhere...Still

As far as outgoing players are concerned, don't expect to see Cesc Fabregas and/or Samir Nasri leaving north London anytime soon.

Wenger has already granted Gael Clichy's release to Manchester City this summer and still, despite weeks upon months of speculation, is not about to let go of his prized midfielder and winger, respectively.

La Liga and UEFA Champions League trophy-winner Barcelona have been hard after Cesc for years now, yet have been unwilling to meet or exceed the Gunners' asking price of £35 million in transfer fees. In the meantime, rumors have continued to swirl that Arsenal are preparing to let go of Fabregas after leaving him behind while the rest of the club traveled to Lisbon for a friendly against Benfica this past weekend.

Wenger addressed that particular bit of gossip, emphasizing that Cesc didn't play because of a lingering hamstring injury and that he has no desire to let the Spaniard walk away:

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"I don't think Fabregas will be ready to start the season because he has been out for a long time and has had no games. I do not want to speak about the transfer of Fabregas because I have done that three years now at every Press conference so I don't think there is any more need to add something. I love Fabregas and I want him to stay, that is basically it. Everybody is free to think what they want. We cannot stop people raising questions."

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Of course, those questions won't stop coming, nor will they halt with regard to Nasri. According to Metro Online, the 24-year-old winger is still unhappy with the club going into the last year of his contract and that relations between the two parties have turned sour.

Wenger, now more adept than ever at fending off speculation, said of the matter:

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"I cannot speak about it but there is no major problem between Samir and myself."

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Certainly, just about everyone with some connection to Arsenal, from the players and the coaches to the Gooners on the ground, has tired of all the non-news concerning Fabregas and Nasri and can't wait for the season to finally start.

A season, by the way, during which Cesc and Samir will not only play for the Gunners, but play well enough to lift the club back to the top of the table in the EPL.

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