The Transfer Window is officially open

The Transfer window is now officially open and boy are we in for a busy few weeks.

Many big money deals have already been confirmed, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka signing for Real Madrid and Glen Johnson signing for Liverpool.

The next few days are bound to be extremely busy with several big name players tipped to be moving including Carlos Tevez and Karim Benzema. So, make sure to stay tuned to Football Corner for all the latest transfer news as it happens.

Arsenal midfielder would jump at the chance to join Barcelona

"If I have the chance to play for Barcelona, I'd be really happy."

Andrei Arshavin has today shocked Arsenal by claiming that should the opportunity arise, he would love to join Barcelona.

The Russian international moved to the Emirates just five months ago for a reported fee of £17 million. Since his arrival in North London, the 28-year old has scored six goals for Arsene Wenger's men, establishing himself as a firm fan favourite in the process.

Before his move to Arsenal, Arshavin was strongly linked with a move to Barcelona, however nothing ever materialised with regards a move to the Camp Nou. There has been talk in recent times that Arshavin and his wife, Yulia, are unhappy in England due to the high tax rates and the food.

In the immediate aftermath of Arshavin's switch from Zenit St Petersburg to Arsenal, Yulia claimed she would have preferred if her husband had of moved to Spain. Strange thing for Arshavin to say so early into his Arsenal career. Personally, I hope Arshavin doesn't leave the Premier League anytime soon because I'm sure there is far more to see from the little playmaker. It will be interesting to see how the Gunners faithful react to Arshavin's comments.

Arsenal, Villa, Bolton & Man City all set to hold talks with £12 million Portuguese midfielder

It has been claimed today that Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bolton and Manchester City will all hold talks with Sporting Lisbon midfielder Miguel Veloso.

The Portuguese international has been linked with a move to the Premier League for quite some time now, however for whatever reasons he remains a Sporting player, but that may be about to change.

Veloso, 23, is desperate to join an English club during the summer transfer window and with four clubs now vying for his signature, a move looks a strong possibility. Whoever does eventually sign Veloso will have to cough up at least £12 million and in my opinion, at that price, he would prove great value for money.

He is still quite young, he can play in a variety of different positions and he has Champions League experience. Personally, I think Martin O'Neill should do all he can to convince Veloso to go to Villa Park cause at the moment, he could really use a quality midfield player. Stay tuned to Football Corner for all the latest developments on this and more over the coming days and weeks.

Van will be playing in North London next season

Robin Van Persie has today pledged his future to Arsenal amid reports linking him with a shock move to Manchester United.

When asked about the possibility of him leaving the Emirates this summer, Van Persie had this to say : "I'm not in negotiations with any other club - just Arsenal."

The Dutch international has just 12 months remaining on his current deal with Arsenal, however Arsene Wenger remains confident that a new deal will be signed in the coming weeks. Wenger recently stated : "We want to extend the contract of Robin."

Van Persie, 25, was Arsenal's top goalscorer last season scoring an impressive 20 goals in all competitions. With Emmanuel Adebayor likely to depart in the coming weeks, I feel it's vital that Arsenal manage to tie down Van Persie to a new long-term deal. When he's fit and on form, I personally don't think there are many better strikers in the Premier League.

What do you think? Comments below please.

Is the new Arsenal 3rd kit a hit or a miss?

Arsenal have today revealed their new 3rd kit for the 09/10 Premier League campaign. I quite like the new jersey, but I'm keen to hear what you Gunners fans and indeed any football fans feel about the new kit.

You can find several Arsenal jerseys over at myfootballkits.co.uk.

The title race is well and truely back on

That is most definitely the case after Liverpool beat Aston Villa 5-0 at Anfield this afternoon.

A Steven Gerrard hat-trick ensured Liverpool moved to within a point of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table. Following Saturday's result at Craven Cottage, Rafa Benitez' men knew a win would put them right back in the title race and thankfully for the Merseyside club, they did just that.

Many people (including myself) had questioned whether or not anyone could get even close to Sir Alex Ferguson's United just eight days ago, however since then Liverpool have gone on to record two massive victories whilst United haven't claimed a single point.

With just eight games to go now, Liverpool certainly have the momentum over United, however the men from Old Trafford do have a game in hand which could prove crucial in deciding where the title ends up come the end of May.

Although I have always maintained that United will eventually claim the title this season, I don't think Liverpool are a bad bet at 11/4 with most bookmakers. So who's your money on? Leave your comments below.

Over the past few weeks, Football Corner has been running a poll asking you, the reader, who you thought would finish 2nd in the Premier League this season (on the assumption United would finish 1st). Well now that Liverpool have forced their way back into the reckoning, we have decided to start a new poll (which can be found at the top right of the site). It asks : Who will win the Premier League this season? Place your votes now.

Has Cesc Fabregas just lost a whole heap of fans?

It's got everyone in football talking. Did Cesc Fabregas spit at Hull City assistant manager Brian Horton?

The alleged incident occurred just after Arsenal had booked their place in the last 4 of the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over Phil Brown's Hull.

Fabregas, who of course wasn't playing in the match due to his long-term knee injury, has been accused of spitting at Horton, who was walking down the tunnel at the time. The Spanish international has categorically denied the accusation by saying : "I have never done this in my whole career on the pitch, so why would I do it when I am not even playing?"

Fabregas' comments came after Brown had this to say : "I was there and I witnessed it, he spat at my assistant manager down the tunnel ... That is their club captain, hopefully he is proud of himself. He spat at his feet."

I have to say I was shocked to hear Brown make such allegations after the match. He was clearly upset that his side had missed out on a place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and maybe he made the allegations in the heat of the moment, however seeing Hull's chairman and indeed Horton say what they have today makes me think it might be true. I have always admired Fabregas, simply because I feel he is an incredible talent, however if it is proved that he did, in fact spit at Horton, he would certainly lose a lot of respect from myself and I'm guessing a lot of you reading this.

Arsenal take slender lead to Italy while United hold Inter to goalless draw

All in all it was a decent night for English sides in the Champions League this evening.

Arsene Wenger's Arsenal beat Italian side Roma 1-0 at the Emirates to give themselves a really good chance of progressing to the quarter-finals. The Gunners scored the only goal of the game minutes before half-time when Robin Van Persie converted from the spot after he himself was taken down in the area.

Meanwhile, In the San Siro, Manchester United drew 0-0 with Serie A leaders Inter Milan, however Sir Alex Ferguson's men may feel they should have got that all important away goal. Cristiano Ronaldo had a host of free-kicks which were expertly saved by Julio Cesar in the Inter goal.

I would be surprised if both Arsenal and United don't go through now after tonight's results. Arsenal really could of done with another goal or two but having said that I think they will have enough to get a draw in Italy in two weeks time. If United play like they did tonight, I am sure they will have no problems in seeing off Inter, however Jose Mourinho's men are bound to get better in the second-leg.

Everton have today been rocked by the news that midfielder Mikel Arteta will be out for the rest of the season. The Spanish international ruptured his cruciate knee ligament in Everton's 0-0 draw with Newcastle yesterday which now leaves David Moyes without his star man for the rest of the campaign.

The Toffees currently sit sixth in the Premier League with 12 games remaining and personally, I think they will struggle to hang onto to that spot with Arteta.Arteta isn't the only player who Everton will have to do without for the final third of the season. We all know that Yakubu is also sidelined for the rest of the season and for me, they are their best players. No doubt about it.

Arteta is simply irreplaceable for Everton. Without him they are a totally different team. The 26-year old is Everton's joint top-scorer this season and has several assists to his name already so without him I feel they could really struggle to find the net in the coming weeks and months.

Arteta's injury should lead to Segundo Castillo earning a starting role in Moyes' midfield and for me, Castillo isn't half the player Arteta is. It will be very interesting to see how manage without their number 10 over the next few weeks, starting with the visit of Premier League strugglers West Brom on Saturday. What do you think? Will Everton be able to cope without Arteta. Comments below please.

Benitez rejects latest contract offer then sees Liverpool's title hopes disappear, so is it only a matter of time before he leaves Anfield?

It was an interesting day for Liverpool football club to say the least. First, it was revealed that Rafa Benitez had rejected a new contract at the club, then the Spaniard saw his side's chances of winning this season's Premier League title disappear.

Benitez has repeatedly rejected new contract offers from American owners George Gillet and Tom Hicks. Benitez has no problems with the money being offered, however he does have a problem with some of the terms of the contract. The former Valencia manager has insisted he will only sign a new deal at Anfield if he is given full control of all dealings regarding transfers at the club.

As most of us will know by now, Liverpool fans don't like the owners. Simple as that.

It has been reported in recent weeks and days that the summer could bring radical change at Anfield. Either the owners go or Rafa goes and we all know what the fans would prefer. Despite the majority of fans wanting Benitez to stay, I personally feel he will walk once the season ends.

The owners are clearly reluctant to give into Benitez' demands and I think that coupled with the fact that Liverpool won't be collecting any silverware come the end of the season will see Benitez' five year spell at the club end. So, Liverpool fans (or any football fans in general) what do you think? Will Benitez stay or will he go? Leave your comments below please.

How on earth did Cristiano Ronaldo escape injury here?

As most of you will know by now, Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in a crash this morning. The Portuguese ace crashed his Ferrari so bad that the car had to be written off. Luckily for Ronaldo he escaped injury and was even picked up by team-mate Edwin Van Der Sar who was following behind in his Bentley.

As you can see by the picture, the car is very badly damaged, which begs the question, how on earth was Ronaldo not injured? Very lucky break for both Ronaldo and indeed Man United. Sir Alex Ferguson's men entertain Chelsea at the weekend in one of the biggest games of the season and obviously, having Ronaldo in the team will greatly improve their chances of winning the game.

Man City to join Real Madrid in pursuit of £32 million striker

Manchester City are preparing to join Real Madrid in the race to sign Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez. It looks increasingly unlikely that Tevez will remain a United player beyond this season after the player admitted he has yet to be offered a new deal at Old Trafford to make his move to the club permanent.

United know they will need to cough up £32 million to make the Argentine striker's move to the club permanent, however, as of now, they have yet to do so. With United stalling on any possible deal to make Tevez' move permanent, both Manchester City and Real Madrid are understood to be monitoring the situation.

City boss Mark Hughes has admitted today he has tabled several bids for players in the past few days, however when asked about the possibility of Tevez arriving at Eastlands during the window, he remained tight-lipped. Personally, I would be extremely surprised to see Tevez a United player beyond this season.

It is obvious that United are reluctant to fork out such a massive amount of money on a player who sits on the bench most weekends. Tevez has himself admitted he would be delighted to play for Spanish giants Real Madrid, however a move to City may be on the cards considering the club's undoubted financial power. Be sure to stay tuned to Football Corner for all the latest developments on this and much more in the coming weeks.

Arsenal to sign £20 million playmaker in the next ten days ... Spurs fans will be jealous

Arsenal are closing on Zenit St Petersburg playmaker Andrei Arshavin after weeks of speculation over the player's future. The Russian international has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League in recent months after he admitted he would be interested in a move to England.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is desperate to strengthen his squad during this transfer window and Arshavin is his number one target. Arshavin, 27, was on the brink of joining Arsenal's fierce rivals Tottenham during the summer, however Spurs failed to cough up the £20 million needed to sign the player.

Zenit general director, Maxim Mitrofanov, had this to say about the matter : "We have been in discussion with Arsenal now for some time ... They are hoping that a deal will be concluded within the next ten days to two weeks."

Personally, I think this would be a cracking signing for the Gunners. There is no doubt Wenger needs to spend during the window if the club are to have any hope of winning the title this season. I have always rated Arshavin very highly and I feel the sooner he arrives at the Emirates the better.

Former Chelsea and Arsenal target arrives at White Hart Lane ... What a move for Spurs

Former Arsenal and Chelsea target Stephen Appiah has today joined Tottenham for a weeks trial after several months as a free agent. The former Fenerbahce midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to the England since leaving the Turkish giants back in August and now Spurs have given him a chance to impress.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is keen to strengthen his squad this month and Appiah has now been brought to White Hart Lane in an attempt to add steal to the midfield. Appiah, 26, is widely regarded as one of Africa's best players and is the captain of the Ghanaian national team.

Personally, I think this is a cracking move for Spurs. They are getting a terrific holding midfield player for absolutely nothing and the only surprise for me is that it has taking so long for anyone to sign him (well basically sign him). Hopefully all goes well in the next week and Appiah becomes a Spurs player because I feel he could be a real success in the Premier League.