Wenger in Full Admiration of Mesut Ozil

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted his admiration for German whizkids Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller.

Werder Bremen ace Ozil has been linked with Arsenal, while Bayern Munich attacker Muller is interesting Chelsea and Manchester United.

Wenger is no stranger to investing in youth himself and he believes Joachim Loew should be applauded for trusting his country's young prospects.

"Germany have a good generation," said Wenger told Arsenal.com.

"For me they have three outstanding players in this tournament - [Bastian] Schweinsteiger, Mueller and Ozil. Two of them were with the Under-21s last year.

"Germany were not scared to face the new generation. When it works everyone says it is fantastic. When it does not work, everyone kills you."

Analysis of Summer Spending spree in premier league

From moneybags Manchester City to minnows Blackpool, the Premier League managers are all in the summer scramble for new signings, with the transfer window now officially open.

While the £26.1 million signing of David Silva saw Blues chairman Sheikh Mansour barely blink an eye, such extravagance is beyond the credit limit of heavyweight duo Manchester United and Liverpool. At the the other end of the table, teams such as Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers are looking for the gems that will guarantee mid-table safety.

These are the clubs who will be watching every penny and who should be splashing the cash...

1. Manchester City
The Blues are again in a league of their own when it comes to splurging money on bringing new players to the club. More than £100m is believed to be available to manager Roberto Mancini.

With David Silva and Jerome Boateng already signed up, they could be joined at Eastlands by James Milner, Edin Dzeko and Yaya Toure as the ambitious side aim for the top of the table.


2. Tottenham Hotspur

With a debut Champions League campaign on the cards, manager Harry Redknapp has been given £40m to spend. The majority of this will go on a top class striker, with Sevilla's Luis Fabiano and AC Milan's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar targeted.

Elsewhere, the squad could be boosted by the acquisition of Roma utility man Julio Baptista, while Germany World Cup 2010 utility defender Serdar Tasci is another player targeted.

3. Arsenal

With his defensive numbers decreasing by the day, about £30m is on the table for Arsene Wenger.

Lorient centre back Laurent Koscielny is on the verge of signing and giant Germany World Cup 2010 stopper Per Mertesacker could be next.

Free transfer Marouane Chamakh has already been secured, with Joe Cole set to follow. The future of skipper Cesc Fabregas will determine whether more cash is splashed on a replacement such as Bordeaux's Yoann Gourcuff or Werder Bremen's Mesut Oezil.


4. Chelsea
The days of uncontrolled spending at Stamford Bridge are over and about £25m is available to spend unless Liverpool superstar Fernando Torres is put on the market.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti is reported to have cast an eye on Germany World Cup 2010 stand-outs Oezil and Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller.

With Ricardo Carvalho increasingly injury prone, Benfica defender David Luiz could also make his way to west London.



5. West Ham United
New owners David Sullivan and David Gold have backed manager Avram Grant by placing a £12.5m bid for Santos youngster Neymar, with one eye on his sell-on value in the future.

The highly-rated striker could feature alongside Ghana World Cup 2010 hot shot Asamoah Gyan, Frederic Piquionne and Graham Dorrans after £25m was made available as the Israeli manager looks to make his mark with the Hammers.


6. Manchester United
The Red Devils' hierarchy have claimed Sir Alex Ferguson has cash reserves of £90 million available, but expect £25m at most to be spent this pre-season.

Youngsters Javier Hernandez and Chris Smalling have already been signed up for a combined £20m, and now the Scot must add some established stars to his side.

Dutch World Cup 2010 superstar Wesley Sneijder and James Milner have been linked, while Simon Kjaer could arrive if Nemanja Vidic leaves Old Trafford.


7. Aston Villa
Chairman Randy Lerner has always backed Martin O'Neill in the transfer market and about £18m is available to spend this summer.

South Korea World Cup 2010 defender Cho Yong-hyung has already been linked, while reports suggest overtures for Fiorentina goalkeeper Sebastien Frey have been rejected.

The boss could also return to his former club Celtic to snatch Aiden McGeady if star midfielder James Milner moves on to Manchester City.


8. Wolverhampton Wanderers
After already spending heavily on Burnley striker Steven Fletcher and Hull City duo Stephen Hunt and Steven Mouyokolo, the bulk of manager Mick McCarthy's business has already been completed.

Around £16m was made available at the start of the summer and the leftovers could go on securing Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne on a permanent contract.

9. Sunderland
Following a free-spending summer a year ago, manager Steve Bruce will again be looking to make his mark on the transfer market.

With £15m in the coffers, the boss must decide whether to make John Mensah's move from Lyon permanent. His intention to add more quality to his squad was made clear after a £7m bid was rejected for injured German international Heiko Westermann.

Egypt international Ahmed Al-Muhammadi is expected to join on-loan, while goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has already been signed.


10. Birmingham City
Manager Alex McLeish is keen to add more quality to join new boys Ben Foster and Nikola Zigic at St Andrew's.

With about £15m available to spend, bids for striking duo Bobby Zamora and Peter Odemwingie have already been rejected as the Scot looks to refresh his goal-shy attack.

In midfield, the club remain in the chase for Landry N'Guemo and Ryan Babel, but have given up on Charles N'Zogbia.


11. Liverpool
Manager Roy Hodgson has the biggest re-building job in Britain on his hands, but he will have just £15m to carry out the task.

He is expected to head straight back to Fulham to grab giant defender Brede Hangeland, while ex-Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva could add some experience in midfield.

An emotional Anfield return for Danny Murphy is on the cards, with Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart adding some glamour. Thoughts of a fresh bid for Rangers starlet Danny Wilson are expected to be consigned to the past.


12. Stoke City
Potters chairman Peter Coates has promised to stretch his budget if the right player becomes available and this could see £15m available to manager Tony Pulis.

Top of the transfer wish-list are striking duo Hugo Rodallega of Wigan and West Ham's Carlton Cole.

Any cash left over has been allocated for a player such as Landry N'Guemo, who spent last season on loan at Celtic from Nancy, and out-of-contract Toulouse defender Albin Ebondo.


13. Wigan Athletic

Manager Roberto Martinez shows no sign of stopping with just the club record signing of Mauro Boselli.

With £12m in his back pocket, the Spaniard will be looking to build on his erratic debut Premier League campaign.

World Cup 2010 stars Jakob Poulsen and Siphiwe Tshabalala could add more depth to the squad, while Hamilton starlet James McArthur is close to signing on the dotted line at the DW Stadium.


14. Everton
Manager David Moyes will again be expected to make £10m go a long way in the close season.

After already bringing in young guns Joao Silva and Magaye Gueye - plus lower league hitman Jermaine Beckford from Leeds United - the job now will be to add some more experience to his Europa League-chasing side.

The acquisition of Marseille bad boy Hatem Ben Arfa would add some flair, though Benfica and Paraguay striker Oscar Cardozo would seem to be beyond the club's means.


15. Fulham
The departure of manager Roy Hodgson has ensured chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed will have to make funds available for his new supremo.

Monaco centre forward Park Chu-Young would require the majority of the £8m in the kitty, while a move for Standard Liege's Dieumerci Mbokani has stalled.

Other cheap acquisitions to join Arsenal's Philippe Senderos would boost the Craven Cottage ranks.


16. Newcastle United
With owner Mike Ashley's coffers dry after being unable to sell the club, the days of the Magpies leading the way in the transfer market are over.

Manager Chris Hughton has already moved to spend the bulk of the £8m available to him on Paris St Germain striker Mevlut Erding.

He has also cast his eye towards the bargain basement signings of Bolton trio Jlloyd Samuel, Danny Shittu and Andy O'Brien.


17. West Bromwich Albion
The Premier League's yo-yo team will again be looking to survive on a tight budget.

About £6m will be on offer to manager Roberto Di Matteo, and a great deal of that could be spent on Stoke City's James Beattie.

The veteran would add to Pablo Ibanez and Gabriel Tamas who have already been secured, while promising Ivory Coast defender Bakary Soro is potentially the next name to join.


18. Blackburn Rovers
Adding goals to his shot-shy side is key for manager Sam Allardyce. Much of the £6m made available could be spent on tall Mainz centre forward Aristide Bance.

Reports of glamorous Bosman swoops for Real Madrid pair Guti and Raul have emerged, while impressive New Zealand international Winston Reid would be a smart acquisition at the back.


19. Blackpool
Tangerines manager Ian Holloway has already moved to stop the fans from worrying about a lack of activity, but funds will be limited at the newly promoted side.

With just £5m to spend, top of the to-do list is to wrap up the permanent signing of play-off final hero DJ Campbell.

Arsenal striker Jay Simpson could be brought in to form a new-look attack.


20. Bolton Wanderers
Free transfers and cut-price bids are the order of the day for the cash-strapped Trotters.

Veterans Martin Petrov and Robbie Blake have already arrived, while ex-West Ham United striker Ilan could be next.

With just £5m available, loan fees for Real Madrid starlets Marcos Alonso and Rodrigo Moreno, plus Espanyol winger Valdo, are on the cards for manager Owen Coyle.

Arsenal To launch fresh bid for Mark Schwarzer

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is set to acquire Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer after coming back to their Premier League rivals with a £3.5 million offer.

The Australia international knows of the Gunners’ interest in him and is keen to leave Fulham this summer, with Cottagers manager Roy Hodgson believing the 37-year-old will depart, according to The Mirror.

Wenger believes that Schwarzer is the type of experienced backstop that will help improve his defence, but not impede the progress of young goalkeeping prospects the Gunners have.

Last year’s first choice Manuel Almunia could be let go this summer as Arsenal are grooming Polish starlet Wojciech Szczesny to be the future number one.

Arsenal scouts attended Fulham matches at the end of the Premier League season and Wenger has personally attended his games in South Africa.

Fulham have already rejected a bid of about £3 million from Arsenal, but with the Gunners looking determined to buy Schwarzer, the Cottagers are prepared to lose their veteran goalkeeper.

Biggest World Cup Wins

1) Hungary 10-1 El Salvador – 1982

El Salvador became the first Central American nation to qualify for the World Cup twice when they made it to Espana ’82, but it was to prove to be an unhappy experience. La Selecta lost all three matches, and were on the receiving end of the biggest ever World Cup margin when they were slammed 10-1 by Hungary in Elche.

Laszlo Kiss bagged a hat-trick, while Tibor Nyilasi, Gabor Poloskei, Laszlo Fazekas (2), Jozsef Toth, and Lazar Szentes completed the rout. Incredibly Hungary failed to qualify from the first group stages, as they then lost to Diego Maradona’s Argentina and drew with Belgium.

2) Hungary 9-0 South Korea – 1954

South Korea’s first ever World Cup finals game, and it was a baptism of fire as they faced the legendary Magical Magyars team in Zurich. Greats Ferenc Puskas (2), Sandor Kocsis (3), Zoltan Czibor, as well as Peter Palotas (2) and Mihaly Lantos inflicted the damage in a 9-0 trouncing.


3) Yugoslavia 9-0 Zaire – 1974

Yugoslavia produced some exciting players in the late 1960s and early 1970s, none more so than legendary winger Dragan Dzajic who was on the scoresheet along with Dusan Bajevic (3), Ivica Surjak, Josip Katalinski, Vladislav Bogicevic, Branko Oblak, and Ilija Petkovic as the Blues thrashed Zaire 9-0 in Group 2.

4) Sweden 8-0 Cuba – 1938

Cuba have only qualified for the World Cup once in their history – way back in 1938. In France, the Caribbean nation beat Romania in a replay in the first round before being pummelled 8-0 by Sweden in the quarter finals. Tore Keller and Gustav Wetterstrom both helped themselves to hat-tricks, with Arne Nyberg and Harry Andersson scoring the others.

5) Uruguay 8-0 Bolivia – 1950

Uruguay produced one of the greatest shocks in football history in 1950 as they won the World Cup after an astonishing final victory over red-hot favourites and hosts Brazil. Most people forget, though, that the 1930 winners boasted an outstanding squad with legends such as Juan Alberto Schiaffino. The future Milan star scored twice in their only game of Group 4 as fellow South Americans Bolivia were humiliated. Oscar Miguez (3), Ernesto Vidal, Julio Perez and Alcides Ghiggia fired home the others.

6) Germany 8-0 Saudi Arabia – 2002

Germany surprisingly made it all the way to the final in the much-maligned 2002 World Cup in South Korea/Japan despite a very modest team. In their opening match against Saudi Arabia Die Mannschaft obliterated their opponents 8-0 at the Sapporo Dome. Miroslav Klose hit a treble, with the other five goals shared between Michael Ballack, Carsten Jancker, Thomas Linke, Oliver Bierhoff and Bernd Schneider.

7) Turkey 7-0 South Korea – 1954

South Korea’s first appearance at a World Cup in 1954 was a miserable one as they lost both games, scored no goals and conceded a whopping 16 strikes. This included a 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Turkey, for whom Burhan Sargun (3), Suat Mamat (2), Erol Keskin and the impossible-to-pronounce Lefter Küçükandonyadis scored the goals.

8) Uruguay 7-0 Scotland – 1954

Holders Uruguay followed up their 8-0 win over Bolivia in 1950 with another big score four years later in Switzerland. Scotland were the recipients this time in the second game of Group 3 at the St Jakob Stadium in Basel. Miguez (2), Carlos Borges (3) and Julio Abbadie (2) were the goalscorers as Uruguay progressed to the semi finals where they lost 4-2 after extra time to Hungary.

9) Poland 7-0 Haiti – 1974

Poland had a fantastic 1974 World Cup, eliminating England in the qualifiers before roaring all the way to third place in the real thing by beating the likes of Argentina, Italy and Brazil. In the first group stages they also pummelled Haiti 7-0 thanks to goals from legends Grzegorz Lato (2), Kazimierz Deyna, Andrzej Szarmach (3), as well as Jerzy Gorgon.

10) Portugal 7-0 North Korea – 2010

After drawing their first Group G game 0-0 against the Ivory Coast, Portugal stamped their mark on South Africa 2010 with a 7-0 thumping of minnows North Korea in Cape Town. Raul Meireles, Simao, Hugo Almeida, Tiago Mendes (2), Liedson and Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed the goals as Portugal all but booked their place in the last 16.

Wenger lines up £30M worth of new summer signings

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is ready to splash out £30 million this summer.

The Mail on Sunday says Wenger, criticised by fans after his young side failed to win a trophy since 2005, is to splash out £30million on building a squad to end the drought.

Wenger will make the club's biggest impact on the summer transfer market for more than a decade, with Everton defender Phil Jagielka the latest target, along with Chelsea's England midfielder Joe Cole, Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and Lorient defender Laurent Koscielny.

Wenger is finally ready to make major signings after almost 10 years of being constrained by the club's move to the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal have rarely been major players in the summer transfer market since committing to building the Emirates Stadium 10 years ago, a project completed in 2006 at the cost of £380m.

But the club made £45.5m profit last year, making them one of the few in the Premier League to enjoy a substantial return.

Their financial outlook is much brighter than Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, with more profits expected this year as stadium debts fall.