Daily Links: The It's Almost Over Edition

Wenger still in?
(Photo courtesy Timothy Boyd)

International breaks are always a nuisance even when they're wholly necessary. I'll gladly sacrifice a couple weeks throughout the season for the glorious tournament that awaits next summer. The World Cup is always a good time.

Regardless, it's not easy to go 13 days without the Arsenal at this point in the year, but I'll take it. Aside from a few injuries that need some time to mend, a few days away from Colney and the Emirates after the hectic North London Derby and final few days of the transfer window probably did everyone some good.

Naturally, the lack of club games has led to its usual narrative driving from the media. An interesting piece suggests Arsene Wenger deserves a new contract. Obviously, this is a big talking point among Arsenal supporters, but the points made are worth discussing. (ESPN FC)

Still no exact timetable for Thomas Vermaelen's return, but it should come some time this month. Ideally, he'd be back for Sunderland on Saturday. That's unlikely. The defender is apparently eyeing the League Cup tie at West Brom as his first match of the season. (Daily Star)

We've all heard this from different sources, but it's nice to hear straight from the player. According to Mesut Ozil, it was the phone call from Arsene Wenger that quelled any concerns he had about joining Arsenal. (The Guardian)

Cesc seems to think Ozil will be a good fit for Arsenal. Anyone else picture Cesc watching Arsenal matches in a room plastered with Arsenal posters and drinking whatever crappy beer Spanish people drink while watching matches? (ESPN FC) 

Some interesting points from Kenny Dalglish on England's problem producing young players. I've always thought England was complaining about a non-issue here. However, the fact remains that England is never among the favorites for international tournaments. (Daily Record)

Gervinho apparently blames Arsene Wenger for his failure at Arsenal. Nothing here about constantly missing wide-open chances and being generally terrible most of the time. I used to defend Gervinho because he genuinely seemed to care and work hard. Not anymore. (The Independent)

Some interesting quotes here about how an eventual Arsenal trophy will be especially "sweet" because of the club's refusal to go into debt to win. I agree, of course, but I think it'd be better of if a trophy is won before we start talking about it. (The Telegraph)

A new series from the club features interviews with club legends. First up is Nigel Winterburn. (Arsenal)

Some idiot in the Arsenal system talked about placing a bet on the Ozil signing. No one knows what the "action" was, but the deemed it "appropriate," which is always good. (BBC Sport)

Apparently, Arsenal and West Ham are trying to sign some Cyprian striker I've never heard of. He's currently a free agent, and he's 27 years old. That's about as much as I know. (Express)