Arsenal Face Udinese in Champions League Play-off and Arsenal Manager Wenger Guided Arsenal To The 2006 Champions League Final

Arsenal will have to see off Serie A outfit Udinese if they are to reach the group phase of the UEFA Champions League and the Gunners were paired against the Italians in Friday's play-off draw and the arsene Wenger's men are regulars in the Europe's premier club competition are paying in the price for a fourth-place finish in a Premier League last season.

Gunners will be at home for the first leg of a tie against italians on Tuesday 16 August, with the return leg seven days later and bayern Munich face FC Zurich, Dutch side FC Twente take on Benfica and Lyon take on Russia's Rubin Kazan and the Gunners are bidding to join Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City in a group stage.

Arsenal face the qualifying tie to reach the group stage of a Champions League for a 14th consecutive season and they finished 4th in last season's Premier League and arsenals CL record Finalists - 2006, Semi-finalists - 2009 and the Quarter finalists 2001, 2004, 2008, 2010.

Arsenal confirm signing of Lille striker Gervinho and the 24-year-old scored 15 goals to help Lille win the French league and Cup double last season.

International career for a Gervinho is the captain for the Ivory Coast Olympic team. In September 2007 he scored along side Metin from the penalty spot to help secure a 3–1 victory over Mali in a Beijing 2008 qualifying game and he was named in the Ivorian senior squad for the first time for the friendlies against Angola and Qatar in November 2007, and was picked for the Ivorian squad for their 2008 African Cup of Nations campaign in Ghana where he was given the number 97 shirt.

He made his competitive debut for the Ivorian team during the 2008 Nations Cup where he made two substitute appearances and On 15 June 2010, Gervinho played his first match in a World Cup and he played 82 minutes of their opening match in Group G against European rivals Portugal and he was voted for man of the match by ITV1 viewers for his contribution during the match.

The Gunners are currently on a pre-season tour of the far East and manager Arsene Wenger said for a Gervinho has joined. He had a medical on Thursday and the We sent him home for a couple of days because he has a family and children and he did not come [on tour] because he has not had a [training] session yet.

Gervinho, who captained Ivory Coast at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, recently told France Football magazine and i chose Arsenal because it's a young group within which I will be able to integrate easily and i had no hesitation none and they are in a transfer there's always a period of analysis and negotiations.

The Premier League is a notch above and it's maybe have best league in the world and i want to live that sensation and the paris St Germain have also enquired about Gervinho but Lille general manager Frederic Paquet did not want to "strengthen a competitor" by selling to a domestic rival.

Arsenal and France international defender Gael Clichy is undergoing a medical at Manchester City and he has been a regular in the Arsenal defence in recent seasons.

The 25-year-old full-back who joined the Gunners from French club Cannes in 2003, is out of the contract at a Emirates Stadium next summer and he has reportedly told Arsenal he wanted to leave last month, and had been linked with Liverpool and Roma.

The City are rivals for his signature, with the deal reportedly worth £7m and the arsenal boss Arsene Wenger faces an anxious time with playmaker Cesc Fabregas again being linked with Barcelona and the Midfielder Sami Nasri has also been tipped to leave the club, and is thought to be a target for both City and Manchester United.

The Gunners, who return for pre-season training this week ahead of a tour of Malaysia and China, have been strongly linked with a move for Bolton defender Gary Cahill and Wenger recently claimed that it will be late into pre-season before there is significant movement in the transfer market and the We are in a waiting period, everybody is waiting, said the Arsenal boss in an interview with Alsace TV.

International career for Gael Clichy has earned caps with all of France's youth teams for which he was eligible and he was a late participant at under 15 level under coach Luc Rabat and he made his youth international debut on 13 March 2001 in a 3–0 friendly win over Italy.

Clichy appeared in 10 matches as France attempted to qualify for the 2002 UEFA European Under 17 Football Championship and he made his debut with the team on 19 September 2001 in its opening league match of the season for a 1–0 win over Yugoslavia  for a qualifying for the UEFA-sanctioned tournament.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger reveals Almunia concern

Arsene Wenger believes transfer conjecture is unsettling Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia - excluding warned competition is part of life at a top football club.

The Gunners have been a great deal linked with Australia international Mark Schwarzer all summer, with Fulham uphold they have twisted down two bids for the 37-year-old, supposed to be in the region of £2million. Wenger will stay faith with Almunia for Saturday's visit of newly endorsed Blackpool, but uphold no one player can be guaranteed a place in the starting XI.

"It is a very responsive subject which is hard for me to talk about. You can appreciate that he is unsettled by that situation, but on the other hand, when you play at Arsenal, that is what you have to deal with," said Wenger.

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