adminLONDON. — Arsene Wenger and Aaron Ramsey have won the Barclays English Premier League soccer manager and player of the month awards for September in recognition of Arsenal’s flying start to the season. The table-topping Gunners — who many tipped to miss out on the top four before the season started — won all four League games in September, beating north London rivals Tottenham as well as Sunderland, Stoke and Swansea.
Wales midfielder Ramsey scored four League goals in the month, two coming at Sunderland, one at home to Stoke and one away at Swansea. It represents quite a turnaround for the 22-year-old, who had only scored three goals in the last two top flight campaigns combined.
Wenger — currently the longest-serving manager in England — has now won 13 top flight manager of the month awards since his arrival at Arsenal in October 1996.
Arsenal head into the international break top of the league with 16 points from seven games following Sunday’s 1-1 draw at West Brom.
Arsenal began September with a 1-0 win over Tottenham and went on to record three more Premier League victories — over Sunderland, Stoke and Swansea.
They began the month in 12th on three points from two games and ended it top of the league on 15 points.
Ramsey was instrumental in their success, hitting a rich vein of form that saw him score four times, including a brace at Sunderland and the winner at Swansea.
Wenger has been full of praise for Ramsey’s performances this season, saying he is now fully recovered from the horrific injury he suffered against Stoke back in February 2010.
“It took him a long time to get completely over that, especially in duels, in fights (for the ball),” said Wenger last month.
“He was resistant to go into the fights for a long, long time but now he’s over it.
“He had a difficult period last season where people became a little bit impatient with him. He lost confidence and sometimes, if you give the players a little rest, it can rebuild their confidence.
“They can think about their game and come back stronger and that’s what happened to him.
“As for the rest, he scores goals now. I always thought he would score goals if he improved his technical quality.
“When you watched the games, you saw him always in good positions in the box. When he got the chances he missed sometimes but he has improved tremendously on that.
“He has a great engine, a great spirit and has an obsession, he always wants to be better. That is, of course, a very good ingredient.”
Ramsey says he never had any doubts about his ability but has admitted that it did take time for him to regain peak form.
“I never feared that I wouldn’t return. I felt it was always there. I just needed to believe again and get that confidence,” said the midfielder.
“I had a lot of support from friends and family, and I had the trust that the manager put in me.
“All these things added up over a period of time. You have to keep believing and working hard, and it just clicks all of a sudden and you are full of confidence.
“I am delighted with myself and the team. After the disappointing start against Villa, we have turned things around.”
Sky Sports expert Jamie Redknapp believes Ramsey has shown traits of Arsenal’s greatest midfielders this season.
“I think about Vieira and Petit and those big guns and that’s what he’s doing now. There’s a little bit of Fabregas in there as well because he’s adding goals,” Redknapp said after the win over Swansea in September.
“He looks a complete midfielder at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal are showing interest in Everton target Bruno Martins Indi. The Feyenoord defender was lined up by Everton in the summer and they are keen to revive a proposed £8million deal.
However, Arsenal are still keen to bring in a versatile centre-back and the 21-year-old Dutch international is on their scouting list.
Former Gunners star Giovanni van Bronckhorst, now a coach at Feyenoord, said: “He is very good and strong. It is not for nothing he’s a first-choice here and with the Dutch national team. He will make the move to a foreign club in the long term.
“When the time comes and he wants to leave, he will leave the club. We are very happy with him, but we know we cannot compete with the top European clubs.”
And Gunners striker Park Chu-Young is being lined up for a loan spell at Wigan.
The South Korean (28) is not in Wenger’s plans and wants first team football to push for a place in his country’s World Cup squad.
Wigan manager Owen Coyle wants a new frontman after seeing injuries affect his striking options.
He needs strength in depth as he tries to win promotion back to the Premier League while also waging a Europa League challenge. — Mailonline.
Online Reporter