Michael Laudrup hopes to keep Danny Graham as Arsene Wenger eyes new Arsenal recruits
Swansea City striker has impressed since coming back into the squad
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Your support makes all the difference.The Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup said yesterday that he did not want to lose Danny Graham this month after the striker scored an 87th-minute equaliser against Arsenal at the Liberty Stadium to salvage an FA Cup third round replay.
Graham has been the subject of interest from the likes of Reading and Norwich City having been supplanted by Michu as the team's leading striker. Yesterday was his third goal in three games and Laudrup said that it was his intention to keep the player if he could in this transfer window.
The Swansea manager said that he would speak to all the players who were not playing regularly in the side. He said: "We've not had official bids for Danny. He's playing well right now so obviously he's important for us because he's scoring goals. But let's see what he says. That I am talking to players doesn't mean I tell them they can leave. That's just the way I am. I speak to players who are not satisfied because they are not playing."
Laudrup conceded that the replay made the fixture list even harder for his Swansea team, who play Chelsea in the Capital One Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday. "The last thing I want is to lose a game," he said. "Just before that is a replay. A replay isn't exactly what I was looking forward to especially with the two Chelsea games in mind.
"It's very tight but when you've been at this profession at the top level, playing or sitting on the bench you want to win. It always matters if you lose. But it's a big game to look forward to."
Arsene Wenger (above) said that "one or two" new players could arrive this window with the departures of Marouane Chamakh and Johan Djourou on loan. The Arsenal manager said that his side should have had a penalty for what he said was a trip on Aaron Ramsey by Dwight Tiendalli in the second half.
"It was one and the ref [Howard Webb] saw it," Wenger said. "He didn't give because he thought the guy hasn't done it on purpose. I thought it was accidental but he didn't trip himself. He was caught clearly by the leg of the Swansea player. He had a hesitation, the referee, and in the end he didn't give it."
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