AZ Alkmaar boss Gertjan Verbeek has urged midfielder Adam Maher to join Arsenal, amid interest from Dutch rivals PSV Eindhoven. Goal.com linked the Gunners with a mid-season move for the 19­-year-old playmaker earlier this month. However, the Premier League club have yet to place a bid.

Adam Maher
Reuters

"I think Arsenal would be a good environment for him. Under Arsene Wenger, these young talents have often improved. I think he [Maher] is very good and can grow there a bit like Robin van Persie," Verbeek said in a report by the Metro.

Maher has five goals from nine Eredivise starts and has attracted interest from a number of other English clubs, including Premier League champions Manchester City, European champions Chelsea and Tottenham, according to the Mirror.

The Dutch club value the player at £8.5m, which may be a tad on the higher side for so young a player. However, despite his critics, Wenger is not shy about spending large sums of money - he signed England international Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Southampton in 2011, for a fee of £15m.

The Gunners have also been linked with Bastia midfielder Florian Thauvin recently.

Ramsey on New Role

Meanwhile, Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey has admitted he loves his new holding midfield role. The 22-year-old recently signed a new long-term contract with the north London club.

"I had a meeting with the boss the other week and he explained to me what's required for this role. I think I've done that in the last couple of games and I feel good in myself. [I've been] getting stuck in and winning the ball back, been involved a lot more and got a lot of touches of the ball so hopefully I can continue the form I'm in at the moment," the youngster said, to the club's Web site.

Arsene Wenger
Reuters

Wenger on Substitutes' Impact

Finally, Wenger has praised Arsenal substitutes Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs, for their role in the 3-2 FA Cup win over Championship side Brighton. The underdogs twice pegged Arsenal back and the Gunners needed Walcott to score in the 85th minute to guarantee progress to the fifth round.

"They came on with great spirit, with their qualities and they are in full power at the moment. The other players were tired. Santos and Rosicky have not played for a long time, while Oxlade-Chamberlain has missed a bit of competition as well. When you bring on fresh legs of that quality, it helps," Wenger told Arsenal Player.

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