ARSENAL TRANSFER NEWS: Boudebouz, Taarabt, Raffael - Plus Van Persie and Szczesny

Of all the Premier League clubs, Arsenal remain the most publicized in the transfer market, and any club that is second in the category isn't even close to challenging the North London club.

There is still more than two months remaining before the January transfer period begins, and there has already been widespread reports of players coming and going to the Gunners.

Two of the notable rumours that have been floated around are that Robin van Persie is linked to Manchester City, while Wojciech Szczesny is headed to Barcelona.

It almost seems that the British press is intent on destroying the Gunners by creating fabricated speculation that Arsenal would part with two prized players, and to two clubs that took away their top midfielders this past summer, no less.

With two years remaining on his contract, van Persie is not going anywhere, and 21-year-old Szczesny is certainly not leaving the club.

Metro went as far as to describe van Persie's chances of leaving Emirates as looking increasingly likely.

Arsenal's link with Manchester City, meanwhile, has grown to preposterous proportions. It's gotten so bad that normally tight-lipped manager Arsene Wenger sounded off on the constant speculation that even his most prominent striker is up for grabs.

Anybody who wants to sign one of our players ... everybody has my phone number and can call me, he said, according to The Guardian. I never said I was unhappy with Man City but I don't know why we speak about transfers. I will never answer any more. Robin is under contract until 2013. This is a story created to create a story. There is no truth in it. Why should we sell players in January? Man City already have problems because they have too many strikers, they pay half of the league for them to play away somewhere. Why should they want to buy strikers? It's very difficult to understand.

As for Szczesny, even the young goalkeeper is finding the possible move to Barcelona laughable.

According to Szczesny on Twitter: Please continue the 'Szczesny to Barcelona' rumours. Makes me laugh everytime I read it. Haha.

Things will get considerably easier for the Gunners as the schedule eases up on them, which should settle things down at Emirates and cool unsubstantiated talk of Wenger getting sacked. Of the next eight Premier League games, only Chelsea at Stamford Bridge should pose a difficult challenge.

The lighter upcoming matches should serve as much-needed relief for the Wenger. Arsenal, currently tied for 12th in the EPL, began the season with matches at Manchester United and Tottenham, and at Emirates against Liverpool.

It certainly seems that Wenger made a major summer mistake by delaying the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, and then dragging his feet to find replacements. In the process, Arsenal got off to a poor start with an under-manned squad that was also devoid of superstar midfielders, and now faces more internal distractions about the direction and personnel of the club.

Wenger can make up for his procrastination by upgrading the club in January, and there are several players who have been linked to Arsenal to help the decision process.

The major name that has recently surfaced is 21-year-old Sochaux playmaker Ryad Boudebouz. While Wenger has shown an interest in Sochaux midfielder Marvin Martin, it's possible that Boudebouz might be the less expensive option at roughly £6 million. The People reported that Wenger is a big fan of the Algerian international.

Metro cited German reports that suggested attacking midfielder Raffael of Herta Berlin is an Arsenal target. The 26-year-old Brazilian is under contract until 2014, and is valued at roughly £4 million, which is a price that the Gunners have shown a willingness to dish out.

Another possibility is Adel Taarabt, of Queens Park Rangers. The Moroccan midfielder recently said he wants to leave the club in January for financial reasons, and had been linked to Arsenal in July. Should Wenger renew interest in the 22-year-old winger, he would probably arrive for less than £15 million.

Other potential additions include Lewis Dunk, Daniel Parejo, and Jan Vertonghen. Centre back Gary Cahill could still be in Wenger's plans, as well.

There's a long way to go until January, but the fact that Arsenal continue to have some players on their radar is good news that the club wants to make a determined effort to improve.