Manager Arsène Wenger is to open talks with defender, midfielder and all-round good guy Gilles Grimandi about an extension on his Arsenal contract.

Grimandi is probably the most improved Arsenal player this season. From being a squad player competing for a place on the bench, he's gone to impress in the first team after injuries to Tony Adams, Emmanuel Petit and Matthew Upson and the suspensions of Patrick Vieira and Martin Keown.

"He has been magnificent for us this season," Wenger says to Soccernet. "He has played in three different positions and looked comfortable in all of them."

But can Soccernet be trusted? Maybe not after reporting that Grimandi "played non-league football in the south of France" before he signed for Arsenal in 1997. An insult if there ever was one for a man who won the French championship with Monaco, alongside Petit.