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LoginMONEY TIGHT AT ARSENAL
19 posts
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Wenger will have to watch his spending
The hopes of Arsenal fans that the club would be major movers in this summer's transfer market have been dashed by acting managing director Ken Friar.
While Friar reassured a meeting of 'senior supporters' that Arsene Wenger had cash at his disposal for new signings, the details of his speech revealed that the Frenchman's kitty probably does not stretch to £30m - approximately half the sum champions Manchester United are understood to have made available to Sir Alex Ferguson.
'Although Arsenal's most recent financial results revealed the club had cash reserves of £69million, Friar explained that this entire pot is not completely available to bankroll new signings,' reports The Daily Telegraph. 'He stopped short of giving an exact figure but it is understood that around £25m has been set aside to secure future repayments of the club's debts while the board must also meet additional transfer fees payable on existing squad members, which is believed to cost in the region of £20m.'
The details are somewhat curious, however, in so much as Arsenal spent relatively little last summer when recruiting Bacary Sagna and Eduardo but recouped significant sums when selling Thierry Henry, Jose Reyes, Jeremie Aliadiere and Freddie Ljungberg. They also made a profit of around £3m when selling Lassana Diarra to Pompey in January having bought the midfielder for approximately £2m from Chelsea on the final day of the summer transfer window.
Wenger has expressed hope that he will be able to make a new signing in "the next two or three weeks". Following the departure of Mathieu Flamini to AC Milan, a central midfielder is his priority, with Manchester City's Michael Johnson and Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry thought to be among those on his shortlist.
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Vieira: Gunners must pay up
PATRICK VIEIRA warned Arsenal they must flash the cash to keep their best players — or face the consequences. The club’s former skipper admits he is extremely worried fellow Frenchman Mathieu Flamini joined AC Milan on a free transfer with Emirates boss Arsene Wenger refusing to break the club’s strict wage structure.
To make matters worse, Alex Hleb wants to buy out his contract and join Vieira at Inter Milan, although he faces fierce opposition from Wenger. And Real Madrid would love to take Cesc Fabregas — Arsenal’s brightest star — to the Bernabeu.
Vieira fears they could all go unless the Gunners start paying top wages. Speaking at a Ford Feel Football event, Vieira said: “Flamini is a big loss to Arsenal because he has been fantastic in the past two years. “If they carry on losing players like that then it will be a worrying time for them.
“When young players like that are allowed to run through to the end of their contracts it means the offer from Arsenal wasn’t the best. “That’s maybe why he decided to leave and you have to respect his decision. Arsenal have a really young team. I believe they should keep most of the players if they want to be better than last year.
“Flamini has left and I don’t know what’s going on with Hleb. When players see other players leave like that then of course they will ask what Arsenal want to do. “If they want to compete with Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool they have to keep their best players and, if the best players leave, then people will question what Arsenal want to do in the future.
“I think all the younger players deserve a good contract and if Arsenal mean to keep them they should offer them a good contract. “They have shown how good they are, they are committed to Arsenal and the club must show how important they are by offering them good contracts.
“I stayed loyal because Arsenal wanted to compete against the best teams in England and in Europe. My contract was good as well so I didn’t have any reason — either financial or sporting — to leave and other players deserve that as well. “I don’t believe Wenger should buy big stars because I believe the Arsenal team at the moment is fantastic. “But they need one or two key players with experience to help them through the big games.”
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Arsenal close in on Ben Arfa
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While off-the-field matters are important, Arsenal are also expected to announce soon, possibly within days, their first major signing following a disappointing end to a season that promised to deliver another League title. The most likely arrival appears to be the France international left-winger Hatem Ben Arfa, who has long been admired by Wenger and who claimed in the French sports newspaper L'Equipe that he is in talks with the Gunners. "It is true that we have spoken about Arsenal, but we will see how it is going to happen," he said.
The French season has not yet ended and Ben Arfa, a 21-year-old of Tunisian descent who can also play as a central striker, has endured a difficult season at Lyons under coach Alain Perrin. Although having just been voted the French league's young player of the season, he has been in and out of the team. Ben Arfa has been in talks to extend his contract but has sought first-team guarantees, while a swap deal involving Marseilles' Samir Nasri has also been mooted.
Arsenal know that Lyons are a notoriously difficult club to negotiate with and that Ben Arfa's public declaration may be a bargaining tool for his own ends, but an offer of more than £11m is likely to succeed. It would also be a statement of intent from the club who have been angered by suggestions that they are strapped for cash in the transfer market.
Ken Friar, Arsenal's acting manager director, has reassured the influential Arsenal Supporters Trust, that a sizeable kitty is available to Wenger which includes cash rolled over from his lack of spending last season. Arsenal are also targeting a powerful central defender and there may possibly be a third new arrival to counterbalance the loss of Mathieu Flamini and the expected departure of Alexander Hleb.
Arsenal are increasingly impressed by Kroenke and want to foster closer relationships with the American who has signed up to the lock-down agreement over share sales which effectively prevents the club being taken over before 2012 – although there is a termination clause in October 2010. Kroenke, who also has interests in ice hockey, basketball and American football, has worked hard to develop a marketing relationship with Arsenal.
It is unlikely that he will be offered a place on the board in the near future but such is the degree of trust that has developed between the parties – in contrast to the Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov – that he is likely to be asked to join before the end of the year.
Edited by zocoss 14 May `08, 1:53PM
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sell Lehman, Senderos and Gallas.
Think Arsenal is reeling from the debt from the Emirates Stadium.
cash out on walcott. Arsenal have Van Persie and Adebayor & with Eduardo coming back from injury - they don't need walcott.. Sell him to raise cash
Run so fast go what use? Your striker not fast enough to get your cross also firing blanks. And so far this season, any match turning performance from him? None.
With Flamini gone and Hleb maybe going, spend the cash on a winger, midfielder and central defender - they don't cost that much. if Ben Arfa is indeed coming, he can take the midfield complimenting Febregas.
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