Arsenal’s Wenger still hopeful of signing Arshavin
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger remains hopeful of signing Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin before the transfer window closes Monday despite the failure to agree a fee with Zenit St Petersburg.
“We are always confident, we try our best and respect our budget,” Wenger said Friday. “If we can find an agreement, we will do it, if we cannot we will not overspend what we have planned to do.”
“These kind of stories sometimes develop in the last minute on the final day of the transfer window. It is very difficult to predict.”
Sam Allardyce risked the wrath of Blackburn fans in his determination to be reunited with Senegal striker El-Hadji Diouf.
Diouf, who joined Friday from Sunderland, has been jeered at Ewood Park since diving to win a penalty that gave Allardyce’s then-Bolton side a 1-0 victory in January 2005.
“And nobody has ever done that for Blackburn in the past, have they not?” Allardyce hit back after the two-million pound ($2.9 million; ?2.2 million) move was completed. “If he goes and plays to his best then they (the fans) will soon take to him because he is talented.”
Diouf has had an unhappy seven months with Sunderland since leaving Bolton.
“He can be a little wayward, as everybody knows, but hopefully I’ll be able to control him as much as I did when I was at Bolton,” Allardyce said. “If I can do that, then I’ll get the best out of him. In the time I spent with him we always finished in the top half of the Premier League, no lower than eighth, and we played in Europe.”
Diouf could still feature in up front with Roque Santa Cruz after Rovers rejected Manchester City’s latest bid, reportedly worth 18.5 million pounds.
“He is extremely disappointed, and I can see that, but it hasn’t affected his training, nor on the pitch when he has played for us,” Allardyce said. “You have to say he is a rare breed in the game at the moment.
“In the summer it’s a possibility (he will move). There is a release clause in his contract, and if someone hits the right mark then we would no longer be able to say no.”
City is facing a double rejection after Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear described City’s five million-pound bid for goalkeeper Shay Given as “derisory.”
Kinnear persuaded owner Mike Ashley to release four million pounds to sign Kevin Nolan from Bolton on Friday to plug the gap left by an injury to midfielder Joey Barton, who has been ruled out for 10 weeks with a broken foot.
“I think he is going to be a very valuable player for us and someone who can help us climb back up the table,” Kinnear said.
The 26-year-old English midfielder, who signed a 4 1/2-year deal, made 323 appearances for Bolton following his debut in 1999.
Any hope Tottenham had of Robbie Keane returning after six months may have fallen through after Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez expressed unhappiness with the way Spurs counterpart Harry Redknapp has been talking about the Ireland striker.
“Spurs wanted the player but they had to do things properly,” Benitez said. “They have to make an official offer and we will say yes or no.”
Keane left Spurs before Redknapp took charge and has struggled to establish himself in the Liverpool team. The Ireland captain didn’t even make the squad for last Sunday’s FA Cup match against Everton.
