Chelsea have made a formal approach to Newcastle United for Cheik Tiote.
The London Evening Standard says Chelsea have made an official enquiry to Newcastle over Tiote as they step up their search for a replacement for the injured Michael Essien.
It is believed Newcastle will demand £15m for the Ivory Coast international, a fee Chelsea will be prepared to pay because of his age and potential.
Andre Villas-Boas has made signing a combative midfielder a priority following Essien's injury with Porto's Joao Moutinho and West Ham's Scott Parker also on the list of potential targets.
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Arsene Wenger is confident that Cesc Fábregas will stay at Arsenal. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images
Arsenal have been caught up in two of the summer's loudest transfer sagas, over whether the captain Cesc Fábregas will move back to Barcelona and if Samir Nasri will join either of the Manchester clubs. Arsène Wenger, the manager, has kept his counsel but in his first interview of the pre-season, from Malaysia, where the club have begun their mini-tour of the Far East, he was keen to clarify his position.
Why are you so confident that Cesc Fábregas will stay?
I am confident because I hope he will see that there will be no greater achievement for him in his life than to lead this team to success and that it will not be the right period for him to leave the club.
In one breath, you say "confident" but in the next, you say "hope". There seem to be a few grey areas ...
I think Cesc has always been torn between his love for Arsenal that I feel is really genuine and, as well and what you can understand, the desire to play for the biggest team, at the moment, in the world. I think both exist in his head.
Have you had a meeting with him since his return for pre-season last week to discuss where his head and his heart are leaning?
Yes. I cannot speak about the meeting but he knows that I want him to stay.
He is under contract until 2015 so, technically, he cannot force his way out?
No, but you can only be in if you are completely in. He is the leader of the team. He has to be completely focused and convinced that he wants to stay.
If he is not completely focused, Arsenal would presumably still not let him go unless they got what they felt was the right price for him?
Yes. But we want to keep him and for us, it's not a question of money. We are not there to make the money. We are there to keep our best players. We have managed the club well to be in a position to say "No". For any money. We have the potential to do that because we are in a healthy financial situation. But, on the other hand, you need as well the player wanting to be with you.
That's clearly the issue, isn't it? You have to be convinced that Cesc, in his heart, wants to stay, 100% ...
I am convinced, but I want him to be convinced.
Surely, he can give his best on the pitch only if he is 100% committed?
Some people questioned his last season but I never question his commitment. This guy is a real winner and if he did not have the expected season, it was down to injuries. He played in some games where he was not right completely but he wanted to play, to win.
You seem to be in a similar situation with Samir Nasri?
No. Samir's situation is clear for me.
He definitely stays, come what may?
He stays. So if a club comes in with a big offer, knowing that he's in the final year of his contract, you will say, "You're staying..."
I've just told you that we are in a position where we can say "No".
And you will, in the case of Samir?
We will.
You think that it is worth more to have Samir for one more season and risk losing him on a Bosman free next summer than to cash in now?
Yes.
That could be construed as a £20m gamble?
[Smiling.] You are the same people who reproach me for not spending money and now you reproach me for wanting to spend it! It is in the interests of the club. Fábregas is in no man's land ... Imagine the worst situation, that we lose Fábregas and Nasri; you cannot convince people that you are ambitious after that. And even if you lose Nasri, to find the same quality player, you have to spend again the same amount of money because you cannot say you lose the player and you do not replace him. And the other clubs who come to take him have scouts all over the world as well but if they come to us for our player ...
You clearly don't want to sell Cesc but it's been like a feeding frenzy with the Catalans saying, officially and unofficially, that they will get him for this amount and that they will get him. Is there a message that you want to send to them, once and for all?
Ha ha. You know what they do. I can only speak for ourselves. For us, it's not a question of money. It's a question of desire. We want Cesc to be with us but we want him as well to be happy with us. I have heard people say that we do not want to keep Cesc. We are desperate to keep Cesc. And we will fight for everything because you do not educate a player for eight years as we have done only to want him to go once he is at an age to deliver. We want to keep the team together.
The boldest official statement from Barcelona this summer came from the president Sandro Rosell when he said that Cesc was worth less now than what he bid for him last summer [£40m]?
That is disrespectful to Cesc. I rate Cesc so highly that for me, he is top, top, world class. He is certainly in the top five midfield players in the world.
In summary, if Cesc is not happy, you would let him go?
I want him to be happy and to stay.
But if he said he was unhappy...?
That's the only way, he could get out. I don't think he's unhappy but he wants to go back to Barcelona. If we wanted to make a money situation and wanted to sell the player, we put him on the market and we ask "Who gives more?" But that would not be the conversation. For us, it's not a question of money. It is a question of Cesc wanting to be with us. And I think he is torn because he loves the club deeply. We will fight until the last second to keep him.
How important is it that you emerge from the transfer window with a bigger and stronger squad
The message that we give out is important. For example, you see about Fábregas leaving, Nasri leaving ... if you give that message out, you cannot pretend you are a big club. Because a big club, first of all, holds on to its big players and gives a message out to all the other big clubs that they cannot come in and take away from you.
You have big games at the start of the season before the window closes, including the Champions League qualifiers...
I have a basic team in my head that can start the season and it is important as well to settle psychologically and that the players who are here focus on the season and not the transfer market. The players who are here will ask "Will he go, will he go?" That is not the way to prepare for the season.
Would a major signing convince the players who are ambivalent about staying?
What is very difficult for us is that as long as you do not know that this group stays together, you cannot strengthen the team because you think, "If he goes, I have to do what?" I also cannot really tell you [a transfer target], I want you because if he stays, you cannot come in. So you are in no man's land and that is terrible. That is why the transfer period basically should stop when the training starts.
So you need Fábregas to give you a quick answer, one by this week?
We have to stop at some stage. Cesc now comes back to training in London from a muscle injury so I hope we can close that very quickly. In our favour.
Gunners boss confirms deal as side prepare to begin tour of Far East, with Ivory Coast international arriving from French champions for a fee believed to be £10mthe best odds and bet on Ligue 1.
The Ivory Coast international, who notched 15 goals and 10 assists to help the French side to their first league title in 57 years last term, arrives at the Emirates Stadium for a fee believed to be £10.6 million.
Wenger revealed the news about Gervinho as his side arrived in Malaysia ahead of their pre-season tour of the Far East.
TheGunners reportedly agreed personal terms with the 24-year-old last month, but have spent the intervening period in talks with Lille over an agreed price.
Gervinho, who will not join the Gunners on their Far East tour, becomes the second summer arrival at the Emirates Stadium after the signing of full-back Carl Jenkinson from Charlton Athletic, as Wenger looks to revamp his squad in a bid to end the club's six-year trophy drought next term.
The news could well constitute the final nail in the coffin of Nicklas Bendtner's Arsenal career, with the striker currently the subject of interest from Borussia Dortmund and Sporting Lisbon as well as several English clubs.
Sunderland have signed Wes Brown from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £1million, after he agreed a four-year contract.
The 31-year-old England international has signed up with the Black Cats on a deal until June 2015.
Sunderland had a joint bid of more than £12million for Brown, John O'Shea and Darron Gibson accepted last month, and Republic of Ireland defender O'Shea was also on Wearside on Thursday for a medical.
Black Cats manager Steve Bruce said: "We are delighted to welcome a player of Wes' ability, experience and character to the club.
"He has been a fantastic professional for Manchester United through the years and not only will he strengthen our defensive options, he will also bring with him a winning mentality and level of maturity which can only be positive for the players around him."
Brown is Bruce's seventh summer signing after Ahmed Elmohamady, Connor Wickham, Craig Gardner, Ji Dong-won, Keiren Westwood and Sebastian Larsson, and is unlikely to be the last with O'Shea and Blackpool midfielder David Vaughan also understood to be close to agreeing deals.
The defender made senior 361 appearances for United over 15 years as a professional having joining the club as a 12-year-old, and has five Premier League winners' medals.
Brown won 23 England caps before announcing his retirement from the international game last summer.
He will bring a welcome versatility and vast experience to the Stadium of Light, where his arrival will go some of the way to making up for the loss of loan signings Nedum Onuoha and John Mensah.
Ostensibly a central defender, he can also play at right-back and with O'Shea equally comfortable across the back four as well as in midfield, Bruce could have healthy options at the back next season.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson admitted it had been a tough decision to allow Brown to leave the club.
He told United's website: "Wes has been a great asset to the club during the most successful period in its history.
"He was a product of the youth system and marked himself out from an early age as one of his generation's most natural defenders.
"In his time with us, he certainly became a favourite with the fans for his no-nonsense approach to the game and his infectious personality.
"It's always the hardest of decisions to let loyal servants go. But life moves on and, unquestionably, Wes will get the chance to make a real contribution to Steve Bruce's Sunderland, and I'm delighted to be passing him into such good hands.
"Everyone connected with United wishes him a long and happy stay at Sunderland."
Meanwhile, Sunderland have appointed Bryan 'Pop' Robson as their new chief scout.
The Sunderland-born former striker, who returns to Wearside from his last post as an international scout for Chelsea, played 174 times for the club during three spells, served as reserve-team coach and Academy director and even stood in as caretaker manager.
He said: "Sunderland is obviously a club very close to my heart. I had great times here both as a player and as a coach, so I'm thrilled to be back working with Steve Bruce and his excellent management team."
ON TUESDAY I was stopped in the street in Camden by an Arsenal fan, who asked me, simply: 'What the hell is going on with our club?'
It sounds brutal, it sounds blunt, but it sums up the mood of the supporters as this summer lurches from frustration to despair.
Gael Clichy's move to Manchester City wouldn't bother me much in normal circumstances.
I'm not that fussed by it on an individual basis as Kieran Gibbs is coming through nicely. But now it looks like Samir Nasri is set to join him.
Since when did Arsenal become Manchester City's feeder club? And with Cesc Fabregas looking a goner to Barcelona too, it's very, very sad to see. How on earth will Arsene Wenger attract any top players to Arsenal?
It's come to something when a player like Clichy feels Arsenal is not good enough for him anymore. He can see that Man City is going to be challenging for top trophies next season.
For a start, he won't have to go through Champions League qualification, unlike Arsenal. It is a club going places and this summer City look like they will kick on again. Manchester United have made it clear they mean business too, being bullish in the transfer market and buying Ashley Young, Phil Jones and the keeper David De Gea.
Liverpool have got Jordan Henderson and are making serious moves for Stewart Downing.
Chelsea have got a new manager in place and will soon be very active.
Arsenal are being left behind. And the trouble is, when all the top-class players have gone, it becomes extremely difficult to lure other top players to your club.
Wenger has put his faith in picking up little gems from abroad, little-known players who he can nurture and develop. All very well. But he has filled the dressing room with players who 'owe' him. It's a nice cosy arrangement.
There are no players who are big enough and experienced enough to turn around and say 'hang on boss, let's try this, or let's do that'.
Serious teams need established world-class players, who can bring it to bear in February and March when the youngsters need a gee-up, when the going gets tough and the demands of a long season kick in.
He's been asking too much of the young players he's brought through.
Nicklas Bendtner, Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Clichy, are all good players but Arsenal should be courting the star players before they move to other big clubs. But they're nowhere to be seen.
What's Wenger doing? I see the Gervinho deal looks close to being finalised. He might be good, fingers crossed. Well I'm sorry but fingers crossed doesn't work anymore. It hasn't worked for six years since the Gunners last won a trophy.
Downing, Jones, Henderson. Even Young. They might not be the sort of players Wenger likes but at least those other clubs are having a go. And by doing so, they send out a statement of intent they want to be even better next season.
I'd love to see Wenger being given the same sort of transfer pot that the likes of Jose Mourinho had at Chelsea, or Andre Villas-Boas will get. The same backing Alex Ferguson enjoys at Manchester United.
I'd be so curious to see where he goes and what he does with it.
But I have my suspicions that he would still dither about, take too long to make up his mind and then plump for someone in France or Spain hardly any of us have ever heard of.
Fabregas has clearly recognised the fact that Arsenal will not be competing with their rivals in the transfer market.
He has been loyal to them and played his best but now he can see what's going on and looks set to go.
That's been going on for some time but the whole transfer thing is like a house of cards. Once one big name wants out, the rest see it and it all comes tumbling down.
I get accused of having a go at Arsenal. But I'm only putting in bold black and white the problems that the real fans are deeply concerned about.
And I'm not referring to those who came with the flash new Emirates Stadium, some of whom don't like singing on Saturday afternoons.
I've been engaged in fierce debates with some of whom have fallen for this guff that at least Arsenal's not in debt. They point out that the Glazers have borrowed fortunes in Manchester United's name.
True. But Man Utd have also been in three Champions League finals in the last few years and have won Premier League trophies and FA Cups. Man Utd may have debts but I tell you this, if the club suddenly went on the market, it would be sold within a week. Would that happen with Arsenal? I'm not so sure.
Real fans don't give a hoot about debts. They pay a lot of money to come through the gates and they don't want to see their heroes passing them on the way out.
Wenger is still the right man for the job but he needs proper backing and I do feel that sometimes he needs a good shaking.
Right now, I can't see Arsenal challenging for the Premier League title next season, which is seriously depressing in July!
What I'd like to see are some bullish signings.
Go out and chase the likes of Michael Essien. Get him back on top form and he's a fabulous player, plus you'd be getting a player from Chelsea, one of Arsenal's supposed rivals from the Premier League and just across the River Thames.
Then go for keeper Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany and get your own back on Manchester City.
Make the rest of English football sit up and take notice for once - not just Arsenal fans who can see the lights going out on their club.
