By Ian Grant
Arsenal have agreed a £130m kit deal with Nike starting in 2004 and lasting ten years, according to the Evening Standard.
£55m will be paid to Arsenal in 2006, with a letter of credit available now, so that the banks funding the stadium can be assured of some financial guarantees. Arsenal hope to have £260m funding in place by the end of September.
This morning, Reuters reported that Arsenal signed a new 55-million-pound ($88.5 million) seven-year kit manufacturing deal with Nike, the premier league club said on Friday.
The new deal, starts on July 1 2004 until June 2011, with an option for Nike to prolong for a further three years.
“Arsenal Football Club will grant to Nike exclusive worldwide rights as the official kit sponsor of AFC and as the manufacturer, marketer and seller of licensed technical replica apparel, footwear, equipment, including the replica kit,” Arsenal said in a statement.
Arsenal’s shirts are emblazoned with 02 following a two-year sponsorship deal agreed last year with British mobile phone operators mm02, is reported to be worth six to 10 million pounds.
…and Vieira hopes to sign by Tuesday
Patrick Vieira says he hopes to sign his new contract on “Monday or Tuesday” but warned he could yet leave at the end of this season when his current deal expires if he cannot agree terms with the club.
“I hope I will sign. I will have a meeting with the (vice-) chairman (David Dein) on Monday or Tuesday and I hope that will be the last meeting,”. The money is sorted out. As I said, on Monday
“We said we wanted to finalise everything before we start the premiership season (next Saturday),” said Vieira, who should start for Arsenal in Sunday’s Community Shield game against Manchester United. I hope I will sign by Saturday. If not I will stay for the year left on my contract.”
Vieira would not elaborate on the sticking point in negotiations.
“I can’t really talk about it,” he said. “I want to get the best deal for myself. The club want to get the best deal for the club.
“We are going to find a solution, I am not worried at all about it. There is not a major problem.
“We are in the process of finalising everything and I hope that on Monday or Tuesday I can announce that I have signed the contract.”
Vieira added:”Of course I am quite disappointed like the rest of the team that we have signed only one person but I really believe that we are good enough.”
Team/Players
Wenger has warned Arsenal fans not to expect any more pre-season signings.
Wenger insisted he was not worried by his lack of transfer activity. “I do not expect to sign any more players. We have lots of good young players and I am pleased with their attitude.” He added that this was the year he was planning to integrate several youngsters into the first team squad.
These include, Pennant, Svard (out on loan to Copenhagen), Aliadiere, Bentley, Senderos and Volz (out on loan to Fulham).
Wenger’s priority is to ensure captain Patrick Vieira commits himself to a new contract. “There’s no news yet. It is all going well, but as long as it is not signed, it’s not signed.”
In the bargaining stakes it hasn’t helped that Vieira has been voted the greatest foreign player ever in English football. The Arsenal midfielder has earned the accolade from a powerful panel of experts, including managers, asked to name their all-time top teams of international imports.
Nor by the fact that Zinedine Zidane said his French compatriot would be a welcome addition at Real Madrid if he decides to leave Arsenal.
Sol Campbell feels Arsenal’s squad may struggle to conquer Europe this season and should concentrate on reclaiming the Premiership title. However he added that the knock-out format of the Champions League may favour Arsenal this year.
Kanu said he won’t renew his contract, next year, unless he gets improved terms. Meanwhile, the Nigerian coach has urged Kanu to move clubs to enhance his international career.
The French goalkeeper Guillaume Warmuz has joined Borussia Dortmund from Arsenal. Dortmund gave no details about the transfer, which follows the German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann’s move from Dortmund to Arsenal.
Wenger said of his new goalkeeper, Lehmann: “He is experienced, he is used to playing under pressure, he is intelligent, he speaks English and he has a good personality. We have also got him for the money we were prepared to spend.
“He is a leader and somebody who takes responsibility and I think that even Stuart Taylor accepts that maybe he is still a bit too young to lead the team for a whole season. Stuart knows he can also learn from another experienced goalkeeper coming into the squad.”
Following interest from PSV, van Bronckhorst said he likes it at Arsenal and wants to stay.
Transfer talk
The Express on Sunday says Arsene Wenger has told Steve McManaman he will rescue the former England player from Real Madrid.
Olympique Lyonnais have made a £5million move for Sylvain Wiltord. Wiltord is currently in contract talks with Arsenal but so far unable to come to an agreement with the club. He reportedly wants a four year contract and Arsenal are said to have offered two.
Paris St Germain president Francis Graille has dismissed claims the club were interested in signing Sylvain Wiltord.
Sammy Kuffour, Bayern Munich’s commanding central defender, says he wants to play for Arsenal. The Ghanaian international’s wife has family in England and Kuffour, 26, said in an interview with African Soccer: “I would like to play for Arsenal. I like the way they play. They play as a team and all fight for each other. We played at Highbury and the fans were incredible.”
Bayern will be loth to let Kuffour leave, but Bundesliga clubs, even Bayern, lack the financial resources of England and are still suffering the repercussions of the collapse of the Kirsch Media empire which underwrote their television income.
Odds
The latest Champions League odds from William Hill are: 100-30 Real Madrid, 5-1 Man Utd, 7-1 Juventus, 8-1 AC Milan, Bayern Munich, 10-1 Arsenal. Chelsea are 20-1, with Newcastle 40-1.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have been pushed out to 9-4 to regain the Premiership title with Ladbrokes, their biggest price about the Gunners since the end of last season.
The Cantor Index is taking spread bets on how many points the leading Premiership football clubs will gain in the 2003-2004 season. It expects Manchester United, the champions, to get between 79.5 and 81 points, and Arsenal between 76.5 and 78 points.
Miscellaneous
The Mirror reckons Arsenal are one of the clubs being targeted by the latest South American consortium looking to move into the English game. Three businessmen from Venezuela have formed a group looking to gain a controlling interest in an English club – preferably one of the London sides.
Mel Goldberg, who is representing the them, said: “My clients are all big football fans and, despite missing out on Chelsea, they are still keen to buy a club before the start of the season. Ideally it would be a Premiership club in the London area, and a club which we could go into without huge debts.”
Old boys
Former Arsenal striker Omer Riza has signed a two year contract with Turkish club Denizlispor.
Ex-Arsenal left back Nigel Winterburn has retired from professional football and is seeking media work.