By Myles Palmer
Arsenal is big enough for Vieira, but Highbury isn’t.
The bottom line is that a club with a 38,000 capacity stadium finds it hard to employ one of the ten best fooballers in the world.
Today’s Mirror story, by Harry Harris, says that Juventus have offered Vieira’s agent Marc Roger £3.5 million in commission if he can procure Vieira to replace Edgar Davids, who has a nandrolone ban.
At this point in time the best player in the world, by far, is Rivaldo of Barcelona.
After that come Shevchenko of Milan, Zidane of Juventus, Figo of Real Madrid, Totti of Roma, Batistuta of Roma, Crespo of Lazio, Kahn of Bayern, Veron of Fake Passport FC and Vieira of Arsenal.
Obviously, Juventus are not as gentlemanly as Roberto Bettega makes them seem. Roget is not a licensed FIFA agent but a French spiv who wangled Anelka away to Real Madrid.
What should Arsenal do?
KEEP VIEIRA FOR ANOTHER YEAR !!!
Juventus have offered him £100,00 a week tax-free. Vieira is 25 today, Saturday, and wants to win trophies and earn megawages like the other nine superstars just mentioned.
At Arsenal he is on £30,000 a week. He is 60% of the team, so the club will have to double his wages, demand a big season from him, and let him go in June 2002.
If Frank Lampard is worth £11 million,and Anelka is worth £23 million, and Figo is worth £37 million, then Vieira is worth £55 million.
Would Juventus pay £55 million now?If they would I might even think of selling him.
Otherwise I would say to Vieira : We thought you had more class than this. We cannot let you go yet.You know that the timing is wrong. We’ve just signed new players to play with you and Thierry and Robert. Zidane wants to go to Real Madrid but Juve will not let him go. He’s too good and too important to be sold. Your situation here is just the same as Zidane’s situation in Turin.
So give us one more season and then go with our blessing. If you want to sulk, you can sulk. If you want to get unpleasant, we can get unpleasant. If you don’t want to play for Arsene Wenger and the best fans in London, we won’t pick you. But you will not be going anywhere until June 2002.
And if Arsenal play Juventus in the Champions League you will be playing for us against them.Or you will not be playing.
ARSENAL MUST TAKE A STAND ON THIS ONE !
It’s that simple. Arsenal MUST take a stand on this one. And it looks as if they will.
On Friday morning I was told that Arsenal were having a board meeting today(ie Friday) after Vieira turned down a three-year extension to his contract.
He said: Why should I sign till 2007 when I don’t know if Wenger will be here in 2007? A fair point.
Clearly, Vieira is more important than Anelka, Petit and Overmars combined.
He is BY FAR the best player in the Premiership and Arsenal need him for one more year.
Vieira is now on holiday in Miami and due back in two weeks.
When he comes back I would say : We thank you for what you’ve done for Arsenal, we know our stadium is too small and we cannot keep you, but you HAVE TO give us one more year.
I would say : You’re 25 now and you can play midfield until 2006 and then you can play at centreback for France in the 2010 World Cup. So what’s the rush? You have another nine years at the top!
7a.m. Saturday 23rd June 2001.