The Daily Star says Stan Kroenke couldn’t make the dates Peter Hill-Wood made for a potential meeting.
Keith Edelman, managing director of Arsenal has been made chairman of Nirah, a mega-aquarium complex being built at a disused clay pit south of Bedford, which opens in 2011. It will no doubt lead to speculation, but very little should be read into it.
Sister paper the Express says Arsenal will move for Ryan Babel after discoving a £6m get-out clause in his contract. He rejected Newcastle for £8m in January.
Babel, described in some quarters as a potential new Thierry Henry, is a friend of Robin van Persie and visited The Emirates earlier this year.
The paper also says Reading’s director of football, Nicky Hammond who has good releationship with Arsenal chief scout Steve Rowley, is rising up the short-list of the director of football post. However, the newspaper City-AM virtually says Remi Garde has the job, with Jean-Michel Aulas saying the 41 year-old is unhappy at Lyon in a similar position. Surely there’s a doubt about this. Would Wenger explain his short-list to the press? Very unlikely.
The Standard says Juventus want to base their team around Gilberto next season and can better his current salary and give him a 4-year deal – longer than a year for 30 plus year olds at Arsenal. Gilberto however looks settled and happy after the season he’s had. So that too could well be unlikley.
Adebayor is still in negotations about extending his contract past 2010.
Meanwile Bolton youth player Kyle Bartley has not signed for Bolton and gone on tour with Arsenal ahead of signing professional forms. Arsenal are reportedly (Mirror) willing to pay £500,000 plus installments.
The paper seems to know what’s happening in the summer: Julio Baptista will return to Real Madrid because they will not lower their £18m asking price while Arsenal will sell Jose Antonio Reyes, who has been on loan to Real. Real are also keen on William Gallas. Marseille’s French winger Franck Ribery seems set to join Real. His £20m asking price is likely to be out of Arsenal’s league.
It says Freddie Ljungberg is also on his way out of the club and Wenger may be ready to listen to offers for both Mathieu Flamini and Philippe Senderos.
Arsenal defender Joe O’Cearuill has been selected for the full Irish squad after impressing inan u-21 tournament.
Meanwhile, Thierry Henry hopes the Emirates Cup in July will mark his return from injury, after only appearing 29 times this season. “All I have in my mind is that I do not have any niggling injuries hanging around when next season starts.There is the Emirates Cup to aim for.”