Ashley Cole has told Arsene Wenger that he wants to stay another year, according to an exclusive in The People.
It asserts that Cole doesn't think the transfer from Arsenal can be sorted out in time. It also says that Cole wanted to be the first to offer a way out of the impasse. This was sparked off by an offer from Newcastle, which Cole flatly refused.
Meanwhile the NoW quotes an insider that Wenger is getting hacked off by Reyes' attitude. And that an increased offer from Atletico Madrid would see him return to Spain.
If quotes in Marca are to be believed – he's on strike anyway, saying he doesn't want to play in England any more.
Tellingly, Wenger said elsewhere that if a player wants to go he usually ends up going.
With four days left for the transfer window, the majority of Arsenal fans, I suspect would want to see some flurry of transfer activity. The only name to appear in a major way is that of Reo- Coker in the Observer with exact quotes on the amount of wages he'd get from Man U (£40K/week) or Arsenal (£45K/week) which would tend to indicate some veracity. The fact that he appears the day after the Mascherano rumours broke, indicates Wenger is looking at a defensive midfielder, as well as a defender.
The People says that Wigan want Jeremy Aliadiere; and that the Frenchman wants first team football.
A look at the transfer window spending – is scary reading for Arsenal fans. Arsenal are in the bottom half of the summer spending league [12th to be exact] – being outspent by teams like Wigan and Everton.
Chelsea are at £61m, Liverpool at £23; Spurs at £18.5m and Man U at £18.6. Arsenal are at £8.5m.
If emails to ANR are anything to go by, fans are desperate for purchases before Friday.
It is all very well to rely predominantly on youth and develop talent, but as we saw yesterday with Hoyte and Eboue (midweek), youngsters have off days and make mistakes.
Also like Cole when they've been developed, they for various reasons could want to leave and seek pastures new.
In other news, the Express Group, including the Star on Sunday, reveal a 'secret plan' for Premiership play-offs, just like the Championship, with the top six teams competing in a grand final.
It is the Premier League's knee-jerk reaction to the fear that Chelsea will dominate the Premiership. And possibly pressure from European quarters.
Why the bloody hell they don't follow the UEFA report recommendations earler this year, aimed partially at curbing clubs like Chelsea – beggars belief.
The Express Group's Bill Bradshaw calls the Premiership plan ridiculous. Surely no more ridiculous than letting a club spend £250m than anyone else.
On this note – some interesting letters in the Observer. Jeremy Smith writes in response to Tony Halls' letter last week saying if Arsenal believe Chelsea are destroying the English game, they should not sell Cole to them: "when you've bought your third hollow title and ruined a few more careers by signing players you don't need, take a step back and you might understand."
Glyn Attwood asks how happy Chelsea fans are. "Supporting a club is about hope, potential, ambition, natural progress and being involved – Chelsea fans have none of those things now."
And Michael Dorsey: "The Chelsea phenomenon is just one man manipulating the game to satisfy crude vanity.".. Whether it is lawful or not, Chelsea's billions make their matches unfair by most definitions."