By Ian Grant
PLAYERS
Tony Adams said, post-testimonial: “I need to have my knee checked out first and I’m having a scan tomorrow. It would be silly to announce something like that now. I need to get away and relax.”
And: “To have a full house here at Highbury in my honour is truly humbling. In many ways it’s strange, as I’m being thanked for what I have loved doing more than anything else in my life, playing football.”
The combined age of the Arsenal back five in Monday’s testimonial was 191 years.
Thierry Henry collected the Golden Boot Award as the leading scorer in the English Premier League. Freddie Ljungberg was named Barclaycard Premiership Footballer of the Year, not to be confused with Robert Pires’s Football Writers Player of the Year award. Arsene Wenger was awarded, Barclaycard Manager of the Year and the League Managers’ Association Managers’ manager of the year award. Arsenal’s Paul Burgess was named Groundsman of the Year.
Henry won the Golden Boot, but Ljungberg was joint 12th in the Premiership scoring charts. Thierry Henry ended with a .75 goal/game ratio; Ljungberg has a .5 g/g ratio.
Pires and Henry made it to the Mirror’s team of the season.
Niall Quinn said: “The Irish pubs and the places I brought him [Tony Adams] to in London were like a safe house for Tony,” claims the World Cup-bound striker who has been capped by the Republic 88 times.
And: “He could mix within that scene and nobody would bother him or me. It didn’t matter to those people that we were footballers, we were just in with the rest of the lads for the craic and people allowed Tony to get on with it.”
Wenger confirmed that Patrick Vieira, Sylvian Wiltord, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires would be around next season. Richard Wright said is determined to become Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Ron Atkinson says it is mistake for France to play Henry on the wing because he can’t utilise his pace as much to get behind defenders.
Edu is 24 this week. Gary Lewin is 38.
WENGER
Wenger said: “I have a contract with Arsenal and I will reach the end of that, then we will see. I can’t imagine finishing my life without winning the European Cup.”
David Dein’s said that “Arsene makes an average player into a good player, a good player into a very good player and a very good player into a world-class player”.
Wenger said: “We wanted there to be a shift of power and to bring the Premier League trophy back home to Highbury. Now we want to do it again next season.”
Arsene Wenger said of Manchester United: “They were the team of the Nineties.”
MISCELLANEOUS
Sven Goran Ericsson’s girlfriend,Nancy Dell’Olio, 44, has been an Arsenal supporter since moving with Sven to a £2 million house near London’s Regents Park.
The Premiership is seen in 152 countries, with a worldwide audience, this season of 1.3 billion.
Manchester United are 6/4 favourites with bookmakers William Hill to win the premier league title next season with Arsenal offered at 13/8.
BT spin-off’s German business was revealed as the new sponsor of Bayer Leverkusen. BT’s UK spin-off mm02 will sponsor Arsenal next season, and is set to drop the letters mm, according to our sources.
Beckham and Houllier praised Arsenal for winning the title at the weekend. Beckham said: “”Arsenal deserve it because they’ve played well all season and that’s the way it goes,”
The Telegraph’s Sue Mott said: “To wear your Arsenal shirt about town this week, post-Double, was to be identified as a member of the elite. It drew deference and respect, like ermine once did for the aristocracy. It marked you out as a superior citizen.”
At time of writing, Arsenal , are seeking another victory in the European Court of Justice as it pursues a trademark infringement case over a fan selling merchandise with trademark logos. The outcome could have big implications for the sale of “official” merchandise, in and outside the sporting industry.
TRANSFERS/RUMOURS
Arsenal have invited Norwegian starlet 20-year-old defender Mikkel Bischoff of AB Copenhagen over to Highbury.
The Mirror names Paris St-Germain and Monaco as rivals to land the Arsenal midfielder Gilles Grimandi.
The People links Fulham with a £5m move for Arsenal’s Nwankwo Kanu.
Auxerre’s hot shot striker, Djibril Cisse, said: “I would love to play for Arsenal, Liverpool or United one day, but I want to be ready. I must not burn any bridges.”
Graham Rix may come back to Arsenal to run one of the young football academies and do some scouting.
One paper says Arsenal are facing a battle with Barcelona for £12m-rated Dutch midfield star Mark van Bommel.
One paper says Arsenal want on-loan defender, Sylvain Distin.
OLD BOYS
Stefan Schwartz could move to Benfica on a free transfer.
Following defeat to Arsenal, Manchester United shares plumbed a six-year low, last week.