By Myles Palmer
THIS week I’ve been asked to believe that Jens Lehman will be Arsenal’s next keeper.
I rate Lehman highly, so that would be nice.
We have been told that Emerson is going from Roma to Chelsea.
And that Ranieri might sign Makelele, who is struggling by on £15,000 a week at Real Madrid.
I’m reliably informed that Veron wants to stay at Man United and……FIGHT FOR HIS PLACE !
The Financial Services Authority is investigating share dealings at Chelsea Village plc, so maybe they will nail Stanley Tollman this time.
Tollman is wanted on 33 charges of fraud and tax evasion in New York, but cannot be extradited from UK because he has not broken any laws here.
Since I’m usually in the Algarve about now, I don’t normally have to endure the Chinese water torture of tabloid speculation, or the incessant moaning of Gooners who say, “When are we gonna sign somebody?”
My answer is : by August 7th,
Because August 7th is the Champions League deadline and Mr Ferguson, Mr Wenger and Mr Ranieri will sign everybody they need by then.
So the next two weeks will be guesswork for fans, like the last nine.
As far as I can figure out, Arsenal was Harry Kewell’s first choice.
But Arsene wanted Leeds to take Pennant, Jeffers or van Bronckhorst in part-exchange.
If he had to pay straight cash, he wasn’t interested.
Many people say Arsenal have no money to spend, forgetting that on July 10 they bid £10 million for Jose Antonio Reyes, the young Seville striker.
The Seville president laughed off the offer, saying the 19-year old was worth far more than that.
He reckoned he had turned down a £13 million bid from Valencia.
Fair enough : Reyes might be that good.
But it was a genuine offer of £10 million.
Arsenal never denied that bid.
But the knockers prefer to overlook that fact.
But what the hell, July is a holiday month.
Call me controversial, but I still believe that summer is not like winter.
In winter I don’t wear my comfortable petrol-blue Greg Norman shorts, acquired in Stone Harbour, New Jersey, in ’98.
Winter is mostly work and routine and a lot of talk about the last match and a lot of talk about the next match.
But summer is more varied.Summer can be anything.
Summer is some days of rushing about and some days sitting under the apple tree reading The Life of Noel Coward.
Tuesday I went to my 7th or 8th Mercury Music Prize announcement party.
Jools Holland announced the contenders.
He did the job last July, but I missed that one because it was the day we left for Faro.
XL had three albums out of the 12 nominated, so Richard Russell is still the hottest A&R man in Europe.
Sadly, no British group is as edgy and powerful as the White Stripes, who are also on the XL label.
25th July 2003.
PS
The Champions League qualifying round could be Maccabi Tel-Aviv v Chelsea.
Israel, just like last season.