By Myles Palmer
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JUNE HAS HAD more court cases than big transfers.
The Lineker-Kewell libel trial has gone to a replay after the jury could not come up with a 10-2 majority decision.
Dein and Wenger gave High Court evidence that agent Ronny Rosenthal had no part in the Gilberto deal, for which his agency was apparently claiming £444,000.
Saddam Hussein has asked for his trial to be moved to Santa Maria, California, where a jury found Michael Jackson not guilty on all 10 charges of paedophilia.
Robin van Persie has been held for another 14 days in Rotterdam, pending further investigations into an alleged rape in a hotel room.
THE GOOD NEWS is that Arsene is back from his holidays in America.
He says he wants to keep Ashley Cole and has talked to him many times.
He reckons the last season at Highbury will be “sacred”.
Beyond that, he looks forward to the Emirates Stadium.
“The board and myself have made a big effort to put this club into the best possible condition for the future.
“It will not immediately strengthen vastly our resources as we have to pay back the money we got from the bank.
“But it will be fantastic and it will be very exciting for me, the challenge of keeping a good team and taking them into the new stadium.”
NEARLY EVERYTHING that Arsene says is on-policy and on-strategy, and he repeats his mantras over and over as the season goes on.
He thinks that clubs need a clear statement of their intentions and ambitions.
He also believes that great teams are built on stability.
He delights in pointing out that eight of the Bayern team who lost to Manchester United in 1999 are still playing in their current side.
In the new club magazine he talks about the Champions League and says,”We missed out on the last eight because of Bayern Munich.This season was the first year we were beaten by a team better than us.
“I don’t feel there is a lot to say. Bayern were the better team and didnt deserve to go out to Chelsea. Bayern must have a lot of regrets because they could have won the Champions League this season.”
Can’t agree with all of that !
I never thought Arsenal were better than Dynamo Kiev or Valencia.
And they were played off the field twice by Deportivo La Coruna – 2-0 and 2-0.
SINCE HE CRAVES stability, Arsene will definitely want to keep Pires, Ljungberg and Cole.
My gut feeling, though, is that it’s still a bit early for transfers to be finalised.
Footballers’ contracts run till June 30th and the Arsenal squad report for training on July 4th.
BY THE WAY, I gather than Hleb is pronounced Kleb with a “K”.
Stuttgart want £10 million and Arsenal have offered about £5 million.
I was told on June 7th that the Hleb deal might happen “tomorrow”.
Football transfers are never that simple, never that quick.
June 17th 2005.