SOCCER:ARSENE WENGER believes tomorrow's opponents, Manchester City, can form a rivalry with Arsenal to match the one the Gunners already have with Manchester United. Roberto Mancini's side are second in the table and three points better off, having spent heavily on players last summer.
Asked whether City may be about to compete as fiercely as United have done, the manager said: “Of course. City now will be one of the contenders because they are not at the end of an investment cycle. It looks like they are at the start of it, so you have to consider them as one of the teams that will challenge.”
Mancini’s investment last summer included David Silva (€33.7m) Mario Balotelli (€25m), James Milner (€29m) and Yaya Toure (€28m), and Wenger admitted the petro-billions of the owner, sheikh Mansour, have affected Arsenal. “At the start they (were) not at the same level football-wise but when they are at the same level football-wise, it will be easier for them to attract the players.”
When Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea in 2003, the Russian oligarch also spent heavily. Wenger was asked whether Manchester City are the new Chelsea. “I know what they paid for our players, that’s it,” he said. City bought Emmanuel Adebayor for €28m and Kolo Toure for €16m, and Wenger seemed to hint that Arsenal had hiked their prices.
When the question was posed, the Frenchman followed a long silence by saying “no” and then laughed.
Whereas City have a seemingly endless supply of money, Arsenal are the Premier League club with the firmest financial footing, as they have reduced the debt on the Emirates stadium and show a profit each year.
“In our own way, we are (also) at the start of a cycle,” Wenger said. “That’s what is good in football. Every club can work with his own rules. Sometimes it is an advantage for the players.
“You see today, Wayne Rooney has signed a five-year contract. Certainly, the threat of City behind made Manchester United respond as well. The players are the beneficiaries.”
Adebayor scored against Arsenal at Eastlands in City’s 4-2 win early last season, a goal he followed with a pitch-long sprint to celebrate in front of the Gunners’ fans. Wenger said he and his players have never considered whether they should forgive Adebayor for that goal celebration.
“We never spoke about that. I am sure we have forgotten that. We are all focused on putting in a good performance on Sunday. We have played so many games since that we don’t even care about that.”
Wenger expects Andrey Arshavin, 29, to stay beyond the end of his current contract, which has two years to run. “I think he has a long future at the club,” he said.
Portsmouth face closure and liquidation after a deal to remove the club from administration was scuppered yesterday, the club said in a statement.
Portsmouth, who were relegated from the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final last season after a turbulent period financially, said they “are unable to support the continued trading of the club”.
Portsmouth said a deal to exit administration had been agreed by the new owners, the administrators, the Football League and the creditors only to then be made “impossible to complete” by key creditor Alexandre Gaydamak.
