ARSENE WENGERÂ’S future at Arsenal was thrown into further doubt last night when it emerged that certain key board members are against his plan to bring bad boy Nicolas Anelka back to the club.
Wenger wants to bring former Gunner Anelka back in a £10.5million deal from Bolton – as revealed by the Daily Express on Saturday – as a replacement for Thierry Henry, who will today complete his £16m move to Barcelona.
But WengerÂ’s plans have met with opposition within Arsenal. Senior and long-serving members of the Gunners board are among those who are not keen on bringing back to the club a player who caused so much trouble with
the way that he engineered his £23m move to Real Madrid in 1999.
Henry will have a medical at the Nou Camp this morning before being unveiled as the Catalan clubÂ’s latest big-money capture.
And Wenger wants controversial French international Anelka, 28, to fill the gap left by his countryman – and the manager now faces the task of sweet-talking the move past several members of the Arsenal board this week.
Anelka was dubbed the ‘Incredible Sulk’ by media and fans back in 1999 when, after leading Arsenal to the Double the previous year, he first demanded a massive pay rise and then virtually threatened to go on strike when Real Madrid came in for him, leaving the club with no option but to sell him.
At the time, Gunners’ angry vice-chairman David Dein said: “He did it then, and he will do it to another club in the future.” Other officials who were on the board at the time have not forgotten the antics of Anelka, his then agent Marc Roget, or his two older brothers, who were acting as his advisers.
But Dein has now left and Wenger, the man who discovered and pinched the then 17-year-old from Paris St Germain, where he was a youth player, for a bargain £500,000, has never since publicly criticised Anelka.
The Arsenal boss still has a relationship with the striker and believes he has matured. Talks have already begun with AnelkaÂ’s representatives and Wenger is certain to insist on having his way on this occasion, with the former Liverpool, Manchester City and Fenerbahce man his No1 target now.
The board are already worried because Wenger has only a year left on his contract and are equally likely to back down.
Anelka has spoken before of his wish to return to a top-four English club and earlier this season even admitted he would love a return to Arsenal, saying: “Going back there would be great. They are a great club, solid and serious. Arsene Wenger is one of the best coaches in the world and I can’t hide that the club marked my life forever. I spent some great moments there.”
The Gunners board are in fact preparing a new contract for Wenger, which will tie him to the club until 2011, and they are privately confident he will sign it.
But the manager, even before this latest row, was in no hurry to put pen to paper and will not be rushed into a decision, such is his dissatisfaction with the departure of close ally Dein. The loss of Henry will hardly have helped matters.
BarcelonaÂ’s capture of Henry, who flew to Spain last night has, however, been welcomed by future team-mate Lionel Messi.
The brilliant Argentinian said: “Henry is a great player, for that reason he comes to Barca. Cesc Fabregas has always said that ‘Titi’ is fantastic in training and that he is even better away from the pitch, as a friend and a leader.”
But former Arsenal goalkeeping hero Bob Wilson said he was worried at the effect this departure would have on the young players left at the Emirates.
Wilson said: “Arsenal are in a mini-crisis at the moment. Thierry is one of the greatest players I have ever seen at Arsenal, thrilling in every respect.
“My one worry is his suggestion that he partly left because he was unsure what Arsene was going to do in one year’s time. I don’t like the message that sends out to the youngsters in the squad. Arsene has built an amazing young squad. But minds are very easily tipped when a senior player says something like that.”