Arsenal lose out to AC Milan in Flamini battle.

• zocoss

  5 May 08, 10:41

  FLAMINI`S MILAN-BOUND

  

  WAVING GOODBYE ... Mathieu Flamini is expected to undergo a medical today and will sign a four-year contract with AC Milan.

   

  MATHIEU FLAMINI has quit Arsenal and agreed a four-year deal with AC Milan. The French midfielder flew to Italy last night for a medical after the Gunners’ 1-0 win over Everton. As Flamini, 23, said his goodbyes to team-mates and club staff yesterday, AC vice-president Adriano Galliani said: “If he passes the medical on Monday morning, he will be a Milan player. He will sign a four-year contract.”

  Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger last night admitted he was resigned to losing key players, including Flamini and Alexander Hleb. Wenger had given out-of-contract Flamini — a free signing from Marseille in 2004 — a deadline that expires today to give his final decision on a new deal. Despite the offer of a lucrative new five-year deal - understood to be worth around £55,000-a-week from the Barclays Premier League club, his future remains unresolved.

  Last night he refused to be drawn on news that Flamini had already decided his future lay elsewhere. He said: “Frankly I don’t know more than you. Flamini has an offer on the table that is valid until tomorrow and then we will see. “I’m not really worried. I’m not saying I am confident or not. “That means the situation is not in my hands. We’ve done what we had to do and it’s up to him now to decide what to do.”

  Wenger insisted Flamini did not feature against Everton because of an ankle problem. Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri last night revealed he had also tried to land Flamini. He said: “We have made an offer and so have Milan, and it seems he has made his choice. We hope he makes his choice from the heart.”

  Wenger left open the possibility of Gilberto Silva staying on for one more season if Flamini goes. The Brazil midfielder lost his starting place to Flamini this season. And Wenger said: “It’s not necessarily goodbye to Gilberto. “I want him to stay but I have to sit down with him and see what he wants to do and go from there.

  “Gilberto is like Jens Lehmann. You can rely on them, they’re fantastic professionals. “Gilberto is a really fantastic guy. “We won trophies with Gilberto and Jens because they’re special human beings. You don’t win with average people.”

  Hleb’s agent has held talks with Inter. And furious Wenger once again threatened the Italians with legal action for publicly stating they want the midfielder. He said: “If they’re interested in Hleb they can call us. You cannot behave how they have done by speaking out in the newspapers.”

• gunner77

  5 May 08, 16:17

  _l_

  fuck him goodbye

• dinky1409

  5 May 08, 17:18

  why? he not happy at arsenal mehs? tsk! like this fabregas will surely be unhappy also since all de gd players are leaving..

• the Bear

  5 May 08, 17:30

  again, not necessarily...

  notice it's Wenger.. not the players..

  he gets them.. sometimes not very good, and turns them into something amazing.. and when they leave, they're back to "not that excellent"

  Overmars
  Petit
  Ljundberg
  Henry
  Vieira

  all went and became pretty unspectacular...

• dinky1409

  5 May 08, 17:46

  pires is doing well =)

• bryanw

  5 May 08, 17:59

  omg flamini

• zocoss

  5 May 08, 18:37

  But there are those that left and have done pretty well... Like Bentley, Diarra, A Cole... even Sidwell wasn't too bad had he stayed with Reading...

  Anyway, Overmars did well with Barce and Petit too... Ljundberg, Henry, Vieira all left at an age where they were heading downwards already... Btw, Vieira not too bad what... he will be receiving his second Italian Serie A medal very soon...

• CannyOng

  5 May 08, 21:57

  Arsenal will always a small club in the eyes of player unless they win one CL to become to  the real big club..

  That is why Chelsea is so desperate to win CL... Forget one thing, chelsea got money. Asrenal got what?

• the Bear

  5 May 08, 21:59

  Originally posted by CannyOng:

  Arsenal will always a small club in the eyes of player unless they win one CL to become to  the real big club..

  That is why Chelsea is so desperate to win CL... Forget one thing, chelsea got money. Asrenal got what?

  uhh... the only balance sheet in the BPL that is showing a profit?

• Maurince

  5 May 08, 23:16

  Does it means that Gattuso is going to be a devil soon?

• zocoss

  5 May 08, 23:36

  Frenchman Flamini set to seal his switch from Arsenal to AC Milan

  

  Flamini (left) leaves the Giannio resturant in Milan after meeting AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani with general director Ariedo Braida (right)

  Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini will sign for AC Milan later today after passing a medical with the Italian giants. Flamini arrived in Milan on Sunday evening and the Italian press have reported he will put pen to paper on a four-year deal.

• redDUST

  5 May 08, 23:37

  bosman ruling, 140k pounds a week, ....not bad for a young kid. arsenal will never match the salary.

• FirePig

  5 May 08, 23:45

  confirm go one la. Who wants to live in the shadows of fabregas? Plus milan is a big club and giving top dollar. Plus the chance to lead a new lifestyle. Why stay at england when the cost of living is higher too.

• redDUST

  5 May 08, 23:48

  imo, flamini is a so so player only....

• sand king

  5 May 08, 23:51

  milan bench not warm enough.

• zocoss

  6 May 08, 00:03

  Originally posted by redDUST:

  bosman ruling, 140k pounds a week, ....not bad for a young kid. arsenal will never match the salary.

  
  Milan is willing to pay him that much is because they feel they probably save $10 to $15 million pounds in transfer fee alone that was suppost to have gone to gunners... Now they don't need to pay out at one go instead they can drag it out for 5 yrs...

   

• Trump_Card

  6 May 08, 01:33

  Milan confirm Flamini deal

  Gunners midfielder pens four-year deal with Serie A side

  

  Milan have confirmed that they have agreed a four-year contract with Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini.

   

  The out-of-contract France international underwent a medical on Monday and has reached an agreement that will keep him at the San Siro until June 2012.

   

  A statement on Milan's official website read: "Milan would like to confirm that we have signed a contract that will tie the French player Mathieu Flamini to the Rossoneri from 1st July 2008 till 30th June 2012."

   

  On the agreement, Flamini told reporters: "I am very happy, thank you."

   

  Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Uefa.com: "Flamini is a very good player - we saw this when he played against us in the UEFA Champions League. This is an excellent signing."

  The 24-year-old joined The Gunners from Marseille in 2004, but initially struggled to hold down a regular starting berth in Arsene Wenger's starting XI.

   

  This season, however, Flamini has made the centre-midfield position his own, forming an impressive partnership with Cesc Fabregas.

   

  His displays soon caught the attentions of a number of top European clubs, with Juventus thought to be leading the race to secure his services.

   

  But Milan's contract offer proved too good to refuse for the tenacious midfielder, despite Arsenal reportedly offering in the region of £55,000-a-week.

• zocoss

  6 May 08, 11:05

  What a waste for the gunners...

• Trump_Card

  6 May 08, 11:17

  Originally posted by zocoss:

  What a waste for the gunners...

  Yalo ... knn ... If Arsenal have known Flamini would be leaving , I think Wenger would have given Diarra more games so as to make him stay at Arsenal .

• zocoss

  6 May 08, 11:21

  Originally posted by Trump_Card:

  Yalo ... knn ... If Arsenal have known Flamini would be leaving , I think Wenger would have given Diarra more games so as to make him stay at Arsenal .

  
  Yeah apart from him leaving them, they get zero cents from him somemore... Money that could have been use to fund his replacement...

• Trump_Card

  6 May 08, 11:25

  Originally posted by zocoss:

  
  Yeah apart from him leaving them, they get zero cents from him somemore... Money that could have been use to fund his replacement...

  That's the worst part . Actually I thought Wenger should have made sure Flamini signed a new deal before selling Diarra .

• zocoss

  6 May 08, 11:25

   

  MILAN JOY AT FLAMINI CAPTURE

  
  

  AC Milan have completed the signing of Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini on a four-year contract - but the club expect to miss out on Chelsea's Didier Drogba. Flamini is out of contract with the Gunners at the end of the season and on Monday agreed to join the Italian club in a deal which will begin on July 1.

  Milan have also been strongly linked with Chelsea striker Drogba in Europe but Milan sporting director Ariedo Braida does not anticipate the Ivory Coast forward joining Flamini at the San Siro this summer. He said: "Drogba is a very interesting player that many clubs would want to have but he is under contract at Chelsea and I believe he will remain at Chelsea next season."

  As for France international Flamini, Braida revealed Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is a great admirer of the 24-year-old. "I have to say Flamini was a player that Ancelotti really wanted and Milan is like a family, where decisions are made jointly," he said.

  Arsenal had hoped Flamini would agree a deal to stay at the Emirates Stadium, but they always knew it would be difficult with outfits like Juventus and Milan coveting the player. "Flamini is not an unknown player," said Braida. "Just like Didier Drogba isn't.

  "I'm not surprised by his talent and I assume several teams would have wanted his services. "Although no negotiations are ever easy, it wasn't difficult to convince Flamini to join Milan. "Flamini has made a choice as his contract with Arsenal is coming to an end and we are delighted he has chosen Milan.

  "He is a very good player and he can offer a lot to the team." Flamini expressed his joy at the move after finalising terms with the Serie A outfit. "I am extremely happy. Thanks a million," he said.

  Despite the offer of a lucrative new five-year deal - understood to be worth around £55,000-a-week - from the north London club, Flamini's head was turned by Milan's interest. Juventus were also reported to be tracking the player, who has formed a fine partnership with Cesc Fabregas this season after looking to be on his way out of the club at the end of the last campaign.

  He put in an impressive performance at the San Siro as Arsene Wenger's team knocked Milan out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage in March. It is understood the former Marseille man said his goodbyes to some staff as he left the car park after yesterday's home win over Everton in the Barclays Premier League.

  He will compete for a place in the Rossoneri midfield with Brazil star Kaka and the Italy trio of Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini. Milan beat city rivals Inter Milan 2-1 today to climb into the final qualifying place for the Champions League, leapfrogging Fiorentina who lost 2-1 at Cagliari.

  Flamini's last match as an Arsenal player will be Sunday's Premier League trip to Sunderland.

   

• SiMiLaiEh*

  6 May 08, 11:28

  lol diarra mus be furious now he left arsenal..that midfiled slot wud be his instead...

• zocoss

  6 May 08, 11:30

  Originally posted by Trump_Card:

  That's the worst part . Actually I thought Wenger should have made sure Flamini signed a new deal before selling Diarra .

  
  Nowadays, clubs must make sure that their players should have no less than a 2 yrs contract running... Anything less and the player could either walk away for nothing (like in Flamini case) or they can demand to leave and the club have to sell cheaply before their contract run out... If Dein was still around i think this wouldn't have happen... See A Cole case... his contract was running out then they re-contract him to another 4 yrs then the following year sell him away for $20m to Chelsea... (Gallas + $5m)...

• zocoss

  7 May 08, 22:02

  WENGER DISAPPOINTED BY FLAMINI EXIT

  

  Arsene Wenger is "disappointed" Mathieu Flamini did not share his vision for Arsenal's future, but is convinced there are enough "winners" left in the squad to prove him right next season. The 24-year-old France midfielder, who was out of contract in the summer, earlier this week completed his long-anticipated move to AC Milan. Arsenal had been keen to keep Flamini, who forged a strong partnership with Cesc Fabregas at the heart of the team, but not at any cost.

  The Emirates Stadium club are understood to have offered Flamini - a player whom 12 months ago looked on his way out of the club - a lucrative new deal, worth around £55,000 a week.

  Because he was a free agent, Flamini was able to get himself a better package elsewhere and rumours continue over whether Inter Milan target Alexander Hleb or indeed Fabregas will be at Emirates Stadium for the start of next season.

  Wenger, though, insists Arsenal will not be held to ransom by anyone looking to force them to break the club's strict wages cap - and would not want anyone to stay unless it was to share his determination for success.

  "It is a problem [the salaries on offer] but we did not master this situation [with Flamini] because when a player is out of contract he can sign where he wants," said Wenger, speaking at a forum for Arsenal's shareholders.

  "I must say I am disappointed that he did that - but legally he can do it. "But I hope that 95% of the team, the core of the team, says 'come on, we have only just lost'. "And it is just, because we were leading at Manchester United, we were leading at Chelsea and we were leading at Liverpool in the Champions League - and every time we just lost a little bit of focus and lost the game.

  "Let's come back and show we are winners. That is the real target of the team." Wenger believes the experiences of the last nine months, when his side led the Barclays Premier League for long spells only to fade away, will leave his youngsters stronger for the challenges ahead next season.

  "We were close this year, but we did not win and what I expect from my team is that, if you are a winner, you say 'let's come back next year and win'," the Arsenal manager said.

  "If our players are not capable of doing that and just want to walk out for bigger contracts, for me that would be the biggest disappointment. "If you are a winner you say 'you beat me now in a game but give me a chance to come back and beat you'. That's what I expect of a team.

  "If they cannot do that then it means I was wrong completely in my whole judgement of this team. "That would be the biggest disappointment for the club - not only to not win this year but to not be capable of coming back together."