Arsenal gains Hleb; Chelsea is frustrated
Written by JDPGlobal | Thursday, 30 June 2005
Arsenal has kicked off the summer signings with VfB Stuttgart, agreeing a £10 million fee for Alexander Hleb, the Belarus midfield player. This is sure to deepen the wounds of the already frustrated Chelsea bench.
The deal will work if it meets the personal needs of Hleb and is subject to a medical and a work permit. It was delayed because Stuttgart had to wait for Giovanni Trapattoni’s consent to sell the player.
It seems that the Arsenal wants to inject pace into the right flank of the team, with Fredrik Ljungberg losing some of his sharpness after hip injuries in recent seasons.
Hleb, who has made 137 appearances for Stuttgart since he signed from Bate Borisov five years ago, had three years left in his German contract. He was also voted as the Belarussian player of the year, twice.
The arsenal manager, who seemed elated with the contract, said that Hleb is a player he has admired for his great quality and will certainly prove an asset to his side. The Arsenal management also hopes to sign two more players, with Robinho, the emerging star striker of Brazil and Sandos, as strong contenders.
The team also got a reprieve when Robin van Persie, the forward was released from custody, without restrictions to travel across countries. Though his alleged rape against a former beauty queen, identified only as Sandra K, will be investigated, the forward’s lawyer claimed that there are big question marks in the woman’s story.
At the same time, with a clutch of clubs including Celtic, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United and Lyons expressing interest in signing Jérémie Aliadière, Arsenal manager told that he would let him decide where he wants to play on loan next season. He however, advised Aliadière to join Celtic to gain experience in Europe.
The scene in Chelsea however is in stark contrast as Jean-Michel Aulas, the Lyons president, said that Michael Essien was not for sale for an offer of £16.75 million. It is being heard that Chelsea will have to make a bid closer to the £24 million that they paid Marseilles for Didier Drogba a year ago.
