Tomunco Posted June 27, 2007 Author Share Posted June 27, 2007 This is my first story on Arsenal on the forum (The club I usually start all my careers with and the one I support). I was inspired to write this by a story about Real Madrid that I recently read on this site. I thought it was great and decided to write this. This is not as good and hasn’t really got any personal side stories, it is completely on football but I hope you enjoy anyway, even if you don‘t I really enjoyed writing it so I don‘t mind. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 This is my first story on Arsenal on the forum (The club I usually start all my careers with and the one I support). I was inspired to write this by a story about Real Madrid that I recently read on this site. I thought it was great and decided to write this. This is not as good and hasn’t really got any personal side stories, it is completely on football but I hope you enjoy anyway, even if you don‘t I really enjoyed writing it so I don‘t mind. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted June 27, 2007 Author Share Posted June 27, 2007 Arsenal Football Club : Life After Wenger I am going to include fictional articles from newspapers and other media that I wrote based on things that really happened in the game. I am also going to invent interviews based on comments to and from the media. My name in this career is Tom Wulfric. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted June 27, 2007 Author Share Posted June 27, 2007 I sat in my bright living room in my modern house in London staring at my new plasma TV. I had only recently bought this house, it was just down the road from the old Highbury and the new Emirates where Arsenal play, something that appealed when I bought the property. I was a life long Arsenal fan and seen them play many times, it was great to be so close to the club. If I was going to pay back the mortgage on this property I was going to have to get a new job though. I currently was unemployed but worked in the sport I loved so dearly, football. I was a scout and the reserve team coach for Portsmouth F.C. until recently when I had quit over a row concerning my job. I was frustrated that the senior staff there didn’t seem to value my ideas on potential signings. I had alerted them to some of the players that are doing so well for them today but they seemed to stop being interested in my recommendations after a while. I suspected it was largely to do with my age, I was only 20 currently and they obviously didn’t think I had enough experience to be trusted. I was qualified for most jobs in football. I had taken a football management course three years ago so I could be manager of Real Madrid!…… if they ever wanted me. When I spoke to the Portsmouth manager he told me that it was only my job to find players, not make the club buy them. I decided to leave and was out of a job, I was sad to leave the reserves, I had done much better there, guiding them to the league title the previous season. Still, it was virtually impossible to do both jobs and I quit. Just a shame I wasn’t more experienced, as I was now watching one of the biggest jobs in the world become available. The sports new had just started on BBC1 and I was given a shock when I heard the anchorman’s opening words --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BBC News at 10:00 Wenger Quits Arsenal It has today been confirmed that French legend Arsene Wenger has stepped down from his post at Arsenal citing ‘personal reasons’ and will be flying to his home country France tomorrow morning. This decision comes as a shock to the footballing world as Wenger had shown no sign of discontent at the club up until this point. There is no doubt that he will be sorely missed and his successor will have huge boots to fill. Wenger won a whole host of trophies while at Arsenal and guided the team to an unbeaten season in the league in 2003-04, something never before seen in the Premiership. He also led the side to a Champions League final as little as three months ago. Wenger remained unavailable for comment after his departure was confirmed by chairman Peter Hill Wood. Hill Wood came out with the following statement : “At the present time we are unable to go into the reasons for Arsene’s departure. We are of course disappointed with his desire to leave but something has come up and we respect his decision. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for all his hard work here, I think it is fair to say that he revolutionised Arsenal football club and indeed football in this country, and we wish him all the best for the future.†Already speculation is rife in the media as to who will replace Wenger at the Emirates with Marcello Lippi, the world cup winning manager with Italy, being touted as the favourite. Blackburn manager Mark Hughes and Inter boss Roberto Mancini are among the other names being linked with the job. The Arsenal board are yet to mention any names however and are currently remaining low key on possible targets. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I wasn’t too pleased at the news. Wenger was easily the clubs best manager for a while and had transformed Arsenal into what they are today. It would be very difficult to find a replacement and as I had the club‘s best interests at heart I was disappointed with the news. I learned quickly however that this was in fact a golden opportunity. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted June 28, 2007 Author Share Posted June 28, 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sky Sports News Arsenal Hold Lippi Talks Arsenal have admitted to holding talks with former Italy and Juventus manager Marcello Lippi about the vacant manager’s job. Former manager Arsene Wenger left the club a week ago and the club now look to have begun the first steps to finding a replacement. Lippi recently guided his nation to World Cup glory and he is seen as the ideal successor to Wenger by Arsenal. “No contract offer has been made but talks have begun†confirmed a close friend of Lippi. It now remains to be seen whether the club can sort out a deal with the Italian. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was at least pleased to see that the club was looking for such a high profile replacement, if they hired a virtual unknown I would be deeply displeased. A few days later however and negotiations had ground to a halt. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sky Sports News Arsenal Break Off Lippi Negotiations Arsenal have ended negations with Marcello Lippi over the vacant managerial position. “Lippi made it clear that his desire is to take a break from football†said Peter Hill Wood, “He thanks us for the interest but talks have now been amicably ended.†With Lippi out of the running there will be much more speculation to come about the job, very recently a report from newspaper the Sun even saw Everton manager David Moyes linked with the post but until further news we can only speculate. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later that day I got a call from Tony Adams, Portsmouth’s assistant manager. I had got on with Tony at Portsmouth, he alone had listened to me when my career at the club was coming to a close. It was great also to know someone so dear to Arsenal, he was a club legend. “Hello†I said, surprised at his call. “Tom, it’s Tony Adams here. I’ve got a call from Arsenal requesting contact details. I think they want to hold talks.†There was a pause. I was in shock but recovered quickly. “About what?†“I presume the vacant managerial position.†I frowned. This was a wind up. Arsenal had just held talks with Marcelo Lippi, and now they wanted me? Yeah right. I opened my mouth to speak but Tony got in first. “We’ll send details on how to contact you if you want, you should at least talk to them. They contacted us because they wanted to talk to you but didn’t have a number or anything. You want to get yourself an agent son.†“Yeah†I said weakly, “I’ll do that. Send them my details If you will†“Right then. Good luck, I’ll send them along. It was good speaking to you Tom.†“Bye†Incredible. I forced myself to stay calm, they just wanted to meet, to find out more about me . They’d probably never call me back afterwards. I shouldn’t get my hopes up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted June 28, 2007 Author Share Posted June 28, 2007 The next day I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing, a call from someone at Arsenal , I don’t know who they were, but it some kind of secretary. “Good morning, is this Mr Wulfric?†“Yes†“Arsenal Football Club wish to talk to you about the vacant manager position currently at the club, a meeting at eleven o’clock tomorrow morning has been suggested, would you be interested? “Yes†“Excellent. A car will be sent at ten o’clock sharp tomorrow morning to pick you up. You will be accompanied to the meeting by a club official when you arrive at the club’s centre.†“Great†“Ten o’clock it is then. Goodbye†The rest of the day sped by and it didn’t seem like a whole day had gone when I climbed into bed at 9:00. I wanted an early night to be ready for the next day. I needed to make a good first impression. At exactly 9:59 am the next morning I was pacing up and down my kitchen practising as many different ways of greeting someone as I could whilst remaining calm and polite. When a horn beeped outside I almost fell over in my haste to get to the door. I hurried outside as a man in a suit stepped out of the black car in front of my house. “Good morning Mr Wulfric, I am to accompany you to your meeting at Arsenalâ€. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted June 28, 2007 Author Share Posted June 28, 2007 An hour later I entered a formal looking room, opposite seven smartly dressed men. I recognised two and knew the names of the others but not who was who. I was introduced to everyone. “Welcome to Arsenal Mr Wulfric, I am glad that you arrived safely†said the man next to Peter Hill Wood (who I recognised from photos) standing up to shake my hand. “My name is Keith Edelman, managing director here at Arsenal†“Thank you, pleased to meet you†I said as we shook hands. “Please sit down Mr Wulfric, we have a proposal.†“As I’m sure you are aware Arsene Wenger recently left the club and now the managerial position is open†said Edelman. “Yes, I noticed†I politely stated. “We aren’t going to beat around the bush. We want you to be our new manager†Bloody hell I thought, they really meant it. They didn’t beat around the bush at all there. “You may also have noticed that we have already held talks with someone else for this position. We don’t want you thinking that you are only a last resort. We just wanted to see if Marcello Lippi was interested, and he wasn’t. We were aware of you we just wanted a chat with him, to enquire. We are going to be much more efficient with you. We want to make you an offer.†“Wow, this is all happening so quickly†I said “Yes, that’s the idea†Peter Hill Wood spoke for the first time, “We have already decided that we want you. We just want to agree that you will join us before negotiations. Of course a contract will have to be drawn up and we will schedule more meetings to discuss you’re job but we were hoping for a handshake agreement before you leave†“Of course. This sort of thing doesn’t come up every day and I’d be delighted to accept your offer†“Excellent†said Hill Wood standing up, “We will meet soon to draw up a contract, I’d like you to have a look around the stadium and the training ground before you leave†“Absolutely†“Thank you Mr Wulfric†I was too excited to really take in the magnificence of the great new Emirates stadium but the time for me to return home came far too quickly. I was buzzing all day, I received a few important phone calls that day as well. The first was from Tony Adams telling me that his friend was working as an agent and would I perhaps like to meet him. I agreed and later that day I had my own agent. Jonny Wilson was his name. He will now help sort out my personal business. From the moment I met him I felt I was going to get on with him. He was easy going but intelligent and I felt good knowing I had someone like him handling things for me. The next day I returned to Arsenal with my new agent Jonny to negotiate a contract with the club. This time it was just Mr Edelman and Mr Hill Wood in the board room. “Here is a contract we have devised†Edelman said, passing a file to me and Jonny, “let us know what you think.†After a few minutes looking over the contract Jonny stated that the contract was acceptable. I was slightly disappointed to have only until July to prove myself but I had an inkling as to why the contract was like this and there was no way I would reject the offer, even if I was being offered a few quid a week for a month. My suspicions were confirmed a moment later. “We have set it as a one year contract because of your inexperience†said Hill Wood, “do not take it personally, we just don’t want to pay huge compensation if….†“I get sacked†I finished. “Of course, we have full faith in you, we just want to see how well you fair before we commit to anything long term.†“I understand†I said. “We would like to hear more about funds if that is possible†cut in Jonny. “Yes. You’ll have a transfer budget of £20 Million to strengthen the squad, and the wage budget currently stands at £775,000 p/w. We are currently £260,000 p/w under budget and you will have 90% of all transfer revenue made available to you.†After a few more minutes I signed the contract and shook hands with both Hill Wood and Edelman (I’d done that a lot in the last few days!). I was now the manager of Arsenal. “A press conference will be arranged for tommorow to unveil you, and you’ll have a meeting scheduled with the playing staff later today. I’ll have an official show you to your new office and then you’ll be expected at training, which starts in a moment, to meet the players, good day†My meeting with the players went better than I’d expected. I was nervous about what they’d think of me, but they seemed more concerned about today’s five-a-side tournament that Tony Colbert had arranged (as a break from the usual pre-season fitness training) than the person before them that had probably been brought in to clean their boots. The players had just returned from holiday and were refreshed from their break. They listened politely as I introduced myself and then went on to explain what I expected from them. There was some nodding and the players obviously got what I was saying, after that I sat and watched them train. They had looked good on Television and at matches from in the stands but seeing them close up made me really see how good they were. I went to meet my new assistant at the club, Pat Rice, and asked him to arrange me meetings with all the first team one by one next week to get to know them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinb1990 Posted July 5, 2007 Share Posted July 5, 2007 Rele gd story KUTGW hopefully you can bring glory back to the gunners Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 7, 2007 Author Share Posted July 7, 2007 The Unveiling Press Conference The day of my unveiling had arrived, I had decided to walk to the club today as it was so close, Once I’d left the house I passed a newsagents, I got a shock as I passed a stand outside the shop selling papers. The Sun had evidently got wind that I was the new manager of Arsenal. The headline read: No, It’s Not A Joke Arsenal Move For Portsmouth Reject Arsenal have moved to appoint former Portsmouth Reserves boss Tom Wulfric as a replacement for Arsene Wenger. Wulfric left former club Portsmouth in disgrace after a row with manager Harry Redknapp and disagreements with several other senior staff. Wulfric has nowhere near the experience of Wenger or Marcello Lippi (who Arsenal tried and failed to appoint as manager recently) and many are labelling Wulfric’s appointment a joke. Wulfric is due to be unveiled at a press conference today. -- I stopped reading, I knew I would have to get used to this kind of thing, I was a nobody at the moment and I would have been disgusted as a fan if someone else like me had been appointed. I had to be confident and stay focused though. I had a big job ahead of me. I arrived at the club ready to face whatever the media threw at me and determined not to let my temper get the better of me. As I took my seat next to Peter Hill Wood at the conference there was a frenzy of clicking as photos were taken of the ’Portsmouth reject’. I braced myself for scepticism and criticism. “We are here today to unveil the new manager at Arsenal" stated Peter Hill Wood once the conference had begun, "and as you can see he is here with us now. It is my great pleasure to announce that Tom Wulfric will be the man to fill the vacant managers position†There was some muttering and one reporter let out a cough that sounded more like a snort of laughter. After some more details were released from Hill Wood there was a chance for some questions. “Why have you overlooked so many more experienced candidates in favour of someone who’s ability and discipline is in doubt?†called a reporter. Fortunately Hill Wood cut in before I had time to retort angrily, “We have appointed Tom as we belive he is the best man for the job. Experience is not everything and I do not believe there is any reason to doubt Tom’s talent, you have yet to see how he does so you should not judge him.†“Why did Marcello Lippi reject Arsenal?†shouted another reporter. “That is not the point of this conference. He did not reject the club. We did not even make an offer, we will not be answering any questions about Arsene Wenger either†Hill Wood warned. Most of the gathered reporters were clearly hoping to hear more about Wenger and were disappointed. A few questions about myself and then the clubs aims for this season were asked before possible transfer targets were discussed. “We are yet to consider targets but transfers will be addressed in the next few days†It is up to Tom to identify targets and we will go from there. No names have been decided yet though.†With that the conference ended and I returned to my new office, very pleased with how it had gone and feeling that I hadn't made a bad first impression. I had a report from Pat Rice on the first team playing staff which I looked through. And then there was another note from Rice underneath it, this one about the scheduled pre season friendlies. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 7, 2007 Author Share Posted July 7, 2007 Squad Report Goalkeepers : Jens Lehmann - New Germany number one and first team regular (36 years) Manuel Almunia - Spaniard is back up to Lehmann. (29 years) Mart Poom - Estonian third choice behind Lehmann and Almunia (34 years) Central Defenders : Johan Djourou - Swiss CB back cover for Toure and Gallas. Bright prospect (19 years) William Gallas - New signing from Chelsea. Strong French defender who will hopefully form a formidable partnership at the back with Toure. (28 years) Kolo Toure - Probably the club’s best defender. Second Ivorian in the team and has plenty left in the tank.(25 years) Phillipe Senderos - Another Swiss defender. Currently out injured with a dislocated shoulder. Will be out for 3 months. Suitable Back up when fit. (21 years) Full Backs : Justin Hoyte - Product of the youth academy. Back up can play RB and LB (21 years) Gael Clichy - First choice left back. One of many Frenchmen in the team. Currently injured for the next three months. (20 years) Emmanuel Eboue - First choice right back. One of two Ivorian defenders (22 years) Lauren - Back up right back. The Cameroonian is the best penalty taker in the squad. Out for 2 months with torn knee ligaments. (29 years) Defensive Midfielders : Gilberto Silva - Experienced Brazilian midfielder. Normally forms a partnership with Fabregas in centre midfield. (29 years) Vassiriki Diaby - Young Frenchman compared to Patrick Vieira. On I will be keeping an eye on but not yet ready for the first team I feel. Out for four months with a broken ankle. (20 years) Alexandre Song - Another young Frenchman (18 years) Mathieu Flamini - Yet another Frenchman. I can’t really see a use for him (22 years) Denilson - A young Brazilian to be watched carefully. One of three from his country in the squad (18 years) Central Midfielders : Cesc Fabregas - The creative hub of the midfield. Still very young but a key player Already. Also the only out an out Central Midfielder in the squad (19 years) Attacking Midfielders : Julio Baptista - Powerful Brazilian on loan from Real Madrid. Could be a real asset. Can also play as a striker or a central midfielder. (24 years) Rui Fonte - Another loanee. This time with a loan deal until 2009 so plenty of time to see if this young Portuguese player is good enough. Not old enough for the first team though (15 years) Wingers : Tomas Rosicky : Another new signing made by Wenger. Signed as a replacement for Pires. Still to be converted to a winger. Is the Czech Republic’s midfield string puller. (25 years) Alexander Hleb : Another player capable of playing in the middle but normally employed on the wing. From the obscure footballing nation of Belarus, a quality attacking player (25 years) Theo Walcott : Wonderkid yet to make an impact at the club. One of only a few Englishmen in the squad. Will be monitoring his progress carefully. (17 years) Vincent Van Den Berg : Dutchman that I know almost nothing about. Can play as a striker as well as right midfield. (17 years) Freddie Ljungberg : Devoted servant to the club for many years. Perhaps past his peak but still a great player, the Swede can play on both wings.(29 years) Strikers : Robin Van Persie : The Dutchman is the heir apparent to club legend Dennis Bergkamp, but with some different qualities. A young talent who definitely has a great future if he gets the right guidance. (22 years) Thierry Henry : The best player at the club and possibly the best striker in the world. A legend at Arsenal as the clubs all time top goalscorer. The Frenchman should be key to any of my success in the future at the club. (28 years) Emmanuel Adebayor : A different option up front with power and strength. Can use both feet and head to good effect and could prove useful. The Togo striker is still one of the clubs younger players. ( 22 years) Jeremie Aliadiere : A bit part player who is yet to live up to his youthful potential and promise. Will have to impress quickly if he isn’t to leave the club (23 years) Thoughts : Lehmann should stay as number one, but I am planning to offload Poom and Almunia, then bring in a keeper or two. Aliadiere will probably also leave the club as I have no use for him. I am planning to play Tomas Rosicky in the middle as opposed to left midfield, I want him more as the creative attacking midfielder that we lack than a winger which he isn’t as good as. I want most of the players to remain at the club but if decent offers come in for Ljungberg, Lauren or Flamini then I will offload them. Justin Hoyte is another player who I have yet to decide upon. I would like Alexander Song and Van Den Berg to be loaned out and when fit again Diaby will either follow them out on loan or stay and get his chance in cup games or if someone is injured. I will look for a bit of cover for the full backs in the market and maybe another striker. I will also be in the market for a winger or two to increase our width as we have no natural wingers ready for first team football. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 Pre season fixtures The pre season friendlies were important for getting the players to full fitness and good for giving new signings a chance to get used to their new surroundings but the matches never really help me decide on much and even against top opposition they aren’t a realistic sign of things to come in the next season. I was looking forward to these particular friendlies however as they would be my first games in charge at the club and a first chance to see the players in a real match over ninety minutes. A tour of Switzerland had been arranged by the club starting with a game at Bellinzona. Tour of Switzerland V Bellinzona (Away) Kick Off : 19:30 Date : 11.7.07 V Yverdon (Away) Kick Off : 19:30 Date : 13.7.07 V Sion (Away) Kick Off : 16:15 Date : 16.7.07 The tour begins in 9 days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 My first training session with the team went well with no hiccups to speak of, a lot of the team are unfit after the World Cup and are being trained back to their normal fitness ready for the new season. With no new news other than Alan Curbishley’s appointment at Leeds United I was able to spend the next three days watching the players train. Shortly after one training session I was approached by Pat Rice. “Mr Hill Wood wants to see you boss, he’s in his office†“Thank you Pat, I’ll see you later†I headed of to Hill Wood’s office, I had never been inside but it was extremely comfortable, as I entered I was greeted by him and Daniel Fiszman, a director on the board. “I wanted to ask you if you’d had any ideas on transfers yet†said Hill Wood as I sat down. “I haven’t identified any targets yet, but I’m about to send a scout out to take a closer look at a few players†I replied “Right, if you come up with anyone then we want to hear first remember†said Fiszman, “We are glad to see you taking a thoughtful approach to transfer business, although the club is in a healthy financial situation we aren’t as well equipped as ………. lets just say ,others in this country.†“Well I’ll let you know when I’ve targeted any players, but like I say I’m still looking around.†“Have you decided what kind of players you want?†asked Fiszman “I’m looking for a goalkeeper, a striker and a winger or two, but I may make other signings if that’s acceptable.†I said, hoping that I hadn’t been summoned to hear that I was about to get a budget cut. Thankfully I hadn’t. We went on to discuss my plans for the club and who I was going to sell, then how I was settling in. After the meeting I arranged appointments in my office with Mart Poom, Manuel Almunia, and Jeremie Aliadiere. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEANHUTCH Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 excellently written story. i will be following this tale with close interest Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mambaman Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 cracking story fella KUTGW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 16, 2007 Author Share Posted July 16, 2007 Thanks for the positive feedback guys it really inspires me to keep writing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 16, 2007 Author Share Posted July 16, 2007 In my meetings with these three players, Poom and Aliadiere were both informed that I had decided to transfer list them, and Almunia that I would be monitoring him very closely in coming weeks to decide whether or not to keep him on the transfer list and let him leave. Aliadiere was clearly disappointed with my descision and informed me that he wanted to prove me wrong. I was pleased to hear this but told him that his chances would be limited to reserve team football. Both Poom and Almunia have been placed in the reserves as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 16, 2007 Author Share Posted July 16, 2007 Throughout the rest of the day I had several other appointments, this time with players who’s contracts were going to expire at the end of the season. I informed Jens Lehmann and Johan Djourou that negotiations regarding a new deal would start shortly. I was keen to tie Lehmann down to the club for the next two seasons and I feel Djourou will have a lot to offer the club in coming seasons. Lauren and Justin Hoyte however were told that they would have to prove to me that they merited new deals at the club, and if they failed to impress they would leave at the end of the season. Mart Poom had already been told that his contract will not be renewed so he had already been sorted out, and he now had the next year to find himself a new club. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 I met up with my scouts Steve Rowley and Giles Grimandi today to discuss two players who I had sent them out to take a closer look at. Andres Guardado, a nineteen year old left winger from Mexico, capable also of playing at left back, and sixteen year old Colombian Sherman Cardenas, who can play as a right winger or attacking midfielder were the players in question. Both players were recommended and later that day I met with the board to discuss the teenagers. I have been given the all clear to make a move for the players and I now await a reply from Atlas (to whom I have made an enquiry). I have tabled a contract offer to Cardenas, who is available for £750,000 compensation. I am hoping to seal deals for both players shortly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 A fax came through from Atlas concerning the transfer of Andres Guardado today. Although Atlas seemed willing to talk, they were looking for a large chunk of money and I was very keen to avoid paying over the odds, as I had begun to target a few more players who I wanted to sign. Mr Tom Wulfric, Arsenal Football Club Dear Mr Wulfric, Following your interest in our player Andres Guardado we have come up with the following valuation of the player. The details of any possible transfer are below. Transfer Fee : £4,000,000 Additional Clauses : None - I wasn’t too sure about what I thought was an unreasonable fee, and returned what I thought was a more acceptable bid by fax : £2,800,000. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 The team arrived in Switzerland for the upcoming friendlies and once we’d checked into our hotel in Bellizona I received a message from Peter Hill Wood. Sherman Cardenas has accepted the clubs contract offer and we have now applied for a work permit to complete the deal. A decision will be made on Friday 14th July in three days and I am hopeful that the deal will be finalised. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooner_101 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Really enjoying this which says something because the only other one Ive properly got into is New Era At Madrid- amazing. And so is yours! Can't wait for updates... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 Thanks for the positive feedback gooner 101, New Era at Madrid was actually the story that inspired me to write my own in a similar style. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 The tour of Switzerland is now underway. A 5-1 thrashing of Bellinzona gave a great start to the tour but the game was marred by three injuries. Bellizona 1 - 5 Arsenal Bellizona : Massimo Fishcer (27) Arsenal : Henry (7, 35, 68) Adebayor (32, 45) Jens Lehmann, Freddie Ljungberg and Robin Van Persie all had to go off injured before half time as Bellizona attempted to upstage us by kicking us off the park. The teams quality shone through in the end though. 16 year old left back Armand Traore made it into the starting line up ahead of Justin Hoyte and the injured Gael Clichy and put in a solid performance. I am now thinking about ditching plans to sign a new left back and have Clichy in that slot, Hoyte and Traore as back up. MOTM : Thierry Henry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 Physio reports are in from Gary Lewin and to my relief the injuries to Lehmann, Van Persie and Ljungberg aren’t serious. Lehmann and Van Persie are both out for one week with bruised ribs. Ljungberg is out for 5 days with a dead leg. All three will be returning home shortly as Lehmann and Van Persie will be injured for the rest of the tour, and I do not want to risk Ljungberg in the last game, (which is when he will be regaining full fitness). Ljungberg’s injury has outlined the need for a new left winger as Rosicky is much better in the middle and is not an out and out wide player. The same goes for Jens Lehmann. Poom is not adequate back up and I need a better goalkeeper than Almunia. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 Atlas have accepted my £2,800,000 bid for Andres Guardado and I have offered a contract. I am predicting big things for this player and am very excited that he may be joining us. Transfer season now seems in full flow elsewhere, an article I read in the Telegraph today reported that Barcelona are preparing a bid for Steven Gerrard. That wouldn’t be too bad for the Premiership but to go all the way in Europe you have to beat teams like Barcelona. And when they buy players like Steven Gerrard…… I still doubted they would get their man, the fees being bandied about for players like Gerrard these days were some way over the world record transfer fee. If I had that amount of cash available to me I wouldn’t spend it all on a player like Gerrard anyway, my style is more to go for promising youth, and occasionally, a player near his prime for a still reasonable fee. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 Yverdon 0 - 4 Arsenal Arsenal : Baptista (1, 20, 29) Henry (57) The team improved their performance from Bellizona to smash Yverdon here. Julio Baptista replaced the injured Van Persie and scored a great hatrick before Henry scored a fourth. Armand Traore started but went off injured before half time, giving Justin Hoyte a run out. Vito Mannone replaced Lehmann and played well. Tomas Rosicky also played the full match, replacing Ljungberg at left wing. MOTM : Baptista Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 On my way back to the Swiss hotel near Yverdon where the team was now staying I was ambushed by an English reporter who’d probably travelled all the way from Britain to get a glimpse of behind the scenes at Arsenal’s tour of Switzerland. “Mr Wulfric, speculation has been mounting recently that Blackburn are launching a bid to sign Mathieu Flamini, can you confirm this? “I have not heard anything of the sort†I replied. “Would you be willing to let him leave the club if Blackburn were to make a bid?†“Every player has a price and the same goes for Mathieu but like I say, I haven’t heard anything yet, now, if you’ll excuse me I have places to be.†and with that I stepped into the car waiting for me and drove off. When I returned to my room I found a message concerning the Cardenas deal. His request for a permit has been rejected, I have launched an appeal, and hopefully the decision will be overturned. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 The next morning I received several complimentary English newspapers from the hotel and read them before getting up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Guardian Arsenal Set To Offload Flamini Arsenal manager Tom Wulfric admitted yesterday afternoon that he would listen to offers for French midfielder Mathieu Flamini. Wulfric stated that he would be prepared to sell Flamini but only if the club receive an offer matching their valuation of the player. Flamini has been strongly linked with a move away from the Emirates Stadium recently and it now looks like Wulfric is about to let the player go. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I then went down to breakfast before meeting the rest of the team and boarding the Arsenal coach heading to Sion for the last game of our tour. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 The final match of the tour had arrived, and I was quite looking forward to returning to England. It wasn’t that I hadn’t enjoyed the tour, but I had business (mainly transfer business) to attend to, and my work was much more efficient when not travelling around foreign countries playing in unfamiliar conditions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 Sion 0 - 1 Arsenal Arsenal : Gilberto Silva (8) Sion : Carlitos S/O (40) Another solid performance to coclude the tour, this time Gilberto being the only scorer. An identical line up to the one against Yverdon. The team is now almost fully fit and the tour has seen the players improve significantly. I am considering organising a friendly at the Emirates for in a week or two to really get the team ready. MOTM : Gilberto Silva Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 The team returned safely to England, and there was a lot of news and messages to be found when I returned to my office. First of all was a fax from Roberto Mancini, manager of Inter Milan offering Walter Samuel plus £9,400,000 over 24 months for the services of Alexander Hleb. I have sent Giles Grimandi out to take a look at Samuel to see if the deal is worth pursuing. If I decide against acquiring Samuel then I will negotiate further with Inter to see how much they want Hleb. The second was much more pleasing news, Sherman Cardenas had been granted a work permit and all that was needed was my signature to confirm the deal. I signed and now the club have their first new buy of the season. Soon after I signed the deal my speaker phone clicked. “Boss, it’s Pat Rice here, Alex Ferguson has called, shall I direct him to you?†“Yes please†There was another click and I picked up my telephone. “Hello?†“Hello, this is Alex Ferguson, I am speaking to Tom Wulfric?†“Yes you are, how can I help you?†“May I take this opportunity to welcome you to the Premiership, I would like to congratulate you on your new job,†he said before moving into a brisker tone, “I would like to enquire about Robin Van Persie. I would like to know how much you would be willing to sell him for.†I did some quick thinking. I wanted to keep Van Persie if possible, but knowing the Dutchman, I was sure that he would react badly if he found out that he’d been prevented from joining Manchster United. I had already decided that he was one of the players that I would much rather keep, but that if a huge offer came in I would sell. I decided to tout a fee of much more than Man Utd would want to pay, but that I would be happy with if I did sell. It was win win now. Either they leave it or take it with a very high fee and some extra transfer funds for Arsenal.†“He would be available for around £17,000,000 with a 10% sell on fee†I replied eventually. “That is a little more than I was expecting†there was a pause, “I’ll get back to you, thank you for taking my call†said Ferguson. “Yes, goodbye.†I now waited for a response from Man United. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 I received another phone call that day, this time from Mark Hughes, enquiring about Mathieu Flamini. I told him that I would consider an offer of £3,400,000 with a 10% sell on clause. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Telegraph Wulfric Snaps Up Cardenas In First Summer Deal Arsenal completed their first signing of the summer yesterday when Sherman Cardenas joined for a fee of £750,000 from Buceramenga. The Colombian, who turns seventeen on August 7th has already been tipped for big things by his new manager. “I signed Sherman because he has big potential that I believe will blossom at Arsenal.†said Wulfric, “He will hopefully be the first of a few signings in the next few days.†Arsenal, who had been quiet in the transfer market up until this point, are reportedly close to sealing a couple more deals but Wulfric would not be drawn on the subject. “All I will say is that we are close to sorting out a few more transfers but I will not be saying who. You will hear more shortly.†---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I feel that Cardenas will provide the team with some much needed extra width on the right and with Alexander Hleb’s future in the balance he could prove very useful this season. He is also very young and should become a big player for us in the future, whether on the right or in the middle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 I have received a report from Giles Grimandi recommending that I move for Walter Samuel quickly before another club tries to get him. I have now contacted Roberto Mancini to give him my verdict on the offer. I have negotiated Inter’s offer for Hleb. I have switched the £9,400,000 over a period of 24 months to the same amount straight up. If Inter agree to my demands then I will accept the deal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 I have received a report from Giles Grimandi recommending that I move for Walter Samuel quickly before another club tries to get him. I have now contacted Roberto Mancini to give him my verdict on the offer. I have negotiated Inter’s offer for Hleb. I have switched the £9,400,000 over a period of 24 months to the same amount straight up. If Inter agree to my demands then I will accept the deal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FourFourTwo.com Arsenal Seal Double Winger Deal Arsenal have today completed the signings of two teenage wingers. 19 year old Mexican left midfielder Andres Guardado has joined from Atlas for a fee thought to be around £2,800,000, while 17 year old French right midfielder Gabriel Obertan signed from Bordeux for £825,000. Arsenal have now signed three wingers this summer and the arrival of Obertan is likely to pave the way for Alexandr Hleb’s departure. Hleb was thought to be the subject of an exchange deal bid from Inter Milan, with Walter Samuel heading the other way. With Cardenas, Obertan and Walcott all now available for the right side of midfield Wulfric may well be more open to offers for the Belerus international. The only possible problem is that those three players are 16 - 17 years old and lack vital experience, it remains to be seen whether these youngsters can step up to the challenge the Premiership offers. Also in need of stepping a gear up will be Guardado, who has been signed as a player who will ’hopefully break into the first team soon’ by Tom Wulfric. Arsenal have been short of a real left winger since the departure of Robert Pires last summer and Wulfric clearly sees the young Mexican as the ideal replacement. The original replacement was Tomas Rosicky, signed by Arsene Wenger before he left, but Wulfric announced some time ago that he wants to play Rosicky in the middle, the Czech Republican’s normal position. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am really pleased to have pulled off both these deals, and I am particularly excited about Andres Guardado, who I believe is set for a great future at the club. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 Shortly after returning from the press conference unveiling my three new signings, Cardenas, Obertan and Guardado I received a surprise visit in my office from chairman Peter Hill Wood. “You’ve certainly got the fans excited with this young Cardenas lad†he commented, passing me a cutting from a newspaper. It was an article from the Times. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wulfric Praised For Cardenas Deal Arsenal fans from all over England have been flooding late night Radio phone ins, praising their new manager Tom Wulfric’s vision and ambition in signing 16 year old Colombian midfielder Sherman Cardenas. Fans are delighted that Wulfric has secured the youngsters signature and several well respected pundits have even gone on to state their admiration for Cardenas and believe that with the right guidance he could become a key player for the club. Fans of the club have been no stranger to young prospects being brought in this summer, with teenagers Andres Guardado and Gabriel Obertan following Cardenas into the club. More sceptical pundits are claiming that Wulfric needs to concentrate, not only on players in other positions but also more experienced players. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “It’s great to see us signing promising youngsters and I know you were keen to strengthen that area of the field†said Hill Wood, “but perhaps you need to turn your attention to players other than 16 year old wingers†“I agree that I am signing a lot of wingers†I replied, “But they all have different qualities and Sherman was also signed as an attacking midfielder. And also we are short of back up in those areas of the pitch. I have identified several other targets and I hope to complete a few more deals soon though and you know with Alexandr looking more and more likely to leave the club, I really do need some right sided wingers.†“Yes, I understand what you’re saying, I just wanted to make sure that you were sticking to the sensible transfer market tactics that you need to use.†“Of course sir, that is still my aim.†And with that Hill Wood left the office. I knew that all the players I had signed were players that would be very useful. There were a few more deals I hoped to complete before the end of the summer as well and I hoped Hill Wood would understand my signings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanadianGooner14 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Nice work so far, looking forward to more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 20, 2007 Author Share Posted July 20, 2007 A bid came in from Blasckburn of £3,400,000 and a 10% sell on fee as requested and I have accepted the offer. Flamini was called to my office and I basically told him that he has no future at the club and it would be in his best interests to seek football elsewhere. He was informed of Blackburn’s bid. I am hoping he will agree terms because I have no use for him and I could do with a bit of extra cash. Another call concerning Flamini came later, this time from Everton manager David Moyes, who was interested in taking Flamini on a loan deal. I politely informed him that, due to the current status of the bid from Blackburn, Flamini is not currently available on loan. One player who is available on anything from a loan to a free transfer is Ryan Garry, who I have no use for. I have accepted a loan bid from Tranmere for him and when that deal ends (if it goes through, I will get rid of him). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 20, 2007 Author Share Posted July 20, 2007 Two pieces of bad new awaited me when I entered my office this morning. The first was that Inter Milan had withdrawn their offer for Hleb and so Walter Samuel would be staying at Inter. This was disappointing because I needed a new central defender more than a player like Hleb and Samuel would have cost a fair bit, so to get him and over nine million would have been a good deal from my point of view. Real Madrid and Milan have now joined the list of Hlebs admirers and I have set an asking price of £17,000,000 to fend them off potential suitors who are not seriously interested. I may look for another exchange deal if a bid comes in for Hleb. The second was in the form of a physio report from Gary Lewin. He reported that Armand Traore has dislocated his shoulder and will be out for two months. This is a blow as Justin Hoyte is now our only left back as Clichy is also injured. It is good that Guardado can play left wing back and so he will offer cover for the start of the seaon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Times Mourinho After Arsenal’s Toure Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho last night admitted his interest in Ivorian defender Kolo Toure, who is currently a key player for rivals Arsenal. Mourinho has been searching for a defender since the departure of William Gallas and Toure, who now plays with Gallas at Arsenal, is top of Chelsea’s wanted list. Toure came into Mourinho’s plans after he cooled his interest in Manchester United’s defender Rio Ferdinand. Neither Ferdinand nor Man United were willing to discuss a transfer though, and Mourinho was forced to identify other targets. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The same day I was stopped by a reporter outside the club’s car park. “Mr Wulfric, Jose Mourinho recently declared his interest in defender Kolo Toure, do you have anything to say about this?" “I have not had any contact from anyone at Chelsea and until I do I shall not be taking any notice of this†I replied. “Do you think the riches of Chelsea would make it impossible for you to keep Toure at the club?" “Certainly not. Money is not Kolo’s priority and he would not move clubs just for that I am sure. He has a good life at Arsenal and I cannot see why he would want to leave.†“Would you let him leave the club if contact was made from Chelsea?†“No.†The headline in the Mirror the next day read : Wulfric Lashes Out at Chelsea’s Toure Interest Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 I have started to negotiate new deals with Johan Djourou and Jens Lehmann. Djourou has been offered a three year contract while Lehmann has been offered a two year deal. On arriving at the club I also called Lauren to my office and told him that I was placing him on the transfer list. He reacted badly, criticising my running of the club and claiming that I did not have the ability to succeed at the club. He has been sent to train with the reserves and I have no use for him at the club anymore. This intensifies my search for a new full back to help out Justin Hoyte and also maybe replace him at some stage, as I am still unsure whether he has a future at the club. I will go for a young player, if I wanted experience I would have offered Lauren a new deal but I am trying to build a new team, and he isn‘t the type of defender I want anyway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 Mathieu Flamini’s agent called me to inform me that the player had accepted Blackburn’s contact offer and was ready to sign, the deal has been confirmed and I have completed my first sale of the summer. The ten 10% sell on fee which is included in the £3,400,000 deal means that if he goes on to succeed at the top Arsenal will still benefit. Once sat down at my desk I had a look through the daily newspapers and found that Jose Mourinho had once again declared his interest in Rio Ferdinand. He may well end up yo-yoing between Ferdinand and Toure without signing either of them all summer. Mourinho had completed one big deal however, signing Inter Milan’s powerful Brazilian Adriano for a huge £32,000,000. Twelve million over our whole budget, that was pocket change to Abramovich. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 Another fax came in from Inter Milan, they have tabled a bid of £14,000,000 for Hleb. I have negotiated the deal, I want £10,000,000 plus Walter Samuel. If I do not sort out an exchange deal then I will issue a take it or leave it £17,000,000 deal to Inter. I now await a reply from Roberto Mancini, though I am doubtful that he will match my demands. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 Some interest came from Juventus for Lauren in the form of an enquiry and I have sent details of a suitable transfer sum back to Italy. I will settle for £3,500,000 and while I had manager Didier Deschamps on the phone I made an enquiry into their left back Giorgio Cheillini. Deshcamps told me immediately that we were not the only club interested and he would get back to me. In other news, Djourou and Lehmann have both signed new contracts, I have already decided that the all the other players (except Justin Hoyte) who’s contracts run out this summer will not remain at the club My proposal of a friendly match with Galatasary has been declined and with the draw for the Champions League third qualifying coming up I decided against arranging another friendly. The team will be completely ready for the start of the new Premiership season after the qualifiers and so I turned my attention to more transfer buisiness, and training. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 Arsenal have been drawn to play either Zurich or Mlada Boleslav in the Champions League third round qualifiers. The second leg is yet to be played but Zurich currently lead 4-0 from the first leg and they are all but through. The Premier League odds from Totalbet.com have also been released and Chelsea and Man Utd have been made 6-4 joint favourites to win the league. Our odds of 14-1 suggest that many believe us to be outsiders who are unlikely to come top this season. This is just the way I like it, I do not want to be under the pressure of being expected to win the league so early in my career at the club. Faxes from Juventus and Inter Milan informed me that neither club would be following their interest in Lauren and Hleb respectively. I have stood firmly by my valuation of the two players and bids of less than three and a half million for Lauren and seventeen million for Hleb will be rejected. I am now playing hard ball and won’t be moved on my position. I have given up on Samuels and have sent out scout Giles Grimandi to take a look at Manchester City’s young defender Micah Richards as I intensify my search for a new defender. I am yet to hear back from Juventus on defender Giorgio Chiellini, perhaps we can sort out a swap deal involving Lauren. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 I received a report from Giles Grimandi on defender Micah Richards, recommending the player and quoting a possible fee of £10 million to £13 million. I have sent a formal enquiry to City and hope to be advised on a fee. Later Juventus faxed me a proposal of £6,700,000 for Chiellini, I have tabled a £3,800,000 offer which I feel is more reasonable and await an answer. Gary Lewin has sent a physio report along to my office, Theo Walcott earlier suffered a hip injury in training and I have sent him to a specialist, he will unfortunately be out for two months. A board confidence update indicated that fans are still displeased with my appointment, and the board are ‘still sure’ they made the right decision in hiring me. I still have a budget of £18 million to spend on new recruits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 Zurich held onto their 4-0 lead and will now face us in the CL qualifiers. I have submitted my list of players registered for European matches. Most of the first team with the exception of Freddie Ljungberg have been registered. I had hoped to have brought in another goalkeeper by this point but I have registered Vito Manonne as I haven’t managed to bring one in yet. Just before I was about to leave my office the phone rang. “Hello?†“Good afternoon, this is Roberto Mancini here, I assume I am speaking to Tom Wulfric?†“Yes you are, how can I help you ?†I already knew the answer. “I would like to enquire about Alexandr Hleb. I want to know how much you would be willing to sell him for.†“We have been through this Mr Mancini†I replied impatiently, “I have set an asking price of £17,000,000 and as you now seem unwilling to part with Walter Samuel I suggest that either you come back with a bid that meets our evaluation or turn your attention elsewhere.†There was a pause, “I will get back to you†Mancini finally replied I put down the phone and sighed. Would they ever make a bid? Or would they just hover about with cautious enquiries, not followed up with anything serious? I would soon find out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 Gilberto Silva has sustained a damaged shoulder and will miss the start of the season. I am getting tired of these constant injuries and will be reviewing the first team training schedule within the next week. After reading this unpleasant news I received a message through the fax machine, it featured a black and white Udinese crest in the top right corner. It concerned the loan offer I had made for their 20 year old Ghana striker Gyan Asamoah Tom Wulfric, Arsenal Football Club Dear Mr Wulfric, We thank you for your interest in our player, Gyan Asamoah, and have decided to accept your offer. Should the deal go through, below are the terms and conditions. Type : Loan Fee : None Wage Contribution : 100% Future Fee : £5,000,000 The player will be asked to agree to the deal before it goes through. Udinese F.C. Good news indeed. I had been looking for another option up front and Asamoah would fit the bill perfectly. He was also available for a decent fee. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomunco Posted July 31, 2007 Author Share Posted July 31, 2007 Paris have joined the list of clubs interested in full back Lauren. The more the merrier, I am hoping to spark a bidding war and the more clubs that want him the more chance of a decent fee. I have made bids for two goalkeepers, Igor Akinfeev and Vincent Enyeama. Akinfeev was a 20 year old Russian with 12 caps to his name playing for CSKA Moscow and he is showing great potential. Valued at £2,400,000 but I had known that a bid of that much would have been laughed away and put in an offer of £6,000,000 with a 50% sell on fee. Definitely one to watch for the future and would be a great understudy to Lehmann at the present time Enyeama was a 23 year old Nigerian valued at £150,000 by his club Bnei Yehuda. He has 20 caps and looks a decent player for such a low price. I tabled a £625,000 bid. More interest in Lauren, this time in the form of loan bids from Valencia and Espanyol. Both bids were rejected though. Lauren only has a year left on his contract and if he went on loan I am sure he would just end up leaving on a free next summer. Money bags Chelsea have pulled off another deal. An article in the Telegraph reported that they have won the tussle with Man United for Argentine midfielder Esteban Cambiassio. Chelsea splashed out £11,000,000 on the Inter player. With Inter now rolling in cash I guessed they would be more generous when trying to sign Hleb in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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