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This is from the standard via soccernet
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Gunners line up Pires as Lazio target Overmars
By Steve Stammers in
Casablanca
Arsenal will renew their efforts to sign French winger Robert Pires from Olympique
Marseille if they sell Marc Overmars to Lazio.
Overmars, who will play for Holland in Euro 2000, has emerged as a £15million
target for the Serie A champions.
In contrast, Arsenal could snap up Pires for around £6m - and the player is keen
to come to Highbury.
As France complete their warm-up games for Euro 2000 with a clash against
Morocco in Casablanca in the final of the King Hassan II tournament tonight, Pires
made it clear he wants to play for Arsene Wenger.
The French star said: 'I have seen how playing in England has helped players like
Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry. I would love to join them at
Arsenal. It would be a big benefit to me, I believe.'
The Italian club's interest in Overmars comes soon after the news that Juventus
want Vieira.
Lazio vice-president Massimo Cragnotti is expected in London in the next three or
four days in an attempt to thrash out a deal.
Overmars still has three years left on his contract at Highbury but, as was seen in
the stubborn stance taken by Nicolas Anelka a year ago when he success-fully
demanded to join Real Madrid, contracts guarantee only hefty financial
compensation, not loyalty.
If he gives his representatives the go-ahead, a deal can be arranged without him
having to leave the Dutch camp. And the indications are that if the deal is
attractive enough, Overmars will leave.
He has been constantly linked with a move to Barcelona for much of the season
but that evaporated when his compatriot Luis Van Gaal was sacked as manager.
But Lazio would also appeal to the ambitious Overmars who joined Arsenal three
years ago from Ajax for £7.5m.
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As the season drew to a close my views on the possibility of ovarmars leaving was one of indifference. If he preferred to play at barcelona then he could f*uck off. However, my opinion has modified considerably since then, the fact is that although his perfromances have been in decline since the double year, he is none the less perfect for arsenal. There is no point us employing someone who is going to put great crosses in the box since we effectively play with only a single striker, and the central midfield pairing rarely join the attack. What we need is someone who is going to cut inside, attack the box, and score goals, which is what overmars does so excellently. With overmars and pires, flanking viera and petit in midfield, I feel we genuanly have a chance of greatness. We don't need the money, wenger already has a tranfer budget of around £30m and I doubt he will spend in excess of that whether overmars is retained or otherwise. I doubt overmars would push for a move to lazio, seria a is not primera liga, and lazio is not barcelona, it also means that he probably would never get the oppotunity to leave for the nou camp. So why sell?
However if the worse does come to the worse, and he does depart, who will replace him. Lazio has certain players that could intrest wenger, Nedved or s.conceicao, however I feel neither is particularly likely to join us. Another alternative would be gronkjaer form ajax, who has reportedly been looked at by arsenal in the past, or lurling who would be able to cover both the wing and the 4th striker positions. What I do feel certain of though, is that if overmars leaves, then pires will definatly be a arsenal player next season.
----------------------------------------
Gunners line up Pires as Lazio target Overmars
By Steve Stammers in
Casablanca
Arsenal will renew their efforts to sign French winger Robert Pires from Olympique
Marseille if they sell Marc Overmars to Lazio.
Overmars, who will play for Holland in Euro 2000, has emerged as a £15million
target for the Serie A champions.
In contrast, Arsenal could snap up Pires for around £6m - and the player is keen
to come to Highbury.
As France complete their warm-up games for Euro 2000 with a clash against
Morocco in Casablanca in the final of the King Hassan II tournament tonight, Pires
made it clear he wants to play for Arsene Wenger.
The French star said: 'I have seen how playing in England has helped players like
Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry. I would love to join them at
Arsenal. It would be a big benefit to me, I believe.'
The Italian club's interest in Overmars comes soon after the news that Juventus
want Vieira.
Lazio vice-president Massimo Cragnotti is expected in London in the next three or
four days in an attempt to thrash out a deal.
Overmars still has three years left on his contract at Highbury but, as was seen in
the stubborn stance taken by Nicolas Anelka a year ago when he success-fully
demanded to join Real Madrid, contracts guarantee only hefty financial
compensation, not loyalty.
If he gives his representatives the go-ahead, a deal can be arranged without him
having to leave the Dutch camp. And the indications are that if the deal is
attractive enough, Overmars will leave.
He has been constantly linked with a move to Barcelona for much of the season
but that evaporated when his compatriot Luis Van Gaal was sacked as manager.
But Lazio would also appeal to the ambitious Overmars who joined Arsenal three
years ago from Ajax for £7.5m.
----------------------------------------
As the season drew to a close my views on the possibility of ovarmars leaving was one of indifference. If he preferred to play at barcelona then he could f*uck off. However, my opinion has modified considerably since then, the fact is that although his perfromances have been in decline since the double year, he is none the less perfect for arsenal. There is no point us employing someone who is going to put great crosses in the box since we effectively play with only a single striker, and the central midfield pairing rarely join the attack. What we need is someone who is going to cut inside, attack the box, and score goals, which is what overmars does so excellently. With overmars and pires, flanking viera and petit in midfield, I feel we genuanly have a chance of greatness. We don't need the money, wenger already has a tranfer budget of around £30m and I doubt he will spend in excess of that whether overmars is retained or otherwise. I doubt overmars would push for a move to lazio, seria a is not primera liga, and lazio is not barcelona, it also means that he probably would never get the oppotunity to leave for the nou camp. So why sell?
However if the worse does come to the worse, and he does depart, who will replace him. Lazio has certain players that could intrest wenger, Nedved or s.conceicao, however I feel neither is particularly likely to join us. Another alternative would be gronkjaer form ajax, who has reportedly been looked at by arsenal in the past, or lurling who would be able to cover both the wing and the 4th striker positions. What I do feel certain of though, is that if overmars leaves, then pires will definatly be a arsenal player next season.
