Monday, June 25, 2007

PRE SEASON

Henry hails Barca switch

The Frenchman completed his £16.1million move from Arsenal on Monday after successfully coming through a medical at Camp Nou.
Henry, who has signed a four-year deal at Barca, was overjoyed to make the move to the Spanish giants and he hopes he can be a success at the club.

"I am really pleased to be here," said Henry.

"It has been a long chase but I'm finally here and happy to be here and I can't wait to go out there and show what I can do to the fans
"Hopefully I can be a great asset for the team.

"I haven't set any targets or objectives. It has to be a club target.
"Barcelona is always a club that wants to win everything. I am going to try my hardest to help as much as I can.

"It has to be a team effort right from the start."

Henry admitted he hopes to finally win a UEFA Champions League winners' medal at Barcelona after missing out on one at Arsenal
"I have to live and breathe Barcelona," added Henry. "It is a dream for everyone to win the Champions League and I'm sure it will be the dream of Barcelona to win it again next season.
"It is the only thing I didn't win [at Arsenal] but the most important thing is that Barcelona is successful and they win silverware."

Henry hopes the Arsenal fans can understand his decision to leave Emirates Stadium. I have to show respect to Arsenal that's why before I left I wentto talk to the website. I wanted to be genuine and speak the truth.



"Hopefully they will appreciate what I have done there and I have certainly enjoyed my time over there.

"I always said that if I ever left Arsenal it would have been to play for Barcelona. I am here right now, no disrespect to anybody but that was my choice.

"The way Barcelona play football, the fans, just being here and seeing what I'm noticing right now, it's outstanding. It was always in my mind if I was going to leave it would be for Barcelona Football Club."

Henry admitted that there will no rivalry with Samuel Eto'o as both players battle for a place in Barca's side next season as he revealed he is close friends with the Cameroon star.
"The relationship I have with Samuel is from a long time ago," noted Henry.
"I know a lot of players in the team but on top of that Samuel and I have been really close in the past two years.

"He came to see me at my house when I got injured a few months ago and I came to see him when he he had an operation (in the early part of last season).
"I know you guys (the media) would not like us not to be friends but we are friends."(skysport)


Arsenal Board Split On Wenger's Choice Of Anelka


With the club's all-time goalscorer heading for Barcelona, Wenger's preferred choice to fill the gap in Arsenal's attack is Nicolas Anelka.

Manager Arsene Wenger now has just three strikers at his disposal in the form of Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor and Theo Walcott.

Jeremie Aliadiere has been sold to Middlesbrough and Julio Baptista has returned to Real Madrid after failing to impress in a loan spell.

The first names to be linked with the Gunners in the Saturday press are those of Nicolas Anelka and Carlos Tevez.

Bolton have previously made it clear that they wish to hold on to the former Arsenal striker and are likely to resist a bid from the Gunners.

West Ham are also desperate to keep Tevez at Upton Park for another season but a big-money offer from Arsenal may test their resolve.

Ajax’s Klaas Jan Huntelaar has also been linked in the last few weeks.

And that seems to have convulsed a board that used to be a byword for calm, stable stewardship.

For although in purely footballing terms the choice of Anelka to succeed Henry is a logical one - the Bolton Wanderers striker being blessed with pace, excellent technique and an astute eye for goal - he comes with enough baggage to fill the hold of a small airliner. Especially at Arsenal, where his career first took off.

Wenger, a long-time admirer of Anelka's game, brought the then teenager to Highbury from an outraged Paris St-Germain in 1997, and in the 1997-98 season Anelka burst onto the Premiership scene as Arsenal clinched a Premiership-FA Cup double. Anelka's arrival hastened the exit of Arsenal legend Ian Wright, but after one more productive season at the club Anelka was accused of holding the Gunners to ransom as he engineered a lucrative move to Real Madrid.

His team-mates, the Arsenal fans and the board were glad to see the back of the moody young Frenchman, who earned the nickname 'The Incredible Sulk' while at Highbury, though Wenger has never publicly said a word against him.

Arsenal received a club-record £23million from Real, and replaced him, ironically, with Thierry Henry.

Anelka was not a huge success at Madrid and went on to "enjoy" spells back at Paris St-Germain, then Liverpool, Manchester City, Fenerbahce, Bolton and France, without ever fully shaking off his moody reputation.

Yet Wenger described Anelka last year as his greatest discovery, the most prodigious talent he had uncovered, so it is not surprising that he is now in his thoughts as Henry settles into Camp Nou life.

Nor is it surprising that the board are unhappy with Wenger's choice.
Reportedly, the board have not forgotten or forgiven that Anelka made himself public enemy number at Arsenal in the summer of 1999. And the prospect of his returning to the club has apparently split the board for a second time in little more than three months.

The first split forced Wenger's ally and friend, David Dein, out of the club over US billionaire Stan Kroenke's growing involvement.

Now the reported vetoing of Wenger's move for Anelka will seem like another snub for the French manager, whose contract expires in 12 months' time and may not, at this rate, be renewed.

There is clearly a big risk that if Anelka is Wenger's first choice, and the board prevent him bringing the player back, then the manager will feel that a wedge is being driven between himself and the club after a highly successful ten-year association.

Relations between Wenger and the board appear to have been strained since Dein quit, but it is not clear how popular a returning Anelka would be with the fans. He would certainly have to perform wonders on the pitch, and upset nobody off it, to stand a chance of earning their respect. Affection may be too much to hope for, although ultimately it is success that keeps fans happy.

Wenger has himself been linked with Real Madrid, although he insists he will see out the coming season at the Emirates Stadium. Beyond that is anybody's guess at the moment. That could, of course, also affect Anelka's thinking. Would he want to co me back if he thought his champion at the club, Wenger, would be off in a year's time?
Anelka is said to be available from Bolton for around £11million.


Thierry Henry insists that his relationship with Arsene Wenger has not been tarnished as a result of his decision to move and he hopes he stays on at Arsenal.


Henry had suggested one of the main reasons for his departure to Barcelona was because of the uncertainty regarding Wenger's long-term future.

However, the 29-year-old believes Wenger will remain at Arsenal next season and he says he did not fall out with his fellow Frenchman over his decision to leave Emirates Stadium.
"I will like him to stay there because it is important for the club," said Henry.

"If he goes it will be very difficult - but I can't talk for someone else.

"The relationship I had with Arsene was out of this world - you can't imagine. I was talking to him about private stuff, about anything.

"That relationship goes beyond me going to Barcelona. We didn't have a fight (about him moving to the Camp Nou).

"We sat down and talked and we both respected each other and my relationship with him will always remain, whatever happens."

Wenger also paid tribute to Henry for his contribution to Arsenal over the eight years he was at the club.

"Thierry has been tremendous for us since he arrived in 1999," Wenger told the club's official website. "He has excelled both as part of a team and individually. In short, he has become an Arsenal legend.

“Personally, I would like to thank Thierry for the huge contribution he has made to the club's success over the past eight years.

"To his great credit, he has mixed skill and style together with an appetite for winning. This wonderful combination was integral to our historical 49 games unbeaten run and all the honours he won at Arsenal, together with Thierry becoming the club's record goal scorer - an achievement which in my view is unlikely to be surpassed.

“It was Thierry's decision to leave Arsenal but he goes with my blessing. On behalf of everyone at the club, we wish him the very best for the future."

Meanwhile, Henry has played down fears over his fitness after he spent much of last season on the sidelines.

"I had an injury last season which stopped me playing but if you look at my record of injuries there is only one, so hopefully I am sure I am back for good," continued Henry.

"Today I had a medical and I passed the medical easily, nothing was bad anywhere. I just need a little more rest and maybe not having played much the season before can be good for this season."(skysport)


Barca tie up Toure deal


Barcelona have announced the signing of Yaya Toure from Monaco.
Toure arrived in Barcelona for talks on Sunday and he has agreed personal terms and passed a medical at Camp Nou.

Barca have been chasing Toure for some time and they are believed to have paid €12million (£8million) for the Ivory Coast international.

Toure, who is the younger brother of Arsenal's Kolo, is regarded as one of the best young players in Europe.

The 24-year-old is Barca's second signing of the summer following the high-profile capture of Thierry Henry.

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