
Real swoop for Robben 'n
Gab
REAL MADRID snapped up Arjen Robben and Gabriel Heinze in an
incredible double swoop last night. The Spanish giants forked out
£24.5million for Chelsea winger Robben and £8.4m to land Manchester
United defender Heinze. Dutch ace Robben is on a five-year deal,
while Argentinas Heinze has signed up for four.
Heinze, who had been fighting to join Liverpool, headed straight to
the Spanish capital for a medical after Real settled on the fee
with United. A top Madrid source confirmed: Real Madrid and
Manchester United have reached agreement for the transfer of
Heinze. He will sign a contract for the next four seasons and will
be immediately incorporated into Bernd Schusters squad.
Real followed that by sewing up Robbens move, as Chelsea more than
doubled their money. Robben, 23, moved to Stamford Bridge from PSV
Eindhoven for £12m in 2004 but has struggled with injury.
Real will use 29-year-old Heinze as a replacement for Brazilian
legend Roberto Carlos on the left. They moved just hours after the
Premier League blocked the players proposed move to Liverpool. Kop
boss Rafa Benitez blasted both United and Premier League bosses
yesterday, saying the Heinze decision was one of several
threatening his clubs title ambitions.
Benitez fumed: How can a player with a signed agreement be treated
like this? He has a document which is clear. But the Premier
League prefers to believe the word of someone else, who made a
mistake. There were accusations made against Liverpool which were
unbelievable.
Then I would like to ask the Premier League why it is that
Liverpool always play the most fixtures away from home in an early
kick-off following an international break? Then I want to ask why
it was so difficult for Liverpool to sign Javier Mascherano? We had
to wait a long time but it was so easy for Carlos Tevez to join
United.