On the move: Bakari Sagna trains with the
France squad this summer
Arsenal will today complete the £7.5million signing of
Auxerre defender Bakary Sagna and then make a £13m bid for
Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins - two big-money moves which are
set to leave their outspoken French full-back William Gallas eating
his words.
Gallas used his website to blast Arsenal for a lack of transfer
activity, saying: "Around us all the teams are recruiting but what
is planned to compensate for the departure of Titi Henry to
Barcelona? It is necessary to recruit players of reputation. I'm
not here to play for third place.
"Today I'm at Arsenal but I don't know what can occur tomorrow.
"Players are questioning the club's future. I will have a
discussion with Arsene Wenger and board members to know the
objectives this season." But with giant centre-half Sagna, 24,
arriving to finalise a five-year deal this morning to join £8m
Croatian striker Eduardo Da Silva, £2m Polish goalkeeper Lukasz
Fabianski and £2m Norwegian defender Harvard Nordveit, fans will
question Gallas's motives for making an unjustified attack on the
club.
Since his controversial transfer from Chelsea which took Ashley
Cole to Stamford Bridge, Gallas has failed to light up The
Emirates, playing just 21 Premiership games last season, and may
fancy another move. Wenger will try to boost his striker line-up by
triggering a £13m buy-out clause in 22-year-old Martins' contract.
The Nigerian, who scored 17 goals in 46 appearances last season at
Newcastle, is expected to tell boss Sam Allardyce he will leave
unless they put his earnings in line with Michael Owen on
£110,000-a-week.
That would bring Wenger's spending this summer to nearly £35m.
Arsenal's spending has been modest in recent years as the club
budgeted for their move to the Emirates Stadium last season. Sagna
will provide cover across the back four as Premiership managers
around the country prepare for the impact of the African Nations
Cup early next year.
Arsenal's defence will be left without Kolo Toure and full-back
Emmanuel Eboue, who both play for the Ivory Coast. Sagna, a former
France Under-21 international who broke into the senior French
squad last season, threatened to boycott pre-season training at
Auxerre if he was not allowed to move to Arsenal.
The Gunners are also closing in on another young Frenchman, Caen
striker Yoan Gouffran, who is set to be signed and then loaned back
to Caen for a year.
