may 2nd
09.22 – Well, as feared, Patrick Vieira is out for the season. His knee is nowhere near ready and a summer of rest is in order for the captain. It should give him plenty of time to sign a new contract though. Well, that’s if Arsenal can afford to offer him one…
In today’s Telegraph, there’s an article by Mihir Bose, who has previously run exposés on the likes of Terry Venables and his shady dealings. It’s a worrying read, some of the main points being :
- Arsenal’s debts could reach £60m by the end of the season
- Arsenal have put basically everything they own ‘in hock’ to Barclays bank, including Highbury, the London Colney training ground and parts of Ashburton Grove
- Arsenal are still paying money for the transfers of Henry, van Bronckhorst, and possibly Wiltord
- Wages account for 70% of the club’s income
It’s all a bit scary really, and considering the fact that the club now have little choice but to proceed with the Ashburton Grove project now, skimping and saving will be the order of the day for some time. If this report is accurate, it’s much easier to understand Peter Hill-Wood’s comments about the wage bill, which quite frankly looks unsustainable.
“Arsenal are faced with a choice. They need a new, bigger stadium but the cost of that will be borne by the team.”
Some good news though, Freddie Ljungberg may well be fit for the Southampton game, while Edu has made a speedy recovery from his knee injury and could play against Leeds if needed. More congratulations to Thierry Henry as he completed his own personal double by picking up the Football Writers Player of the Year award.
Right, I’m off to hang around with me mates Davey “Danger” Dein and Danny “Double Danger” Fiszman – we might go scrumping in a few orchards or pull off an enormous armed robbery netting ourselves millions in gold bullion ….or something. Laters….
