Adebayor at point of no return

[Elano]

Emmanuel Adebayor, the Arsenal striker, has given the clearest indication yet that he will leave the club in the summer.

On a day of contradictions, Adebayor at first appeared to state that he would be happy to remain at Arsenal, where he has a three-year contract, before changing his stance and welcoming interest from Barcelona and AC Milan. The Togo striker, 24, said that he would consider offers from leading clubs and was adamant that the final decision was his to make. He will decide one way or the other after talks with Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, scheduled to take place next week.

“If what I hear is right, Arsenal could bring in five or six times the money they paid for me,” Adebayor, who cost £5million when he signed from AS Monaco in 2006, said. “Everyone is getting the benefits. They have to make a good decision and I have to make a good decision as well.

“Arsène is like a father to me and I love him a lot, but he bought me because he believed in my quality, not because I was from Togo or needed the money or looked beautiful. He bought me because he thought I could do something good for his club. He put me where I am today, but now a lot of teams want me and I must decide.

“I will sit down next week with my agent and we will work out what is good for my career. That is the most important thing. We will meet with Arsène Wenger before anything and then I will decide.”

Adebayor's situation echoes that of Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United - the Portugal winger has been angling for a move to Real Madrid since before the Champions League final in May. Adebayor, like Ronaldo, has preferred to drip-feed news of his intentions, hence the speculation and uncertainty.

From a position at the end of the season when he was adamant that he would stay at Arsenal, Adebayor then said that he was flattered by interest from Italy and Spain, although yesterday's about-turn in Vienna represents his most naked deployment of brinkmanship yet.

Clouding the issue further is the belief that Wenger, while publicly insisting that he would like Adebayor to stay, is privately happy for him to leave, provided that Arsenal can secure a fee in the region of £30million. It is this game of bluff and counter-bluff that makes Adebayor's future so unsure, although, cutting through the fog, if the player wants to go and the club want to sell, the only outstanding issue would appear to be whether prospective buyers can afford the fee. Milan do not have Champions League football to fall back on next season, while Barcelona must pre- qualify.

Adebayor says that the ball is in Arsenal's court and he is waiting for Wenger to arrange a meeting when he returns from the European Championship finals on Monday. The player has set a deadline of July 21, when Arsenal report back for pre-season training, to have his future resolved. “I need to know by then,” he said. “I have a promise from Arsène that they will call me next week because I asked them to look at my contract and see what they wanted to do. Now I am waiting and then I will decide.

“I am in a position that I don't know where I will play next season, but that is normal. It will not be a difficult decision because if you had told me seven years ago when I was playing in Togo without football shoes that I would have a choice of playing in Spain or Italy, it would have seemed crazy. I never thought there would be so many clubs who wanted to buy me.”

Wenger, who has lost Mathieu Flamini to Milan, also faces a battle to keep Alexander Hleb. Supporters would view the departure of Adebayor as a huge blow, but Wenger has been steeling himself for it for much of the summer and has a list of potential replacements, including Roque Santa Cruz, of Blackburn Rovers.



(times)

[K.Dub]

Adebayor says that the ball is in Arsenal's court

[Elano]

"Emmanuel Adebayor tells Arsenal: You're better off taking the cash"

Emmanuel Adebayor last night rocked Arsenal by saying he was ready to quit and added: "Don't moan, you'll be making millions when you sell me."

As former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein warned the club could slip out of the Champions League elite unless the board opens its doors to significant foreign investment, Adebayor exposed the financial faultline at the heart of the club.

The Gunners are refusing to give him the £120,000 a week he wants, sparking a £28million bid from AC Milan and a £25m offer from Barcelona.

Adebayor, 24, admitted it would not be a wrench for him to turn his back on Arsenal and Arsene Wenger because the Gunners cannot meet his pay demands.

Adebayor, who would pocket a basic wage of £80,000 a week after tax at the San Siro, said: "It won't be a difficult decision. If Arsenal sell me, they are going to get £40m, maybe £47m and they bought me for £7m.

"So everyone is getting the benefits. They have to make a good decision and I have to make a good decision as well."

Adebayor's intention to quit follows Matthieu Flamini walking out of the Emirates to join Milan on a free transfer and Alexander Hleb also poised to leave for Barcelona.

Dein, forced off the board last year and now chairman of Red and White Holdings, the company funded by would-be Gunners owner Alisher Usmanov, claimed the club faced a bleak future.

Dein said: "I want to see Arsenal successful, but it needs somebody with money to come in.

"Without the sort of money Alisher would invest there is a real danger of the club slipping out of the top four in the next five years."

As Adebayor spoke last night in Vienna there was a big smile on his face - but huge menace for Arsenal in his voice.

And as he demonstrated he felt no debt of loyalty to Arsene Wenger or the Gunners' fans, the shadow of impending doom began to descend on the Emirates.

Losing Matthieu Flamini and Alexander Hleb was always going to hurt Wenger and his team.

But to also see their 30-goal top scorer exit because they simply cannot afford to keep him would be a further hammer-blow.

And while Wenger rescued Adebayor from a nightmare at Monaco barely 18 months ago, the Togo striker clearly feels there is no need to pay back his manager.

Adebayor said: "Arsene is like a father to me. That is why I love him a lot. He put me where I am today, no doubt about that.

"But he bought me because he believed in my quality. He didn't buy me because I'm from Togo or because I needed money or because I look beautiful. He bought me because he thought I could do something good for the club."

Adebayor, speaking at an adidas presentation, added: "I have a three-year contract with Arsenal but a lot of teams want me to play for them. I'm surprised and flattered, by that.

"I came from Togo seven years ago and now I have a lot of big clubs trying to buy me. It's up to me and my agent Stephane Courbis to sit down next week and find a good solution, to do what's right for my career.

"I'm in a position that I don't know where to play but that's normal. If you told me seven years ago when I was playing in Togo without a pair of football boots that I'd have a choice of playing in Spain or Italy it would seem crazy.

"Arsenal need to tell me what they want as well. I have a promise from Arsene that they will call me next week. I'm waiting for their answer and then I'll decide. I need to know before I come back to train on July 21. I need to know by then."

Adebayor's body-language and demeanour, as much as his words, suggested that decision had already been made.

With former vice-chairman David Dein warning the club may go backwards unless there is significant external investment, the striker also hinted at his dissatisfaction with Arsenal's transfer policies, blaming the lack of strength in depth for another trophyless season.

"Of all the years I have been playing football, last season was the most difficult because we were so nearly there," he added. "At the end when we missed out and finished third it was so painful.

The team's so young and when a season reaches its crucial moment we will have to find the solution.

"Last season showed February, March and April are decisive months and we weren't ready for them.

"My ambition is winning the league, winning the Champions League, winning the FA and Carling Cup and being the best player in the world.

"Those are the dreams. If you want to be a great player you have to have these ideas in your head and you need to believe in them.

"I've never played for Milan or Barcelona so I don't know anything about the atmosphere around these clubs. But I just love playing football. Where I play doesn't matter."

(mirror)

[KURUPTION-81]

Wenger is stupid if he sells him this summer as it would leave him with Bendtner (lol), walcott (he is fast so he must be good) and eduardo who is still injured.

Adebayor needs to remember he has only had one good season and thats mainly down to Wenger but you can see he doesent care about arsenal.

Mainly because Arsenal keep kidding themselves that playing good football is as good as winning trophy's. Players want to win trophys and thats why people like flamini, adabayor, hleb will be quick to jump ship when another club comes in for them.

I wish arsenal would stop going on about how young there team is, its no excuse.  "At the end when we missed out and finished third it was so painful. The team's so young and when a season reaches its crucial moment we will have to find the solution."

When united played arsenal at the emirates last year, the average age of uniteds team was 26.4 and arsenals 26.8 and we started with VDS who is 36/37 and giggs who is 33.

All this there young is just another excuse to ignore the fact that arsenal are failing to win anything.

[Elano]

Milan: Ade is now up for sale

AC MILAN claim Arsenal have written to them to discuss selling Emmanuel Adebayor.

Vice president Adriano Galliani insists he has received a letter in which the Gunners have changed their position to the point they are now open to a deal for the Togo hitman.

Galliani said: “I’ve received a letter from Arsenal. It says, ‘Following our communication of June 13, in which we informed you we were not willing to deal over Adebayor, now we are writing to tell you we will consider a deal if it still interests you’.”

But the fee could still be a sticking point as the Gunners want £35million for their star striker, 24.

Galliani admitted the two clubs are still far apart over the figure but added: “If Adebayor decides to leave Arsenal, we are certainly interested.”

The Italian giants, desperate for more firepower, have so far balked at the asking price and Galliani fears they would struggle to compete financially if Barcelona entered the bidding.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article1398500.ece