Rocky the King
Looking at a number rumours doing the rounds on the newswires recently which ones do you think are likely?
Here are some of the most recent top stories
Man City want Jack Wilshere
Jack is Arsenal through and through, and I cannot see Arsene Wenger agreeing to let him go. After all he must have learnt from his mistake with Robin Van Persie surely? Jack’s stunning brace against Slovenia recently has signalled his renaissance after his bad fortune with injuries. Jack is a Gooner and I think that means more than cash and moving to Man City, when Arsenal could become title contenders next season with the right signings.
Brendan Rodgers ponders Raheem Stirling for Walcott deal
Raheem Stirling just keeps making the headlines and for the wrong reasons. The exciting striker has been linked with Rafa Benitez at Real Madrid and has been subject to a final £40 million from Man City. Now headlines concerning possible laughing gas abuse on board a yacht in Ibiza are likely to put Stirling’s relations with Liverpool FC on a further downward spiral. However it is the news that Stirling harbours a desire to join Arsenal and enjoy the London scene which might mean his next move could be to the Emirates with an astonishing deal of £25 million plus Theo Walcott, a player who Brendan Rodgers sees as a direct replacement. Theo Walcott is fond of Liverpool and he is more likely to get a regular slot playing down the middle. Stirling’s exit from Anfield now seems ever more likely after the revelations in ‘The Sun’.
Africa’s richest man wants Arsenal
The BBC are reporting that Aliko Dangote, a Nigerian billionaire who was recently listed at 67th in the Forbes rich list and reputedly worth an astonishing £11.5 billion following some new business deals, is now up for buying Arsenal. He claims to have been a Gooner for several years. Aliko Dangote is a self-made entrepreneur dealing in cement, sugar, flour and oil. Dangote revealed his plans to the BBC’s Hausa service. Hausa is the commonest spoken language in West African countries such as Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana. Dangote commented that he was in for Lady Bracewell-Smith’s shareholding before he pulled out due to business distractions. He also feel that Arsenal need a new direction and need to stop just developing players and selling them. He feels that he has the spending power to take Arsenal to the next level.
So how likely is this Nigerian businessman’s desire to own Arsenal likely to succeed? Stan Kroenke seems unlikely to sell as this would break with his loyal behaviour relating to his assets. Arsenal, Wenger and the continuing value of his shareholding seems likely to keep him happy, but where Kroenke might be tempted to take the bait, is in relation to his need for hard cash in moving his St Louis Rams NFC franchise to Inglewood Southern California. Stan Kroenke is reportedly using $2 billion of his own cash in association with the Stockbridge Capital group to build a new 80,000 stadium in Inglewood near LA, and as his team used to be the LA Rams from 1946 to 1994, there are many LA NFL fans who would love to see their team return home.
The other factor that make Dangote’s assertion more likely is the news that Alisher Usmanov is repatriating some of his wealth and assets back to Moscow to assist the beleaguered President Putin who is feeling battered after his snub from the recent World Leaders G7 meeting and a failure to get Pope Francis on side with his Ukraine invasion. Putin is said to be worrying about the next round of financial sanctions from Europe and the USA and to stop the Russian economy from going into meltdown, the markets have to have some good news. Usmanov has transferred his holdings in Megafon a telecoms company and also his holding in USM holdings, a steel and mining corporation in response to Vladimir Putin’s call for the Oligarchs to “de-offshore” their wealth to help Mother Russia. Arsenal’s share price is expected to rise to a new high of £16,000 from its current value of £15,750 in response to this speculation, valuing Arsenal at £995 million in capitalisation terms for its 62,217 shares.
Petr Cech to join Arsenal
Perhaps the worst kept secret of the summer so far, is the news that Chelsea have agreed to release the legend from Stamford Bridge as they try to target Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris - himself linked with Arsenal some seasons back. Chelsea has admitted failure to organise an Oxlade –Chamberlain deal in connection with this transfer. 33 year old Cech only made 16 appearances for Chelsea last season, still feels that he has a lot to offer, and joining Arsenal would be a new challenge. Hugo Lloris has been long admired by Arsene Wenger but he is unlikely to make the short trek across North London, as he is also being courted by Manchester United and is likely to cost £25 million as opposed to the £11 million for Cech.
So that’s it for now, a roundup of the most important breaking rumours about Arsenal. Many deals are being mooted but remember only when they appear on Arsenal’s official website can a transfer said to be final.
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