Arsenal

Liverpool cash in on European win
Champions League winners Liverpool have earned £20.5m from their European run to top the tournament's earnings table. Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal made up three of the top four Champions League earners, with Manchester United in eighth place. Chelsea secured £18.8m from television money and performance bonuses, Arsenal were fourth with £15.7m, while Manchester United picked up £10.9m. Beaten finalists AC Milan were third with £17.5m and Celtic bagged £7m. The figures do not include gate receipts, another area where English clubs outperform their European rivals. 1: Liverpool £20.5m (winners) 2. Chelsea £18.8m (last four) 3. AC Milan £17.5 (runners-up) 4. Arsenal £15.7m (last 16) 8. Man Utd £10m (last 16) 19. Celtic £7m (group stage) Football consultant Alex Fynn told BBC Sport: "England is the richest TV pool - it has one of the largest markets in terms of population as well as the highest broadcasting fees because it has two broadcasters in Sky and ITV. "Most other countries just have one broadcaster. "That is why Chelsea, as semi-finalists, earned more than the beaten finalists AC Milan. "The Champions League is absolutely vital to the English clubs. "Liverpool would probably have earned as much from their European run as they would have from their Premiership broadcasting rights last season. It's a huge bonus for them." Fynn, who has advised clubs and federations on media and marketing, added that Liverpool would also be able to cash in on their Champions League qualifying games next season. "They should be able to clear in the region of £1.5m for each of their three home games in the qualifying rounds from matchday and broadcast revenue. "The only downside for them is the effort they've spent on ensuring they got into the tournament next season. "That's time they haven't been able to devote to capitalising on their newfound status as European Champions."

Essien sets sights on Premiership
Michael Essien's agent has admitted that the player is keen on a switch to the Premiership but fears Lyon's asking price could scupper any potential move. The French champions have so far resisted Chelsea's bid to sign the 22-year-old Ghana midfielder. Fabien Piveteau told BBC Sport: "The problem is that Chelsea want him but, for now, the bid is too small for Lyon. "If possible he would prefer to come to England. He speaks English, he likes English football." Essien has so far declined to sign a contract extension but Lyon are determined not to let him go without a fight. "Lyon want big, big money for the player," added Piveteau. "The problem for Chelsea is when they arrive for discussions with another club the price is doubled." Piveteau said Essien would consider a move elsewhere in England but feels the transfer fee is likely to put most clubs off. He added: "Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal would interest him. "I know the Arsenal coach likes him very well but, for now, there have been no discussions. "At Manchester I had discussions with their coach two months ago but after that there has been no news. "For Liverpool there could be a solution because Lyon want Milan Baros and it may be possible to organise for Baros to go to Lyon and Michael to go to Liverpool - and the same for Chelsea with Didier Drogba." Lyon dismissed a proposed swap deal involving Drogba on Monday. Their president Jean-Michel Aulas told sports newspaper l'Equipe: "If chief executive Peter Kenyon proposes a deal because Chelsea have signed Eto'o or Adriano, I would listen. "But I don't believe in Father Christmas." Last season Ghana international Essien was voted Player of the Year by France's National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP). Meanwhile, Aulas has also confirmed their interested in Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh and Baros. "We have already made one, big offer for Chamakh. We want him, he's our priority," he said. "We're waiting to hear from Baros and I plan to go to Prague to see him this week with coach Gerard Houllier."

Arsenal rape suspect behind bars
Arsenal star Robin van Persie is to spend a third night in jail after being arrested on suspicion of rape. The 21-year-old striker was held on Monday in the Dutch city of Rotterdam over an alleged assault at the weekend. The Public Prosecutor's Office of Reijnmond said it would be applying to a judge on Thursday to hold him for up to 14 more days. The married player moved to the north London club from Dutch side Feyenoord for £2.75m last summer. Van Persie has hired Dutch lawyer Abraham Moszkowicz who said his client was innocent. A spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said on Wednesday: "We are going to keep him in custody tonight and we are going to ask a judge tomorrow to keep him in custody for a further 14 days pending investigations." Last season Van Persie made his senior international debut for Holland and scored 10 goals for Arsenal as they went on to win the FA Cup and finish runners-up in the Premiership. At the weekend he stressed his desire to stay at Arsenal long-term. The club said it had no comment to make this stage.

Talks over Pires deal break down
Contract talks between Arsenal and Robert Pires have broken down, with the Gunners reportedly considering selling the France midfielder this summer. The club have offered a one-year extension to the 32-year-old, whose deal expires at the end of next season. But he wants two more years and Arsenal may opt to cash in now rather than risk losing him for nothing in 2006. Valencia and Lyon are among the clubs interested in him and Pires has spoken about finishing his career in Spain. He joined Arsenal from Marseille for £6m in July 2000 and has scored 73 goals in 232 games for the club. The Frenchman finished last season in good form, ending up with 17 goals. But boss Arsene Wenger does not like to offer long contracts to players over 30 and said in April: "He will be 33 next year and we will go from year to year." After the emergence of youngsters like Cesc Fabregas and Mathieu Flamini, and with the Gunners looking to bring VfB Stuttgart's Aleksandr Hleb to Highbury, Pires could now be set to leave.

Stuttgart demand Hleb decision
VfB Stuttgart have told midfielder Aleksander Hleb to make up his mind whether he wants to stay with the club. Both Arsenal and Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Stuttgart's 24-year-old Belarus midfielder. A Stuttgart spokesman told BBC Sport: "In the next of couple of days we'll tell him that he has to decide whether he stays or whether he wants to leave. "We haven't had any official offer for him," the spokesman added, when asked if Chelsea or Arsenal had bid for Hleb. Hleb has scored 13 goals in 137 Bundesliga appearances for Stuttgart, and has won 10 senior caps for Belarus. The midfielder has three years left on his deal with the Bundesliga club. Earlier this week Hleb's agent insisted both Arsenal and Chelsea were interested in signing the Belarus midfielder. "Chelsea are also genuinely interested, however Arsenal have priority as Arsene Wenger has been dreaming of having Alexsander in his team for two years now," said his representative Nikolai Spilevski.

Arsenal facing wait on Van Persie
Arsenal face an anxious wait to see if Robin van Persie will be available for pre-season training as Dutch police investigate allegations of rape. The 21-year-old Highbury star was arrested in Rotterdam on Monday after a woman alleged he attacked her. A judge granted the prosecution's request to hold the striker for a fortnight and after that they can apply to hold him for three more months. Arsenal are monitoring developments as players report for training on 4 July. Under Dutch law, the move does not necessarily mean he will be charged. It is expected Van Persie will apply for bail, but will not be allowed to leave Holland while he is under investigation.

Gunners plan to resume Cole talks
Arsenal are set to resume contract talks with England defender Ashley Cole when he returns from holiday next week. Cole is unhappy that the club have so far refused to meet his demands and feels the damage cannot be repaired. But the 24-year-old's future was discussed at a Gunners board meeting this week and chairman Peter Hill-Wood hinted the club may make a new offer. "We have to wait to see how he feels. Everybody wants him to stay and we'll talk after he returns," Hill-Wood said. Earlier this month, Cole accused the Gunners hierarchy of "trying to force me out of the club I love". He added: "They've left me feeling there is no way back, that they don't want me to put my beloved Arsenal shirt on again. "Can I ever forgive them? I really don't know. I've supported Arsenal since I was seven but they have hurt me. "They have let it get to this stage and they have let me down. I'm more upset than angry, I have been there a long time and they are not prepared to look after me." Cole was fined £100,000 by the Premier League for his role in the "tapping-up" affair involving Chelsea. The full-back, who has appealed against the fine, met Blues manager Jose Mourinho and chief executive Peter Kenyon while still under contract at Arsenal.

Senderos set to commit to Arsenal
Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos is ready to commit his long-term future to the club by signing a new contract. The Gunners are set to offer the 20-year-old Switzerland international an improved five-year deal. And Senderos said: "I'd love to stay, I'm very happy at the club. Now they've given me the opportunity to play, I'm really enjoying myself. "This year has been great and I now have good friends at Arsenal - and that's what you need." Senderos was outstanding after replacing the injured Sol Campbell in the starting XI at the beginning of the year. His form was so good in the second half of the season he kept the England defender out even when he was fit again. The Swiss centre-back cost Arsenal £500,000 from Servette in July 2003 and has three years left on his current deal. He spent almost a year on the sidelines after a succession of injuries when he arrived at Highbury before bouncing back in style last term.

Barca insist Henry not a target
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reiterated that the Catalan club are not trying to prise striker Thierry Henry away from Arsenal. "Of course I would like to have Henry, he's a wonderful player," said Laporta. "I have been told that he is a nice person but the squad is now closed - save for an exceptional situation. "The coaches believe that we have a balanced team and we do not need more - and the directors have to follow the advice of the coaches." Barca boss Frank Rijkaard had stated his admiration of Henry and speculation arose that he would offer forward Samuel Eto'o in a possible swap deal. But it now seems that the summer captures of midfielder Mark van Bommel and Santi Ezquerro are enough for the club.

Reyes eyes new Arsenal contract
Spanish striker Jose Antonio Reyes is ready to pledge his future to Arsenal. The 21-year-old had been unhappy at Highbury earlier in the season and looked set for a move to Real Madrid after falling victim to a radio hoaxer. His agent Rodriguez de Moya told the Daily Mirror: "Arsenal want him to sign for more years. We have not responded as Jose is away but it is good news. "It shows their resolve to keep him. He is very happy and is even more keen to do well after winning the FA Cup." The 21-year-old was sent off for a rash tackle in the last minute of the FA Cup final before his team-mates went on to seal victory over Manchester United in a penalty shoot-out. It was his second piece of silverware in 18 months at Highbury following a move from Seville to north London in January 2004. However, having started his first full season with Arsenal in exceptional goalscoring form, his efforts tailed off and rumours of a move back to Spain and Real began. They reached a peak when Reyes was caught out by a radio prank by someone impersonating Real sporting director Emilio Butragueno, during which the forward said he would relish a move to Madrid because he was so homesick in London.

Arsenal linked with Real's Guti
Arsenal are reportedly tracking Real Madrid's Guti but face competition from Juventus and AC Milan. The 28-year-old midfielder, who is rated at £13m and was previously linked with Liverpool, has expressed interest in joining Arsene Wenger's side. "After Real Madrid, his only desire if he was be to move to England, would be to play for Arsenal," said his agent Zoran Vekic. "He likes their style, team spirit and, of course, they have a great coach." Guti has become an increasingly peripheral figure at the Bernabeu after 10 years with Real and looks set for a summer move abroad. He was close to joining the Gunners in an £11m deal two years ago but had cold feet at the last minute and instead signed to stay in the Spanish capital. Liverpool were thought to be leading the chase to sign Guti but boss Rafael Benitez has since changed his priorities, leaving the way open for Arsenal. However, Wenger is unlikely to meet Real's £13m valuation and will hope to negotiate any potential fee down to £8m.

Champions League boost for trio
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have been named among the top tier of seeds for the Champions League. But under Uefa's coefficients system, which are used to calculate each team's seedings, Chelsea will be among the second group of eight seeded teams. Arsenal and Chelsea enter at the group stage, while the other three English teams face qualfying games. Everton's lowly status - they are ranked 42nd - means they could face tough opponents in qualfying rounds. David Moyes' side will be in the fourth and lowest group should they qualify. Both Everton and Manchester United enter the competition at the third and final qualifying round - but Moyes' teams low ranking means they could face Inter Milan, Sporting Lisbon or even Liverpool to make it into the group stage. Arsenal and Chelsea have automatically qualified for the group stage. But the seeding system means Chelsea could find themselves in a group with either Real Madrid, AC Milan, Barcelona, Inter Milan or Bayern Munich. Jose Mourinho's team could even face Liverpool, who have no 'country protection' after being given special admittance into the qualifying rounds of the competition to defend their trophy. Celtic's strong ranking - 21st in the list - should guarantee them seeding for the second and final qualifying rounds - and Rangers would almost certainly be seeded as well in their qualifying round. Liverpool have three qualifying rounds to surmount but in each round would be seeded and avoid the strongest opposition teams. The Champions League draw for the first qualfying round takes place on Friday.

Hleb agrees to Arsenal transfer
VfB Stuttgart midfielder Alexsander Hleb has agreed to join Arsenal. The transfer, which could see Hleb, 24, cost Arsenal up to £10m, is subject to the Belarus international passing a medical and obtaining a work permit. Boss Arsene Wenger told the Arsenal website: "We are delighted Alexsander has agreed to join us. He's a player I have admired for some time now." Arsenal said Hleb had agreed a long-term deal, but refused to disclose the length of the midfielder's deal. Stuttgart sports director Herbert Briem said: "Alex really wanted to be transferred to Arsenal. We had a few demands to accept a trade and those have been met. "We would have loved to see Alex in our team next year but this transfer gives us new perspectives." Hleb has been with Stuttgart for the last five years, making 137 appearances for the Bundesliga club. The midfielder, who has won 18 international caps for Belarus, said he was thrilled to be moving to the north London club. He said: "I am very happy to have this fantastic opportunity to join Arsenal. They are a club with a great history and many world-class players." Wenger added: "Hleb has proved his ability with his performances in the Bundesliga in recent seasons and he definitely has the potential to do very well with Arsenal."

African ace linked with Arsenal
Monaco striker Emmanuel Adebayor has revealed that both Arsenal and Toulouse have made a bid for him. The Togo international, 21, told France Football magazine: "Monaco received two firm offers in the recent weeks. "One from Toulouse and another from Arsenal - but at the moment Monaco are not pursuing it." Adebayor hinted he would relish a move to Highbury, saying: "It could change if I don't prolong my contract. You can't refuse a club like Arsenal." Adebayor was brought over to France by Metz in 2001 after he was spotted playing for Toga in a youth tournament in Sweden. Despite interest from Southampton and Stuttgart, Adebayor joined Monaco in the summer of 2003. "I think the two most tempting clubs to hire me are PSG and Arsenal," Adebayor added: "Personally, I will do anything to find an agreement with Monaco. "Monaco consider me to be an important player but they treat me as a young player from the academy."

Wenger eyes two world-class stars
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has vowed to bring in two world-class players to win back the Premiership title. The Gunners finished 12 points behind Chelsea last season but Wenger, who has been linked with Brazilian star Robinho, says that they will be back. "I will win back our place at the top of that table by putting into action plans I have been working on," he told the News of the World newspaper. "It includes recruiting two world-class players to make us stronger." Wenger is expected to bring in Stuttgart midfielder Aleksander Hleb, while reports suggest that the Gunners boss has put in a £14m bid for Santos striker Robinho. The 21-year-old has been courted by Spanish giants Real Madrid but the player's agent Juan Figer claims that Arsenal have now jumped to the front of the queue for the talented forward. Wenger suggested that the players coming in may be dependent on any exits from Highbury. But the Frenchman insisted that Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires are going nowhere. "There have been rumours about Thierry Henry and Barcelona," he added. "Of course I know about them but they're all just talk. "They are rumours and they are unfounded and he isn't going anywhere. "The same goes for Patrick. He will also stay with us for next season - as will Robert."

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