Will317
08-07-2004, 10:16 PM
Arsene Wenger today revealed that he would be interested in signing the young, highly-rated English midfielder Michael Carrick from West Ham. News story below.
This is a deal I personally would like to see happen, I think he would provide us with more options and he has great potential. Wenger is always good at nurturing these young talents into stars.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed he wants to sign West Ham midfield man Michael Carrick. Portsmouth looked certain to clinch a £3m deal, but Arsenal are now favourites after a late move.
Wenger, who insisted there is still no deal to sell Patrick Vieira to Real Madrid, said: "He has always been a player that I loved. If we sign Michael Carrick, it could happen even if Patrick stays - but nothing has been done on that front."
Crystal Palace and Everton have also expressed their interest but Pompey chairman Milan Mandaric fears the Gunners may have stepped in with a better offer. Mandaric said: "I am unhappy with the situation. We have worked hard so don't want anything to spoil the deal."
However, Mandaric insisted he was confident the deal would go through and now claims the club had been given the go ahead to speak to the player. A move to Fratton Park would re-unite Carrick with Pompey manager Harry Redknapp, who coached West Ham until March 2002. "He knows Harry and what kind of football he plays. That is one of the reasons he wanted to come to us," added Mandaric. "We are still expecting Michael to come down. We expect them (West Ham) to honour the agreement we have with them."
Palace have also made an unsuccessful £2.5m bid for the 23-year-old and Everton boss David Moyes has made it clear he wants to sign him. "Michael Carrick is one player we would certainly be interested in if we had the money to buy him," said Moyes.
Pardew is resigned to the fact he will have to sell Carrick, who is in the final year of his contract and has refused to sign a new deal. But the Hammers boss is finding the speculation distracting as he prepares for Saturday's season opener against Leicester. "Michael leaving was something we knew would happen as soon as we lost the play-off final to Palace last season," said Pardew. "We need the money and we are close to the valuation we want. But this is not the best timing while we are preparing for Leicester. Whether he plays on Saturday will come down to how he feels. There is a huge risk for us to play him, not just financially but mentally for the squad."
This is a deal I personally would like to see happen, I think he would provide us with more options and he has great potential. Wenger is always good at nurturing these young talents into stars.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has confirmed he wants to sign West Ham midfield man Michael Carrick. Portsmouth looked certain to clinch a £3m deal, but Arsenal are now favourites after a late move.
Wenger, who insisted there is still no deal to sell Patrick Vieira to Real Madrid, said: "He has always been a player that I loved. If we sign Michael Carrick, it could happen even if Patrick stays - but nothing has been done on that front."
Crystal Palace and Everton have also expressed their interest but Pompey chairman Milan Mandaric fears the Gunners may have stepped in with a better offer. Mandaric said: "I am unhappy with the situation. We have worked hard so don't want anything to spoil the deal."
However, Mandaric insisted he was confident the deal would go through and now claims the club had been given the go ahead to speak to the player. A move to Fratton Park would re-unite Carrick with Pompey manager Harry Redknapp, who coached West Ham until March 2002. "He knows Harry and what kind of football he plays. That is one of the reasons he wanted to come to us," added Mandaric. "We are still expecting Michael to come down. We expect them (West Ham) to honour the agreement we have with them."
Palace have also made an unsuccessful £2.5m bid for the 23-year-old and Everton boss David Moyes has made it clear he wants to sign him. "Michael Carrick is one player we would certainly be interested in if we had the money to buy him," said Moyes.
Pardew is resigned to the fact he will have to sell Carrick, who is in the final year of his contract and has refused to sign a new deal. But the Hammers boss is finding the speculation distracting as he prepares for Saturday's season opener against Leicester. "Michael leaving was something we knew would happen as soon as we lost the play-off final to Palace last season," said Pardew. "We need the money and we are close to the valuation we want. But this is not the best timing while we are preparing for Leicester. Whether he plays on Saturday will come down to how he feels. There is a huge risk for us to play him, not just financially but mentally for the squad."