Wenger reportedly wants Oba for 13 million according to Sun.

[Baggio]

Wenger in £13m move for Martins

By Jason Burt

Published: 28 June 2007

Arsenal have identified Obafemi Martins as their main transfer target this summer and are planning to make a £13m move for the Newcastle United striker in the next few days.

 

Martins is wanted by Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, to replace Thierry Henry following his £16m departure to Barcelona this week. If he agrees to move to the Emirates Stadium, it will break Arsenal's transfer record, beating the £11m paid to Bordeaux for Sylvain Wiltord in 2000.

 

Newcastle would be loath to lose the 22-year-old Nigerian but know that they are powerless to stop him moving because of the buyout clause in his contract. The existence of the clause, which has annoyed the Newcastle manager, Sam Allardyce, was revealed by The Independent last week, as was Arsenal's interest in the striker. That has now hardened.

 

Newcastle have told Martins they will renegotiate his contract, even though it still has four years to run, and offer him a pay rise if he agrees to let the clause be removed.

 

However, the former Internazionale striker, who already receives £60,000 a week, has told them he wants time to think about his future. Martins has made it known that he favours a return to Italy - with one Serie A club, thought to be Juventus, having already expressed an interest - should he decide to leave St James' Park.

 

Allardyce, who is undertaking a major rebuilding programme at Newcastle, also accepts that there is no point in trying to keep the player if he wants to leave and realises that the money could help him to land other targets. He is already in talks with Chelsea's Geremi, having made three other signings, including the striker Mark Viduka on a free transfer from Middlesbrough. Allardyce also knows there is a chance he could lose Michael Owen, who also has a buyout clause - for £9m - in his contract and who has also interested Wenger.

 

Arsenal's interest in Martins is intriguing, even if Wenger has never hidden his admiration for the player who, when at Internazionale, helped to destroy his side in a Champions League tie at Highbury in September 2003. He scored the third goal just before half-time in a 3-0 victory.

 

Earlier this year Wenger also spoke glowingly about the impact that Martins - who scored 17 goals and was his side's top scorer - has made in the Premiership following his £10m move from Internazionale last summer. Last November he also made reference to Martins in his programme notes for Arsenal's home game against Newcastle.

 

However, Martins does have a fairly chaotic personal life and made himself unavailable for Newcastle's last League game of the season, away to Watford. He was also involved in a confusing incident earlier this month while in the Nigerian capital Lagos on international duty, when a car he owned was shot at. It was claimed he was the target, but it later transpired that he was not in the vehicle.

 

Martins has also been in dispute with his Italian agent and is now understood to have switched to the Stellar group, which is run by Jonathan Barnett.

 

Wenger also remains keen on the Lyon winger Florent Malouda. He has been in contact with the French champions and informed them that he would follow up his interest once he had dealt with other matters, including the sale of Henry. Liverpool have dropped out of the running for Malouda and, although Chelsea are interested, neither they nor Arsenal are expected to meet Lyon's £17m valuation. Wenger has told them to reduce the fee to £12m.

 

Chelsea are understood to have originally offered their 22-year-old French midfielder Lassana Diarra in exchange for Malouda, but are believed to be poised to submit a straight cash deal which could amount to £11.5m. However, Lyon are still holding out for more money.

 

 

 

http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article2717239.ece

[madras]

Infact - that's all i'm saying tbh.

 

Honestly can't be arsed to go into it again. He did f****** well under the circumstances and we're f***** if he goes, cos Owen's off. We'd go from having the best striking line-up outside the Premiership to one of the potentiall weakest, being left with Shola and Viduka. People who want rid were expecting too much too fast and are too difficult to please. Simple as.

if he and owen go(personally if we lose one i'd rather it were martins)we have £22mill extra to spend.

 

And only a few weeks left (given the inevitable lenghty sagas) to sign fill the void's that two top class strikers have left. What's the point when we've got what we have? If Allardyce can get it to click, and i think it's worth him atleast having a go, it could be a cum-worthy-ish-ly good forward line. If it doesn't so be it, but it might.

did you watch martins much last season ?

[Yorkie]

Yup. Masses of potential imo.

[Guest alex]

Yup. Masses of potential imo.

You say that, but what exactly did you see about him that suggests that?

[Keefaz]

Tbh, Martins probably cost us a good few matches last season he was that poor at times.

[Optimistic Nut]

In what ways though? If he had a good first touch, good movement, etc. I'd agree, but he lacked the basics.

[Baggio]

Sell Owen and Martins, buy Tevez and another player like Gudjonssen.......palm Stroller off onto somebody like the mackems or smoggies for 2 quid.........and have money left including the 10m yesterday for Owen, is what i would do.

 

 

 

I think Tezev would rather crawl all the way to Milan over broken glass than come here tbh.

 

Gudjohnsson been shit every time I've seen him at Barcelona this season too, Saviola would be a better signing.

[Leazes1986]

The main thing here of course is we have to sell him if Arsenal bid for him, and with two of the mornings papers reporting this so far it looks like there could be something in it. Looks like we might have seen the last of him.

[hakka]

Am holding my breath tbh.

 

Would be really disappointed if he did leave.

 

Why?? He can't pass, control a ball or shoot with finesse. He has pace but doesn't use it wisely, never makes top quality strikers runs in the box and his only real asset is smacking the ball as hard as he can and hoping.

 

Wrong, wrong and wrong.

 

That's cos he's an inexperienced youngster who isn't the centre-forward he was forced to play as last season.

 

And you've based all that on one season, under the worst coaching staff in the history of top tier football/sport/life in general.

 

Can't believe i'm gonna go into this again but i am.

 

Give the lad credit.

 

He's 22.

He's never played in the Premiership before.

Serie A and the Premiership are two very different leagues.

He was playing in a s**** team.

He was playing under a s**** manager.

He never had a consistent/good striker partner.

 

Plus, more and more and more which i can't be bothered to retrieve from one of the Martins/good/bad debates thread, which have been discussed time and again.

 

Some good counter points, but thing is when Newcastle are playing really bad, he is even worse.  He isn't the man to look to for bringing the team together, he's just got some bloody amazing shot, but that's only effective if he's in the right place at the right time.  It's very rare to see him linking up for the good of the team, and I know he's been poorly led, but he looks so far behind at times you wonder how many season he will need to pick it up.  He is young, but his form and play dips so much when the team are not doing well.  If we can get another player who will score a couple goals less, but they may be an asset for creating or defending than I'd take it as were gaining more from the player for the team than just goals.  Due the amount of goals he scores though, I'm happier for Oba to stay.  Guess club know the clause is why he is going, we'd keep him else.

[Guest alex]

Tbh, Martins probably cost us a good few matches last season he was that poor at times.

Puts loads of pressure on the rest of the team when someone's ball retention is that poor. I wouldn't single him out as costing us games as such because there were plenty as bad / worse than him. His touch and movement are particularly poor though. I think people who expect massive improvements in those areas just aren't living in the real world.

[madras]

he's not a bad player.....................but!!!!!!!  i honestly think he'd fit better into the man utd set up than ours or arsenals

[NE5]

Sell Owen and Martins, buy Tevez and another player like Gudjonssen.......palm Stroller off onto somebody like the mackems or smoggies for 2 quid.........and have money left including the 10m yesterday for Owen, is what i would do.

 

 

 

I think Tezev would rather crawl all the way to Milan over broken glass than come here tbh.

 

Gudjohnsson been shit every time I've seen him at Barcelona this season too, Saviola would be a better signing.

 

Gudjohnsson can play, in the premiership. Once they have shown this, it doesn't leave them. Its the direct equivalent of Luque being good in Spain - although its hard to believe - and being shit in the premiership.

 

You may be right ref Tevez, but its just wishful thinking and if you don't try then you don't know. It's up to Newcastle to raise their profile, as they did under Keegan, and tempt these players.

 

 

 

 

[Dave]

Must be shit if Wenger wants him.

[Thespence]

he's not a bad player.....................but!!!!!!!  i honestly think he'd fit better into the man utd set up than ours or arsenals

 

Arsenal maybe cos Wegner is an expert dealing with African players. Fergie would not touch him.

[Yorkie]

In what ways though? If he had a good first touch, good movement, etc. I'd agree, but he lacked the basics.

 

His touch is shit, i won't deny that. But the guy's got talent - he scored 17 goals in his debut season for a shit English team. Something that is mega different to anything he's ever played in before. He was effectively playing a more offensive position than normal, cos he was the only striker we had. Yet he still put a decent shift in.

 

Movement can be worked on, and that was my major gripe with him, or it was last season as he was a centre-forward, but he was unlike one and was static. But it can be worked on with good teaching. Teaching a striker to move is hardly something that can't be done. And when he establishes causing the defense trouble with running without the ball, he'll come on in leaps and bounds, cos only a miniscule percentage of Premiership defenders can even catch teh bastard. Sorting his touch out is down to him, though.

[Wullie]

If Wenger gets his hands on him, Martins will be one of the deadliest strikers in Europe in three to five years.

[Baggio]

Must be s*** if Wenger wants him.

 

Yeah but Wenger signed Jeffer etc.

[Guest alex]

Must be shit if Wenger wants him.

Is that the best you can do Dave?

[Yorkie]

Yup. Masses of potential imo.

You say that, but what exactly did you see about him that suggests that?

 

He scored 17 fecking goals in a totally alien environment in his debut season, for one thing.

[Willow]

Must be s*** if Wenger wants him.

 

Yeah but Wenger signed Jeffer etc.

Only Jeffers? I heard he bought a few other decent players too in his time..

[Optimistic Nut]

Must be s*** if Wenger wants him.

 

Considering his previous record signing was Wiltord....

[TRon]

In what ways though? If he had a good first touch, good movement, etc. I'd agree, but he lacked the basics.

 

Yes. Instead of hitting left foot/right foot screamers into the net, jumping to flash the ball with his head for goal, racing clear with blistering pace, chesting the ball down to hit the ball first time on the half-volley,...

 

he should have laid the ball safely back to Carr to swing a high cross towards the goal...

 

 

 

[madras]

he's not a bad player.....................but!!!!!!!  i honestly think he'd fit better into the man utd set up than ours or arsenals

 

Arsenal maybe cos Wegner is an expert dealing with African players. Fergie would not touch him.

i'm talkin about his style of play

[Dave]

Worthless going over the same points again and again. People are ridiculously fickle regarding Martins imo, i'll leave it at that.

[Yorkie]

If Wenger gets his hands on him, Martins will be one of the deadliest strikers in Europe in three to five years.

 

Absolutely spot on.

 

And i don't think Allardyce is too many millions of miles behind Wenger in terms of nurturing 'neutral'* talent.

 

 

 

*IE, the potential's there, but it can go one way or the other, good/bad. Bramble is an example of bad, and i'd say the lack of defensive brain from Sir Bobby cost Titus a lot...