Arsenal

Wenger & Arsenal At Loggerheads Over Arshavin

Tensions continue to mount between the boss and the board at Ashburton Grove, Russia's pint-sized playmaker is at the centre of it all...

Jan 4, 2009 5:15:26 AM

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RPL: Andrey Arshavin - Zenit

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The Daily Mail reports that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is on a collision course with his higher-ups over the modest transfer budget he has been given this winter.

The Frenchman is eager to sign Andrei Arshavin, but Zenit St Petersburg are demanding in excess of €20 million for their star forward - a figure the Gunners have thus far been unable to match.

The North London club have always maintained that they will back Wenger to the hilt in the transfer market, although that claim has rarely been tested due to the gaffer's low-budget, youth-oriented approach.

But now that the ex-Monaco boss has set his sights on a big-money target, the Emirates board are unwilling to free up the funds required to seal the deal.

This is is not the first report of friction between Wenger and his bosses to emerge this season. Indeed, it is has been whispered that the 59-year-old could break his contract with Arsenal to join Real Madrid next summer.

That remains the remotest of remote possibilities, but if the Gunners fail to secure Champions League qualification this term - they currently sit fifth in the Premier League table - their long-serving manager could consider his options.

Mike Maguire, Goal.com