Chelsea move for Walcott as winger ready to follow Fabregas, Clichy and Nasri through exit door



By Bob Cass

Chelsea are about to add further misery to Arsenal's summer by launching a bid for Theo Walcott. With the unsettled Samir Nasri heading to Manchester City along with Gael Clichy, and Cesc Fabregas looking certain to join Barcelona, the loss of a fourth key player would be a body blow at the Emirates.

But the bad news has not stopped manager Arsene Wenger committing his future to the club, as he insisted he was trying hard to bring in new players.

Way to go: Walcott could be on his way to Chelsea

The Frenchman, who came in for criticism last week as the prospect of losing midfielders Fabregas and Nasri and defender Clichy grew more likely, urged Gunners fans to be patient over the club's transfer strategy.

'I'm very happy at Arsenal,' said Wenger. 'One sign of intelligence in life is to not always to want what you don't have. Appreciate what you have.

'Everyone is on standby at the moment, keeping their cards close to their chests, and waiting for someone to make the first move. Everyone wants to make that great signing and I'm focused on those objectives and am very busy on the telephone.'

Some of those calls may need to be made to Walcott over the coming days. The winger, who has an uneasy relationship with Wenger mainly because he feels he has not been given the first-team opportunities the new year and paid the price in the final sprint. We also had players like Fabregas and Robin van Persie out injured for a long time.

'I enjoy conditions every coach dreams of. I'll be eternally grateful to my club because I work with a philosophy and freedom that I like.'

Focus: Wenger has called for patience

Wenger has been linked to Paris St-Germain, who have been bought by Qatari Sports Investment, and has made no secret of his desire to return one day to his home town of Strasbourg and help the ailing club.

'I'd like to help but it's not possible to do it now, not with my job at Arsenal,' he told Alsace 20 TV station. When asked if he would be prepared to put up €15m to save Strasbourg from bankruptcy, Wenger paused and said: 'No.'

He added: 'I have contacts with the shareholders at Paris because I work with them outside of football. But I have always respected my contracts in content and length, and here I have three years left and I firmly intend to see them out.'

Welcome boost: Wenger confident of landing Gary Cahill

Wenger, who seems certain to take Bolton defender Gary Cahill to the club, again hit out at the big spenders who buy beyond their means.

'We work like everyone should, with a balance between revenue and expenditure,' he said. 'When this is not the case, it puts a club in danger. We try to combine three factors: a style of play, sensible management and human qualities.

So it's hard to understand why we are criticised. Because we did not win? Yes, that's true, there were stronger teams than us. But we have not been out of the top four for 15 years and, for me, the true value of a team is consistency.'

Wenger added that a desire to compete on all fronts last season is what cost Arsenal a trophy.

He said: 'We came close to winning the title but we may have been too greedy because we tried to win everything and, in the end, we were a bit short physically. We played 27 games over three months around the new year and paid the price in the final sprint. We also had players like Fabregas and Robin van Persie out injured for a long time.

'I enjoy conditions every coach dreams of. I'll be eternally grateful to my club because I work with a philosophy and freedom that I like.'

Wenger has been linked to Paris St-Germain, who have been bought by Qatari Sports Investment, and has made no secret of his desire to return one day to his home town of Strasbourg and help the ailing club.

'I'd like to help but it's not possible to do it now, not with my job at Arsenal,' he told Alsace 20 TV station. When asked if he would be prepared to put up €15m to save Strasbourg from bankruptcy, Wenger paused and said: 'No.'

He added: 'I have contacts with the shareholders at Paris because I work with them outside of football. But I have always respected my contracts in content and length, and here I have three years left and I firmly intend to see them out.'





