Are we missing an opportunity in Anelka?
372 comments July 21st, 2007
Sammy Lee wants spending money, and if that means selling Nicolas Anelka, he doesn’t mind. That much is obvious – having moved to bring in strikers Zoltan Harsanyi and Heidar Helguson ths Summer, Lee has now unofficially made Anelka available for transfer with the following comments:
“I have to be fair to him, he is 29 and told me he wants Champions League football. So do I, with Bolton. But if one of the top four in England or a Champions League club in Europe showed an interest, it would be wrong of me to stand in his way.”
He might aswell have asked Anelka to wear a big FOR SALE placard during Bolton’s pre-season tour. Yes these comments come just a day after Arsene Wenger confirmed that he was not interested in his former protégé.
I can’t help but feel that we’re missing an opportunity here. Of our four first-choice strikers (Adebayor, Van Persie, Eduardo and Bendtner), Adebayor is probably the quickest, and he’s no Thierry Henry. Theo Walcott has genuine (as opposed to fake) pace, but is more likely to be used on the wing. Signing Anelka would give us a much-needed triple-dose of experience, speed, and proven goalscoring ability.
Still, bringing in a winger remains a priority, despite the following quotes from Arsene seem to confirm that Freddie Ljungberg is staying.
There’s an awful lot of speculation about a takeover at the moment, as the Kroenke PR machine Kranks into action. The most perplexing story today links Chelsea fan Bernie Ecclestone with a bid. The connecting factor between Kroenke and Ecclestone? Their respective relationships with a Mr. David Dein.
Whatever happens, it’s almost certain that Dein will be the driving force behind it.
