Soccer English FA PremiershipArsene Wenger has reacted angrily to Barcelona's public pursuit of Thierry Henry and yesterday threatened to report the Spanish champions for their behaviour in trying to lure his captain. The Arsenal manager accused Barcelona of showing a "lack of respect" for his club.
Having dismissed as faintly ridiculous Jose Mourinho falling out with him over a Christmas card, Wenger was belligerent over Barcelona. Senior figures there have made no secret of their desire to capture Henry next summer, with the president Joan Laporta confirming this week he will try to sign the striker.
Wenger said no one from the club had been in touch to discuss a transfer and he is concerned they are carrying out a destabilising campaign against the rules.
"I'm worried about it," Wenger said. "If they want to sign him all they have to do is call us up because he has one and half years left on his contract. I hope to do something about it because it's unfair and insulting. It shows a lack of respect. I don't care who you are in football, if you are from Barcelona or Doncaster you have to respect the rules."
Encouraged by fans at a charity match this week to sign Henry, Laporta responded: "We will try." With television cameras there, Laporta is likely to have been aware of the significance of such a statement. Last month Barcelona's sporting director Txiki Beguiristain said of Henry: "He is one of the players who would improve the squad here."
Wenger played that down at the time but is deeply unhappy with Laporta. He said he would check whether the attributed comments were genuine and discuss with his board how to proceed. He could take the matter to Fifa. Its regulations do not refer to public statements about transfer targets but Wenger will feel Barcelona's behaviour is contrary to the game's spirit.
Aston Villa were reprimanded by the Premier League over an illegal approach for the then Southampton striker James Beattie, after manager David O'Leary said "there is a player there who wants to join us".
Henry has delayed talks on a new contract until the summer, seemingly because he wants to assess Arsenal's progress before deciding whether to commit himself at a decisive point of his career. He will be 29 in August.
With concerns over Henry's future and recent results, Wenger preferred not to dwell on the business involving Mourinho. The Chelsea manager refused to shake hands on Sunday because he felt affronted Wenger ignored him before the game when he had apologised in a card for his "voyeur" comments.
Asked whether the matter was ridiculous, Wenger said: "Yes, a little bit." He said he "couldn't understand their (Chelsea's) reaction" and added: "That this card has been treated like a CIA bomb is surprising. Basically nothing happened. We got this card, we didn't make a fuss."
Wenger said he does not make a habit of talking to managers or shaking hands before a game and that Mourinho's apology was a positive sign he had appreciated. "I didn't want to show any discourtesy," he said. "There are times to focus on your game and there are times when you can talk." He described the "real worry" as Arsenal not being the best team in the country but denied there is a deep-lying problem despite three straight league defeats. "Our low point was at Bolton," he said. "Against Newcastle and Chelsea things didn't turn our way but we played a great quality game."
Henry faces a test on his Achilles before the St Stephen's Day game at Charlton which Robin van Persie is likely to miss because of a knee injury.
Liverpool are still hopeful of beating Manchester United to the signature of the Spartak Moscow defender Nemanja Vidic, though both Premiership clubs remain at odds with the Russians over a fee for the Serbia and Montenegro international.
United officials met the Spartak president Sergey Shavlo in London this week for negotiations over Vidic's proposed transfer, though agents acting on the player's behalf remain in talks with Liverpool. Spartak are understood to have quoted £11 million for the 25-year-old centre-half though the English clubs are unlikely to offer more than £4.5 million. Vidic has a buy-out written into his contract in Moscow at that amount entitling him to move, though the player would have to trigger the clause by asking for a transfer and agreeing to compensation for the remainder of his deal.
Rafael Benitez has drawn up a list of other centre-halves should his pursuit of Vidic falter, with the Brondby defender Daniel Agger believed to be his principal alternative target. The Denmark international would cost about £4.5 million.
The Argentinian defender Carlo Coloccini, currently at Deportivo la Coruna, will only be considered if he is available on loan. Benitez is similarly active in pursuit of a right-sided midfielder and has examined the prospect of signing Coloccini's compatriot Luciano Galletti, a fringe player at Atletico Madrid since joining last summer, though only on a temporary basis.
Liverpool are hoping they will be granted a work permit for the Chilean winger Mark Gonzalez in the new year now that they have struck a permanent deal with Albacete for his services.
