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| Sylvio BERLUSCONI still wants ETO'O |
Thierry HENRI's arrival at Barcelona has increased speculation about a possible departure of Samuel ETO'O from FC Barcelona. According to some rumours the 26-year-old Cameroonian stiker could be switched to the English Premiership, but Italian AC Milan boss Sylvio BERLUSCONI still has a slimmer hope that ETO'O will join his squad this summer.
One month ago the player's future with Barcelona came into question after run-ins with his team-mate Ronaldinho, and above all with manager Franck RIJSKAARD after the striker refused to come on as late substitute against Racing Santander. The incident that seemed to have seriously compromised his future with Barca brought AC Milan to look at him as their number one transfer target. At the same time Liverpool were believed to be interested in him.
Now that former Arsenal captain HENRI has signed a four-year-contract with FC Barcelona, the club's vice-president Ferran SORIANO has had to quash talk that Samuel ETO'O could join Arsenal, and insisted that the player will be staying despite links with several European clubs. "He wants to stay and we want him to stay," SORIAN told BBC Five Live. "If things go right we will have him playing with Thierry HENRI next season. Definitely he is going to be staying."
After AC Milan failed to finalise the transfer of Honduras striker David SUAZO who is set to join city rivals Inter Milan from Cagliari, Sylvio BERLUSCONI declared referring to ETO'O: "We hope to find a player suitable for the standards of Milan. We will have to wait and see about ETO'O.", despite Barca's president Joan LAPORTA's statement claiming his intention to keep the player, and ETO'O decision to stay at his club.
For one month time the Cameroonian international player's position has not changed. Invariably since he fell out with RIJSKAARD and Ronaldinho he has been quashing all rumours and speculation about his departure from Barcelona. "I'm happy here and will definitely be here next season. The press can write what they want, but I am staying.", he declared on 22 May. And he added: "I have no idea where I will be in a few years time. But at the moment I have a contract until 2010. There have been so many lies written about me. In fact, I would say that 99.999% of the things I have read about myself in the papers have been untrue." And then he concluded: "Like I said, I am happy here. There is no problem, no crisis."
Samuel MBAJUM
(Source: BBC Sport)
27/06/2007 |
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