Football Dispatch

Weekend football
31 August 2007
by Jerrad Peters

DAVID Dein has sold his stake in Arsenal Football Club. The former Gunners official had initially resigned from the board of directors in April after Stan Kroenke's takeover attempt was rejected by the club. Kroenke, an American business tycoon, had been supported by Dein in the run-up to the transaction. Dein's position was that the club required an influx of new cash in order to remain competitive among the top clubs in Europe. Yesterday, however, he sold his own interest in Arsenal, approximately 14.58%, to Russian steel magnate Alisher Usmanov and business partner Farhad Moshiri. Usmanov's holding company, Red & White Holdings LTD. will now attempt a full takeover of the club. In all likelihood, Usmanov will absorb Kroenke's 12.09% stake -- pushing their combined holdings to roughly 26.77%. Under stock market rules, a 29.9% holding would trigger an immediate takeover bid. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is believed to fully support Dein and Usmanov. He is contemplating a long-term extension to his contract -- the signing of which is likely dependent on the success of Red & White Holdings in gaining control of the club.

Samuel Eto'o is set for a protracted spell on the sidelines. The 26-year-old Cameroon international striker has a partial tear of a tendon in his right thigh and is not expected to return to full fitness until late October or early November. Eto'o has played very litte football in the past calendar year. In September of 2006, he suffered a serious knee injury in a Champions' League clash against Werder Bremen and did not return until March.

Eto'o's Barcelona teammate, Thiago Motta, has joined Atletico Madrid. The 25-year-old Brazilian midfielder was shown the Nou camp exit after falling down the depth-chart at the club. He was acquired by Atletico, yesterday, for 2M-euros.

Curtis Davies has completed his loan signing with Aston Villa. The 22-year-old defender tabled a transfer request in July after West Bromich Albion failed to bounce back into the Premier League last spring. Davies will spend this season on loan at Villa Park before a permament transaction is finalized next summer. Final payment is expected to be upwards of 10M-pounds. In 2005, Baggies brought Davies to The Hawthornes from Luton for 3M-pounds.

David Bentley has been recalled into the England squad and Ashley Young has been named to the senior team for the first time. The squad was announced today ahead of the upcoming EURO 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Russia. Bentley was omitted from the side which lost to Germany earlier this month after bowing out of the European U-21 Championship in June. But after serving the one-match pennance, the right winger will be expected to fill the spot vacated by the injured David Beckham. Young, enjoying his first full season at Aston Villa, is a versatile forward who can play either the wing or up front. He failed to score, however, in ten appearances for the U-21s.

The draw for the next round of the UEFA Cup was made this afternoon. Returning back-to-back champions Sevilla, however, will be hoping to avoid participation by qualifying for the Champions' League instead. Sevilla will play AEK Athens in Greece next week to determine the winner. The loser will be tied to Austrian side Salzburg in the First Round of the UEFA Cup. Bayern Munich, the biggest club in this year's competition, will play home-and-away against Belenenses and Atletico Madrid will face Kayseri Erciye. Tottenham Hotspur have been paired with Cyprus club Anorthosis Famagusta and Blackburn Rovers will face Larissa of Greece. Everton have been tied to Ukrainian side Metalist Kharkiv. The first-leg of the ties will be played on Thursday, 20 September.