Keen interest shown by Arsene Wenger in Japanese star Keisuke Honda
Media reports have revealed that the Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger is thinking about signing up the Japanese prodigy Keisuke Honda. Honda had a great season with his Russian club and proved himself a star of the future.
However Arsenal will be facing some troubles. Liverpool had already been linked with the attacking midfielder though the official talks and offers were yet to begin. The agents and representatives of Honda have confirmed the situation and have told that their options still lay open, therefore Arsenal have a clear shot as anybody.
Now that the season is about to start things do look brighter at Anfield. Their new coach Roy Hodgson has definitely turned things around from the worst. Not only the club who had given their former coach Rafael Benitez 5 million pounds to sign in new dealings has gained a lot of new talent but has signed up some pretty good world class players.
Still there have been departures from the club and more are expected but with the starting season and their first match against Arsenal they will have a point to prove at Anfield.
Sources have revealed that Arsene Wenger is sitting on a treasure of 35 to 50 million pounds, all that he has obtained as a bonus for producing a stable performance with the Gunners. The North Londoners came 3rd this season while Liverpool were extremely disappointing over all and came in 7th.
Now that Croatian striker Eduardo da Silva has left the club, Arsenal will have to sign in new players and the 24 year old CSKA Moscow player does seem to fit into the category. He came to Moscow in 2010 and has scored 2 goals in 12 matches for them.
However scoring of goals is not just his main attribute, his ability to swerve the ball is marvelled by many and because of that he is also known as the “Beckham of Japan”. After the World Cup the rumours were rife that this youngster would land up at a top notch European club and indeed he deserves it. The Japanese prodigy assisted his team marvellously in the World Cup though Japan were unable to provide a stunning performance. Honda has scored 6 goals in 19 matches for the Blue Samurais.
The rising international striker from Japan initiated his career as a footballer from the home club of Gamba Osaka, which also was the club of another Arsenal player Junichi Inamoto. He later on moved to Nagoya Grampus Eight which happens to be the club from where Wenger took hold of the Gunner’s managerial post in 1996.
At the start of 2010 he made a move to Russia and since then his play making abilities have impressed who ever has seen him play. The player’s agent Movin Kees Ploegsma admitted while talking to media, “A few clubs have contacted me about the situation and asked me questions about Keisuke but no club has made a serious offer for him. No one has contacted the club to make a formal offer”.
When he was asked if Liverpool have an edge over Arsenal in the signing of Honda the agent notified that both clubs were on an equal level, he announced, “Liverpool have not been in contact regarding him”.
He also told that he did acknowledge the praise made by Arsene Wenger for the player at the Wolrd Cup however that will not influence the final decision. He expressed that praise alone was not enough for signing a player but the interest taken by Wenger and Hodgson is pretty good and he hopes that the player will get himself a new and good club in the end.
The agent claimed, “I don’t know yet. There are several clubs interested but so far nothing has happened regarding a formal offer”.
Ploegsma also informed that he has not even had the final thoughts about what the deal and negotiations will be like with Moscow if Honda was to change their team. He instigated, "I don’t know if CSKA Moscow will let him leave, or what sort of money they will be asking. Discussions will take place when a club makes a formal offer for the player”.
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