Wenger confident Flamini will not be moved
Arsene Wenger insisted there is no danger of Mathieu Flamini being sent back to France despite the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] being asked to rule on the Arsenal midfielder’s move from Marseille.
Flamini, 20, was out of contract with Marseille when Arsenal made their move last summer, with the Gunners being forced to pay a compensation fee of about £65,000 (€92,723) a year for the next four years.
However, Marseille are still unhappy at the deal, which was sanctioned by FIFA as a permanent move in November, and they have now taken their case to the CAS.
Marseille, who believe they had a verbal agreement with Flamini, insist that as “his departure was not valid, he [still] belongs to us”.
A statement on Marseille’s website said that the CAS “recognised FIFA’s decision was riddled with mistakes and those who sanctioned the move had no competence to authorise the player’s transfer.”
The statement added: “Marseille once again states its determination to use all legal means possible to prove its rights.”
However, while Wenger believes the court could force Arsenal to play slightly more compensation, he insists that it should not affect Flamini’s future at Highbury.
Asked if the transfer could be annulled, he maintained: “I don’t think so as they’ve already judged on a few other cases like that, but it could improve a bit the compensation that we have to pay.
“It could happen to us that a boy of 20 is out of contract and we can’t stop him leaving. The court will never go against the desire of the player.
“This boy was free, we have nothing to hide. The first day I met him was just before the European Championship.
“He told me that his first priority was to stay at Marseille but he couldn’t do so. I told him that if he couldn’t find an agreement, then he should call me.
“When he called again, it was July 8 and he was in London as he’d broken relations with Marseille. He said he wanted to sign for an English club, so I said ’come and sign here’.”
Arsenal and Marseille must now await the final ruling of the CAS, which was set up 21 years ago to settle sports-related disputes.
