Momodou Mbye Jabang,
I am glad that I am not the only Gambia L member, who is a fan of the
Nigerian born striker, Nwankwo Kanu, of Arsenal Football Club, in the
English Premiership (laugh).
Brother Momodou, the Kanu saga/story is a long one, but I'll be brief. First
of all, it would be recalled that Kanu was bought/signed, some time ago, by
Inter Milan of Italy, after his wonderful performance at the Olympics with
the Nigerian National Squad, and also his remarkable performance during the
time he was playing for Ajax of Holland.
Unfortunately, when he went to Italy to join Inter Milan, the Inter Milan
doctors, while doing a medical check up on him, discovered that he had had
an unusual heart murmur. In short, he had a heart problem, and, as a result,
he needed a heart valve surgery.
Consequently, after he underwent the heart surgery, he had to be out of
football for a long time. As a result, when he returned to the Inter Milan
team, having been out of football, for a long time, he had to lose his place
in the Inter Milan squad. The problem was also compounded by the fact that
Kanu suffered another injury - knee - while on training.
This knee injury further aggravated matters, and, in fact, it got to a point
when Inter Milan were not even taking him to football matches in Italy. They
(Inter Milan) wouldn't also travel with him to other European countries, in
some instances.
Therefore, when it became clearer to kanu that his career would be destroyed
if he stayed at Inter Milan, he requested for a move to another club.
Now, once Inter Milan put him on sale, Arsene Wenger, who has always been a
fan of Kanu, bought him for £4 million pounds, and brought him to Arsenal
FC, where, he, Wenger, is the team manager.
Consequently, Kanu, who is 23 years old, joined Arsenal in January 1999, but
he had signed on a reduced pay scale because of concerns over his health,
following the heart surgery. Arsenal agreed to pay him £12,000 pounds week,
but promised to review and upgrade his contract if he proved his fitness and
also his worth in the field.
Now, having performed just three matches for Arsenal, he proved to the fans
that he is a true world class striker, by scoring some vital goals for
Arsenal FC. In fact, during training, he would do certain tricks with the
ball which, acccording to Martin Keown, also an Arsenal player, are "rare to
see" in the game.
So even his own team mates at Arsenal became his fans. It was at this point
that Arsenal offered him an ungraded contract worth £25,000 pounds per week,
in order to keep him at the club on long term basis.
But Kanu's agent and advisers, instead, demanded £40,000 pounds per week.
His agents said that Kanu will sign a new five-year contract with Arsenal if
the club paid him £2,000,000 million pounds per year, or £40,000 per week.
Now, Arsenal have a very restricted wage structure, unlike the Barcelonas of
Spain, or the Juventus of Italy, who are willing and ready to pay any
amount, just to keep a talent. However, despite having a strict wage
structure, Arsenal, in order to keep the fans happy, hinted that they would
break their wage structure, and pay Kanu what he wanted.
But, after having a second thought, Arsenal decided not to pay Kanu the
£40,000 pounds per week his agents were demanding. Why? Because they feared
that if they paid Kanu this amount, it could lead to a few eyebrows being
raised among the other senior players. The present highest earners at
Arsenal are Dennis Bergkamp and Tony Adams, who are paid £35,000 and £30,000
a week respectively.
However, Kanu's agents insisted that Kanu will not sign a new contract with
Arsenal if he was not paid what he was asking for. That statement must have
angered Arsenal's Chairman, and, as a result, last Friday, he, the Chairman
of Arsenal, said publicly that Kanu will have to take the £25,000 per week
they are offering him, or else, he would have to move to another club.
Now, the good news is that Kanu too has issued a statement, saying that he
would DEFINITELY sign a new contract with Arsenal. Although he is yet to
sign the new contract, he has, however, confirmed that he would sign the
contract. He said he was quite happy at Arsenal.
"I love Arsenal, and the way the fans have reacted to me. I truly love the
club and I want to stay," Kanu said in his statement. He said he was aware
that Arsenal took a risk to bring him to England, adding that he would not
forget that.
Still in an attempt to allay the fans' fears, Kanu disclosed that the fact
that he had bought a home in London, should confirm to the fans, and the
club, that he is happy in London, and that he is staying.
Recently, Kanu bought a five-bedroom house in one of the exclusive North
London areas, where boxer Lennox Lewis also lives. Kanu's house, set in 1.3
acres of landscaped gardens in Hadley Wood, is reported to cost £2,000,000
million.
Kanu also said that he was having difficulties with the British High
Commission in Lagos, in order to bring his immediate family to settle with
him in London; but Arsenal again confirmed, the other day, that they would
assist his family to get UK visas to come to England.
For those of you on the L, who do not follow soccer, I should tell you that
the way Kanu and his agents are negotiating a new contract with Arsenal is
normal in football. So it is not a question of being too greedy. His agents
are doing what is now an established practice in the world of football.
So, Momodou Mbye Jabang, Kanu is yet to sign the contract Arsenal is
offering him, but he himself (not his agents) did confirm that he would sign
the contract. It is believed that "very soon" he'll sign the contract.
Again, Kanu is a star, not only to you and I, but even to his own team mates
as well. Martin Keown, who plays for both Arsenal and England, is on record
as having said that he is a fan of Kanu.
Ebrima Ceesay,
Birmingham, UK.
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