Arsene Wenger has admitted he is now powerless to stop Patrick Vieira joining Real Madrid and has blamed the agents involved for unsettling the player.
The Arsenal manager still denies the midfielder will be sold to the Spanish club, but Wenger admitted that he could not control the rumours about the deal, which he claimed were being encouraged by malign outside influences.
“I am not upset with Real Madrid because they told us they have never approached the player. But there are a lot of agents who want to make some money and they don’t know how,” said the Arsenal manager.
It’s no secret that Madrid want to bring Vieira to El Santiago Bernabeu, with director of sport Emilio Butragueno stating he wants the French international in the squad in time for Real’s Champions League qualifier.
“We want to have some good news by August 5. We are approaching the qualifying round of the Champions League and we want to complete teh signing by then,” said Butragueno.
One player who will be lining up at Highbury next season is Hatem Trabelsi, who will sign a four-year deal with the Gunners on Friday.
The Tunisian has chosen Arsenal over a number of clubs eager for his signature, including Manchester United, Chelsea and Juventus. The 27-year-old spent most of last season on the bench at Ajax after a legal disagreement with the Dutch club.
