From Arsenal to Bishop's Stortford

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Have you seen this man? Missing from Bishop's Stortford for the last week . . . Christopher Wreh, who five years ago played a key role in Arsenal's Double-winning team.

The public should be on the lookout for a man aged 28, 5ft 9in and officially 11st 5lb - although it may be best to treat that last statistic with generous upward latitude, according to those who have seen him recently. Not that many have, mind.

Wreh was expected at Bishop's Stortford's Woodside Park ground last night for their friendly against Enfield Town. He did not show, and Stortford won 4-2 without him. One month after joining the Ryman Premier League side Wreh has made but a single appearance, coming on as a late sub at Hendon Town 18 days ago to score on his debut, albeit when the match was already won.

It was a long way from the day in 1998 when he scored on another debut. That was in Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Wimbledon, the opening triumph in the famous 10-match winning streak which carried the Gunners past Manchester United for the 1997-98 Premiership title.

Then the Liberian put away the one goal which beat Wolves in the FA Cup semi-final, and later underlined his worth to the Double winners by scoring in the Charity Shield victory over United at Wembley.

Yet the great days faded as quickly as they arrived. Five years on and his arena is the Ryman Premier League. If Wreh could only lift his gaze beyond his own narrow horizon, he might realise that his manager at Stortford is himself an Arsenal goal-scoring hero of the 1980s, who knows how difficult it can be to adjust when times change. But Martin Hayes has already had his fill of Wreh.

"Honestly, even if he had turned up for the Enfield game I wouldn't have put him on the bench, never mind started him," explained Hayes, 37, now a car salesman in Essex. "He didn't turn up for training last Friday and that wasn't the first time. I can never get hold of him. It's not on. I have to think of the other lads who do put in the time and effort."

Hayes' words may sound familiar to the clubs which have sampled Wreh's professional services since he fell out of favour at Highbury. Arsene Wenger used to consider Wreh so good that he signed him twice - first to Monaco as a 14-year-old, and then to Arsenal in late 1997 as the manager's 10th foreign signing. Yet Wreh's last first-team appearance came only a year later, at the end of 1998 in a Champions League match against Lens at Wembley.

Two months later a series of loan spells began at AEK Athens, followed by Birmingham City and the Dutch side Den Bosch. None worked out. Trevor Francis sent him back from St Andrews after just eight weeks. Eventually he was sold in December 2000 to the Saudi side Al Hilal, before a wages dispute brought him to Scottish First Division club St Mirren nine months later.

By February last year he had amassed 57 minutes on the pitch from no match starts with the club. They tried to loan him to Darlington to reduce their wage bill but he refused. Word at St Mirren was that he was obsessed with adding to his 36 international caps and 11 goals with Liberia. He was convinced he would lead his country to the World Cup finals of 2006.

Meanwhile interest from other clubs waxed and waned, including the Norwegian club Brann and - bizarrely - Beijing's leading team. Last December Joe Kinnear expressed interest in taking him to Luton Town - "if he gets a lot fitter and lowers what he wants in wages".

Funnily enough, Wreh never did join Luton.

After that the story becomes hazy. According to one at Bishop's Stortford, this January Wreh agreed to join an unnamed club in the Egyptian first division and flew out to complete formalities.

"When he got there he found he wouldn't be getting 24 grand a month but 24 camels instead," grinned the source. "Didn't much like the look of it and flew back again."

In February he trained with Second Division strugglers Northampton Town. Manager Terry Fenwick was about to sign him until he himself was sacked after just seven weeks in charge. At that point an Arsenal go-between suggested Wreh and Bishop's Stortford could help one another out. Once Stortford had reversed Wreh's registration with the Egyptian FA he duly signed for nothing at all, briefly keen to get back in the shop window.

"Only he doesn't seem so keen now," said the source. "Somebody says he's talking to a club in Austria. We'll see."

Meantime, Bishop's Stortford play Hampton & Richmond at home on Saturday. Martin Hayes is not holding his breath.

 

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