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Arsene Wenger has claimed Arsenal will cope without Kolo Toure after hinting the defender will complete a move to Manchester City in the next 24 hours.
City are in advanced talks to sign the Ivory Coast star in a deal thought to be worth around £16million.
Toure is expected to double his current wages at Emirates Stadium to around £120,000-a-week as he follows the same path to Eastlands taken by Emmanuel Adebayor earlier this month.
The 28-year-old is set to leave the Gunners' pre-season tour of Austria before tomorrow night's final match against Hannover 96 to undergo a medical in Manchester.
Although the Gunners are believed to have been reluctant to sell Toure, the club feel the transfer fee reflects excellent value for a player who is entering the final year of his contract and who cost only £150,000 when he joined in February 2002 from ASEC Mimosas.
When asked about Toure's future after last night's 5-0 victory over Hungarian side Szombathelyi Haladas, Wenger said: "We will see what happens in the next 24 hours. There is nothing decided yet.
"We have seven centre-backs and I am in a position where we have to play some in midfield. But of course Kolo is a very good player and so we will see what happens."
Toure handed in a transfer request in January after rumours of a falling-out with fellow defender William Gallas amid claims he was unhappy that he was no longer being considered an automatic first choice.
Wenger responded by making Toure captain for a prolonged spell in the absence through injury of Cesc Fabregas and his brother Yaya told Standard Sport last week that any disputes he had at the club have been resolved.
But as so often in his managerial career, Wenger has recognised the deal makes business sense as he looks to remodel his team in a bid to end a trophy drought that dates back to 2005.
Philippe Senderos has also been told he can leave north London following the £10m arrival of Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax.
Wenger has Gallas, Johan Djourou, Mikael Silvestre and Alex Song as possible partners for Vermaelen but the Belgian's short stature — he is 5ft 11in tall — means a towering central defender would make an ideal partner.
The Gunners' poor start to last season was partly blamed on a lack of height at the back and the money secured for Toure could be used to meet Fulham's £15m valuation of Brede Hangeland.
Wenger has been a long-time admirer of Hangeland, the 28-year-old whose composure under pressure and superb aerial command were pivotal to Fulham finishing a club-record seventh in the Premier League.
But Hodgson is determined to keep a player he believes is vital to Fulham's attempt to combine a challenge for another top-10 finish with their foray into the new Europa League, which begins with a third qualifying round, first-leg tie at Lithuanian side FK Vetra on Thursday.
Hangeland, signed from FC Copenhagen in January 2008 for £2.5m, has two years remaining on his current contract but talks on a new deal have been on-going.
It is believed the Norwegian has received a double-your-money offer from Fulham which would see his wages rise from £15,000 a week to £30,000 and negotiations are set to continue this week after the player returns from his honeymoon.
Toure played last night in Austria as Eduardo scored twice to prove he has recovered from more surgery on the ankle he shattered while playing for Arsenal against Birmingham in February 2008.
The Croatian striker suffered a string of minor injuries after returning to action last season after more than a year out, and then missed the end of the campaign after having revision surgery.
Nicklas Bendtner also scored twice in the win over Hungarian top-flight side Szombathelyi Haladas, with captain Robin van Persie completing the scoring after the break.
Reader views (15)
People need to relax a bit. Wenger has never been one to tip his hand early by talking too much about potential targets. I, for one, am confident that plans are well advanced to bring in the physically imposing centre half and defensive midfielder we clearly need.
As for the Toure deal, it's great business. He's popular with the fans because he's an honest, hardworking player who clearly gives it his all every time he steps on the pitch. But, if we're honest, he's a bit too short, is not strong aerially and lacks positional awareness - hence his trademark last-ditch lunging tackles. If that's worth £15/16 million then Citeh have more money than sense and Wenger and Gazidis should be applauded for negotiating such an improbably good deal.
- Speed Racer, Tokyo, Japan
apparantly we have 7 central defenders at arsenal and can easily replace Toure with 1 of them? Can someone please tell me why Arsenal are signing rejects like Gallas and Silvestre.(Unwanted by Utd and Chelsea) These players are liabilities. Arsenal of old would have never bought such players. We should let Toure move to City for free if City agree to take Silvestre and Gallas in a package deal. I am sick to death of Arsenal leaking goals with long balls through the middle. Arsene needs to sort out the central defence big time?
- Westausgooner, perth australia
according to arsene we have 8 centre backs and can easily fill in for Toure? The worry for us gooners is that Toure is one of our better centre backs, but the truth is that he nor any other central defender at Arsenal is good enough to lead the team to win trophys. Gallas and Silvestre? PLEASE. since when have Arsenal gone around signing up other top clubs rejects? George built the team starting from the back, Arsene is trying to do it the other way round. I am sick to death of watching Arsenal leak goals straight down the middle. If Silvestre and Gallas were not good enough for Utd and Chelsea, what are they doing at Arsenal?
- Wagooner, perth australia
Since when did Gallas and Djourou "Injury Prone"? Toure has one more year left on his contract, he wanted to leave last January and was persuaded to stay. What guarantee did we have that he won't wind down his contract and leave next season for free. Getting £15M for him makes every bit sense. I still will want AW to splash the cash on Hangeland to complement what we have.
The team needs one strikerand maybe a DM and they will be good to go.
The tranfer market is insane. Even if AW has £60m to spend, it won't even buy two world class palyers and pay the kind of insane salary these guys are commanding no small thanks to Man City, Chelsea and the rest.
The best way in this crazy situation is WENGERS WAY!!!
- Charles, London
A great bit of business if you're a businessman. £41m for the sale of two good players is brilliant business indeed!!!Arsene again has shown us what great business acumin he has.We the fans, applaud the amount of money he makes for the club, have a different agenda and that is to be the most successful club in Europe rather than 'almost rans'. We cannot sell our best players without replacing them nor can we rely on youth. We need to find the balance between youth and experiance.
I have two players with a wild card too.
Huntelaar and Hangeland both within our transfer budget range. The third is a guy called Achille Enema of Real Betis a brute of a defensive midfielder who can also drive forward if needed. He is a snip at £6m!! Oh, I forgot I do have another thought. Get rid of the board and bring in Red and White Holdings and Mr Usmanov who probably knows more about business that the boss!!
- Uday Desai, Coventry UK
In response to various comments:
1. Toure was not a natural centre half - AW made him one - and too often it showed. I will not miss his sallies down the pitch and wild hacks at goals
2. Yes we now need cover for the only 2 and a half centre halves in the squad (Gallas, Vermaelen and half of Djourou)
3. Man City a 'principal competitor'. Ha ha ha
- Vic Gibbons, Brussels, Belgium
i trust arsene has someone in mind to replace toure, and an even better 1 to replace ade,come start of season if this has not happend then i fear for the cl spot and the trust will be wearing thin,com on arsene put the magic hat back on
- Henry Hunter, belfast
It is good business to get £40M for Adebayor & Toure but my problem is if we weren't good enough last year by a long way and we have pretty much the same team without one of our main strikers if you could say that toure and Vermaelen are about the same, then what does Wenger think he is likely to win this year other than a cup competition? Is it his and the Arsenal board's decision to just keep building on the future and in the next 2-4 years we will have a great Premiership winning team? We might do but the problem is that all our best players seem to leave as there impatience runs out and this just seems to knock us back a level once again.Maybe Wenger doesn't want to sign big players at Arsenal because he privately feels his work is done and all he needs to do is keep signing the good young potential and when he goes he can then hijack the likes of Fabregas,Van Persie etc for another club?
- Peter, London, England
We have aqcuired £41m with the sale of two players. Great bit of business, you can't fault the gaffer on his business acumin.However, I believe that the club must buy two players to replace those that have gone. If we don't, it will prove Usmanov right in that we don't have the financial clout that was promised when we moved to the Emirates. Two players spring to mind, Huntelaar and Hangeland both within our transfer budget.
A friend of mine who lives in Spain has also told me about a player called Achille Emena of Real Betis. A brute of the midfielder who can also play. Apparently a snip at £6m.
- Uday Desai, Coventry UK
It is an insane move- Toure is Arsenal's best defender. 4 of the centrebacks Wenger claims he has have been found wanting in every big game they have played in. The collective fee for these and Eboue would easily ecplise any fee for Toure- and not weaken the team further. One of the others, Gallas has one year left and is injury prone.
The biggest problem though is the Arsenal are selling to a principal competitor- making them stronger at our expense so that they can take our CL spot next season. This is incomprehensible and borders on complete stupidity.
I have no faith in Wenger's capacity to replace Toure with a defender who is as good.
This is a very bad business decision and further signals the demise of the club under this Board.
- Goonergerry, Melbourne Australia
What on earth is going on at my club? The board are just happy to keep lining their fat pockets with no injection of funds into the squad. That lot are going to be the death of this club. Get the Usmanov in QUICK!!
- Tobi, London
Yet more sensible transfer dealings by the astute Arsene Wenger. Toure hasnt been the same since he caught malaria & it makes sense to cash in on him now, with the African Nations Cup in January. We now have Vermaelen, Gallas, Djourou & Sylvestre, as well as Song who can play at centre-back. In all likelyhood Senderos will be disposed of as well. However, I would still like Arsenal to purchase a tall centre half, such as Hageland. Giving us a copule of options of tall centre-backs alongside a slightly shorter more mobile one. So Gallas & Hangeland or Vermaellen & Djourou seem excellent combinations.
- Rob Gooner, North London
15 million pounds for Toure is good buisness,Wenger is shuffling the team a bit,tweaking it,one or two shrewd signings Arsenal have got a team capable of a top three finish.
- Jim Ex Pat,Islington N1, thailand
Last of the untouchables. A likeable chap but, like all of our centre backs since Adams and Keown retired, ever susceptible to calamnity when it matters most. AW's right to perform a quiet and long overdue revolution at the back.
VG
- Vic Gibbons, Brussels, Belgium
Djourou is injure prone,
Silvestre isn't anywhere near good enough.
Gallas, Song and the new guy are too small.
At least Toure is lightening fast, he can tackle and he has a bit of history with the club.
Arsene really has no idea about central defenders which is deeply ironic bearing in mind George Graham was an expert.
- Alan, Osaka, Japan
