Arsenal join Middlesbrough in chase for Kanchelskis

Football

ALAN NIXON AND PHIL SHAW

Arsenal joined the chase for Manchester United's disillusioned winger Andrei Kanchelskis last night. Bruce Rioch, the Arsenal manager, decided to enter the fray along with Middlesbrough, who had earlier tabled an opening bid of around pounds 4.5m.

Rioch, who has already spent in excess of pounds 12m, believes Kanchelskis would be an ideal acquisition, and Arsenal have the funds to go in with a higher bid than Middlesbrough.

Manchester United's summer of discontent rumbles on. After the unpopular sales of Paul Ince and Mark Hughes, and the outburst from Andrei Kanchelskis against Alex Ferguson, United learned yesterday that Darren Anderton, their top transfer target, had committed himself to Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs took the unusual step of holding a press conference to announce that Anderton had signed a new four-year contract. Meanwhile, Teddy Sheringham, the Spurs striker, hit out at the club's pounds 4.5m purchase of Chris Armstrong last month, saying: "I am very surprised we bought him. As far as I was concerned, we just didn't need a player like him."

He also praised north London rivals Arsenal for their purchases of Dennis Bergkamp and David Platt, and said: "We've lost two world-class players in Jurgen Klinsmann and Gica Popescu, and no club can expect to survive doing that. Right now this squad is not strong enough in depth or quality to win the title."

When Ferguson does enter the transfer market, his spending power is likely to be curtailed. United admitted yesterday that only pounds 3m of the pounds 7m for which Ince was sold to Internazionale is due "up front". Two further instalments of pounds 1.5m are scheduled for July 1996 and 1997, with the balance of pounds 1m coming from matches between United and the Milan club.

Francis Lee, the chairman of Manchester City, has revealed that he asked Alan Ball to become manager even before he took control of the Maine Road club in March 1994. Lee said he first approached Ball 16 months ago, when he was manager of Exeter. "When the takeover campaign was at its height, I telephoned Alan and asked him to become manager once I became chairman."

Millwall yesterday agreed a pounds 750,000 fee with the German club Kaiserslautern for Uwe Fuchs, the forward who was on loan to Middlesbrough last season.

Steve Bull explained yesterday why he has rejected a pounds 1.5m move from Wolves to Coventry. "I was very close to going, but my heart ruled my head," he said. However, Bull claimed his loyalty had not been reciprocated. The club have refused his request for an extra 12 months on his contract, which has two years to run.