Gilberto agrees personal terms for imminent transfer

By 1970’s Gooner

The news coming out of Athens sounds very decisive.

Gilberto’s representatives, The Base Soccer Agency, who traveled yesterday to the Greek Capital, have agreed personal terms with Panathinaikos after negotiations which lasted several hours.

And after communicating with Gilberto himself they declared that he was in agreement too.

“It is true that we have come to an agreement with Panathinaikos and Gilberto is very happy” Leon Angel, the Agency’s Chairman, said to the waiting reporters whom he described as worse than The Sun’s reporters in England!

Gilberto also spoke to the Panathinaikos President and is reported to have said:

“I am very happy to come to Greece…Panathinaikos is a big club and if an agreement is reached with Arsenal I will be very happy to join you”

This sentiment was reiterated by Leon Angel:

“We have finished our business here and we are on our way now. It is now a matter between the two teams to agree so that the transfer can go through” he continued.

It seems therefore that all that remains now is for Arsenal to agree to a fee with Panathinaikos and Gilberto will be plying his trade next season under the Greek sun.

Arsenal’s agreement looks as a given.

As we first revealed a few days ago on this site, Ken Friar has already said that if Gilberto agrees personal terms then Arsenal will not hinder the transfer process.

“If Gilberto agrees personal terms then we will not stand in his way. If this happens then it seems that we will agree a transfer fee with Panathinaikos" Friar said to Greek paper "SportDay".

Speaking to the same newspaper today, Nikos Pateras the Panathinaikos President said:

“There is an in principle agreement with the player. All that remains is for Arsenal to send the necessary legal papers confirming the oral agreement we struck with them earlier”.

Gilberto will be rewarded with a three year contract with the same wages he is currently on at Arsenal, £2m a year, plus bonuses which may add another £0.4m a year.

The third year however will come into force if Gilberto plays in 50% of the games the year before.

Arsenal will receive a fee of £1m and the player’s representatives who hold part of his registration will get another £0.8m.

Sounds pretty final to me.

But the question for us Arsenal fans is: Who will be partnering Fabregas in the central midfield area for Arsenal next season?



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