Wenger concentrates on football matters

Manager Arsene Wenger maintains the training ground and on the pitch will always be where the "real football" matters for Arsenal, not what may transpire in the boardroom.

The Gunners' preparations for tomorrow's opening Champions League clash against Sevilla at Emirates Stadium were overshadowed by the news Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov has increased his shareholding in the club.

Salad days: Cesc Fabregas

The purchase - which was announced this morning to the Stock Exchange - makes Usmanov's investment company, Red and White Holdings Limited, Arsenal's second-largest shareholder behind director Danny Fiszman.

Despite the continued speculation this latest move is likely to lead to a formal takeover and the possible return of former vice-chairman David Dein, who left the club last season after a rift with the board over the role of American investor Stan Kroenke, the Gunners boss insists nothing has changed in terms of his day-to-day responsibilities to keep the players focused on the job in hand.

Wenger said: "We are in a position where, at the moment, I don't feel there is anything big moving around the club or uncertainty surrounding the ownership.

"For me, it looks to be settled, the situation at the club.

"The directors don't need to reassure me because they have already come out and said they don't need to sell."

Wenger added: "You are here in London Colney (where Arsenal's training ground is based) - here is the real football of the club. You can look around and see no-one who is interfering.

"We are focused on the game, preparing for the game and that is all we need.

"The happiness is linked to having a good football team which plays good football and I can work the way I like.

"It is a good feeling when you wake up in the morning and are happy to go to your job and that is what is happening for me.

"I drive out here every day, we are happy to do what we do and the board help make that possible."

Wenger - who earlier this month signed a new three-year deal with Arsenal - added: "Of course you care who is on the board because some people are more intrusive than others.

"But the tradition at Arsenal Football Club has always been for a manager to do his work like he wants to do it. That is the tradition of the club."

Another "tradition" which Wenger has instilled since his arrival at the north London club a decade ago is a first-class global scouting network and the development of young talent.

One such player to have benefited from Wenger's guidance has been Cesc Fabregas.

The 20-year-old Spain midfielder has taken over the mantle from former talisman Thierry Henry to become the key man for Arsenal this season.

Fabregas has netted five goals - already more than the whole of last season - including a fine strike in the 3-1 win at arch-rivals Tottenham on Saturday.

Wenger believes the best is yet to come from the former Barcelona trainee, whom he has likened to French superstar Michel Platini, a former double world footballer of the year and triple European player of the year.

"Fabregas is young and he has to improve. That is all he has to do and let other people judge how good he is," said Wenger.

"I have played him since he was 16 so I must believe he is good.

"He has not to worry too much about how other people see him. He must worry more about how he can develop."

Wenger reflected: "His vision is comparable to Platini. It is a compliment.

"He is at the start of his career and we know that Platini has made his career. Cesc has it all in front of him, but he has a vision.

"He will still develop. I remember Platini was more of a striker and Cesc is more of a midfielder.

"He is adding that element to his game, but Platini had more of a striker mentality.

"He could stay quiet for a game thinking 'I will score a goal'.

Cesc is a guy who likes to be at the heart of things. It is not the same position and not the same psychology."

Wenger feels Fabregas has the burning desire to become, like Platini, one of the finest of his generation.

"In the heart of every player is the belief that he will be best player in the world. That keeps him going. It is like that with Cesc and [Steven] Gerrard - everybody.

"Everybody must have that belief - but is more important to make the maximum out of your talent, that is how you gain respect."

Usmanov Ramps Up Arsenal Stake to 21%

Billionaire Alisher Usmanov raised his stake in Arsenal Football Club to 21 percent Tuesday, prompting speculation that he may make a takeover bid for the club.

Red and White Holdings, a company owned by Kremlin-friendly tycoon Usmanov and his business partner, Farhad Moshiri, said in a statement that it was now the second-largest shareholder in Arsenal.

A spokesman for Red and White said the businessmen had acquired the shares in the English Premier League football club in a series of transactions.

In a separate deal earlier this month, Usmanov and Moshiri acquired a 14.58 percent stake from David Dein. Under the agreement, Dein, who was forced off Arsenal's board in April after clashing with them over investment possibilities, became chairman of Red and White. Usmanov later said he aimed to increase his stake in Arsenal to 25 percent. Investments made by Usmanov and Moshiri to date are said to be around ?110 million ($220 million).

Geneva-based diamond trader Danny Fiszman is the club's largest shareholder, with a 24.11 percent stake. Other major shareholders include Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith, with a 15 percent stake, and U.S. billionaire Stan Kroenke, with a 12.19 percent stake.

Tim Paynton, board director of the Arsenal Supporters' Trust, which has a 3 percent stake in the club, said Red and White acquired the shares from London-based hedge fund Lansdowne Partners and Birol Nadir, son of controversial Turkish-Cypriot businessman Asil Nadir.

Lansdowne Partners, which is reported to own a 3 percent stake, was unable to comment Tuesday.

Small shareholders currently hold between 11 percent and 12 percent.

"They are now quite pivotal," Paynton said. "For investment reasons, it is unlikely that they would sell."

Under British takeover law, Usmanov would be obliged to begin a formal takeover for the club if his combined stake reached 29.9 percent, although he has said he has no plans to make a hostile bid.

Some insiders believe that he is only biding his time, however.

Under an April "lockdown" agreement, Arsenal directors are prohibited from selling their shares before April 2008. The agreement was drawn up to fend off an anticipated takeover bid from Stan Kroenke.

Fiszman has repeatedly said he does not intend to sell and that he will retain his stake beyond the April 2008 deadline.

Fiszman sold around 1 percent of his holding for ?4 million to Kroenke earlier this year, taking his stake to below 25 percent. He also sold his London home and moved to Switzerland, which would allow him to avoid paying taxes on capital gains in Britain if he chooses to unload his remaining interests in the club.

British media reports over the weekend suggested that Kroenke might be willing to sell his stake.

Usmanov's march on the prestigious club has been viewed with some contention.

"In the back of everyone's minds will be the question: Where did this money come from?" said Harry Philp, managing director of Hermes Sports Partners.

Ramos will not be distracted by Spurs talk

Sevilla coach Juande Ramos was focused on Arsenal rather than Tottenham on the eve of his side's Champions League clash at the Emirates Stadium.

Ramos met with Spurs officials last month and has talked about an "offer" since, although he has been concentrating more on Sevilla's first Champions League campaign of late.

High and mighty: Former Spurs striker Frederic Kanoute I'm just thinking about the game against Arsenal," he said. "I don't want to get distracted by rumours and speculation."

He did, however, discuss his admiration for English football.

"I love this league (the Barclays Premier League)," he added. "The Spanish league is very good as well and Italy has champions."

Getting Sevilla into the Champions League has seen Ramos's reputation soar over the last year, and it is where Spurs want to be playing after investing around £40million on players this summer.

Spurs will be playing this week in the UEFA Cup, which Ramos has won in the last two seasons.

"After two years in the UEFA Cup and with good performances, we needed this jump to the Champions League," said Ramos.

"I think our team is ready to fight for this now - I hope they respond in the right way.

"It's a new competition for us and for me too. We are looking forward to it."

Ramos hopes his side can dedicate their campaign to Antonio Puerta, the Sevilla defender who recently died, although he expects a tough test against Arsenal.

He added: "We hope that we are trying to move forward. Our football players know the best way to remember him is to win matches.

"Puerta would have loved to have played in the competition and we'll dedicate it to him."

Ramos added: "Arsenal are the favourites in the group, logically. They have more experience in the competition. A result that is not a defeat is good for us. If we get a victory it will be a great result.

"They lost their best player (Thierry Henry) last year but have improved as a team. They are balanced and they are top of the league."

Frederic Kanoute, the former Spurs striker, will be leading the attack for Sevilla.

"I think we have found the right way to accommodate Kanoute," Ramos said.

"We have made him play in the right place in the team.

"He was very close to being the top scorer in Europe but couldn't play in the last few matches last season, so couldn't get it.

"He's started well and we are trying to keep him fit and healthy

Watch out Arsenal, these guys are high class'

Frederic Kanoute

It's difficult to have a conversation about Sevilla at the moment without mentioning Antonio Puerta.

The Spain international, just 22, died three days after suffering a heart attack in Sevilla's La Liga game against Getafe on August 25. The shadow of Puerta's death has loomed large over Juande Ramos' team ever since.

Sevilla's players have done their former team-mate proud on the pitch, outclassing AEK Athens in the Champions League qualifiers to advance to the group stage of the competition for the first time. Not that Sevilla lack pedigree - they have won back-to-back Uefa Cups and are arguably the biggest threat to the Spanish duopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

We spoke to Spanish journalist Inigo Gurruchaga of El Correo ahead of Wednesday's eagerly-awaited Group H opener. Read on for his insight on Spain's reaction to the Puerta tragedy, Sevilla's meteoric rise, the men Arsenal need to watch at Emirates Stadium and the reasons why tomorrow night's game should be remembered for the right reasons.

Inigo, how much has Puerta's death affected Sevilla and Spanish football in general?

It depends because Spain is a country with a great variety of landscapes and cultures. In Seville there are processions at Easter where people are singing and wailing to the statue of the Virgin and wearing dark clothes. There is so much passion surrounding it and this is a great cultural event in Seville. You don't see that at all in other areas of Spain, for example in Barcelona, Madrid or Galicia in the north. The same has happened with the Puerta phenomenon because in Seville you see the emotions of a city expressed very publicly while in other parts of Spain people feel sad but they do not express themselves to the same degree. But obviously all across the country it is seen as a tragedy and a great loss.

On the pitch Sevilla seem as strong as ever after two convincing wins in Europe and two more in La Liga.

It was very traumatic in their first game after Puerta's death. I saw the pictures of the squad coming back from Athens and they were shaking because one of their team-mates had died. But it is a very cosmopolitan team so each player has different ways of dealing with their grief. There has been a certain seriousness about the players and when I saw them beat Huelva at the weekend the team didn't show they were in mourning. They were clinical, it was a very impressive display, despite having the Puerta tragedy hanging over them. They have played very consistently and played very high-quality football.

Sevilla have lost some big names in recent years, including Reyes and Baptista, but they have continued to improve. Why do you think that is?

There have been two phases in the birth of Sevilla. They were in the second division at the beginning of the century and Joaquin Caparros, now the manager of Atletico Bilbao, built a team from a very modest resources. He was managing the academy team and Sevilla had no money but he built a team spirit as well as a good team. They brought in good local players but they had an inner spirit. In that team there were players like Reyes and they were very impressive. They went up very quickly. What has been very clear is that Sevilla have a good scouting system because they pick up players who are not well known but become good team players for Sevilla.

Juande Ramos came to a project which had already been set up very well and was able to sign some very good players and gel them together in the same spirit of team play. In Seville and the south there is sometimes a culture of individuality, of extravagant displays and a lack of discipline, but these two managers have built a good team spirit and they have made Sevilla very successful very quickly.

Who are Sevilla's key men? A lot of their play seems to go through Frederic Kanoute in attack.

I am happy you mention Kanoute because I know he is a former Tottenham player but he really is a crucial player for Sevilla. I find him extraordinary, he is extremely difficult to defend against because he is fast, he has long legs. Maybe he does not have a great touch and sometimes misses opportunities, he is not a superstar, but he is moving all the time, he is always causing trouble for defenders. He gives so many opportunities to guys who play around him like Luis Fabiano. Maybe others will score more goals but Kanoute does some fantastic work.

Alves is one of the defining players of Sevilla, he is small, kind of a Speedy Gonzalez player. Their midfield against Hueva was so fast, even when the game was in their pocket they had so much pace and movement. They have some terrific players - Jesus Navas combines with Alves very well and they move the ball around very quickly. They certainly have strength in depth.

Sevilla like to attack, as do Arsenal. Can we expect an entertaining game on Wednesday?

It should be a good game. For me it is good news is that Javi Navarro is injured because I find players who have reputations for being hard men are not to my taste. They spoil the game. Navarro has a reputation as a tough defender who goes for the body of the player so I am happy he is out because there will be no nastiness. Both games play technical football after all. Possibly there is a question mark over Sevilla's defence without Navarro but Arsenal need to watch out because these guys play some high-class football.

Picture exclusive: Arsenal squad in training

The Arsenal squad trained at their London Colney base ahead of the Champions League tie against Sevilla. The Spaniards are the season's first visitors to Emirates Stadium in the group stage of the competition and are sure to provide a stern test for Arsenè Wenger's men.

The players practise their passing

The squad gather round to stretch

Wenger offers his advice

Flamini jostles with Denilson

Walcott holds off Traore

Walcott holds off Flamini's challenge

Van Persie shows good control

Almunia talks to Sagna and Toure

The Spanish keeper makes a save

Diaby and Toure share a joke

New boy Sagna looks happy

The boss and Pat Rice reflect

Kanoute confident of Sevilla success

Kanoute played for both West Ham and the Gunners' arch-rivals Tottenham during a five-year stint in England before joining Sevilla in 2005, and the Mali international is hoping for a happy trip back to England.

Sevilla open their Champions League group stage at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, and Kanoute sees no reason why the back-to-back UEFA Cup winners cannot begin with a victory over Arsenal.

"I believe that we can win, I have faith that we can go far in the competition but we will have to see after each game," said Kanoute, who scored twice on Sunday as Sevilla downed Recreativo Huelva 4-1 in La Liga.

"We are going to have matches in the Champions League that are much more difficult than in the UEFA Cup, but the team is prepared and ready for this competition.

"We have a better squad than last year, with more experience, and more players. For every position there are two or three players."

Sevilla's victory over Recreativo was their second successive 4-1 win of the Spanish season, and they are currently second in the table with six points from two games - three points behind leaders Real Madrid.

Arsenal are also flying high in the Premier League, with Saturday's 3-1 derby win over Spurs lifting them to the top of the table.

Kanoute knows it is not going to be easy for his side on Wednesday, saying: "Arsenal are a team who play very fast going forward, and who are very attacking.

"We can win, I know their team and if we can nullify their key player, Cesc (Fabregas), and we start quickly as always, I believe we can achieve the win."

Confident though he is of a good result in north London, Kanoute still believes Arsenal are the slight favourites to progress from a Champions League group that also includes Steaua Bucharest and Slavia Prague.

"Arsenal are bigger favourites than us because they have more experience in this competition," said the 30-year-old.

Arsenal v Sevilla BIG MATCH STATS

Head-to-heads

These clubs have never met in a European cup competition.

European history

Arsenal have won two European trophies in club history. In 1969-70 they won the Fairs Cup and in 1993-94 they conquered the Cup Winners' Cup. Their best result in the Champions league proper is finishing runners-up to FC Barcelona in 2005-06.

Sevilla join Slavia Prague as the only debutants in the Champions League this season.

Current European form

Arsenal secured a CL qualification berth by finishing fourth in the Premier League last season. In qualifying, they advanced at the expense of Sparta Prague, whom they beat 2-0 away and 3-0 at home. The Gunners have not lost any of their last 16 European home matches, since the 1-2 reverse by Chelsea on 6 April, 2004.

Sevilla earned a berth into the qualifying rounds by finishing third in the Primera Division last season. They crushed AEK Athens 6-1 on aggregate to become the 101st club in CL history to reach the group stage.

Player and disciplinary info

Jens Lehmann is Arsenal's most experienced player in the Champions league, having played 57 matches. Tomas Rosicky is the Gunners' most productive player, having scored eight career CL goals.

Sevilla's most experienced players are goalkeeper Andres Palop and striker Arouna Kone; both have made 11 appearances. Kone and Javier Chevanton lead Sevilla players in career CL goal scoring with two goals each.

Other miscellaneous facts

Arsenal lead the Premier League having taken 13 points from five matches.

With six points out of six, Sevilla are in second place in the Primera Division.

All four teams drawn into Group H have reached the group phase via the qualifying stages. Group H is the only group solely made up of qualifiers.