Former Arsenal captain William Gallas is closing in on a sensational move to cross-town rivals Tottenham Hotspurs. The French defender is available on a free after he rejected Arsenal’s contract offer over compensation issues. Harry Redknapp has moved quickly to sign the 32-year old centre half who has more than eight years of experience of playing in the Premier League. The wages offered by Tottenham are less than what the player was on while at Arsenal, but Gallas has agreed to take a pay cut. Gallas is expected to have a medical at White Hart Lane on Friday before agreeing on a one-year contract.
The move may not go down well with Arsenal fans. Gallas represented Arsenal for four seasons clocking up 101 appearances. He also captained the Gunners for a couple of seasons before being stripped off the captaincy in the 2008-09 season thanks to an outspoken interview on public television.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has admitted that he would like to have Gallas at the Lane. “I like Gallas,” he said. “I think he’s a great free transfer. I thought at the start of the year there were three fantastic free transfers available – David James, Joe Cole and William Gallas. His wages aren’t a problem. He has not been greedy at all. His people have rung up and we spoke about it.”
Gallas would be Spurs’ second signing of the season following the acquisition of Brazilian midfielder Sandro who was signed for £7 million from Internacional.
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