LONDON, 28 January 2004 — Arsenal agreed to sign 20-year-old Spanish international forward Jose Antonio Reyes from Sevilla for a reported club record fee yesterday.
“I’m leaving the best team in Spain to join the best team in England,” Reyes said at a Seville news conference called to announce his departure.
Arsenal issued a statement on their website confirming the deal, saying it was “a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee.”
Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido said his club had a agreed a confidentiality pact regarding the transfer fee but British media reported it to be around 20 million pounds ($36.26 million).
Arsenal’s previous record was the 13 million pounds they spent to bring in French international striker Sylvain Wiltord in 2000.
“It’s the saddest thing we’ve had to do at Sevilla,” Del Nido said. “We said we would only sell Reyes if we received an offer over and above his market price.
“The transfer is for more than Bayern Munich paid for (Roy) Makaay, more than Barcelona paid for Ronaldinho and more than Real Madrid paid for (David) Beckham.”
Swedish Soccer Player Dies After Collapsing During Training
In Stockholm, Sweden, a fourth-division player in Sweden died after collapsing during a training session, a club spokesman said yesterday.
The 30-year-old player, who was identified only as Andreas, was stretching Monday when he suddenly dropped, Kavlinge GIF spokesman Hans Notstrand said.
