Arsenal manager has sly dig at Aidy Ward regarding contract comments

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Arsene Wenger has admitted that contract signings and transfer deals are always hardest to complete when the story goes public, as has been the case with Liverpool and Raheem Sterling.

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Sterling and his agent Aidy Ward have been hitting the headlines all week, as they seemingly attempt to engineer a move away from Merseyside ahead of the summer transfer window, with Manchester City and Chelsea among those interested (via the Daily Express).

Ward went public with his discontent on Thursday. Speaking in the Evening Standard, he shockingly labelled Anfield favourite Jamie Carragher ‘a knob’ and claimed that Sterling wouldn’t sign a new deal, even for £900,000-per-week.

The Arsenal boss sympathises with our situation, and it was quite clear he was directing his comments towards the agent in question… In quotes taken by the Daily Mirror, he said: “I don’t want to single out people but discretion is the best way to deal with things. For us, it adds difficulties when it (talks with a player) is public.

“I am not sure it is the player causing the problem. They (a player and an agent) come as a package that is true, but the problems do not always come from the player, sometimes from the package.

“You know how it works. The agent interest is to put a story in public. Always the best deals we have done is when it was quiet and secret.”

Arsenal have also been linked with a summer move for Sterling (via The Independent), although former Gunners striker Thierry Henry believes Sterling risks ruining his career by leaving Liverpool this year.

“I think we all know that he’s been receiving some bad advice,” he said. “You can’t go out there and talk about your contract in the press. You have to respect your fans, respect the club that you play for.”

Sterling and Ward were expected to meet with our representatives to discuss the situation later today, but those talks are now believed to have been cancelled (via the Daily Express).

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