from Sky Sports

Thursday 24th August 2000 Updated 7:28pm BST

PROVISIONAL TERMS AGREED FOR WILTORD

Arsenal are finally set to sign French striker Sylvain Wiltord after agreeing provisional terms with Bordeaux.

The wrangle over the transfer fee has been settled after David Deins meeting with the President of Wiltords current club Bordeaux last week.

Wiltord still has to agree personal terms with the club and must also still pass a medical if the proposed deal is to go through.

He will join the club ahead of the deadline for Champions League action on August 31, but is not expected to sign in time to be involved in the Gunners' Premiership clash with Charlton on Saturday.

Arsene Wenger, who is believed to have spoken to Wiltord  a goalscorer in the Euro 2000 final  on Wednesday said: "We progress." The transfer fee will be #13million.

A club statement read: "Terms have provisionally been agreed with Bordeaux for the signature of Sylvain Wiltord."

Wiltord went on strike at Bordeaux after his clubs valuation seemed to have blocked any chance of a move to Highbury. Bordeauxs hard-line stance was partly due to the fact that 30 per cent of the transfer fee they receive will go to Wiltord's former club Deportivo La Coruna.

The news will be a relief to Wenger who lost Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit during the summer. Wiltord would become the fifth Frenchman at Highbury, following in the footsteps of Gilles Grimandi, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires.

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2000

Answers

They're really tackling the language problem there, soon French will be their 1st language.

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2000

And just 2 weeks ago he was bemoaning the fact that he was losing all his French players because of their extra friendlies as the team everyone wants to beat: don't see how this will help.

I'd tell them to poke their bloody Olympics as well. That should be included as an exhibition U16 sport at best, there are more than enough International tournaments without that.

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2000

Added to this, Liverpool have completed the signing of German Christian Ziege. Man the top five teams keep getting stronger and stronger.

National themes of top EPL clubs: Arsenal - French. Liverpool - German. Chelsea - Italian. Newton Heath - barstadised versions of English. Leeds - new youth culture english. Newcastle - South American flavoured portugese/spanish.

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2000