Wenger reacts furiously to Bolton claims

Arsenal coach Wenger had ongoing wranglings  with Barcelona over Cesc Fabregas’ price [GALLO/GETTY]

Arsene Wenger has accused Bolton Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside of disseminating mistruths over Arsenal’s bid to sign Bolton’s England centre-back Gary Cahill.

Bolton said they had rejected a “derisory” offer of $9.8m from Arsenal for the 25-year-old but Wenger insisted the figure quoted was inaccurate.

“That number is wrong,” said Wenger.

“It is completely wrong. Every negotiation is between two parties and you only have to sell the player if you are all right with the price.

“In this case the information is below what has been spoken about.”

Bolton coach Owen Coyle was dismissive of Arsenal’s bid and Gartside was drawn into the row when he retweeted a Twitter message from a Bolton fan questioning the seriousness of the bid. The retweet was later deleted.

Wenger said he did not understand Bolton’s reaction.

“You only have to sell the player if you are all right with the price,” he said.

“It is not true. You can believe Gartside or you can believe me. It’s not right. It’s not the truth.

“If Gartside can say I am lying, I am ready to confront him. The truth is that we never speak about our negotiations.

“If a club doesn’t want to sell a player, it can keep him. When we sign a player, we come out here and tell you and keep the price a secret.

Cahill is priced above what Arsenal are currently offering but it remains unclear by how much [GETTY]

“If the player is not for sale, they can keep him. I don’t understand the problem. If we want to buy the player, we buy the player. I do not have to explain for how much.”

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of Bolton’s trip to Liverpool on Saturday, Coyle said there was considerable distance between the clubs over Cahill’s valuation.

“It is nowhere near our valuation as a football club of Gary Cahill,” Coyle said.

“I had a chat with Gary prior to the Macclesfield game to explain what had taken place.

“Gary’s representatives had been made aware there had been a so-called offer, but given the amount that was talked about, I don’t call that an offer.”

While Coyle says he would not prevent Cahill from joining a more high-profile club, he is determined to ensure Bolton receive a fair price for the former Aston Villa player.

“I am very respectful of Gary’s wishes in this as well,” he said.

“I totally understand he wants to play at the highest level and Arsenal are an elite club, a club I think he would probably slot in to with tremendous style because he is such an accomplished player.

“But it has to be done at the right business for Bolton Wanderers Football Club. It was way, way short and I must stress the word ‘way’ as it was a million miles short of what Gary Cahill’s valuation is.”