Robert Pires says he has opened negotiations with Arsenal to extend his current contract, which expires in 2004, by a further two or three years. Pires said he was happy in London and no longer interested in playing for Real Madrid, who announced the signing of Pires after Euro 2000 only for the move to fall through.
“The ball is in their court, I let them know of my intentions, I am waiting,” he is quoted as saying on L’Equipe’s website. “Here, what strikes me is the respect of the supporters. At Marseille when we lost they jumped on us - the difference is respect, that's good for us. I feel at home here (in London), it’s a town that suits me. My dream since I was very small was to play for Real. But I said that because I did not know Arsenal. Now that I have discovered the English championship and English life my opinion is a bit different.”
Pires, who first emerged with Metz, was a member of France's 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winning squads but missed his country's ill-fated defence of the World Cup this summer with injury.
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
