Van Bommel move to Gunners may be hit by Hiddink deal

ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger may be foiled in his bid to bring Mark van Bommel to Highbury after the appointment of Guus Hiddink as the new manager of PSV Eindhoven.

Wenger returned to work yesterday and has PSV Eindhoven midfielder van Bommel and Lille central defender Cygan as his priority signings.

With Lee Dixon and Gilles Grimandi gone, Tony Adams about to announce his retirement as a player and the future of Martin Keown still unresolved, Wenger is anxious to inject new talent into the squad.

Cygan was one of the few Lille players who excelled against Manchester United in the Champions League last season. It is hoped he will develop into the long-term partner for Sol Campbell in the heart of the defence - though his introduction could be immediate if an agreement cannot be reached with Keown.

However van Bommel and his PSV colleague Kevin Hofland appear set to stay at the club after expressing their delight at the appointment of Guus Hiddink as coach. “His arrival is good for the club,” Hofland said. “We have a young squad who will look up to him. A fresh face is also good for us.”

Van Bommel added: “Hiddink has proved in the past that he is a good coach, so it looks to me to be a good choice. Furthermore, I believe that he is well suited for this squad.”

Hiddink, who succeeds the axed Erik Gerets, plans to recharge his batteries following his World Cup campaign with South Korea during a brief holiday before starting his new job.

In the interim, assistant coach Erwin Koeman and the director of the youth set-up, Fred Rutten, will take charge of training, with the latter expected to join Hiddink's staff.

“The plan is that Rutten will spend 50% of his time with the first team,” said technical director Frank Arnesen. “Hiddink often works with small groups and that's why there will be another assistant coach next to Koeman.”

Hiddink arrived at Schiphol airport on Sunday after attending a ceremony to celebrate South Korea's fourth-place finish at the World Cup. He was then flown to Eindhoven in a private jet to conclude negotiations with the club. PSV announced his appointment yesterday, after first informing the squad.

Meanwhile David Seaman, who considered quitting the game following England's World Cup defeat by Brazil, has given the biggest hint yet that he intends to play for at least one more season: “I’m having talks with Arsenal. We're negotiating at the moment so that's a big step in the right direction. I’m enjoying my football still. What happened at the World Cup was a big setback but you've got to keep with it as a goalkeeper. It's like Oliver Kahn found out, you can play a great tournament and then make a mistake and that's what people remember. But I definitely want to carry on.”