Soccer: Wenger points way out for Silvinho

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has virtually confirmed the imminent departure of Brazilian star Silvinho by giving his number 16 squad shirt at Highbury to new £8.5m signing Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Dutchman van Bronckhorst, signed from Glasgow Rangers last month, is expected to appear in the shirt tonight in Arsenal’s friendly against Turkish club FC Kocaelispor as the Gunners kick off a three-match pre-season programme in Austria.

But Silvinho was left behind in London when Arsenal’s 24-man squad flew out yesterday and, with Spanish club Deportivo La Coruna being linked with the diminutive defender, Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein admitted: ‘‘Silvinho is in the early stages of being transferred but we do not want to say anything more that might jeopardise it.’’

Wenger, who took his close-season spending to around £26 million with the capture of Japanese midfielder Junichi Inamoto on Monday, is now looking to balance the books and could recoup around £8 million for left back Silvinho who, midway through a four-year contract, was believed happy to stay at Highbury and fight for his place with emerging England star Ashley Cole.

But van Bronckhorst, usually a left-sided midfielder, can also play at full-back and has appeared in that position many times for Holland.

Nigerian striker Kanu might also have played his last game for Arsenal following the £8m addition of Francis Jeffers from Everton to Arsenal’s strike-force.

Wenger also has Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Sylvain Wiltord and admits that more than four senior forwards might make his squad top heavy.

Kanu’s agent Frank Seedoc has insisted they would resist any Arsenal bid to off-load the former Ajax and Inter Milan ace, but Wenger is aware that he could attract another major fee for the player.

Kanu is currently in Nigeria ahead of their decisive World Cup qualifier against Ghana on Sunday after a dismal campaign at Highbury last season.

In fact, Wenger’s clearing-out process is already in motion with the departures of two young French reserve players.

Midfielders Guy Demel, 19, has joined Borussia Dortmund in Germany for around £200,000 and Guillaume Nolbert is set to sign for French club Lorient.

Arsenal have already banked around £700,000 for midfielder Stefan Malz’s move back to Germany with Kaiserslautern.

Malz arrived at Highbury from 1860 Munich two years ago for a similar fee.

He made only 14 first-team appearances, eight as a substitute, and his number 19 shirt has been awarded new boy Inamoto.

Dein has denied that the 21-year-old Japanese midfielder’s £4m signing from Gamba Osaka was motivated by purely commercial reasons.

Inamoto, who has 22 international caps, is already a big star in football-crazy Japan where the World Cup finals will be co-hosted next summer and Arsenal stand to collect a huge marketing spin-off via Far East television coverage of matches in which he plays plus club merchandise bearing the player’s name.

But Dein said: ‘‘Everyone makes a great play of the commercial side of things but for us that is only secondary in the signing of Inamoto.

‘‘Primary for us is having a successful winning team and we hope he will do well and be part of our squad for many years to come.

‘‘If we benefit commercially as well then so be it because we are a club that is always mindful of what we can spend, but everything flows from having a winning team.’’