Arsene Wenger has established that Russian playmaker Andrey Arhavin will most probably leave Arsenal this summer.
There were reports earlier this month that the 31-year-old, who Arsenal bought for £15m from Zenit St Petersburg, will retire from football as soon as his current contract at Arsenal expires, with some reports even suggesting that Arshavin was Wenger’s worst buy at Arsenal. Yet, Wenger had nothing but praise for the much-maligned winger.
Wenger said in a press conference: “He is at the end of his contract at the end of the season and then he will decide what to do, but I don’t think he will stay here because he doesn’t play enough.”
“I must say publicly that I give him credit. He is working absolutely every session 100 per cent commitment and he is an example to everybody because he has been questioned about his commitment. If you see him every day, you would respect him for his commitment.”
Meanwhile, Wenger has sought to play down reports linking Arsenal with a summer move for Swansea center-back Ashley Williams, stating that his focus at present is to finish in top four in Premier League and will only think about the transfer targets in the summer.
When pressed by the reporters about a possible £9 million bid for Williams, Wenger held up before replying: “I cannot stop that (speculation). There is no truth in anything at the moment. We are not at all on the transfer market.
“We are just focusing on our next games. For me, what is important is to have a good team and good players. I cannot say much more than that. That I want to win every game, that is for sure.
“What is important is in the summer that we strengthen the team in the right positions, but this is not the moment for me to assess that now. That decision will be made in the summer. We have to live and deal with the present. We have a serious job to do, which is to focus on our games.”
Links with Williams are bound to get stronger in the coming days as there are doubts over the future of Arsenal skipper Thomas Vermaelen, but Wenger highlighted the Belgian centre-back still has a part to play at the club.
Wenger said of Vermaelen: “His attitude has been fantastic, he is a great man first of all and a great fighter, he is a winner. He fights for his place back.
“Sometimes you gain more respect when you don’t play. His attitude has been absolutely marvellous. Of course he has a future. He is our captain; he has a long term contract. Periods when you don’t play can happen. That is part of our job.
Read more: http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/04/12/arsene-wenger-lauds-arshavin-says-he-is-100-committed/#ixzz2QGrtVHgz
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