Fabregas Rules Out Arsenal Return
Cesc Fabregas has revealed that he has no intention of changing clubs again and wants to spend the remainder of his footballing career at his current club Barcelona.
It was recently suggested by Arsene Wenger that Fabregas might return back to Arsenal in the latter stages of his career but the Spanish playmaker has poured cold water on his former mentor’s hopes.
“I’ve come back to Barça to stay for the rest of my career. If it were up to me, and if everything goes well, I’ll fight as hard as I can to retire here,” Fabregas said, effectively ending any chances of an Arsenal return.
Henry Disappointed With Wenger Boo-Boys
Thierry Henry believes that the amount of criticism and abuse directed towards Arsene Wenger in the past few years is totally undeserved and the fans shouldn’t forget what the long-serving Arsenal boss has done for the club.
The Gunners haven’t won a single trophy in the last seven and a half years, and Wenger’s inability to end that trophy drought has seen him become a hate figure for some of the club’s fans.
However, Henry, who owes a lot to Wenger for transforming him into a World class player, says that his former mentor’s contribution in bringing Arsenal to the top should not be forgotten.
In a recent interview with The Daily Mail, he said: “When you don’t win, people are always going to question your work, your legacy and what you did before. It is difficult to hear this criticism, difficult to see, but for me the boss will always be Arsene. He’s always great for me and I know what he has done for the club.
“You are always going to get judged on your last performance or what you are doing at the moment, but it is kind of hard to criticise Arsene Wenger, knowing how he has changed the club and how the team is playing right now compared to how the team was playing before.”
About his post-retirement plans, he added: “All I know is that I will be involved in the game and hopefully be involved with Arsenal, because that is the heart talking there, that’s the team I support. Forget about me as a player, that’s the team I support.
“If I can go back to the club, I would love to do it, but it’s not up to me. It’s more a desire than something that can be made official. I still have two years playing in New York and then I will see, but I would definitely love to be back with Arsenal.”
Arsenal Starlet Wants Longer Betis Stay
Real Betis’ on-loan Arsenal striker Joel Campbell has revealed that he is loving life at his current club and indicated that he might seek a permanent transfer to the La Liga outfit in the summer.
The 20-year-old Costa Rican, who was signed by Arsenal from Deportivo Saprissa in 2011, has made 18 league appearances for Betis so far this season, scoring two goals and assisting one.
He is enjoying the way his career is progressing in Spain and admits that he might want to stay there beyond the current season, if the Gunners allow him to do so.
In an interview with El Desmarque, Campbell said: “To be in a country like Spain, playing in this league, means a lot. I want to keep playing well and keep progressing as footballer. I’ll focus until June and see what happens after that.
“I’ll give everything on the pitch for Betis and see what happens when the time comes. Arsenal are in charge of what I do. I’d also like to play for them but I’m very comfortable here and I’ll defend Betis with all my heart. I’m trying to give my all for Betis, they gave me a lot of opportunities.”
Gunners Ready for Fourth Place Battle
Arsene Wenger has made it clear that he and his Arsenal players are fully prepared to go to battle for the fourth and final Champions League spot.
The Gunners currently trail the fourth-placed Tottenham by four points but Wenger has warned their North London rivals to not get comfortable as things can change in a hurry between now and May. They showed their battle-ready attitude last weekend with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light and Wenger is confident that his side can come out on top in the race to finish in the top four.
When asked about his team’s chances of overtaking Spurs, Wenger said: “There are many games to go. We are in the fight and the game on Saturday showed that we are ready for a fight. Our character was questioned many times. You saw (on Saturday) that we have plenty.
“I liked the last 20 minutes when we were pushed back. We headed every single ball. We tried like mad and that’s fantastic to see. Sometimes you have to just dig in and some players played in uncomfortable positions. When we have the desire to win, it helps a lot.”
Walcott Urges Fringe Gunners to Step Up
Theo Walcott has urged the fringe members Arsenal squad to raise their game and help the club defeat Blackburn Rovers in their upcoming FA Cup tie.
Injuries to key players mean that coach Arsene Wenger may have to turn to some of his younger players for the clash with the Riversiders. As a result, there is a chance that their performance level might drop in that game. But Walcott doesn’t want to see that happen and therefore, he has challenged the Arsenal replacements to be just as efficient as the regulars.
He told Arsenal.com: “A lot of players are back from international duty and need a bit of a break, so some may be rested for the FA Cup game, but that’s just as important as we want to go far in that competition.”
About his team’s chances of finishing in fourth position ahead of Tottenham, Walcott added: “We are very confident [of finishing in the top four]. We can battle through any sort of situation. The teams around us are winning as well, but we have just got to make sure we look after ourselves and try to win as often as we can.
“We will see where we are at the end of the season, but we have got to show the belief we did at Sunderland. I felt there were a lot of winners in that dressing room and the boys were fantastic.”
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