Flamini insists he would have stayed if not for delays
Midfielder Mathieu Flamini insists that he would have stayed on at Arsenal if the club had not delayed their contract talks with him till the end of the season.
The Frenchman says that he would have signed a deal last July, but the club had told him to improve his game, which he did but by then they were competing with the likes of Juventus and AC Milan for Flamini's signature.
Flamini said: "If Arsenal had offered me a contract last summer I would still be their player now.
"Last July I told Arsenal I wanted to extend my contract so, of course, I would have signed if they had offered me a deal ... but they didn't.
"They said they wanted me to prove myself first. It was difficult for me at the beginning. I had to see it as a challenge but I won't lie, it was not easy. You have to be mentally very strong to cope.
"If I had a serious injury my future would have been in question as I was out of contract. But, touch wood, I don't want to think about these things and, thankfully, I played well and I can be proud of what I achieved.
"We started to speak in December but I knew it was a huge decision. At that time we were playing every three days. I didn't want to think too much about that because I wanted to focus on my performances.
"It was difficult for me as I started to have offers from big clubs."
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GOONER ALWAYS!!
Posted on 21 May, 2008 at 10:55 PM - Reply
alan is right, we can replace him. Arsene always finds good players, good players that would soon become stars. i just hope hleb doesn't leave, he adds a lot of experience in the team that we need at the moment.
timmie
Posted on 21 May, 2008 at 08:39 PM - Reply
flamini was at arsenal fof 4 years,he had one very good season thats all so he will be replaced easily it will be much more of a loss if hleb leaves i really hope he stays
Tomas Crown
Posted on 20 May, 2008 at 08:54 AM - Reply
Flamini didn't cheat us on the pitch, not for a second. If he can earn more elsewhere who can blame him for doing so.
Kats
Posted on 19 May, 2008 at 10:31 PM - Reply
That's no excuse,how do you thank them for helping you improve?
alan
Posted on 19 May, 2008 at 06:47 PM - Reply
For every player like Hleb and Flamini, Wenger has 20 better replacements for each. Face it who had heard of Flamini, Hleb, Adebayor,Sagna ,Toure ,Clichy,Van Persie, Eduardo, even Henry, Pires and Vieira before they joined Arsenal?
alan
Posted on 19 May, 2008 at 06:43 PM - Reply
Two questions Flamini has to ask himself
1) have any Arsenal players done well since leaving Arsenal?(At best, Bentley)
2)Are AC MIlan in Champions League?(no, and who else apart from desperate mercenaries will join them in Noddy Cup?)
Tj
Posted on 19 May, 2008 at 01:54 PM - Reply
Leave the guy alone pls. He decided well for himself. Gunners lets forge ahead.
Lovemoney
Posted on 19 May, 2008 at 08:47 AM - Reply
Hahaha....! You know the love of money incites us to make harsh and stupid decisions. How can a guy like that one who was playing along his generation quit and playing the Champions League every year quit for playing along his fathers and watching others playing the Champions League? Such excuses are made to veil his shame.
Chukwuebuka
Posted on 17 May, 2008 at 06:12 PM - Reply
We, the fans are gonna miss u. If only I had my way on arsene Wenger, he would've kept u. But since it's this way, goodluck 2 u, Flamini!!!!
FLAMONEY
Posted on 17 May, 2008 at 02:31 PM - Reply
Just shut up flamini, stop with your lame excuses just admit you went for the money, you coward, just remember, ARSENAL made you the player you are today.........
The Punter
Posted on 17 May, 2008 at 10:17 AM - Reply
Flamini will be a big loss, but the gunners shall move on. Arsene should get Diaby playing the holding midfield role more as there is great potential there - his long dangly legs remind me of one Patrick Vieira.
George
Posted on 17 May, 2008 at 10:04 AM - Reply
hoho...now he's already feeling sorry for himself, probably seeing that no champions league next year, and that he will be playing around a bunch of 35 and 40 year olds
Flaminithewatercarrier
Posted on 17 May, 2008 at 09:07 AM - Reply
Bottom line is he only really turned it on for us when pressured to do so. I'm not sure you can pay a guy who behaves like that £140k a week, especially when he is eminently replaceable. Let him become Milan's problem.
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Quote
We started to speak in December but I knew it was a huge decision. At that time we were playing every three days. I didn't want to think too much about that because I wanted to focus on my performances.
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