Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits he has been left disappointed by comments recently attributed to Andrei Arshavin when he admitted his admiration for Barcelona.
Arshavin - signed from Zenit St Petersburg during January last year - talked up Barcelona, who knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League, and claimed playing for the Spanish giants at some stage would be ''would be the peak of my career''.
However, his comments have evoked a response from his manager as Wenger maintains all of his players should respect their own club.
''Yes, I am very disappointed because he shows a completely different attitude,'' said Wenger. ''He wants to extend his contract with us and stay with us, so the noise coming out of Russia is very difficult to explain. He looks to be very happy here, so you should ask him where it comes from.
''We do not, of course, accept that. When you are at Arsenal, you are at Arsenal. When you are somewhere else, you are somewhere else.
''I believe that your pride makes first that you defend your club. Everybody has the freedom to speak, but you want to make sure first of all that you respect your club.''
Wenger, though, admitted he has reservations about the source of the quotes.
''I just put one question mark behind the things that come back translated,'' he said. ''Usually you have direct access to him, you can ask him where that comes from.
''I don't forbid you to talk to him, but I take with a little bit of distance what comes back translated sometimes with the help of some agents who want to move the players.''
Hiya Mr Wenger your little Ruski wants to move away from London lah. He's not winning trophies at Arsenal, plus Andrei is gonna be 29 soon, where got much time left to play Champions League & win it...He's frustrated & can't wait anymore la.
I'm not an EPL manager & I can see it coming already.
News Source: soccernet.espn.go.com
