Arsene Wenger: Half my Arsenal stars wanted to leave in the summer
Posted Tuesday, October 18, 2011 by The Sun
ARSENE WENGER last night revealed HALF of Arsenal's stars wanted to quit the club in the summer.
The Frenchman made the dramatic admission in the build-up to tomorrow's Champions League clash in Marseille.
And the Gunners chief said he has never had to deal with so much strife in his 15-year reign as players wanted to jump ship after the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.
The pair left in mid-August, very late by transfer window standards, and Arsenal left it even later to move for replacements.
It meant several other key players were agitating for a move themselves and Wenger feared the Gunners would go into freefall.
Wenger said: "This summer was the most agitated I've ever known. I had half the players in the dressing room who wanted to leave.
"You prepare a season, we go to Asia, we don't know who's coming, the players who are still there are asking themselves what is happening and if an earthquake is hitting the club. It's extraordinarily difficult.
"I think that what saved us is that we are a club which is extremely solid and united. There are many other clubs who would have exploded."
The exodus of the club's best players led to the Old Trafford meltdown — and for many fans the 8-2 loss to Manchester United was Arsenal's lowest point in living memory.
Wenger was forced into action as up until that point they had only signed Gervinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Four more players — Per Mertesacker, Mikel Arteta, Santos and Yossi Benayoun — joined in the last three days of the transfer window.
Wenger, speaking to French radio, added: "It was a crazy close season because I signed four players in three days.
"It was a whole night of negotiations and a lot of uncertainty but in the end it worked well."
He has been lambasted by many fans for the haphazard way Arsenal did business but Wenger defended his actions.
He said: "On the contrary I believe it was a very good summer in terms of signings.
"You also have to be conscious of the fact you don't find a Fabregas and a Nasri in every corner of the street.
"It's not for that that your signing policy goes wrong, it's just that they are players of great class and to find their like again is not easy.
"Fabregas — even if you don't mess your transfer policy — you still have to travel far to find one."
Wenger admitted Arsenal have also been badly hit by the loss of the injured Jack Wilshere, which forced him to undertake a massive rebuilding job in midfield.
He added: "What people forget is that we lost three players as we lost Wilshere too, who was very important in our midfield.
"We lost Nasri and Fabregas and Wilshere, the basis of our midfield, so we had to rebuild our midfield from scratch."
Wenger, who has shown signs of the increasing pressure recently, admitted he is tired.
He said: "I have periods where I am tired, yes. It's true that the close season makes people think you're resting but it's during that that you work the most.
"I got in the habit of working all the time. I think I must have been lazy in a previous life and was punished to come back in a very tiring and stressing job.
"I'd like to go to Tahiti for a month but I can't. From time to time I would like to because I'm running out of time. Everyone gets older."
He added: "When I arrive at the gates of Heaven the Good Lord will ask 'what did you do in your life?'
"I will respond 'I tried to win football matches.' He will say: 'Are you certain that's all?' But, well, that's the story of my life."
He added: "The season is long. I am positive but you will say it's my job to be positive. I feel there is potential in the team and good mentality.
"We will be judged on the level of our game throughout the season. We are on the way up — we will tell if we get there in May."
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