Arsene Wenger: Cesc Fabregas And Samir Nasri Are Happy At Arsenal

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has reiterated that star midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri are happy at the club and he was optimistic of holding on to both of them for this summer at least. Fabregas has been linked with a move to boyhood club Barcelona for three seasons now, and Nasri has been at loggerheads with the Arsenal authorities regarding a new deal for the past few months.

Arsene Wenger underlines happiness of Fabregas and Nasri

Speaking during Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Asia, Wenger said that the needs that governed a player’s desire to transfer to another club were not always football-related, but emotional and monetary as well. He admitted that Fabregas was torn between Arsenal and Barcelona and said that Nasri’s situation was also similarly complicated.

He said-

“The needs [of the players] are not only football-related, they can also be financial or sometimes emotional.

“In the case of Fabregas, he is torn between Barcelona, where he grew up, and Arsenal, where he has been educated. It’s not financial.

“Nasri is the same – they both love the club and are very happy with us. Hopefully we can keep them both happy here.”

Wenger also went into philosophical mode for a while, saying that he understood a player’s need to succeed as quickly in his career as possible, because a footballer’s playing span was over very quickly. He stressed that a footballer should not have regrets when he looks back on his playing career, and most of the decisions players took was based with this outlook in mind.

He said-

“What you can never forgive yourself is to turn around at the end of your career, look back on it, and say to yourself ‘I could have done more’.

“That’s why the ages of 20 to 30 are a very important time for a sportsman, because they have to understand very quickly what they have to do to be successful.”

Wenger then went into benevolence mode, and said that he always looked out for youngsters who weren’t getting the chances they deserved and gave it to them.

“First you need the talent, but also you need to meet someone who believes in you and gives you a chance,”

“You can imagine though, that plenty of people have talent in life but they do not meet someone who gives them a chance.

“Can you name one Formula One driver from an African country, apart from South Africa? And can you really imagine that there is not one guy in Africa with the talent to be a Formula One driver? Why are they not there?

“Because no one has given them a chance. So in life it’s important to meet someone who will give you a chance, and when I can do this in football, I do it.”