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Matt Lawton on Emmanuel Adebayor: The roots of a rampage The trouble really started when Emmanuel Adebayor said goodnight in Vienna. When he held a press conference two days before last year's European Championship final, he announced his desire to leave Arsenal and play for 'one of the biggest clubs in the world'. His mistake was to think that a deal with AC Milan had been agreed. One prominent Italian agent had declared it '80 per cent done' and after an impressive season the then Arsenal striker clearly convinced himself there would be no last-minute hitch. In his mind he was already at the San Siro, preparing to stand alongside Kaka at the heart of Carlo Ancelotti's attack. What he said that day in Austria damaged his relationship with his manager, his team-mates and the Arsenal fans. Looking back, it was an extraordinary interview he gave at an event organised by his boot sponsor. It was a surprise to see him there in the first place, given he had played no part in the tournament. But he had a message to deliver. The man from Togo wanted to go. 'I had a dream of playing for Arsenal, and Arsenal are one of the loveliest clubs in the world,' he said. 'When I go back to Africa it is obvious that a lot of people love the club. But now I have a chance of playing with one of the biggest clubs in the world. 'A lot of teams want me to play for them. It will not be a difficult decision. I am just going to sit down with my agent and with my family and decide what is good for my career.' He argued that what was good for his career would also be good for Arsenal. 'Arsene Wenger is like a father to me,' he said. 'That is why I love him a lot. But he bought me because he believed in my quality. He didn't buy me because I am from Togo or because I needed money or because I look beautiful. 'He bought me because he thinks I can do something good for the club. He put me where I am today, no doubt about that. But if he sells me and what they say in the newspapers is right, they are going to get £50million, maybe £60m for me and they bought me for £10m. So everyone is getting the benefits.' The move to Italy never materialised and Adebayor returned to a very different dressing room for one more difficult season at Arsenal. A season when he became a target for disgruntled supporters, as unimpressed by his comments as the apparent apathy in his performances, and a problem for Wenger. He had already had that very public clash with Nicklas Bendtner during a Carling Cup match with Tottenham the previous January - sparked, he revealed over the weekend, by a row over a pair of trainers. Bendtner, it seems, had broken a club rule that all outdoor shoes should be removed before entering the dressing-room area of the training ground. But it was Adebayor who gave the rather cocky young Dane a very public dressing-down and Adebayor who then blew his top when Bendtner refused to remove the offending trainers from his feet. Much to Adebayor's disappointment, Bendtner's popularity inside the dressing room soared at a time when his began to plummet. They had made allowances for Bendtner's age in the wake of that initial dispute, putting it down to the arrogance of youth. But as Bendtner matured - even now he is only 21 - so he endeared himself to team-mates who certainly preferred him to the guy who couldn't wait to ditch them for 'one of the biggest clubs in the world'. According to insiders, Adebayor started to become a more disruptive influence. He was prone to mood swings. Dancing, singing and joking one minute - when he gave an interview to this newspaper in October 2007 he was an absolute delight - and sulking the next. The disintegrating relationship with the fans just made matters worse. Already angered by his remarks during the summer, they pounced on a string of lacklustre displays that coincided with the sight of Bendtner running himself into the ground. By the end of last season, Wenger was left in no doubt that Adebayor needed to move. It wasn't because Arsenal needed the money, as Adebayor tried to suggest over the weekend. The money, Arsenal insist, remains in the bank and available for Wenger to spend. He went because it was in the best interests of everyone involved - most of all, those in the Arsenal dressing room - and Adebayor knew it. Naturally, it hurt. The pain of rejection. The frustration of being forced to leave a team of which Bendtner is now very much part. 'All the emotion of the occasion got the better of me,' said Adebayor when he issued that apology at Eastlands on Saturday. No doubt. |
| QUOTE (Arshavinslittlelegs @ Sep 14 2009, 03:08 AM) | ||
Pretty damning piece.
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