The Gunners are currently suffering from Gilberto?s move to Panathinaikos, as the Brazilian?s departure means the Premier League giants have lost no less than four top-class midfielders since January.
While Lassana Diarra left in search of first-team football at Portsmouth, Mathieu Flamini and Aliaksandr Hleb ? citing lifestyle reasons ? pushed off to AC Milan and Barcelona respectively for improved wages.
Gilberto admitted he is unsure of exactly why Flamini and Hleb left the Emirates; however, he is certain that the pair will live to regret their decisions in one way or another.
?I don?t know what the reason is for them leaving but they could have stayed,? the Brazilian international told The Daily Telegraph. ?If it?s for money, I would think they?re wrong.
?Most of the players who leave miss the club for lots of reasons. The lifestyle at Arsenal is fantastic. You get so well looked after.?
Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor could also leave Arsenal after the club refused to meet his wage demands of £120,000-per-week ? four times what he currently earns.
The 24-year-old has attempted to justify his price by claiming that, as Thierry Henry?s replacement, he should earn the Frenchman did before he left for Barcelona last summer.
Adebayor obviously neglected to mention that while he has only had one impressive season for the Gunners, Henry earned his pay packet by steering the club to numerous titles during his seven-year spell in England.
That is the difference between a mercenary and a loyalist, in Gilberto?s opinion.
?When you win things, you achieve more than anybody else,” the 31-year-old added. “You get better contracts, and more money, anyway.
?I can?t blame a player who wants a good contract. But I believe if they stay at the club, they can earn good money and do a lot for the club and themselves. So if they win something, it means more and they are more appreciated by supporters.?
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August 8th, 2008 at 11:05 am
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