Matuidi to stay at St Etienne
Reported Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton target Blaise Matuidi has broken his silence regarding his future at St Etienne, insisting he is happy at the Ligue 1 side.
The 22-year-old has made more than 60 appearances in all competitions for the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard outfit since arriving from Troyes in 2007, and earned caps at both French U19 and U21 level, making 24 outings for the latter.
As a result, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton were all linked with moves for the midfield enforcer during the close-season.
But, instead, Matuidi signed a new three-year contract with Les Verts.
And although speculation continues to link him with a move to the Emirates Stadium to play under Arsene Wenger, the St Etienne skipper stated he is content to stay put for now.
“Today I am happy to be at St Etienne. I didn’t want to leave for the sake of it in the summer," he said.
“St Etienne remains a great club. Moreover it is a real honour to wear the armband.
“Arsenal? Of course I won’t hide it is a challenge that attracted me. Arsenal is a very big club. But today I am at St Etienne and the aim is to achieve a great season here.
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“We will see what will happen in the future, we will think about Arsenal again at the right time. I will probably prolong.
“I have to meet the chairman soon to talk about the future, but I am not alone to make such a decision.”
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Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.