Wenger determined to keep star duo
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has reiterated his desire to keep star duo Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas in North London, but believes the summer transfer window will be a busy one.
French international Nasri, who joined the Gunners from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille in 2008 for a reported £12 million, enjoyed arguably his most successful season to date last term, and has reportedly attracted the interest of several clubs including Premier League rivals Manchester United.
However, Wenger is standing firm over the 23-year-old’s future, insisting that Nasri’s long-term future is with Arsenal.
"We will do everything to keep Nasri at the club. My wish is that he stays here," Wenger said in The Sun.
"If he looks back he can see that he's come quite a long way with us, and I think there is still a bit to do. It's the club that makes the player's career."
Nasri isn’t the only player linked with a move away from Arsenal, with Barcelona reportedly set to renew their interest in their former youth team player Cesc Fabregas.
Fabregas has been at the Gunners since 2003 after joining from the Catalan giants and has gone on to forge a reputation as one of the world’s best midfielders.
With Arsenal’s last trophy success way back in 2005, Spanish international Fabregas has reportedly become frustrated at a lack of silverware and is contemplating a move away from North London.
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But as with Nasri, Wenger underlined his determination to keep his captain at Arsenal and believes that it would be best for the players' development should they continue their progress at his club.
"I will be pretty clear about this. For me, Fabregas is with Arsenal for a long time and he will stay with Arsenal,” he added.
"It sometimes happens that the rumour can make the transfer.
"Next year will see the introduction of the financial fair play system, which will limit the big transfers.
"I think this is the last year that the summer will be hot - very hot."
Nick Moore is a freelance journalist based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He wrote his first FourFourTwo feature in 2001 about Gerard Houllier's cup-treble-winning Liverpool side, and has continued to ink his witty words for the mag ever since. Nick has produced FFT's 'Ask A Silly Question' interview for 16 years, once getting Peter Crouch to confess that he dreams about being a dwarf.