Final Whistle

This Misguided Manouver Highlights Why Arsenal are Well Shot of Adebayor

Arsene Wenger has met with criticism from many camps over the past season or two after Arsenal have failed to achieve the same standard that he had brought during his first few heady years with the club.

Saturday’s match with Man City would seem to point to the fact that the Arsenal manager has dropped another clanger, too, as the summer transfer between the clubs of Emmanuel Adebayor appeared to have backfired somewhat as the player scored in City’s 4-2 defeat of Arsene’s men.

This is not the case, though.

Emmanuel Adebayor is a prodigiously gifted, world class footballer. He is not, however, a man I would want to share a dressing room with.

The actions of the Togolese player on Saturday highlight the main reasons why Arsenal and Wenger should be glad to see the back of him after he appeared to stamp on both Robin Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas as well as performing one of the most ill-conceived goal celebrations we’ve seen in the Premier League era.

Robin Van Persie called what Adebayor did to him “bad for football” to stamp on a fellow professional. It’s more than that, though, its bad for morale.

Players who act in a way which makes even their team-mates raise eyebrows cause rifts to run through dressing rooms.

I’d imagine that, privately, many City players are horrified at what Adebayor has done this weekend just gone. I’m also reasonably sure that training pitch incedents with the man may strike the same tone, as Adebayor seems to be a tremendously egotistical player.

His repose to an Arsenal fan last season who questioned Adebayor’s commitment in an airport row was a case in point. The angry fan shouted “you get paid £80,000 a week to put the ball in the back of the net and you’re still f***ing rubbish.” Adebayor’s response? “I get £110,000 a week if you must know.”

Most players don’t behave like that.

Adebayor is world class, it’s that simple. He’s big, strong, good in the air, skilful and pacey attacking player who would get into most teams in the world on paper. Most managers, however, would not let him near their squad for one reason: his personality.

Adebayor’s behaviour on Saturday demonsrated well that he believed the match to be the Adebayor show rather than a potentially title deciding Barclays Premier League match that it might have been. Mark Hughes’ opinion that this aspect should not overshadow what was otherwise a great game of football is all well and good, but the fact of the matter is that, unless he can control his man, he may well have more problems down the track.

It’s one thing to be carrying a loose cannon when you keep winning, and he keeps scoring, but the teams’ morale will plummet with a man like this in the dressing room when the chips are down, and that’s when league titles are won: when you’re 1-0 away to Burnley.

Wenger has recognised this and got the best price he could for Adebayor.

Wenger deserves credit for this: when you’re building a squad of world class players who must act as a unit in order to succeed, there is no room for something the size of Adebayor’s ego.

After Saturday, however, you get the feeling that most Arsenal fans might agree with this notion, particularly when the FA announce how many games Adebayor is to miss.