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Hleb Speaks


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Alexander Hleb has refused to be drawn on his future at Arsenal.The Belarus midfielder is being strongly linked with a move away from Emirates Stadium with Internazionale understood to be at the front of the queue to sign him.His agent has suggested that he will be departing North London - but Hleb insists he does not want to fan the flames."As is said, there is a lot of speculation about me," Hleb told German website transfermarkt."And I will not be making statements on this and stirring it up further."Hleb did admit that Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger has played a huge part in his career and he 'owes him a lot'."Wenger is a coach who you can learn a great deal from," he said."He is not loud, he is a thinking type."I owe a lot to him."Hleb is pleased with how his season has gone although he is still quite critical of himself."It was not bad for me personally over the last season and I have got quite a lot of praise - but I am very tough on myself, there is always something to improve."If you think you have satisfied everything - that is your first mistake."But I do not make public my errors - my strengths and weaknesses are for other to judge."On his personal life Hleb admits he is not that keen on the draw of a big city like London."Certainly I am not into parties or clubs," he said."I am not a big city man, I need my retreat - that is why I am often in Germany. Stuttgart is my second home, my friends are there and it is where I feel most comfortable."Meanwhile, Hleb insists that Belarus could yet mount a serious bid to qualify for a major tournament."The team has potential, there is promising talent and coach Bernd Strange."But I see an opportunity for us - the best example is Andrei Shevchenko, many said that he would never play in a big tournament with Ukraine - and suddenly, he and his team are at the World Cup in 2006."
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The guy's agent now jumps in.

Alexander Hleb would not resort to buying out his Arsenal contract but could still be set for a summer move away from the Emirates Stadium, according to the player's agent.The future of the Belarus winger has been the subject of much speculation ever since reports emerged of secret talks with Inter Milan, allegedly held while he was in the Italian city ahead of Arsenal's Champions League game against rivals AC Milan at the San Siro.Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was less than impressed by public comments which followed from the Serie A club expressing thier interest in a player under contract, and even went as far as threatening to report them to FIFA.Hleb's agent Nikolai Shpilevski last week added further fuel to the flames, claiming his client was "leaving Arsenal - there's no way back now".However, Wenger had warned any player who was contemplating the termination of their contract under the 'Webster clause' that the process was not as straightforward as it had been made out, with the risk of being banned while the dispute was resolved through arbitration.Yet it appears Hleb, signed from Stuttgart in June 2005 in a £12million deal, is considering his options.The 27-year-old - who missed the final three games of the Premier League through suspension - admits he is "not a big city man", and may be looking for a move for other than footballing reasons.With Wenger keen to get his squad shaped for the new campaign as quickly as possible - having already seen midfielder Mathieu Flamini walk away to join AC Milan on a free transfer - the situation is likely to be resolved sooner rather than later.However, any transfer would, according to Hleb's representative, be conducted in the usual manner.Shpilevski told Russian website sports.ru: "Alexander understands perfectly well that he plays for a great team, but the moment has come where he needs to make a choice."Hleb has been playing in London for three years now and isn't sure whether in the future he can show the level of talent that he is showing currently."I can only confirm that some of the world's biggest clubs are interested in him."In any case I can say simply that Alexander will not buy out the remaining part of his five-year contract for a fixed sum of his sale."Hleb is a gentleman and will not stoop to that level. Everything will be done properly."I am sure that the situation surrounding this issue will finally be resolved in the next 10 days."Shpilevski added: "There are no problems with regard to his playing opportunities."Alexander is just tired of the noisy and chaotic life in the British capital and feels like living in calmer surroundings."In a separate interview with Belarus newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, Shpilevski stressed: "If any clubs want to add Hleb to their ranks then they should hold talks with Arsenal."Nobody is hiding the fact that a player of Hleb's class is of interest to all teams, including Barcelona and Real (Madrid)."But the subject of a transfer to Inter has been going round and round for over for a year now. It's a normal occurrence."
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Alexander Hleb's agent has confirmed his client will not be buying out the remainder of his Arsenal contract.It had been thought the Belarus international was contemplating terminating his Gunners deal under the 'Webster clause' leaving him free to join another club.Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger responded swiftly by remarking the process would not prove straightforward and Hleb's agent Nikolai Shpilevski has now stated the 27-year-old will not be going down that route.With Hleb not looking to buy out the remainder of his two-year contract it appears the only way for the former Stuttgart ace to leave the Emirates would be for the club to agree a fee with any interested party.Shpilevski claims some of the biggest clubs in Europe are chasing his client and that Hleb's future will be resolved one way or another within the next ten days.Choice"Alexander understands perfectly well that he plays for a great team, but the moment has come where he needs to make a choice," Shpilevski told Russian website www.sports.ru."Hleb has been playing in London for three years now and isn't sure whether in the future he can show the level of talent that he is showing currently."I can only confirm that some of the world's biggest clubs are interested in him."In any case I can say simply that Alexander will not buy out the remaining part of his five-year contract for a fixed sum of his sale."Hleb is a gentleman and will not stoop to that level. Everything will be done properly."I am sure that the situation surrounding this issue will finally be resolved in the next 10 days."

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Portsmouth's Lassana Diarra has big plans, despite failing to hit the heights at Chelsea and Arsenal.After just 23 first-team starts with the Stamford Bridge club and eight in five months under Arsene Wenger, the French midfielder completed a £5.5million switch to Portsmouth and admitted he did not expect to spend the rest of his career under Harry Redknapp.But, even though Diarra is now aiming for the stars, he insists regular action is one of the most important things for him.He said: "What do I want? I want to win the World Cup and the Champions League. And most of all I just want to play."I couldn't do that too much at Chelsea and Arsenal. You will have to question Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger about that but they know why I left."Here I can play every week with Portsmouth. It is a good team, proved by reaching the FA Cup final, and this is why I'm here."I want to win something with Portsmouth and I will be here next season."If I end up having the same career as Nicolas Anelka I will be very happy. He plays for the national team and is a good man and a good player - but sometimes people do not understand what really goes on."No-one really knows why I left Chelsea and Arsenal but I feel comfortable about it."They are three different people I have played for here. I respect Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, but I know which one I prefer."I am here because of the manager. If he wasn't here, I can't say I would be but he is the reason I joined Portsmouth and I am happy here."Diarra could not establish himself at Arsenal because of the form of another French star Mathieu Flamini who, ironically, has now walked out on the Gunners to join AC Milan."He is a good player and has done well for Arsenal this season and he deserves to go to Milan. He is my friend as well and I just want to wish him and Arsenal good luck," said Diarra."Sometimes you have to try to understand the player. You can't yet say whether it is a good or bad choice."We will see but I am happy here. All I think about now is Portsmouth, not Arsenal or Chelsea."Boss Redknapp promised Diarra a game every week and still raves about his signing - admitting if he had taken the job at Newcastle in January Diarra would probably have gone with him."World-class ability," says Redknapp, who knows that even when Diarra gets the urge to move again it will be at a handsome profit."He's the sort of player you would once never have thought of as a Portsmouth signing but he's a reflection of how far we've come."The Mali-born French international added: "With the European Championship coming up it was very important for me to play."I've played in 11 of the last 12 games for France I am in the squad and happy to do what the manager asks me."Claude Makelele and Patrick Vieira are very big players in my position with France but they are 35 and 31 and if I am not picked I still know my time will come."
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Diarra Still Furious With WengerFormer Arsenal midfielder Lassana Diarra has criticised Gunners boss Arsene Wenger over his treatment while he played for the club.Diarra Still Furious With WengerFrenchman Diarra signed for Arsenal from Chelsea last summer in a cut-price £2 million deal and was tipped to be an important squad player for the North London club.However, first team opportunities became extremely limited and Diarra moved to Portsmouth in a £5.5 million deal in January. As Arsenal’s season ran out of steam towards the end of the season, mainly through injuries and a lack of squad depth, questions were asked as to why Diarra had been allowed to leave. So why did Diarra depart when he could have been an important player at the Emirates Stadium as the season progressed, particularly now after the recent exit of compatriot Mathieu Flamini to AC Milan? "For this question you have to talk to Arsene Wenger because when I was there, every time he put me on the pitch I tried to do my best,” said the Frenchman. “For him, I don't know if it was good enough, but for me it was. This is why I left because I wanted more consideration and I wanted to just play every week. I wanted more consideration. "When you are in the team and even if you play well the manager doesn't put you on the pitch you have to do something. Diarra is currently preparing for Saturday’s FA Cup final where Portsmouth will meet Cardiff City at Wembley.The midfielder cheekily suggested that he would love to win more than Wenger this season by being part of a winning final side this weekend. "But I don't think about Arsenal now, I am just focused on Portsmouth. We have reached the final and that is why I am here. I hope I can win more this season than Arsenal have - but we'll have to see," he concluded.
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Oh but I chat sh*t dont I?! Diarra told Wenger before the January window opened he wanted a move for these reasons appealing to his human side THEN granted the c*nt refused to play in cup games as he would cup-tie himself & injury could harm any possible move, which kinda forced Wenger's hand.But any player that leaves Arsenal against Wenger wishes, from Cashley, Thierry, Reyes, etc is cos they have had a heart to heart or real talk face to face with Wenger prior to the move.

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