Gallas sympathetic to plight of unhappy Gunners trio
A two-point lead at the top of the Premier League and the possibility of success in three different cup competitions have not proved enough to foster a harmonious atmosphere at the Emirates stadium and the January transfer window is more likely to prompt departures rather than arrivals in north London.
Jens Lehmann has repeatedly criticised Wenger for dropping him in favour of Manuel Almunia and the prospect of starting Sunday’s FA Cup third round tie at Burnley is unlikely to appease him. German clubs, including Wolfsburg and Hamburg, have both expressed an interest in signing the 38-year-old and Wenger will reluctantly allow him to leave.
The Frenchman is angry, however, at the public complaints from Lassana Diarra and Nicklas Bendtner at seeing their first team opportunities restricted. Wenger feels that they should be content with being on the fringe of the first team squad and recently issued a thinly-veiled rebuke to both players, claiming that Arsenal were “the only big club in the world” who give opportunities to so many youngsters.
That may not be enough to prevent both advertising their availability to rival clubs, with Diarra already attracting interest from Juventus and Bendtner being tracked by Tottenham and Birmingham City.
Gallas, 30, is experienced in the art of angling for a move. He successfully engineered his departure from Chelsea in 2006 after his demand for a significant pay rise to bring him in line with the club’s other major stars was rejected and he understands why Wenger is struggling to keep his squad happy.
“We have a good atmosphere in the squad although some players want to leave,” he said. “Am I surprised? Yes and no. It is true we are top of the league and I cannot understand why they want to leave.
“But if they are not playing too many games it is not easy. When you are in a big club it is like that and you have to be patient because the season is very long and you could end up playing in the last 15 games. If one does go, maybe we will have to buy another player but everything is okay.”
Arsenal cemented their two-point lead over Manchester United with a routine victory over West Ham on Tuesday and, with a string of winnable fixtures looming on the horizon, there are grounds for optimism at the Emirates, despite the grumblings of Lehmann, Diarra and Bendtner.
Even Wenger, that notorious football obsessive, has felt able to give his senior players two days off in recognition of their efforts over the Christmas period.
“It was important for us to show everybody that we wanted to be on top,” Gallas added. “For me it is not finished and we have to stay strong to stay on top because Manchester United and Chelsea want to come back on us. It will not be easy for them and it will not be easy for us.”
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