Trappattoni tells Hleb to make up his mind

Newly-installed Stuttgart coach Giovanni Trapattoni today revealed he will not stand in the way of Arsenal target Alexander Hleb if the Belarus international wants to leave the club.

The Gunners are linked to the 24-year-old midfielder, although Trapattoni is convinced that Hleb would flourish if he stayed at the Bundesliga club for another season.

Speaking in Germany’s Sport Bild magazine, the Italian coach said: “It is fundamentally not a good idea to force a player to stay when they want to leave.

“The team is far more important than one individual, but I think Alex would fit into our team very well next season.”