Emmanuel Adebayor, the iconic figure from Togo, has at long last unveiled his perspective on the tumultuous relationship he had with Premier League club Arsenal.
The retired footballer’s departure from Arsenal to Manchester City in 2009, despite his pivotal role for the Gunners, left fans under the impression that he had left solely for financial gains, given Manchester City’s lavish spending during that transfer window.
However, in an extensive interview with talkSPORT, the 39-year-old revealed that he felt he was coerced out of the club, disputing the notion that he left for monetary reasons. He stated, “When I left, they portrayed it to the world as if I left for financial gain. But that’s far from the truth, as I had offers from prestigious clubs like Barcelona, AC Milan, and Inter Milan. I turned down all of those offers to remain with Arsenal.”
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Adebayor, who had been Arsenal’s primary target man, suffered an injury that sidelined him for several months. Upon his return, he found himself deprived of the opportunity to compete for a place in the squad and ultimately left the club during the summer of 2009. He recounted the situation, saying, “They even prevented me from entering the training ground. I didn’t want to depart, but when I witnessed interviews where some Arsenal players were criticizing me and people were subjecting me to severe abuse as an inferior footballer, insulting my parents and making derogatory comments about my family, I felt compelled to respond.”
Adebayor’s relationship with the Arsenal fans deteriorated further due to his controversial goal celebration against his former club. He had made over 100 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 46 Premier League goals during his three-season tenure, according to transfermarkt.
In a previous report by Sports Brief, former Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor had implored Arsenal fans to put behind them his passionate celebration against the club after his move to Manchester City. Adebayor had enjoyed a successful spell with the Gunners from 2006 to 2009 before joining City.
talkSPORT noted that the former Togo international had been a beloved figure at the Emirates Stadium, owing to his impressive goal-scoring record that saw him net 62 goals in 142 appearances.