Eto'o hints at Arsenal Move
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ETO'O HINTS AT ARSENAL MOVE
Samuel Eto'o has hinted he would like to join Arsenal after his future was plunged into doubt at Barcelona.
The Cameroon striker launched an astonishing attack on Barca boss Frank Rijkaard and team-mate Ronaldinho before admitting he would love to play under Arsene Wenger in the Premiership.
He said: "I love Wenger, he is one of the best coaches in the world. "I could have played for Arsenal some years ago. I would have loved to have had Wenger as my coach."
Eto'o could be set to leave the Catalan club following a series of disputes with Rijkaard, who accused the forward of refusing to come on as a substitute against Osasuna last weekend.
According to reports in Spain, Eto'o did not attend training on Monday and he spoke to the media on Tuesday to deny Rijkaard's claims.
"Whoever came out in a press conference and said I refused to play is a bad person," he fumed. "I've always thought about the group (first) and I've always trained with the group. If anybody has balls, they should tell it to me face-to-face."
As well as criticising Rijkaard, he also spoke about comments reportedly made by his Barcelona team-mate Ronaldinho, saying: "If a player comes out and says I should think about the group, then he should think about the group."
He later added: "If a team-mate is upset with me, then they can say so to my face. I wasn't the one who broke the laws of the dressing room. If I have something to say, I always say it inside the dressing room."
The rift could pave the way for Wenger to launch a raid for the striker in the summer, especially if unsettled club captain Thierry Henry decides to quit the club. -
come to liverpool, eto
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Pair Henry with Eto'o.
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No!
Dun spoil ur career at Arsenal.
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wenger and eto'o are already fated to be together...
wenger already wanted eto'o earlier, so i would say dis is a gd choice. -
But does Arsenal have the money to but eto?
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Let's swop Reyes.Originally posted by zocoss:But does Arsenal have the money to but eto? -
wow.henry and eto. cool! Loan out adebayor. lol
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Eto'o is seriously, an unloyal player.
He always get himself into more and more trouble wherever he goes (Real Madrid, Real Mallorca and now Barca). Remember Anelka? Eto'o's behaviour is almost identical to Anelka.
So whereever he goes next, there will sure be trouble.
Cheers.
C.K -
good. now arsenal will be shooting more often rather than passin the ball ard the vox
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henry and eto'o are good frens though
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Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho shared a hug at training
Barcelona will not punish Eto'o
Barcelona will not punish Samuel Eto'o for his public criticism of coach Frank Rijkaard and team-mate Ronaldinho. The striker had hit out at Rijkaard after he claimed Eto'o had refused to play as a substitute against Racing Santander on Sunday.
But sporting director Txiki Begiristain said the situation has been resolved. "Rijkaard has asked us not to sanction him because he has confidence in the team's ability to manage itself," Begiristain told sports daily Marca. "He is happy that everything has been resolved so quickly. The problem has been one of dialogue from the moment last weekend's game with Racing ended."
Eto'o had apparently slammed Rijkaard for saying he refused to play as a substitute. "Telling a news conference I didn't want to play is the behaviour of a bad person," Eto'o said. "I have always thought about the group first. That is what hurt me most."
Eto'o, a three-time African Player of the Year, has only just returned from a four-month absence following a serious right knee injury. He explained that he refused to play in the 2-0 win over Racing Santander even though he turned out the previous weekend in the 0-0 draw against Osasuna because he did not have time to warm up properly.
Ronaldinho was also critical of Eto'o after the game, suggesting the striker had been inconsiderate to his team-mates. But Eto'o responded: "If a team-mate says that you must think of the team, it's up to him to think of the team. Personally I always think first about the group and then money."
However, on Wednesday Eto'o sought to quell tensions raised by his public criticism. During a training session there appeared to be no hard feelings between Eto'o and Ronaldinho as the two players were photographed hugging.
Earlier, Eto'o denied calling Rijkaard "a bad person" saying: "It's a lie to say I called Rijkaard a bad person. Those who love controversy want to say that," he said. "I didn't explode, I responded to what was being said about me," he added.
Reports had suggested a rift had developed at the Catalan club between supporters of president Joan Laporta and those of former vice-president Sandro Rosell, who left the club after a disagreement with Laporta.