Wenger: I'll Fight To Keep Hleb
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that he will not let midfielder Alexander Hleb leave the club without a fight...
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Wenger: I'll Fight To Keep Hleb
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This comes just days after one of the stars of the season Mathieu Flamini was allowed to leave the Emirates for Milan on a free transfer, as the club were unwilling to break their wage structure to keep him at the club.
Milan's city rivals Internazionale have been sniffing around Hleb, and are thought to be preparing a summer bid for the player.
When travelling to Milan during their victorious second round Champions League tie, Hleb was said to have left the team hotel to meet with Inter officials, a prospect that infuriated Wenger, who has since revealed he has more information on the matter and will be reporting the Nerazzurri to FIFA.
That aside, the intense disappointment of many fans following Flamini's departure has prompted Wenger into assuring Gunners that he will do everything in his power to keep the playmaker at the club.
"We want to keep Hleb, we want him to be part of our team next year," Wenger told the club's official website. "It is as simple as that. We have lost one player Mathieu Flamini, we do not want to lose more."
Speculation has been rife that Hleb may make use of the 'Webster clause', a rule approved by FIFA that allows players to buy out the final two years of their contract, providing they do not move to a club in the same country.
Wenger doubts whether the Webster rule could be practically applied to Hleb's situation and has moved to end speculation that he will engineer his own departure from the club.
"What people say about the buy-out clause, it is not as simple as it looks," explained the Frenchman. "It is much more difficult and the clubs are reluctant to do that invoke the 'Webster Clause'."
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