Frimpong explains why Van Persie and co left Arsenal

Now at Russian side FC Ufa, Emmanuel Frimpong has given an insight into the reasons why players leave Arsenal.

One of the surprise moves of summer’s Transfer Deadline day saw former Arsenal starlet Emmanuel Frimpong join obscure Russian outfit FC Ufa on a free transfer. He left Yorkshire side Barnsley this summer after just a few months at the club and was therefore a free agent, looking for a new direction.

He had a trial at Sturm Graz in Austria and was reportedly offered a contract by OFI Crete in Greece but decided on a move to Russia.

He never quite cut it in England. Injuries decimated his playing time and a fresh start abroad is clearly a good move for the Ghanaian, who has admitted he had always hoped to play outside of England.

For Frimpong his Arsenal exit to Barnsley last January was unsurprised and not unwelcome. He never became the star Arsene Wenger hoped he would for the club because of injury trouble. Other recent exits from Arsenal have however been less well received.

The club have been labelled a selling club recently, with the likes of Robin van Persie, Gael Clichy, Alex Song and Bacary Sagna just a few examples of those to have left the club.

In an interview in Russia with Sports, Frimpong has discussed the exit of this type of players and how Arsenal get their contract negotiations wrong – before throwing his old team a bone in congratulating the signature of Alexis Sanchez: “Van Persie is one of the kindest people I know. He spent many years in the “Arsenal” and played great. You know, the problem of Arsenal is with money. Imagine that you are playing for Arsenal, you have a contract for two years.

The contract ends, and they say: ‘We are ready to offer you a new one.’ And you’re like: ‘excellent, I want to sign, salary if £20k a week?. And Arsenal answers: ‘no, we will give you only 15?.

“Although they could pay 20, but do not want too. Therefore, the players leave Arsenal, and this is their problem. Nowadays, the big players have to pay a lot of money. So everything is arranged. If you want to play a star, you have to pay them a lot. Now the Arsenal like corrected, they signed Sanchez, but before they would not.”

In recent times Arsenal have been less frugal with their money. Signing the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis and Danny Welbeck did not come cheap. However they are still losing players on a regular basis. Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen, Lukasz Fabianski – more are likely in January and the summer.

But it would appear that Frimpong believes they are finally ready to make a change and put the money into the club that is necessary if they are to challenge for the title once again.