Arsenal outcast: I don’t blame Van Persie, Song & Fabregas for leaving

Tuesday, November 20, 2012
9:44 AM

Arsenal’s on-loan striker Nicklas Bendtner says he can understand why some of the Gunners’ biggest names have decided to leave the Emirates in recent seasons.

The Dane followed Robin van Persie and Alex Song out of the club during the summer, albeit only on a season-long loan to Italian giants Juventus.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and the club’s board have come under fire for selling former skipper Van Persie and Song one year after losing key duo Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, but Bendtner sympathises with those players for wanting to further their careers elsewhere.

He told the Daily Mail: “From what I’m hearing, some of the players left because they didn’t feel Arsenal still had the same ambitions as they did.

“I can’t blame people for wanting to go to United or Barcelona,” he continued.

“Robin has been brilliant since he’s been at United. He was the main man as soon as Cesc left.

“He became captain and took the responsibility. Everybody could see he had that ability at Arsenal and now he’s improved because he probably thought he could get better at United.”

The 24-year-old is coy on a future return to his parent club but insists he could still do a job at Arsenal, a club he still has affection for.

“I feel that if I was still there I would be able to compete for a place,” he said.

“Despite what happened to me it’s still a great club and I still feel for some people there.

“I wouldn’t say that I can never ever go back but at the moment it’s not on my mind.”