Done Deal – £80,000-A-Week Star Confirms Arsenal Has Triggered His Release Clause

Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky has admitted his surprise at being offered a new deal at the Emirates but however said he was confident he would stay at the club as per the Daily Mirror.

“Not so much surprised, but he told me in January that he wanted me to stay,” Rosicky said when asked if his new deal was a surprise.

“I was counting on the fact that he would take up the option. I played the whole of January, middle of February, then it was less and less and then by the end of the season I was in the stands,” said the player.

“If it’s coming like that, you think something might have changed and he might not take it.

“But he told me he wants me to stay here, for me to be here and he took the option and I’m here for another year.

“I don’t have to say how I feel about Arsenal. I’m here nine years. Through thick and thin, you can say,” he added.

“We had difficult times here and yet I stayed here. I don’t have to prove to anyone how loyal I was to this club. I always said that I believed in Arsenal because of the enormous potential that the club has and I think I was right when you see what we are doing now,” Rosicky concluded in the interview with the Mirror.

Does he deserve the contract? Absolutely.

One name who probably deserves more plaudits is Tomas Rosicky. Whenever the Czech midfielder plays, the Gunners seem much more fluid. Wenger once described Robert Pires as the oil in Arsenal’s engine, and Rosicky seems to slicken Arsenal’s midfield in much the same way.

He’s an accurate passer, and is willing to marry his technique with tenacity. Those who watch Arsenal regularly will name Rosicky as one of the team’s most effective tacklers. He is capable of sliding in to win the ball from the unlikeliest of positions.

When he does get it back, his first thought is to go forward and travel at pace. It is hard to believe he is already 34, as he is the Arsenal midfielder with the greatest ability to inject tempo into the game.

Rosicky’s age and vulnerability mean he can’t play every game. In fact, he made just 12 League start last season. The fact that he’s been used sparingly in the last campaign could work in Arsenal’s favour: He ought to have plenty of energy left for what is likely to be an upsurge next season.