Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that he had no intentions of re-signing Mathieu Flamini at the beginning of the summer, but insisted that the player’s attitude and fitness changed his mind.
The former-Arsenal midfielder was training with the club for the summer in order to regain first-team fitness after his contract expired at Italian side AC Milan, who he joined after he left The Gunners.
At the beginning of the summer, Wenger confirmed that the Frenchman was just training with the club and there was no chance of a transfer, but after weeks of training with the first-team, he soon changed his mind and he has now revealed why he did choose to sign the 29-year-old.
“At the start I didn’t want to sign him – I am completely honest about it,” the manager said. “I didn’t envisage doing it. Circumstances and his attitude convinced me to do it.
“I didn’t expect him to be in that mental state and in that physical shape. Our job has a great quality – it is a good teacher of humility. So you always have to be ready to change your mind, and he changed my mind.
“The ambition is there and he is hugely fit. He came here for fitness and we tested him quite well. He worked very hard and he knows how we want to play.
“He is quite versatile. He can play in different positions and when I saw what kind of mental state and physical shape he was in, it was a no brainer.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
