Source: Daily_Mail
Arsenal star Gael Clichy insists Alexander Hleb's Barcelona nightmare warned him off Real deal
Gael Clichy has insisted he decided to snub Real Madrid and stay with Arsenal after watching Alexander Hleb struggle since his move to Spain.
Clichy has been strongly linked with a move to the Bernebeu this summer, as Real president Florentino Perez looks to add further quality to their star-studded squad.
Although Hleb was part of the Barca squad that triumphed at home and abroad last season, the Belarus playmaker started only 17 games - including just four in the Champions League - and has expressed his regret at quitting Emirates Stadium, where he was a regular starter.
Clichy has endured four trophy-less seasons in north London but, alongside his hope that drought is about to end, the 24-year-old believes Hleb's experience underlines how difficult life can be after leaving the Gunners.
'It proves that sometimes leaving for another big club is not always the right decision,' said the Gunners defender in the September issue of the Arsenal club magazine.
'When you move you have to be sure that the club really wants you - you want to know, not necessarily that you'll be playing all the time, but that you're part of it.
'Of course it's always a big challenge - I came from France to England and it was hard for the first year. You don't lose time as such, but when you go away you have to learn the language and a new type of life, meet new team-mates, and it is always going to be difficult so you have to weigh up the positives and the negatives and when you feel you're ready, then you go.
'The first thing I looked at when I decided to join Arsenal was the sporting aspect. I wanted to play games, progress and learn football, and I thought that Arsenal was the best club for me to do all those things.
'I'm at Arsenal today and very proud of that. I've been here six years and really feel good in the club and in life. I know I've been saying this for a few years but I really feel the mood is right this year and we will do something.
'It's a big pleasure to be linked with places like Real but Arsenal is my club. I feel really good right now and I feel like I'm far from done here.
'I need to win more trophies with Arsenal and I need to give what the club has given me over the last six years.'
Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure left Arsenal this summer to joinbig-spending Manchester City and while Clichy refused to criticise his former team-mates, he warned that money does not guarantee success.
'We knew that Kolo hadn't been 100 per cent happy at the club for a few months, and it's not the first summer that we'd read Ade was going to leave,' said Clichy, who may be one of a number of players rested for tomorrow night's Champions League play-off second leg against Celtic as Arsenal hold a 2-0 advantage.
'I think it's a good challenge for them - if they can do well with a good team then it's nice for them. Of course people are talking about other clubs' signings, but it's like this every summer. You have one team spending big money, and of course people will talk about them because you need to discuss something before the season has started.
'But for many years we've seen that clubs can spend lots and not win anything big. It shows you that it's not always about money - of course you can always bring more players and experience in, but I think we have a really good squad here.
'If all these players stay fit then, with the addition of Thomas Vermaelen, I think we have a great squad. And I'm really not saying that just for the sake of it - I feel that we have a good, strong team and we will show everyone what we can do this season.'
