Wenger praises 'outstanding' Gallas

24 January 2010 12:36
The defender had the armband taken off him at Emirates Stadium last term as Wenger tried to restore harmony in what was becoming a fractured dressing room.[LNB]Gallas had fallen out with then central defensive partner Kolo Toure, now at Manchester City, as well as a number of other team-mates.[LNB]Wenger concedes he did not know how the 32-year-old Frenchman would react to the demotion, but he has performed excellently so far this term alongside summer signing Thomas Vermaelen at the back.[LNB]"The incident that happened with Gallas was in November of last season when he was stripped of the captaincy," Wenger said.[LNB]"Toward the end of last season, he was very good. I expected at some point that he would want to leave because of what happened but he has found a new balance, a new mood and he has weight in this team. [LNB]"It was a hard decision. You never know what kind of consequences that type of decision will have on the team or on the individual. [LNB]"Any decision like that can have psychological consequences that are hard to measure.[LNB]"He has developed, he is completely focused and since the beginning of the season he has been outstanding. I believe he enjoys winning with this team. [LNB]"He is not the only person responsible for the difficulties he had as a captain. [LNB]"His experience is important to us. He is shrewd and don't forget that he and Vermaelen are very capable of scoring important goals for us. [LNB]"The statistics show that those two players are the most likely to get the second ball from a corner, for example. [LNB]"He is a winner. He played centre-forward when he was young and you can still see a lot of that in him." [LNB]Gallas is out of contract in the summer and while Wenger admits the ball is in the player's court, he is hoping he will commit to Arsenal.[LNB]The Gunners boss may break his policy of not offering players over 30 with more than a one-year deal, such is his admiration for the defender.[LNB]"I don't want to lose him now," he added. [LNB]"I am positive about him staying but you never know; someone may come in and he is free to talk to clubs now."[LNB][LNB] Arsenal to win a major trophy 09/10. Click here to bet.  

Source: Team_Talk