Adebayor says no to Barcelona’s move

09.05.2008

EMMANUEL Adebayor has warned off interest from Barcelona, saying he wants to stay at Arsenal.

The Togolese international has scored 30 goals in all competitions this season, attracting the interest of Barca which, despite possessing forward talent such as Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Lionel Messi, has struggled for goals in La Liga.

Barcelona suffered a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of rivals Real Madrid on Wednesday night, and the Catalan fans have demanded a new talisman to lead the front line next season.

Adebayor has two years left on his current Arsenal deal and has proven a superb replacement for Henry, who left Arsenal for the Nou Camp last year but has struggled to adapt to the Spanish league.

Adebayor has also been linked with AC Milan and Juventus. However, the 24-year-old said: “You want to make history and leave your name at a club. I hope I can do that here as I love Arsenal.”

Adebayor is third in the scoring charts, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Torres, and has surpassed expectations with his return in front of goal.

Before the season kicked off, Adebayor was 40-1 with the bookmakers to finish top goal scorer, a long way behind 5-1 favourite Didier Drogba.

Adebayor said: “I remember one poll on who’d be top scorer and my name wasn’t there, so I thought, ‘That’s fine, I’ll show what I can do’.

“I’m happy with what I’ve achieved. I never dreamt of being in the team of the season or in the top three of players, it’s a big bonus.

“Maybe next year I can be first. People will be looking at what I can do but I’m ready for that.”