Emmanuel Adebayor reveals why Arsene Wenger banned him from Arsenal training before he joined Man City

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Arsenal can be absolutely brutal with their star players when they need to be.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was frozen out at Arsenal before being released a few years ago, Mesut Ozil was a fantastic player for Arsenal, but he suffered a similar fate to Aubameyang too.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta fell out with Matteo Guendouzi and promptly sold him as well.

However, before Guendouzi, Aubameyang and Ozil suffered the wrath of the Arsenal management, there was Emmanuel Adebayor.

Adebayor is one of the most controversial figures in Arsenal’s recent history. The striker was a brilliant player on his day, but his relationship with Arsenal fans soured after his remarkable move to Manchester City and celebration after scoring vs Arsenal in 2009.

Adebayor’s departure and following antics didn’t sit well with Arsenal fans, but now, speaking to Optus Sport, the striker has shared his side of the story on why he left Arsenal.

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Emmanuel Adebayor was banned from Arsenal’s training ground

Adebayor spoke about his departure from Arsenal.

The striker says that he really wanted to stay at Arsenal, but, from out of nowhere, Arsene Wenger told him he was no longer a part of the squad.

Adebayor says he wanted to stay and fight for his place, but Wenger actually banned him from the training ground, which is the moment he realised he had to leave.

“I had a great season in 2008, I had everyone calling me, Milan, when Milan was great with Kaka, Gattuso, Maldini and Shevchenko, but I said I wasn’t going, I’m staying with Arsenal,” Adebayor said.

“But I went back to the club, had a meeting with the boss, and he said ‘I don’t need you any more.’ And I was like ‘wow’, what am I going to do?

“I wanted a chance to fight for my place and he said no. He said if I stayed I’d not be in the squad for the league, not in the squad for the Champions League or the cup. I thought, ok, this is harsh.

“I thought I would force my way back in, but I came back the next day to the training ground and they blocked the gate, I wasn’t allowed to enter the facility, that’s when I realised it was over.

Emmanuel Adebayor record for Arsenal

Even now, 15 years on, this is a bizarre story.

Adebayor was forced out of Arsenal, despite being one of the club’s best players.

Indeed, the Togolese forward’s record for Arsenal was stellar.

Adebayor’s numbers did dip a little bit during his final season at Arsenal, but they weren’t terrible by any stretch of the imagination.

Adebayor left Arsenal under a dark cloud, and he came back to bite them months later with his goal for Manchester City.

Arsenal may have regretted their decision to sell Adebayor in 2009. After all, Robin van Persie was only fit enough to play 16 league games that season due to injury, while Adebayor would go on to score 14 league goals that season for City.

Arsene Wenger recently praised Adebayor as a player, so his decision seems even more baffling in hindsight, but, as ever, there are two sides to every story and Wenger will have had his reasons for wanting to sell the forward.