Iwobi Raises Zaha Alarm, Threatens To Quit Arsenal
Published: July 21, 2019
Nigeria and Arsenal winger Alex Iwobi has sensationally hinted that he may leave the North London club should they sign Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha this summer.
Zaha has been a target for Unai Emery's side and already saw a £40m bid rejected and although he admits being a "fighter" who never gives up, the Nigerian who helped the Super Eagles claim an eighth bronze medal finish at the just concluded AFCON said the Ivorian's arrival could lead to him leaving.
''I am not one to chicken out. I have had it all over the years, being told I’m not good enough," he told The Sun UK
"So whenever the chance comes I always try and prove I should be starting. But it’s going to be difficult if Zaha comes. He will add more stress.
''I am up for the fight but the only time I would consider leaving is if I am not playing as much as I would like to. Obviously, my joy is to play football and not just sit out.
''If it comes to that I would have no choice but to leave. But I would always put up a fight to play — that is what I have done all my life.
''We have big stars already, so by adding another one I’ll just have to prove I can do better than them.”
''Maybe you think: ‘Football is not for you and you don’t want to play no more,'' he added. .
"But it’s good to have that self-motivation to believe that you can prove your critics wrong.
''I am here today, so it didn’t affect me. Whenever someone tells me something negative I will just ignore it and try and prove to them that I am better than they think.''
Iwobi is in London at the moment and did not join up with his teammates in Asia campaigning at the 2019 International Champions Cup.
Zaha has been a target for Unai Emery's side and already saw a £40m bid rejected and although he admits being a "fighter" who never gives up, the Nigerian who helped the Super Eagles claim an eighth bronze medal finish at the just concluded AFCON said the Ivorian's arrival could lead to him leaving.
''I am not one to chicken out. I have had it all over the years, being told I’m not good enough," he told The Sun UK
"So whenever the chance comes I always try and prove I should be starting. But it’s going to be difficult if Zaha comes. He will add more stress.
''I am up for the fight but the only time I would consider leaving is if I am not playing as much as I would like to. Obviously, my joy is to play football and not just sit out.
''If it comes to that I would have no choice but to leave. But I would always put up a fight to play — that is what I have done all my life.
''We have big stars already, so by adding another one I’ll just have to prove I can do better than them.”
''Maybe you think: ‘Football is not for you and you don’t want to play no more,'' he added. .
"But it’s good to have that self-motivation to believe that you can prove your critics wrong.
''I am here today, so it didn’t affect me. Whenever someone tells me something negative I will just ignore it and try and prove to them that I am better than they think.''
Iwobi is in London at the moment and did not join up with his teammates in Asia campaigning at the 2019 International Champions Cup.
Izuchukwu Okosi
Photo Credit : arsenal.com
Latest News
- Liverpool and Tottenham keen on potential deal for highly-rated Nigerian central defender
- Habeeb Ogunneye Young Lions snub: Should NFF make a move for talented Man Utd right-back?
- Nigeria 2 Uganda 0: Super-subs Okah, Okwuchukwu find the net as Falconets seal African Games final spot
- Raya, Ramsdale, Hein going on international duty: Arteta promotes Ejeheri to Arsenal first team training
- Done deal: Arsenal loan out Nigerian goalkeeper until the end of the 2023-2024 season
- Partial tear of the ACL: Italian-based fullback ruled out of Nigeria's friendlies against Ghana, Mali
- Club v country row: Napoli want Osimhen to skip Black Stars, Les Aigles friendlies; in contact with NFF
- Ireland squads announcement: Five Nigerians called up including Celtic loanee, Cork City record breaker
- PL2: Nigerian attacker scores 88th minute winner for Tottenham Hotspur against Middlesbrough
- Watch: Super Eagles-eligible winger special goal for Chelsea in 4-2 win against Leicester City
Football News 24/7
News Categories
- Football Betting
- African Players
- Australia/ Asia
- Belgian Championship
- Bundesliga
- Danish Football
- English Premier League
- Nigeria National Teams
- Nigeria Premier League
- Norwegian Football
- Polish Football
- Russian Championship
- Serie A
- Spanish Liga
- Swedish Championship
- Transfer
- Turkish Championship
- Ukrainian Football
- Uncategorized
- Women's Football