Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky has revealed that he almost left the club in January as he requested an exit from North London.
The 34-year-0ld Czech Republic midfielder had to wait until December 26th for his first Premier League start of the season and, despite more involvement in 2015, admits he could still leave this summer.
Speaking to iSport.cz, he said:
“We’d talked about me leaving in previous meetings back in September and October, but then the market closed and I couldn’t do anything,”
“When you’ve not played a single game and the market then opens, it’s obviously a very live issue. Then you start to think about whether it is not time to leave. It was no exception for me, it was very vivid.”
“Since the new year things have started to improve, we started to play better football, and what’s more I am playing. Compared to the first six months, it’s much better. We’ll see how it goes on.”
“The rest of the season runs very fast, then I will solve it. Arsenal is still an option for next season, but they have everything in their hands. When I get back from the international team meeting, we will begin to deal with it.”
“There are two options open to me. At the moment I’m in a situation where I make the decision.”
An exit for the veteran midfielder does seem likely with competition from the likes of Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin, amongst others.
Arsenal are also reportedly chasing midfield recruits this summer, which would push Rosicky further down the pecking order, which suggests it would be the right time for the fan-favourite to call an end to his career with the Gunners.