Reported long-term Arsenal target, Djibril Sidibé, insists that he’s not scared to join the Premier League but ‘it’s complicated’.
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Sidibé turned down the chance to sign for Arsenal last season because he wasn’t positive he’d get much playing time.
While this is admirable, since he’d rather hone his skills at current club Monaco before throwing himself into a new league, he wanted everyone to know it, and spoke about it on several occasions.
Fast forward to this year and the right-back has once again spoken about being linked to the Gunners, who are reportedly set to return for the France international this summer. Although he’s only reiterated his point that he doesn’t know if it’s the right time and expressed worry over ‘disappearing’ like so many other young, French players do.
“It is a rather special period, one year from the World Cup. There will be a reflection, which started, though, at the moment, I am completely focused on the French team,” Sidibé told L’Equipe.
“I’m pretty open, but I’m under contract with Monaco (until 2021) and it would not bother me to do one more season. My criterion is the time of play, the framework of my progression and increase my chances of settling permanently in team of France.
“It was just a question about my favorite Championship. It’s a Championship that attracts me, but there are a lot of French people who left early, or at some point in their careers that was not necessarily the right one, and which have somewhat disappeared.
“It is necessary to leave at the right moment and to know if I have the capacities to be performing there.
“The top five English clubs are seductive, but it is very complicated, too, even if it does not scare me.”
The 24-year-old, who can also play at left-back, made 29 Ligue 1 appearances last season, even scoring twice and assisting six.
He’s no longer young and if he’s really going to get himself noticed by Didier Deschamps for the World Cup next year, he might have to bite the bullet and take a gamble because Arsene Wenger’s not going to keep going back for him.