Fabregas wants to leave parting gift

Goalkeeper Almunia was surprised to see Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure both leave the Emirates this summer. Gunners chairman Peter Hill-Wood this week warned AC Milan off making an approach for Fabregas but Almunia recognises it will only get harder to keep him.

Almunia claims he will find it particularly hard to see Toure in a Manchester City shirt this season, but says he had grown tired of life at Arsenal.

Toure had been the Gunners’ last remaining player from the team of ‘Invincibles’ and Almunia fears Fabregas could follow him out of the exit door once he has increased his own trophy haul.

Fabregas helped Arsenal win their last piece of silverware in 2005, when they beat Manchester United on penalties to lift the FA Cup.

“I was surprised by Kolo,” said Almunia. “He was a big part of Arsenal, one of the greatest players we’ve had over the last few years. It is hard to see him in a City shirt. When you are with players for many years you get to know them very well, know how they play and communicate with them really well.

“Maybe Kolo was a bit bored, a bit tired of being with the same people every day, in the same atmosphere. He needed a change and you could see it in his face. He was not really, really happy in his last period at Arsenal.

“With Cesc it could happen the same but he still has a lot more to offer Arsenal. Kolo gave everything to Arsenal and won titles. He gave 100 per cent. We’ll see the best of Cesc this season and he will help us to win something. Then he will be completely happy and will do what he wants.”

Despite Manchester City’s incredible summer spending spree, Arsenal have maintained their prudent stance in the transfer market.

Almunia agrees the Gunners and manager Arsene Wenger are taking a gamble with their youth-first policy but says the emergence of teenage midfielder Jack Wilshere could be as good as a big signing.

Wenger has compared Wilshere to Wayne Rooney and the 17-year-old gave notice of his enormous potential with two goals against Rangers in the Emirates Cup last weekend. Almunia added: “I understand the fans must be very impatient to have something because Arsenal won a lot of trophies before. The way the boss is working deserves some reward. It is not easy at all to give chances to young players at a club as big as this.

“In your life you have to bet the stake first before you can win. Sometimes you win money, sometimes you lose and the boss puts a lot of effort and risk to give a lot of opportunities to the young players. Just looking at Jack Wilshere, that is reward for the boss.

“It’s not only winning titles. You realise when you see Jack playing, people thank the boss for giving him that opportunity. If one player gets into the first team and he gave the opportunity to 20, then it was worth it. The boss is very pleased for Jack at this stage. He is one of our best signings at the moment.

“When the club or the boss sees the gamble is wrong they will change and go to other ways, like Chelsea, Real Madrid or Barcelona did recently. But every team have a policy. Arsenal’s is to give opportunity to young players.”

Despite the loss of Adebayor and Toure, and the lack of big-name signings, Almunia still believes the Arsenal squad is stronger than it was 12 months ago.

“People must be stronger because they are older and more experienced,” he said. “People are now mature enough to cope with difficult moments away from home, as well as at home. Let’s see how we start the season and then we can decide our targets.”

Manuel Alumnia helped launch Arsenal’s charity of the season partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. Go to www.beagoonerbeagiver.org to donate.‘