Malouda blasts 'petty' Chelsea for first-team exile

12-Feb-2013 5:55:00 PM

The 32-year-old left winger was not included in the 25-man first-team squad and has been forced to train with the Under-21s, but insists it only serves to motivate him

Chelsea winger Florent Malouda has branded the club as "petty" for exiling him from the first-team squad - but insists it simply motivates him for the future.

The 32-year-old winger has not featured for the Blues at all this campaign are being left out of the 25-man first-team squad for the 2012-13 season and being forced to train with the Under-21 squad with his contract expiring this summer.

However, while the France international says the club has attempted to make him "break mentally", he is still driven to succeed and will reveal all when he is "free" from the west London side.

"The details I'll explain when I'm free, but the strategy they use is to make me look like a player seeking substantial compensation," he told France-Guyane. "It's petty but more than anything else it makes me smile because it shows how these people regard me."

Malouda has played 149 times for Chelsea, scoring 35 goals, but was frozen out after a move away from the club fell through last summer following a transfer request.

Malouda says he has been able to stay strong and is looking forward to playing again, despite the drastic reduction in his on-pitch minutes.

"If you are excluded for one year, it is very, very long. You must be armed mentally," he added. "All this is done to break me mentally, but in reality it motivates me enormously."