Agent: Hleb Has Left Arsenal

The Belarus international has been heavily linked with a move away from the Emirates, having earned strong interest from Internazionale, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

And agent Niki Spilevski revealed that the 27-year-old will leave North London this summer, following crunch talks with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.

“I can officially confirm that a short time ago Alexander decided that he will leave Arsenal and join another club,” he said.

“Of course Arsenal and Arsene wanted him to stay but they have accepted the player’s choice.”

Change

Hleb moved to Arsenal for ₤11.2 million from Bundesliga outfit VfB Stuttgart in 2005, and has since established himself alongside Cesc Fabregas as one of the team’s key creative outlets.

But the midfielder has grown weary of the hustle-and-bustle of London, and Spilevski confirmed that his client seeks a fresh challenge.

“That is his choice,” he said. “He has understood that the right time has come for him to make a change.

“Alex has spent three good seasons at Arsenal and he wasn’t sure he could maintain the same level that he has been showing if he stayed.

“It’s also true that he felt uncomfortable off the field. Alexander wants a change of scene. That’s had a large part to play in his decision.

“Alex informed the club of his desire to move to another club.”

Talks

Wenger was livid upon learning that Hleb held talks with Inter officials before the end of the season, and threatened to banish the player to the reserves.

The Frenchman feared Hleb would enact article 17, a FIFA rule that allows players to buy out their own contract if they have played in a particular country for a certain amount of time.

But Spilevski denied that his client would exploit the clause, and insisted that Hleb’s future should be sorted during the week.

“We are not using article 17 of the FIFA rule,” he said. “I can’t tell you anything about where he will be playing yet.

“Talks are underway, and I don’t have the right to make them public. I think that the issue of his new club will be clarified in the next few days.”

Mike Maguire