Arsenal flop Marouane Chamakh is still annoyed at Arsene Wenger for the way he was handled by the Frenchman during his stint with the club. Chamakh, who signed for the North London club from Bordeaux in 2010, made an impressive start at the Emirates but was dropped to the bench after Robin Van Persie’s return from injury, following which his form dipped.

Despite starting strongly, the Morocco international had a forgettable first two seasons with the club where he scored only 14 goals in 67 appearances before being loaned out to West Ham in January 2013. In the following season, he signed for Crystal Palace but failed to revive his career after scoring just 10 goals before the club released him in 2016. The striker recently signed a short-term deal with championship club Cardiff City.

Talking to RMS Sport,he said:“When I started, it was great.I took advantage of the injury to [Robin] van Persie, which left me free rein.

“I played for six months, I scored goals, I was decisive. In January [2011], Robin returned from injury and overnight, I landed on the bench without justification.

The striker claimed that he deserved more playing time after making a fine start with the club. He also accused Wenger of making false promises.

“It is clear that I am a little annoyed at [Wenger] because I think I deserved more playing time than what I was given.

“As the year began, at the start of the season, he told me that we might change tactics and maybe I would be able to play up front with Robin.
“They were just promises; nothing happened in the end. Robin was much stronger than me.

“For the aims that I had, I think it was a little bit a lack of respect. I started well and then the next day it slipped away.

“He asked me to be patient, told me that Robin would not string together more than 10 matches, he was going to be injured, but it lasted a whole year. I then made the decision to leave.”