Arsenal blocked my exit, says Bendtner

The 25-year-old has revealed he had an
agreement in place with more than one club
but was unable to complete a move away as
the Gunners failed to find a replacement
Nicklas Bendtner has revealed his
disappointment at Arsenal blocking him from
leaving the club during the transfer window.
Arsenal were unwilling to let the 25-year-old
leave to join Crystal Palace unless they could
bring in another striker first and, after failing
to complete a loan deal for Chelsea forward
Demba Ba, they decided to keep Bendtner.
The Denmark international has now released a
statement detailing his frustration at failing to
secure a fresh challenge at another club, but
he is determined to try to contribute to
Arsenal this season.
The statement read: "It's no secret that Arsenal
and myself had agreed that I could leave the
club during the 2013 summer transfer window
subject to an agreement between all parties.
"An agreement had been reached with more
than one club this week but as Arsenal were
unable to secure the services of another
striker, they reserved their right to not
sanction any deal to be concluded.
"Naturally, I was very disappointed as I was
looking forward to a new challenge, with a new
club and a fresh start in English football.
"Many things have been said about my where
my future lies after many years at Arsenal; the
truth is I just want to play football which is
when I'm happiest and Arsenal is a fantastic
environment for any professional to apply their
trade.
"I still feel very strongly about Arsenal football
club and following positive talks with the
manager, I am looking forward to working
hard to regain full fitness and doing my very
best to help to the team and the manager fulfil
our objectives and ambitions this season.
"I've learnt a lot from my loan experiences at
Sunderland and Juventus and I want to assure
all Arsenal fans that I will give everything I
have to contribute to what I believe will be a
successful season for the club."