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LONDON: Arsene Wenger has called on unsettled stars Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri to show their commitment to Arsenal by snubbing offers to leave the Gunners.
Wenger is fighting to persuade Fabregas and Nasri to ignore lucrative approaches from Barcelona and Manchester City in favour of another season at the Emirates Stadium.
Fabregas was absent from Saturday's 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors in the Emirates Cup pre-season tournament because Wenger doesn't believes the Spaniard is coping well with the continued speculation about Barca's interest.
Nasri did feature against the Argentine outfit, although the France midfielder remains a firm target for City.
Wenger fears both players may be ready to leave if they are allowed and the Arsenal boss has told them to prove to him that they remain committed to the north London club.
“If Fabregas is committed to this club and wants to stay, no money will get him out of here,” Wenger said.
“We are not in a position where we need to sell our players. We are not looking after money. He cares about this club and that's why I hope he can keep him.
“Nasri needs to be committed as well. On the sporting side, he is an important player. We have to deal with the situation one way or another. In the next 10 days we have to be clear on that front.”
Wenger did confirm there are likely to be two departures from the Emirates soon, with Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner and Ivory Coast defender Emmanuel Eboue on the verge of leaving, reportedly to Sporting Lisbon and Galatasaray respectively.
Although Wenger is dealing with unsettled stars and a lack of success in the transfer market, he insists that claims Arsenal face another barren season are premature.
The French coach conceded that Arsenal's defending against Boca was sloppy at times, but he took pleasure from their attacking play, which included goals for Robin van Persie and Aaron Ramsey, as well as a lively display from new signing Gervinho.
“Let's be relaxed,” he said, “If you want to start a crisis before the start of the season I can understand that, but I don't see the need.
“We have some improvements to make in some areas, especially the way we win the ball back, on set-pieces we were not convincing.
“You never want to concede goals, but overall I do not give too much importance to that.
“What is important for us it to find a collective rhythm. When we could we managed to play at a good pace for 60 minutes, after it was much more difficult.
“Gervinho is a good addition to our squad. He is very interesting because he gives us options on both sides and through the middle, and can integrate well with our team.”
