The Togo international came in for vast amounts of criticism from all quarters for alleged contract demands being made to the club following a season in which he hit 30 goals and established himself as one of the form strikers in Europe.
Milan and Barcelona were continuously linked with the former Monaco man, with the Italian giants in particular very vocal of their admiration for the 24-year-old and their desire to bring him to San Siro. Eventually, a sky-high asking price imposed by a defiant Arsene Wenger thought to be in the region of £30 million deterred the Rossoneri, who instead looked to Barcelona's Ronaldinho as their single major money signing of the summer.
It was Barcelona who were the other club linked with the powerful forward. Since Pep Guardiola took charge at the end of the season, he has gone about rebuilding the squad and on his list of demands was thought to be a bigger, taller striker to give the Blaugrana a much needed physical presence up front. Samuel Eto'o was thought to be certain to join the likes of Deco and Ronaldinho on the way out of Camp Nou as a new era was called for at the club following a miserable season, but the Cameroonian has not managed to secure a move as of yet and now looks like remaining with the club, despite relations being somewhat tenuous.
Adebayor, meanwhile, made very few public statements regarding the speculation. Initial rumours suggested he was eager to leave and was demanding an astronomical pay rise to achieve parity with the erstwhile wage of club legend Thierry Henry to stay at the club. This in particular drew the most criticism from Arsenal fans and the English media, though he has since denied making such demands.
However, as pre-season progressed, he pledged his future to the club and insisted he would be signing a new deal, which the club have confirmed this evening. "Arsenal can today confirm that Togolese forward Emmanuel Adebayor has signed a new long-term contract with the Club," read a statement on the club's official website.
"Adebayor (24) scored 30 goals in all competitions last season, including one in the away fixture at Tottenham Hotspur which earned him the honour of Premier League Goal of the Season 2007/08.
"Individual accolades last term also included a place in the PFA Team of the Year while the forward also finished in third place in the PFA Player of the Year.
"Everyone at Arsenal looks forward to Emmanuel’s continued contribution to the Club over the coming years."
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