Niklas Bendtner unhappy at Arsenal, determined to be ‘perfect item for sale’

"I was ready to move on and I don't think they wanted to keep me," said the forward. "I am going to build myself up so that I will be this powerful machine, the perfect item for sale."

Niklas Bendtner, right, says he expects a transfer away from Arsenal. Nigel Roddis / Reuters

Denmark striker Niklas Bendtner has criticised Arsenal and manager Arsene Wenger for not selling him in the summer and said it will be a “miracle” if he stays at the Premier League club.

In an interview with the Danish newspaper Berlingske Tidende the 25 year old said he was “incredibly disappointed” when Wenger called to say he was staying in north London.

“I was ready to move on and I don’t think they wanted to keep me,” he said.

He said he was now training hard as he prepares for the next transfer window in January.

“I train a lot more seriously today than I ever did at Arsenal, “ Bendtner said. “I am going to build myself up so that I will be this powerful machine, the perfect item for sale.

“I will start as strong as possible in my next club. It will be a miracle if I stay at Arsenal.”

Bendtner, who was training with the Arsenal reserves when he was recalled to the first-team squad, was shocked to find himself back in favour with Wenger.

Despite 163 appearances for the club, which he joined as a 16-year-old, Bendtner has been out of favour for some time, spending the last two seasons on loan at Sunderland and Juventus before his shock recall.

“I found it totally ridiculous that they had placed me in the reserves and let me train by myself, “he added.

“Suddenly everything was back to normal. I trained with the first team, I hung out with the first team, I had a dietician again. From being completely out to being completely in again.”

The striker said that as the transfer window was about to close, he had a choice of three clubs to sign for, but Wenger’s call put a stop to his plans to move away, at least until the window opens again in January.

Despite their good start to the season, not all Arsenal fans have welcomed Bendtner back, with some booing and mocking the Dane who is famous for his brash self-confidence when he has appeared for the first team.

“I am not worried by all that stuff, that’s what it’s like to be a footballer. But I need to keep myself strong,” he said.

“If I start to listen to or believe them, I can quickly force myself into a black hole.

“Right now, I’m the easy prey to them because I want to get away from the club, and Arsenal do not want to keep me.

“And these haters - they always choose the easy option. Basically, it is unfair to pick on me when I had my club transfer in place in the summer and Wenger told me to stay.”