Arsenal fans must see trophies, insists Adebayor

Emmanuel Adebayor insists he does not care if he fails to score another goal this season as long as Arsenal win something. The Gunners have not lifted a trophy since the 2005 FA Cup final win over Manchester United and with the Premier League title apparently out of sight, they have designs on both the FA Cup and the Champions League this year.

Adebayor was absent with a hamstring strain which he picked up in the league games against Tottenham when the Gunners booked their place in the fifth round of the Cup with a 4-0 win over Cardiff City on Monday, but should come back into contention in around two weeks.

With Nicklas Bendtner, Robin van Persie and the fit-again Eduardo all vying for places in the Arsenal attack, Adebayor realises he may struggle to match last season’s 30-goal haul. But he is happy to leave personal milestones to one side as long as he can lift a trophy before the end of the campaign.

“I know having scored 30 goals in a season that people will always be waiting for more this season but the most important thing is to keep on going and to progress,” he said.

“I have 12 already but to score another 18 now would not be easy. But I don’t care if I stop on 12 goals if we win something with the club.

“To win trophies is more important than scoring goals but if we are to win trophies we will need to score some goals. This club needs trophies and that’s what we are fighting for.”

Adebayor, whose form this season has been criticised in some quarters after a summer in which he appeared to be on his way out of the Emirates Stadium, insists he is happy with his game.

“I am getting assists now too and getting closer to being a complete footballer,” said the Togo forward. “I can score with my left, score with my right and score with my head too, which is good for a striker.

“But at the end of the season people don’t see how we are enjoying ourselves they see what [trophies] we have in our hands.”

The Gunners centre-half Kolo Touré, meanwhile, expects the club’s January signing Andrei Arshavin to become a fine addition once he settles in to English football.

The Russian was on the bench for the north London derby and was ineligible for the FA Cup match against Cardiff on Monday, but Touré believes Arsenal fans will soon see a special talent at work.

“He’s only just started training with us, really, and I think that when he feels comfortable in the team we’ll see a great, great player,” he said.

“I think he’s just the right type of player for Arsenal. We can see that he’s really quick, intelligent, a good passer and can score goals. I think he’s definitely going to help us – from his first training session you could see what quality he has.”