'I wanted to quit Arsenal so badly I swore at boss – and he still didn't let me leave'

Nicklas Bendtner once unleashed an explosive rant at Arsene Wenger after a transfer deal collapsed at the 11th hour.

Bendtner, who also played for Nottingham Forest, was frequently in the spotlight during his English football career, and not always for positive reasons. Wenger introduced the Danish striker to the Premier League in the mid-2000s, but despite showing occasional brilliance, he was a puzzling figure who often left fans exasperated.

As his relationship with Wenger soured, Bendtner was eager to depart in 2013 and was on the brink of signing with Crystal Palace. A deal was in place, but Wenger called it off at the last minute after Arsenal failed to secure a replacement striker before the transfer deadline.

That sparked a fiery response from Bendtner, who vented his anger at Wenger in an irate phone call. In his autobiography, Both Sides, he wrote: "We've spent most of the day there [at Palace]. 'Why can't Arsenal pull their f****** fingers out and sell me, so I can get on with my career?'

"It's after 8pm when Wenger calls. He gets straight to the point. 'We haven't been able to buy the striker we wanted. So now you have to be a back-up. It will be your job next year.'

"I hang up, looking at Tom [Brookes, his agent], who shrugs. Then I call back, saying a lot of ugly, disrespectful things. Like 'a**hole' and 'w*****.'

"'We can't stand each other any more,' I say, ending my tirade. 'It'd be best if we parted ways. [Wenger says] 'Well, OK, that's quite possible. But it's not going to happen. See you at training.'"

Bendtner's relationship with Wenger never recovered and he was a fringe player during the 2013/14 campaign before eventually departing for Wolfsburg in Germany, where he remained for two years.

He then returned to English football with Forest, then in the Championship, on a free transfer in 2016. After just six months at the City Ground, he was moving again, joining Rosenborg of Norway before the final transfer of his career to the club where it all began, Copenhagen.

Arsenal and Forest clash in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off. It will be former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou's first match as Forest boss since replacing the sacked Nuno Espirito Santo.

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