Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has insisted that he will do his utmost to keep skipper Cesc Fabregas at the club beyond the summer.
The Spain international has been continually linked with a move to Barcelona and although the La Liga champions are expected to step up their attempts to lure the 24-year-old back to Camp Nou, Wenger is adamant he will "fight very hard" to ensure his star man stays put.
"That's a question [regarding Fabregas' future] I've heard already a few times in a press conference and I expect him to be here [next season]," the Frenchman told reporters.
"I will fight very hard to keep him here. You have always to fight when you have a player of that quality, you must always fight to keep your players, of course."
It has been suggested that Fabregas could be keen to leave the Emirates Stadium in pursuit of trophies, with the Gunners without silverware since 2005, although Wenger feels the midfielder would not necessarily be certain of success if he departed.
"What guarantees you that if you go somewhere else you will win trophies?" he said.
"The biggest pride for a captain is to be committed to his club and deliver trophies with his team. A player who changes his club every time he is frustrated or when he doesn’t win a trophy, goes nowhere. I believe the quality of sports life is to be committed to your club and not just to move out when it does not go as well as you expected.
"Cesc Fabregas played 22 games this season out of 38 and we expect him to play between 30 and 38. That will make a huge difference to our efficiency [next season] as well."
Regarding the future of Andrey Arshavin, who has also been linked with a summer sale, Wenger said: "Yes, I expect him to be at Arsenal next season."
Wenger also commented on the future of youngster Ryo Miyaichi, who signed a long-term contract with the Gunners in January before being sent out on loan to Feyenoord for the remainder of the current campaign, and confirmed he will be returning to England for pre-season with Arsenal.
"I have only [heard] positive reports about him," Wenger added. "He will be with us in pre-season.
"I think he is good enough but if he is ready enough to have a place in our team, we will ask for a work permit and try to get him in.
"What I like about Ryo is that he has good timing with his runs and understands when to go and where to go. That is something very important. He knows how to use his pace and he is an intelligent player.
"He is a boy who went straight from school football to professional football and straight away was the best player in Feyenoord."
The Japanese starlet's work permit application could receive a boost if he is selected for his country's Under-23 side as they aim to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, although Wenger is hoping the forward will be fast-tracked to the senior side sooner rather than later.
"That is a good help," he continued. "An even better help is putting him straight in the [Japan] first team, then we do not need a work permit any more.
"He looks a very promising boy and everybody who went to watch him has been hugely impressed by him. He is a character and a great football player."
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