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LONDON. — Kolo Toure is keen to prove Arsene Wenger wrong when Liverpool meets Arsenal in the English Premier League on Saturday.
The centre-back spent seven years in north London — winning the Premier League once and FA Cup twice — before being sold to Manchester City for 15 million pounds.
Toure has since joined Liverpool and is gunning for the win to leapfrog table-topping Arsenal, but admits he owes Wenger a debt for guiding him during the earlier stages of his career.
“I think it’s going to be a great game for me to play,” Toure told the Liverpool Echo. “I had some great times there and it was a big part of my life. Without Arsene I wouldn’t be here. He was the one who saw me. He’s a fantastic manager and gave me my chance to play football in this country. But now is not the time to talk about him. He knows I’ve been talking about him all the time.
“It’s always special to go back there but at the same time I want to show on Saturday that Arsenal made a mistake by letting me go. I’m going there to fight. I want to show them what I can do and help my team — Liverpool — to win. Right now I don’t want to think about any of the good things that Arsene did for me as I’m focused on getting those three points.”
A win on Saturday — coupled with Chelsea failing to beat Newcastle in the earlier kick-off — would see Liverpool move back to the top of the table, and Toure acknowledges the tough task but is confident in his squad’s ability.
“I’ll definitely try to do my best to show them that I’m still a great player,” Toure said. “But I need to perform for my team — that is the most important thing. It’s going to be a fantastic game and it’s a good opportunity for us. I can’t wait for it. They have started the season really well but Arsenal have always been a good team. No matter what players they’ve had there, they’re always good because they have a great manager. He’s really intelligent and knows what he’s doing. Of course it will be difficult but we are a strong team and we have a great manager as well. They know that we pose a threat to them too and they know it will be a tough game for them. We know it’s going to be a really good game of football and we will give everything we’ve got to win it.” — Goal.com.
Online Reporter