Wenger Reveals His Plans for Forgotten Striker

Arsenal fans could be forgiven for forgetting that Nicklas Bendtner will be available for the club this season after spending the last two years away from north London and regularly being linked with a permanent move away from the Emirates.

The 25 year old spent a season at Sunderland, before a forgetful spell at Juventus as he struggled with injuries and failed to impress manager Antonio Conte.

He appeared close to finally completing a move this summer when Arsenal agreed to let him join Eintracht Frankfurt, only for his wage demands to scupper the deal from being concluded.

Bendtner was then close to joining Crystal Palace on deadline day after being spotted at the newly promoted clubs' training ground, but Arsenal decided to block the move after failing to land a big-name striker in the transfer window.

Now Arsene Wenger has revealed that Bendtner could yet have an important role to play for Arsenal this season if his head is in the right place.

"I had a chat with him because I blocked his move," Wenger told the club's official website. "I wanted him to stay in the end because I felt that we were short up front, that Sanogo might need a few months to adapt.

"As well as that Nicklas Bendtner, with the right state of mind and the right focus, has the quality to help the squad to win things.

"He was honest. He is an honest guy. We want complete commitment and focus from him and he promised that. Nicklas Bendtner, with complete focus and commitment, will be a very strong player in our squad."

The Denmark international has not represented Arsenal in a competitive game since coming on as a second half substitute against Aston Villa back in May 2011.

However, with Olivier Giroud and Yaya Sanogo the only traditional forwards available to Wenger, it seems Bendtner may well have opportunities this season with which to remind the Gunners supporters of his talent.