Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer has suggested he is unhappy over Fulham’s decision to block his dream move to English Premier League heavyweight Arsenal.
The Fulham and Socceroo goalkeeper put a testing week behind him by pulling off two brilliant saves in Australia’s 0-0 draw in Friday’s friendly against Switzerland in St Gallen.
He found it hard not to bite at questions regarding Craven Cottage boss Mark Hughes’ refusal to let him switch to the Gunners.
The transfer window expired last Tuesday and with it potentially Schwarzer’s last chance to play in the Champions League.
And the shot-stopper did not really need or want anyone reminding him.
His eye twitched at the mere mention of last week’s events and the normally amenable figure smiled and used single word responses on the issue.
He had a wry smile on his face but admitted he could not yet trust himself to talk publicly on the issue.
“I would rather not say anything, I would really rather not say anything because otherwise I might say something wrong,” he said.
The 37-year-old has been around football clubs too long to be unaware of the pitfalls of expressing his true feelings.
And there is a good chance that Arsenal will not come knocking at his door again.
At his age, Schwarzer was seen a short-term solution for shrewd Gunners manager Arsene Wenger.
The next English Premier League transfer window is in the new year but Schwarzer might not have the same appeal by that stage.
He will be away for nearly all of January if, as expected, the Socceroos have a decent run at the Asian Cup in Qatar.
The long-time Middlesbrough keeper said the current Australian camp in Europe could not have come at a better time.
“At the end of the day you have to get on with your work and coming away with the national team was a great relief for me really,” he said.