Clichy played in Arsenal's win in Spain against Pablo Counago's former Club Celta Vigo last night as cover for Ashley Cole in his Champions League Debut and did not look one bit out of place.
Royle insisted he felt the Frenchman could do a geat job as cover, but Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was not willing to loan him out: "Yes we asked about him and he would have been an answer to our full-back problems. But Gael is in the Arsenal European pool and he has since emerged to make a big impact on the first-team scene."
"Arsenal did not feel that they could release their player and that was the end of the matter."