The Daily Mirror has sensationally claimed that the club could ditch three of its longest serving players this summer, with Wojciech Szczesny, Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere all potential victims of the Gunners recent upturn in form.
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Arsenal transfer news
Arsene Wenger’s side have won 15 of their last 17 games to rise up to second place in the Premier League table and renew the faith of their supporters. However, the afore mentioned trio have played little or no role in that run and could now be moved on!
This looks very much like the beginning of a new Arsenal – something many people have been craving for years. Gone is much of their predictability – the never-ending passing moves and the army of flair players who don’t rise to the big occasion.
Now, the side is balanced with an array of different types of talent. Francis Coquelin has been the find of the season in the defensive midfield role, while the endless running of summer signings Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck has made the Gunners difficult to live with.
In the list below we analyse the futures of Szczesny, Walcott and Wilshere as well as a couple of other first-team players we feel might be at risk from the revolution! Should they stay or should they go…
5) Kieran Gibbs
A victim of Nacho Monreal’s recent run of good form, which has seen him left out of the team for a number of the big games. Gibbs is now 25 and is rapidly approaching a decade of playing for the Arsenal first-team, with his debut having come back in the 2007-08 season. However, he’s still managed just 109 league appearances, never making more than 30 in a single season. Injuries will always be a nagging doubt with this player despite all his qualities. But with quality full-backs so hard to come by, you’d think the Gunners would stick with him for now.
Does he have an Arsenal future? – YES
4) Mikel Arteta
Coquelin’s emergence has left the club captain’s future in all the more doubt. With Jack Wilshere also likely to have returned from injury before the Spaniard makes his return, it’s quite possible that Arteta could come back to find himself well down the pecking order. The 33-year-old has proved himself a solid signing over the last few years, since his move from Everton, but he was only ever a short-term option. His time at the club looks to be coming to a close, with fresh talent now ready to step up and take his place on a permanent basis.
Does he have an Arsenal future? – NO
3) Wojciech Szczesny
A quality goalkeeper on his day. Unfortunately, the Pole appears to have become a victim of his own over-confidence. His once common mistake were all but eradicated last season, when he won the Golden Glove award, but they returned earlier this season. That, combined with his admittedly overblown smoking incident, has led to him facing a spell on the sidelines. David Ospina has performed admirably in his teammate’s absence and now looks to have established himself as first-choice. It’s an unfortunate turn of events for Szczesny but it’s all of his own making.
Does he have an Arsenal future? – NO
2) Theo Walcott
The summer arrivals of Sanchez and Welbeck, along with the re-emergence of Mesut Ozil and Walcott’s recent injury woes, mean the England international’s future at the Emirates looks to be very much up for discussion. He’s never quite lived up to all that potential he showed as a teenager and while he still has those moments of quality, he doesn’t show them regularly enough to suggest that he’s ever going to become a world-beater. With his contract coming to an end and his wages among the largest in the Arsenal squad you can see why letting him go might be an attractive proposition for the Gunners.
Does he have an Arsenal future? – NO
1) Jack Wilshere
Another potential victim of Coquelin’s success. Like Gibbs he’s endured injury problems of his own, while like Szczesny his smoking offences have not gone down well with Wenger and co. Despite it all, the Gunners would surely be loathe to lose the 23-year-old midfielder. They also can’t afford to let go too many English players due to the top flight’s new home-grown rules. Wilshere brings a lot to the midfield when he’s fit and firing, so if he can find some consistency with his form next season then he’ll still be ready to make a more than useful contribution.
Does he have an Arsenal future? – YES