Carl Jenkinson only left Arsenal on loan in the summer and as he is a boyhood fan of the Gunners, there is no doubt that he will be desperate to use his time at his current Premier League club West Ham to prove his worth and show Arsene Wenger that he really has got a future as an Arsenal player.
Jenkinson has definitely made a good start to his Hammers time (couldn’t resist) this season, forcing his way into the first team to become a regular starter under Sam Allardyce and helping the east London club to a great start and fourth place in the Premier League table.
However, a quick glance across London may have the young Gooner a bit worried, because there are now three players in the Arsenal squad for him to contend with. If it was not for the injury lay-off forced on Debuchy, this might not be an issue and Jenkinson must have wished that he was still at the Emirates to have filled in for the Frenchman.
The fact is though, that young Calum Chambers and Hector Bellerin have both had enough game time to show what they can do and they have both been impressive. With Chambers more likely to be set for a future as a versatile centre back, it is really the young Spaniard who is Jenkinson’s big competition.
At the minute there is not too much between them, with Bellerin probably better in attack and Jenkinson more solid in defence, but knowing Wenger’s penchant for going forward and creating goals, has that given the edge to the Spaniard.
A lot might depend on how many more times we see Bellerin in the Arsenal first team this season, but do you think Jenkinson has a big problem on his hands?
Its good news all round.
Jenkinson is playing regular
for West Ham, Belerin is showing
he is close to being Premier league ready.
Its too early to say whether Jenks should
come back but the club and both players
are winners.
Well when u consider how comfortable debuchy looked at right back, makes you wonder if he could play alongside kos or per, regularly then we would have
Rb – jenkinson, bellerin
Cb – koscielny, mertesacker, debuchy, chambers, hayden
Lb – gibbs, monreal.
I know, everyone wants another centre back signing, and perhaps one more could come in, but getting Jenks back, wouldn’t be too bad either. Him and bellerin are both great crosses of the ball and have a bit more pace than debuchy and chambers.
Perhaps another left sided defender who could play left back and centre back better than monreal would be the answer.
No, a big NO. We should never use short players at CB. It was just a temporary solution when Wenger doesn’t have other choice. Having debuchy as CB means our opponents will have a lot of goals from corners, freekicks and crossings. We already very weak against those situations.
Absolutely – we need a 6’5″ beast. Cannvaro, Puyol and Baresi were 5’10” and absolute crap. Kolo Youre must have been the worst CB we ever had at 5’10”.
*Toure
We were hardly tested… he is no CB… he is a very good RB – therefore he should play RB. Get a real RB. Strength and height.
I really do not see Bellerin’s future at the RB. I see him as a potential mid fielder. That guy has something similar to Ramsey. I believe he will make a good mid fielder. We saw how he dribbled his way to nearly score last Saturday. That does not show the trait of RB. We can make him a Gareth Bale.
He is a converted winger – players normally convert for good reason. Don’t see him converting back again any time soon.
First off he is an Arsenal fan. Been all his life. And he looks like someone who can play CB. He is tall and pacy and well built. But he looks nervous on the ball this time. But it will go away with time.
Time under Alladryce will only make him a better defender. Be it full back or centre back. Our current crop of defenders are quite young. Bellerin (more like a winger back), Jenkinson(if he can fill in for RB and CB, would be a very decent squad player), Chambers(most versatile of the lot), Hayden(still needs time).
As for Brilliant Bellerin ending Jenkinsons Arsenal career, i say, the more the merrier.
This is just basing Bellerin off the Newcastle game. Look at the game against Stoke where he struggled so much he had to be subbed off at half time. Yes, he has lots of potential and could become a fantastic RB in the future but he’s not ready to be starting regularly yet. Jenkinson on the other hand has made 50 Premier League appearances already and is constantly improving at West Ham. Currently Jenkinson is the better option but no doubt Bellerin will get his opportunity to shine.
Have you ever seen Bellerin brilliant in defensive task? I never. All I see what Bellerin could do in defense if running back along with their winger. People keep praising Bellerin for some attacking balls but all I care about defenders are defensive ability. If we keep clean sheet, we have much better chance to win the game. Sagna is worldclass defenders once upon a time because no one could pass him, even Bale.
And got murdered against Dortmund. But geez he is a baby – he has got huge potential. Assume Wenger saw the potential when he loaned Jenks out – kill two birds with one stone and get them both progressing at the same time – HB standing in when needed for us and Jenks getting massively more game time at WH in a side that traditionally has a lot of defending to do – hats off to them this season though defying the odds.
Sumo,you just mentioned what i really dislike abt Jenkinson’s game.He never looks assured on the ball while Bellerin seems more confident and good on the ball,for me i find Bellerin more talented than Jenkinson and i will always prefer him to the Jenks
Don’t think so. As Debutchy is 29, reaching 30 soon. In one or two years, Wenger will move him to Center back like he wanted to do with Sagna.
Jenk and Bellerine can be there. We can play them depending on opposition we play. Bellerine is very attack minded and should make for Jenkinson for tough opposition.
More over Jenk is a true gunner. Bellearing if turn out to be a world class can very well ask that he wants to return to Barsa.
No he shouldn’t. One thing that frustrated me about Jenks is that he always tended to push too far up offensively. But now that he is playing game in game out, the guy must be improving on his all around game.
And don’t forget we are Injury FC. We need all the players we can get.
Bellerin has a potential to be world class faster than jenks.i feel like wenger should have given hector more game time,because all the games he has played are harder opponents,which has shown little flaws,he need lite one too
Yeah, but you know how Wenger rolls. With Debuchy back and Chambo jr back, doubt we’ll see him on the pitch any time soon.
I think Belerin is a winger not a defender, boy is ridiculously fast.
Surely his speed would be better utilised further forward, we can pass the ball forward to someone like Belerin who can punish defenders.
Theo is looking like an injury concern, we can’t be sure of him playing the required number of games to help us.
That would leave space for Jenks who has definitely improved with playing time.
It because he was a winger arsenal turned him to a lb which will payoff in no time because arsenal has never had a wing back @savearsenal
Hey, good morning, y’all!!
@Davidnz, that’s like sitting on the fence, pal. If you ask me, I would say Bellerin seems better than Jenkinson and if he (Bellerin) continues in this form, I see no room for Jenks who failed to seize his chance when Saga got injured. Honestly, sentiments aside, there was nothing spectacular about Jenks.
Just saying that both lads are doing well.
Both are doing well at their age. But far from champion quality. You could never rely on them to win the title. My priority is on Debuchy and keep loaning one of the two.
Wenger should convert jenk into a cb, he has pace height and the build to fit into that position
theres a word call rotatation….
we can rotate them..this will provide them with adequate rest and competition
Please Admin, can you help up post this from Goal.com?
Combining elegance with ruthlessness, the Arsenal legend provided some of the top flight’s most memorable modern day moments
By Julian Bennetts
What constitutes greatness? Can you look at the statistics alone and use them to anoint a player as being great? Or is it the memories a footballer leaves you with – the indelible mark of grace, skill and purpose that no-one else can match?
If you look at Thierry Henry’s statistics and achievements, he was undoubtedly a great. If you analyse his numerous moments of magic there can be no debate.
Indeed, there is a compelling argument that no-one has enriched the Premier League to quite the same extent – in terms of smoothness, va-va-voom and goals – since the competition began in its current guise in 1992.
Elegant but uttery ruthless, Henry dominated English football with the talent to deliver the fatal blow with such elan that opponents wanted to applaud him afterwards.
“We were blessed in this country to see Thierry playing at his peak,” said Jamie Carragher, one of the players who suffered most at Henry’s hands, upon hearing the news that he has hung up his boots at the age of 37.
“[He was] potentially one of the greatest players in the world and, even if you supported another team, you couldn’t help but enjoy watching him play.”
The statistical list is so comprehensive that is is hard to know where to start.
One way to begin would be by pointing out that Henry left Arsenal having scored 175 Premier League goals (out of a total of 228 for the club) at an average of one every 122 minutes – a better goal-per-minute ratio than any other player to score over a century.
Or you could state that he scored against 34 of the 35 teams whom he faced (and that he only played 24 minutes against Swansea City, the sole exception, during his return to Arsenal in the 2011-12 season).
Then there is the fact he is the only player to score 20 or more goals in five successive Premier League seasons, while he also has the most assists in a season (20 in 2002-03).
Throw in the fact that he played more minutes than any other member of the Invincibles side and finished his Arsenal career with two league and three FA Cup medals and you can certainly make a case that he is up there with Bergkamp, Shearer, Owen, Drogba, Van Nistelrooy, Cole, Aguero or anyone else whom you might want to portray as the finest of the last 22 years.
But the thing that puts Henry apart were the moments. He fashioned a finish – the curled shot around the goalkeeper from the left-hand side of the penalty area – that was individual to him. It was fitting that the goal against Leeds on his comeback for Arsenal was finished in that exact way.
A man who could have been defined by his physical attributes, his greatest talent was his brain-power and how he thought about the game. Many rely on instincts in a one-on-one situation but not Henry.
“Whenever a goalkeeper rushes out to meet me, I look at them to make them stop,” he toldFourFourTwo. “Once I’ve frozen them, they suddenly realise, ‘Oh, it’s just you and me’ and, by the time he thinks this, the ball is gone.”
I know you are only talking about the PL but would be remiss not to mention 2 X La Liga titles, 1 x Champions league winner and the small matter of a World Cup winners medal. That alone elevates him above all the names you mention (Shearer, Owen, Drogba, Van Nistelrooy, Cole, Aguero etc).
I think Bellerin is too small and weak at RB.. Jenkinson is more solid and tough.. Bellerin can play as a winger… Jenkinson looks nervous on possession but defensively he is so hard and don’t take nonsense.
But it’s good to have all these young players as option, future looking bright..
With all due respect to the boss because he is closer to the Gunners that we the Gooners. He manages, trains and assesses them. We watch them and rates their performances. The Arsenal first team squad are seasonal injuries hit team. The injury reason has necessitate Arsenal should keep all the good players they have as long as they are good. If the boss can still want to retain Abu Diabi (if) on sympathy ground. I think a fit and improving on loan Jenko should further be given time to shine at Arsenal. Besides, I think Jenko can be versatile too when called upon to be. I watched him defending at right back last season in our FA Cup home game with Liverpool and he handled attacking Robert Sterling very well. “Stoke turned Bellerin inside out at the Britannia” but he did well at home in the Newcastle game. That shows he is a promising RB. We can’t tell the boss what he should do. can we? But wouldn’t it not be better if Bellerin is made to be another right back since he appears to have the pedigree for doing a RB job? And leave Jenko to compete with Debuchy at RB while Chambers root at CB. Coquelin is recalled to fill-in a possible void at LB? If the boss buys a CB, would it be because Jenko is on Loan or for what? Arsenal currently have 11 defenders. Arsenal defenders: Debuchy, (Jenko), BFG, Koscielny Chambers, Gibbs, Monreal, Coquelin, Bellerin, Ajayi, Hayden. That’d 10 availables with 1 on loan. Ajayi and Hayden played for the youth team just of recent. So they and 6 other defenders should be available for selection for the Liverpool game. The boss is right for not allowing Podolski to leave last Summer. This decision is paying off as we have seen Podolski proving his worth at the Anderlecht and Galatasaray games with 3 goals. Let the boss please not sell Podolski, Jenko and Campbell during the Jan window as widely rumoured in the print media. Those 3 are the boss emergency players who he can call upon should incase of any emergency.
Sorry, I ment to write: Jenko can be versatile too. I watched him defended very well at LB as he kept Robert Sterling quiet in our FA Cup home game with Liverpool last season.
I don’t see Jenkinson becoming a world class player. Another loan period followed by sale for a tidy profit.