Who needs to leave Arsenal this summer? by ceofaruk
Arsenal have a wealth of players but we still fall just a bit short of really competing for the Champions league and winning the Premier league. On our best days we can compete with anyone in Europe and it was a real shame we lost so badly to Monaco in the first leg of the knockout stages. So who should Arsenal replace this summer to become real contenders?
Let’s start with keepers.
No disrespect but I have never thought Szczesny was good enough to be a first choice keeper for a top top team like I imagine Arsenal to be/is aiming for. He is not bad – but just not good enough for a title challenging team, and to be frank I am far more pleased with Ospina in goal. Although Ospina has performed far better then Szczesny but he just falls a bit short (literally and metaphorically, he’s not so tall), I feel he would be ideal for second choice keeper. I respect Ospina and feel he has done a good job so far. However, with a world class top keeper like Petr Cech available, I feel like it would be a good opportunity to Wenger to finally get a top quality keeper that has a good few years left, so we don’t have to worry about silly mistakes.
Verdict: Wenger should buy Cech, keep Ospina as second choice, sell or loan Szczesny and keep Martinez in reserve.
CB Defenders:
First and foremost Koscielny should going nowhere. He’s fast and solid and can also score some goals. Mertesacker is experienced but hasn’t got many years left (and is quite slow) so I feel he needs a ready replacement but we shouldn’t sell him. Gabriel is coming along nicely and should slowly take Per’s place in the starting XI. Chambers should be kept as a contingency player in case of injuries or loaned out to gain some experience and more confidence we should not sell him.
Verdict: We should stick with what we have – or – Acquire another CB (maybe Hummels?) and loan out Chambers.
Wingback defenders
left back is perfect. We have two different types of players; Monreal (more defensive) and Gibbs (more attacking) in healthy competition which shouldn’t be tampered with.
At right back we have Debuchy who, when fit, is first choice for France so will probably be first choice for us too. However now Bellerin is coming up, Debuchy’s place is far from safe, but I think between those two we have two fine right backs. We also have Chambers for emergencies.
Verdict: Keep our current crop and loan Chambers or keep him for emergencies. We could sell Carl Jenkinson, but because he is an Arsenal fan if he is good enough we should loan him out again until Debuchy retires. At the moment he is not good enough to make the squad.
Defensive midfield:
Coquelin is a getting better and better but he will end up being burnt out if he doesn’t get support next season. We really need another DM (maybe Khedira or Schneiderlin or Cabaye) and we’ll be fine. We do have Ramsey and Wilshere who are versatile but we really need some good protection for our defence.
Verdict: Buy a world class DM no questions about it.
It’s time to say goodbye to Flamini who is just not good enough anymore. Abou Diaby is too injury prone so despite his loyalty it’s time to say goodbye. Mikel Arteta is good but with the competition he’s not guaranteed a place and it would be sad to see such a great player on the bench so often – so for me he should also be sold.
Attacking midfield
We have Ozil and Cazorla – two word class number 10’s – so if one gets injured the other comes in. Also we have Ramsey and Wilshere in time of desperation. Sanchez and Chambo can also play there as well. Rosicky is another great player I don’t like seeing on the bench. If he is happy on the bench he should stay but he is at the twilight of his career at 34 so if he wants to spend his last years playing regular football I wouldn’t blame him for leaving.
Verdict: We need no more Attacking Midfielders
Strikers and wingers:
Giroud is the main man and fits well specifically to Arsenal’s style of play and for me has been our MVP at the moment and does not need to be replaced. Welbeck is brillant, but that guy just can’t score enough goals. He is more like a second striker and is really frustrating because he’s a great athlete, great person, works hard but just doesn’t give you 20 goals a season. However I hope he will improve, but to compete on the biggest stages we need a top goal scorer.But we should keep him because he still adds value.
Sanchez is world class. He saved us when Giroud was out injured. He can play as a striker (but I would rather Welbeck in that case) but more effective as a winger. He should DEFINITELY not be sold. Chamberlain – I personally think Chambo should be a striker because he is strong and fast. Seriously I think he would be a good centre forward and Wenger should look into it. He is developing nicely but keeps getting injured. We should keep him as he can play on either wing and also (if we like) in the middle. A great player in the making.
Walcott – this guy is so fast and has the potential to be dangerous and been at the club so long it makes no sense to sell him especially to a rival. I know he is having some contract drama and demanding high wages but he can deliver. He just needs more time (I’m sure you’ve heard this before) but if you look at his performances before his year out he was doing really well. However, he needs to up his game if he expects to play. We invested so much in him we shouldn’t let him leave. He is getting to his prime – and he is the type of player that will make us pay if he goes to a rival. However I would have no hard feeling if he left because he wasn’t getting enough playing time.
Verdict:
We should buy one regular goal scorer (Jackson Martinez? Icardi?, Suarez? Loic Remy? Falcao?)
Sanogo needs to be sold. We really don’t need him now we have Welbeck. Myaichi should either be loaned out again or sold. Campbell should be loaned out again but we should keep him, he has promise. Podolski – I keep remembering how he used to be such a deadly striker but it seems that he just isn’t the same player he once was, and maybe Wenger was right not to play him. Still (if he manages to rediscover his game) I think we should keep him in the squad. If not, maybe we should sell him he deserves to play regularly. I hate seeing him on the bench knowing what he could do. Akpom is not good enough yet, but has great promise and should be loaned out for a bit longer.
Players that should stay – brackets ( ) means depending on situation:
Ospina, Martinez
Koscielny, Gabriel, Bellerin, (Mertesacker), Debuchy, Gibbs, Monreal,
Wilshere, Ramsey, Chamberlain, Ozil, Cazorla, (Rosicky), Coquelin,
Welbeck, Sanchez, Giroud, Walcott, (Podolski)
Loan: Chambers, (Joel Campbell), (Akpom), (Ryo), (Jenkinson)
Sell: Flamini, Arteta, Sanogo, Szczesny, Diaby,
Who agrees with my assessment?
ceofaruk