Kevin Campbell believes that Shkodran Mustafi has reached the end of the road in terms of his Arsenal career as the German continues to struggle to be the first choice at the club.
Mustafi returned to English football when Arsenal signed him from Valencia in 2016, having previously been on the books of Everton.
His return to the English top-flight was supposed to help Arsenal remain a top side, but the Gunners instead slipped out of the top four and his performances on a personal level didn’t help his reputation.
Prior to the appointment of Mikel Arteta as Arsenal’s manager, Mustafi was one of the players that the club’s fans always picked on when they wanted a scapegoat for their troubles at the back.
He has looked in better shape under the Spanish manager and there has been a possibility that he would be offered a new deal.
But Campbell thinks that the German will not want to remain at the Emirates any longer and that he should leave at the expiry of his contract in the summer.
Asked by Football Insider if the Germany international will leave the Londoners next summer, Campbell said:
“That is a done deal. I think it is a done deal from both sides.
“Mustafi has taken a lot of stick in the past. It is difficult for players to take but we know what fans are like. If you make the mistake the fans will be on you but if you play well they will pat you on the back.
“That is just the way high level football is right now. We have all suffered it.
“If you have a bad game you can suddenly be the worst thing since slice bread. Mustafi has had a good run at Arsenal but it is definitely coming to an end.”
Mustafi has tried his best but he is just not anywhere near good enough. He is one of the “three clowns”; the others being the now sidelined Sokratis and the somewhat rejuvenated Luiz, who is still not defensively secure but who plays as we still have only one proven top CB at the club in GABRIEL.
It takes time to replace a defence that until MA came was a laughing stock. Thanks to MA’s coaching briliance and his inate ability to improve MOST players, even the former awful ones, our defence is now sound.
BUT DO NOT FOOL YOURSELF THAT IS IS BECAUSE WE NOW HAVE A HOST OF GREAT DEFENDERS HERE, BECAUSE WE DO NOT.
In time Mustafi will exit our club and the sooner the better. Merely being less mistake ridden than before does NOT and never will make him good enough for the team that MA is steadily piecing together!
We have, IMO, just two top class outfield defenders, Gabriel and Tierney and a number who ARE improved in performance from before MA but who are still not good enough for where we will soon be.
I do not include the wonderful PARTEY as a defender, as he plays midfield. I also exclude AMN, for the same reason of eventually probably moving into midfield.
MA, as a pragmatist who has to work under financial restrictions, has worked wonders, but much further improvement in defence can ONLY come from bringing in better players.
For now, the ilk of Luiz and Holding will play a lot but IN A YEAR OR EIGHTEEN MONTHS TIME, I see only Gabriel, Tierney and probably Saliba still being here as defenders.
You are spot on Jon .Gabriel and Tierney are our only top quality defenders and despite his set backs of late, hopefully Saliba will live up to the high expectations expressed by many French Managers and ex pros.Holding is a decent CB and i like his attitude, but like Chambers and Mari he lacks the pace to become a top defender.As for Mustafi, Socratis and Luis, I will not shed any tears when they leave at the end of the season.