Horrific injury mars Arsenal’s qualifying for Europa knockouts but should we give Danny a new contract anyway?

Arsenal limped through to the knockout stages of the Europa League last night and never looked like losing, but the game was overshadowed by the horrific injury to Danny Welbeck after just half an hour of the game, which left the players sad and distracted. Alex Iwobi admitted that it affected both teams, not just Arsenal. “It’s very challenging mentally, but sometimes it comes in the game and there’s been a lot of injuries, and unfortunately for Danny he’s had a few so we’re going to wish him the best. Both sets of teams were mentally challenged and we were able to continue with the game, but like I said, we wish him all the best and we will keep on encouraging and motiving him to get back.”

Unai Emery had very little to say about the actual games afterwards. He said: “It’s the worst news tonight, this injury. It’s clear that we are with him in these minutes. He was working well and he was having a good match. He had some chances too. His injury was with the mentality of the players. They [saw] it was a big injury. When you are playing football, when you are playing in competitive matches, it can happen. You don’t want it to happen but this is our profession.

“When one player has an injury like that, every player on the pitch they look at this injury. First it’s in your mind – you think for the player. But I think the players were concentrated on the match and we forgot this injury the next minute on the pitch. But when the match finishes, the first thing they did was ask for him.”

You could tell just by the reaction of Danny and his team-mates that it was not a normal injury, and Emery confirmed that as well. “Yes, now he is at the hospital. The news is that we are going to wait – but we think it’s a serious injury.”

Well there is not much we can do to help him now, but just sit and hope it is not quite as bad as it looks. It is very likely that Welbeck has now played his last game for the Gunners, unless the club gives him a years contract out of compassion to give him time to recover, like they did with Santi Cazorla…

26 Comments

  1. Yesterday I praised DW for being a thoroughly decent man and this happens.I feel so sorry for Danny and I would like to think our Club, which has always had high values and principles, will extend his contract until he is again fully fit when the position can be reviewed.All true Arsenal supporters wish you a speedy recovery Danny.

    1. Grandad, You are clearly a fine and compasionate person and compassion in life is vital. But when we are talking about long term injuries for players, the fact that they are all millionaires at Danny’s level and time of life, is a huge factor which mitigates against giving a new contract because of mere compassion. DW, as all agree, is a fine human being but at our level a not quite good enough player if we are tring to seriously build for future a title challenge. When thousands of poor souls are homeless tonight and every night and Arsenal FC is competing in a corporate business run Prem, reality says -and as ever, I am a REALIST first and foremost – that we should not and I believe will not, renew this fine man’s but only half decent player’s contract. It is possible, though not always eassy, I grant you, to be both compassionate for the man but also realistic enough to know that bad injuries are one of the reasons why players ask for and receive obscene amouints of salary. Danny will not starve , neither for food, shelter nor affection from Gooners. But to renew his contract would be a mistake, I believe.

      1. Jon Fox, unfortunately, I totally agree with you. We work on a limited budget and have difficulties competing with the likes of Liverpool, City, Man U and Chelsea financially despite hoping to best them in the table. This means we can not afford to hand out contracts where we know we don’t get a return on the pitch.

        Just as players that get long-term injuries don’t offer to cancel their contracts out of charitable considerations despite knowing they won’t be able to play but instead expect clubs to honor the contracts, the club doesn’t have to be financially charitable.

        We can help him and show our gratitude to provide certain services to him after his contract expires and before he signs with another club by making available our medical staff and allowing him to train with us should he be able to return to full fitness. But we simply can not afford to sign him to a new contract knowing he won’t be able to contribute.

        Wishing Danny a full and speedy recovery.

        1. Yes, T a c and your second paragraph, about long term injured players not refusing their wages, makes a powerful argument for our point of view.

  2. Absolutely not, and it’s ridiculous to even suggest it! Horrible what happened to Welbeck, but why does he deserve a new contract? He’s clearly injury prone (this will be his third huge injury already), and he’s been very average on the pitch.

    Arsenal have got to stop acting like a charity, and more like a football club. We do not have a rich owner who’s willing to dip into his own pocket, so we have got to stop wasting money!

    1. Sadly agree to this, because Arsenal have to avoid another Diaby’s, Cazorla’s or Wilshere’s problem

      The salary can be allocated to bring younger and healthier players in

    2. He was never good enough as a starter but good enough as a 3rd choice CF.Prior to the injury I wanted us to offer him a one year contract and send Nketiah on loan for next season so as to prepare him for 3rd choice CF.It wouldn’t have made sense for us to allow him to leave on a free transfer this season had he been relatively fit and completed the season due to Nketiah not being ready.I expect Nketiah to be his direct replacement in the long run.

  3. Feel sorry for Welbeck.The best Arsenal can do now for him is to allow him to leave for free when the time comes.Arsenal is not a place where injury prone players are lucky.Chances are he’s going to be injured again as seen from players who came here and became injury prone.I had hoped Nketiah would’ve been sent on loan this season to prepare him for 3rd choice CF and take Welbeck’s place on the bench.

  4. It all depends if it was Danny that didn’t sign a new contract then its on him but if he was waiting to sign a new contract and was agreed then we should honor it,

    Get well soon Danny

  5. Honestly, I don’t think this article is necessary at this point in time when the subject matter, that is, Danny is in this horrible situation.
    I suggest we all come together pray and stand by him throughout his recovery. There and then we discuss this in detail.
    Just thinking aloud.

  6. Sorry about welbeck but he will not be offered a new contract. Arsenal need an out and out winger like Mahrez or Zaha. In light of welbecks injury and given hes contract is up this summer, I fully expect the useless Ramsey to be even more useless for us and play with less vigour to avoid a similar fate.

  7. I think the club should take care of Danny’s medical needs upto the time he fully recovers. He did get injured working for the club after all. As for a new contract I had wanted him to get an extension for atleast a year, but after seeing all his injury problems I wonder if it would make sense for the club. It would be like keeping Wilshere and Chamberlain…2 injury prone players the club did well to get rid off. Am gonna cop out on this and say I will agree with whatever the club decides is good for the Welbeck case …though am leaning on us letting him go. It was hard to let go of Rosicky but we know it was the right thing to do. Same with Cazorla.

    1. Both Wilshere and Chamberlan were offered new contracts, Wilshere left because of limited playing time, and Chamberlan left for Liverpool and a lower salary than we offered, because he wanted to play for Liverpool and Klopp. We didn’t “get rid” of either of them.

  8. I am sure, we all feel very sad for Welbeck.
    But we shouldn’t offer contracts just based on sympathy.
    Welbeck is a very well paid sportsman, who, providing he doesn’t throw away his money, has earned more than enough to be comfortable for the rest of his life.

    If Arsenal should give money to charity, there are billions, who need help much more than Welbeck.

  9. Let’s wait for the update on how serious Welbeck’s injury is before us Gooners jump into any conclusion. He may still recover from his current ankle injury within a month or two and return to action for Arsenal before the season ends. Or if the injury if very serious that will have him sidelined for a very long time to the extent he will be out for Arsenal for the rest of this season’s campaign, then of course Arsenal could allow him to go on the free next summer. But they should be compassionate to him to allow him access to the club’s medical facility to continue receiving treatment till he is fully healed. And also allow him access to Arsenal’s London Colney training facilities after he’s healed to be training there till he finds a club. Alternatively, if he recovers before the season ends and return to action for Arsenal in January, the club could sell him during the January window if they get a club who wants him.

  10. I am not sure, my heart says it would be nice to have him around still, but my mind tells me that he is done. We need the money to get better players in for the greater good. Welbeck is one of many soldiers in the battle for success. He is done but the fight continues. So all the best to him, he has the money, he has the life, so lets continue in spending in January to replace him.

  11. I did break my ankle when i was 18 and from this day moving around and playing freely was not possible anymore. The restrictions onward are to great. Not just physically but mentally as well.

    Good luck to Welbs

  12. Poor Welbz… feel really bad for him, it looked horrible ? terrible thing to happen to him, he hasn’t had much luck with injuries. Get well soon Welbz ?
    As regards to the contract, I don’t know…. who knows what Unai & the team have planned for him..
    You don’t want to come across as heartless, because of what’s happened, but we have the team to think of… so leave it up to Unai & the team

  13. There should be no place for players that are injury prone if Arsenal want to get back to where we once were. Feel sorry for DW but thats the way it should be, it was no different than with Wilshire. How many times in the past have fans moaned about players being injured while being paid huge sums of money to sit in the treatment room, its not that long ago we were all moaning about Diarby.

  14. I said it Welbeck is a Con, he want to rob Arsenal of contracts. That was what Arsenal board are waiting for before they’ll offer him a new contract, Unfortunately his old wound open back. I hope he gets well very soon.
    Arsenal is not a Rehab center for any injury prone player. I pray others like him get out sooner or later

    1. You’re an absolute moron, if there’s any player at Arsenal you can guarantee will give 100% every time he takes to the pitch, it’s Welbeck, how in the hell is that a con.

  15. ? Well said stubill; I really hope benex stated what he did to wind people up and not because he actually believes it. In either case to state this at this time following a horrendous injury to Welbeck makes him lower than a snake’s duodenum!

  16. Welbz is a likeable chap, I bet he is the type who we would all be friends with down the pub and enjoy his company, it makes saying this hard… I was of the opinion we should look to be looking to move him on anyway.

    For the left forward role we have Auba and Iwobi, next season we have Nelson coming back from his loan and so far he has looked like a real Auba replacement for the left with Iwobi needing to score to compete.

    No room for Welbz on the left.

    CF is Laca, Auba and Nketiah should be given more time, he could go out on loan but why? When we called upon him in the FA Cup he produced, he has produced consistently at every level so why not give him more time with us? Let him learn from both Laca and Auba and to be 3rd choice.

    No room in CF for Welbz.

    Only place is on the right which he doesn’t really play all that much on the right anyway. We may not have £100’s of million to spend but I don’t think we need as much as the hype bandwagon is saying.

    Clear Ramsey and Welbz wages and that is wages for a quality player.
    Use the £40 million we have with the sale of a squad player (ElNeny?) and we have the funds to trigger Pepe release, the wages saved on Welbz and Rambo will be more than enough to cover him and until they leave the extra funds from the ElNeny transfer(example player) can cover the increase in wages.

    FFP met. Self sustain model met.

    Jan till end of season we could even experiment with Bellerin on the right as we do have Jenks and Lich who can play RB.

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