Ten players who have overstayed their Emirates Stadium welcome, some far more so than others.
Another disappointing season has seen fans call for Arsene Wenger to reassess some of the players at his disposal.
There’s a strong possibility that The Gunners may miss out on next seasons Champions League as poor result and performances has put pressure on the manager. Furthermore, with so many players out on loan, many could be sold on to make room for improved signings to help get the North Londoners challenging for the title again.
There are several who have done themselves no favours;
Gervinho
Hotly tipped to take the Premier League by storm upon signing from French club Lille, where he helped them to a league and cup double in 2011. Costing the club just over £10 million, he has returned just nine goals in 52 games and has become somewhat of a joke amongst football fans. He has effectively become a ‘cup player’ and if Arsenal were to sell him, they could recoup around half of what they paid and save what must be around £60,000 a week on his wages.
Wojciech Szczesny
Although he’s only 22, and thus has time to develop, as a number 1 he’s just not ready yet. A loan spell at Brentford in 2009/10 gave an insight into what a good player he can be, but upon his return to Arsenal he’s not lived up to the hype. Recently, his metal state has been questioned by his manager, suggesting that he’s not equipped to deal with the rigours of a Premier League season. With a new goalkeeper tipped to join in the summer, the Pole could seek
Sebastien Squillaci
Squillachi’s signing was a curious one. He arrived out of nowhere and was the final part of a trio of new centre-backs that included Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny. He failed to endear himself to supporters with some high profile errors and since then he’s largely been a spectator. A good player with an impressive CV, but he obviously isn’t going to get many more chances and will not be offered a new deal when his current contract expires in the summer.
Andre Santos
Not much was known about Santos when he arrived from Fenerbache in 2011, but Arsenal generally have good luck when it comes to unknown Brazilians (Edu, Gilberto etc.) The club were in need of a solid defensive midfielder and many though that he was the man for the job. However, he never quite managed to live up to expectations and baffled everyone by swapping shirts with Robin Van Persie at half time during the clash against Manchester United earlier this season. In January he returned to Brazil, joining Gremio on loan, and with the current trend of established Brazilian players returning home, he could be the next one to follow suit.
Marouane Chamakh
The first player to join from a championship winning French side who ultimately failed to impress (Olivier Giroud, beware!) Highly sought when he joined, he was expected to take the Premier League by storm, but a promising start aside, he’s since proved that he’s not what Arsenal need. 67 appearances in three years tell you everything you need to know and now he’s out on loan at West Ham, many can expect him to seek new pastures in the summer.
Emmanuel Frimpong
There is a lot of hype surrounding Frimpong (mostly self generated,) but the 21-year-old seems to be more popular for his catch phrases than his playing ability. He’s made just 18 league appearances for Arsenal, and the three clubs he’s joined on loan, though he was injured for a significant amount of time whilst at Wolves. Realistically, he’s probably not going to be the long term solution Arsenal need, so Wenger could do well to exploit English clubs’ habit of paying over the odds for young English talent.
Nicklas Bendtner
Bendtner is undoubtedly talented, just not as talented as he thinks he is, and his attitude has done him no favours under Wenger. This is now the second successive season he’s been sent out on loan, joining Juventus after spending last year at Sunderland. Another car crash incident has dragged his name through the mud in Italy and it would surprise nobody to see him heading through the exit at The Emirates at the end of the season.
Denilson
The second Brazilian centre midfielder on this list. Denilson arrived in North London in 2006 hotly tipped to be a star in the making. Fast forward seven years and he’s not made anywhere near the impact that many had hoped. Having spent the last tow seasons on loan at Sao Paolo due to the emergence of Jack Wilshire it could be that Wenger will look to cash in on the 25-year-old and use the money elsewhere.
Johan Djourou
The big Swiss defender is a curious case. A good player without ever being spectacular, his career stalled somewhere along the line and he was never quite able to take the next step and make a starting spot his own. Currently on loan at Hannover 96 he left with a parting shot saying; “I joined the club who wanted me the most. At my age, the priority is to play regularly. To do this, I did not hesitate to refuse offers with the most exclusive clubs who made important financial efforts.” While there is no option for Hannover to buy, Djourou’s sentiments on leaving, and the overwhelming competition for places could mean that he’ll seek a move elsewhere permanently.
Andrei Arshavin
On his day he can be the most unplayable, intelligent member of the squad. Sadly, though, at 31 years of age these days seem to be few and far between. The diminutive Russian never truly got settled in London and a half season return to Zenit St Petersburg seemed to suggest that he would be heading home. However, that didn’t happen, and he returned back to Arsenal where he continues to play a peripheral role in their struggle. A permanent return to Russia would be most likely, but if not, there are surely a number of clubs still willing to take a chance on him.