A collection of Emirates Stadium talent Arsene Wenger should consider getting rid of this summer.
10. Sebastien Squillaci
The French defender has barely been seen since his disastrous first season with the club in 2010/11, which suggests he should probably be on his way. Signed from Sevilla as experienced backup to Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen, Squillaci looked well out of his depth in almost every game at Premier League and Champions League level. Despite his lack of action, he still collects wages believed to be around £60,000 per week and his imminent departure, with the veteran being out of contract this summer,would free up some serious money to be used on players who actually play.
9. Marouane Chamakh
Currently struggling for first-team football on loan at West Ham, the Moroccan arrived at the Emirates Stadium on a free transfer from Bordeaux, which was seen as a good move at the time after the Gunners fought off interest from a number of other top clubs to sign him. However, with just three goals in his last two seasons it would be fair to say Chamakh has flopped big time and looks incapable of providing any firepower upfront for Arsenal, or indeed any other team.
8. Andrey Arshavin
Despite being one of Arsenal’s most exciting signings for years when he arrived, Andrey Arshavin has turned into something of a laughing stock at the club. The Russian has lost all his spark and has struggled to even make the bench in the last two seasons. Will be fondly remembered for his incredible four goals against Liverpool at Anfield as well as his winner against Barcelona, but the time has definitely come for him to move on. There have been rumours that he will actually retire from the game at the end of the season, which wouldn’t be surprising considering his seeming lack of fitness and interest in football now.
7. Andre Santos
Andre Santos has been such a bad signing for Arsenal, that when Kieran Gibbs pulled up with injury against Liverpool at the end of January, Arsene Wenger desperately rushed out to sign another left-back so that the clumsy Brazilian wouldn’t have to play. Nacho Monreal was brought in as emergency cover, while Santos was sent out on loan to Brazilian side Gremio. He is unlikely to feature for the Gunners again, which can only be a good thing due to his sluggishness and lack of defensive nous.
6. Johan Djourou
You could be forgiven for forgetting that Johan Djourou even exists, as the Swiss centre-back is another player who has hardly been seen at Arsenal for about two years. Once considered a decent prospect, he is now 26 and surely not going to improve to Arsenal standards. Currently on loan at Hannover, the Gunners will be hoping he can perform well enough to attract some interest in this summer’s transfer window, as he’s certainly a player they could do with getting off their books.
5. Emmanuel Frimpong
Currently on loan at Fulham, the cocky midfielder is better known for his off-pitch antics than his footballing ability. A decent young player who clearly got ahead of himself with the excitement of being thrust into the limelight at a young age, he seems more of a liability to Arsenal with his attitude problems. Fulham seem to have been impressed enough with him though, so hopefully Arsenal will be able to get rid of him.
4. Denilson
Another player who looked promising as a youngster but never improved, Denilson is one that surely has no future at Arsenal. Having spent the last two seasons on loan at Brazilian side Sao Paulo and not really impressed there either, the Gunners might sadly struggle to find anyone willing to take the midfielder on. Another example of how Arsene Wenger’s eye for talented youth is not always to be trusted.
3. Nicklas Bendtner
The cocky Danish striker left Arsenal on loan due to his frustration at not being first choice for the Gunners. Clearly thinking he’s better than he actually is, he soon found first-team opportunities equally difficult to come by on loan at Sunderland, and even worse on loan at Juventus this season. Many clubs will be put off by Bendtner’s arrogance, and Arsenal fans will be sick of the sight of him, as he’s never really looked like being a reliable finisher, despite his interesting knack for scoring late and often important goals.
2. Gervinho
It didn’t take long for the signing of Gervinho to look like a mistake. The Ivorian forward arrived with a decent reputation from Lille, but is another one of Arsene Wenger’s recruits from France that has failed to reproduce his form on these shores. Often a frustrating and confusing player, Gervinho never really looks like he knows what he’s doing, running himself into dead ends and showing a strange reluctance to shoot, and usually missing easy chances when he does. Definitely not the kind of player the Gunners should be hanging on to if they want to mount a serious challenge for silverware. Amazingly, Galatasaray have been rumoured to be willing to pay £12million for his services – an offer Arsenal should take and run!
1. Wojciech Szczesny
Harsh perhaps, but it’s probably time to give up on Wojciech Szczesny. The gobby Polish goalkeeper has been dropped for his glaring errors and lack of concentration this season, perhaps showing Arsene Wenger that he’s not the hot prospect he thought he was. Arsenal have been linked with a whole host of goalkeepers in this summer’s transfer window, and that should be a sign that Szczesny will be on his way out, as he is unlikely to settle for being second choice. The goalkeeper position has been a problem for a number of years now and it’s time the Gunners stopped giving chances to players that haven’t earned it, which now sadly includes Szczesny.