THREE players Wenger should cash in on this winter
Yesterday I wrote an article on three players Arsene Wenger should consider signing this winter, this one is simply the opposite – which three should be on their way out?
Arsenal do have a number of players within their squad, who are injury-prone, inconsistent, or just plain garbage. I posted a weekly poll on my site to see who the visitors think should leave this winter. There were 10 possible candidates (not implying that we need to sell all of them) on the list in which voters could select between one or all ten players, and surprisingly the results matched the three players that I think should be walking out of the Emirates this January. The players listed in this article were in my mind prior to the poll going up (I swear). Anyway, I await the barrage of horrible messages and abuse from the readers, here is my list:
Manuel Almunia
Do I really need to explain why he has to go? I think the nickname ‘Manure’ (given to him by the Arsenal fans) says it all really. The 33-year-old is not Arsenal material (never has been) and has not featured for the club since late September, and appears to be out of the Arsenal picture for Wenger and the fans. He has made countless mistakes last season and a few this one (when he’s played of course) and quite clearly Wenger has run out of patience with him. As a result, Lukasz Fabianski and even youngster Wojciech Szczesny have leapt ahead of Almunia in the pecking order. Simply put, Almunia is not what you would call a reliable set of hands between the posts and has dropped to third choice goalkeeper very rapidly. We have two better goalkeepers in our ranks and because of this the Spaniard should be sold this winter…even if it’s for a small fee.
Denilson
The 22-year-old Brazilian midfielder has shown that he is not capable of performing at the highest level and here are my reasons for saying this. When in possession of the ball, he seems to have a liking of looking back instead of forward. I will admit his distribution of the ball is exceptional and the Brazilian has been known to belt in a few goals for the Gunners. However, he is a very inconsistent performer, and has a very poor reading of the game in general. His defensive attributes are abysmal and has shown he is unable to keep up with the pace of the game at times. On several occasions this season Denilson has looked very flat-footed and has lost possession of the ball very cheaply (have a look at the games he has played in so far, and you will get what I’m saying). We have better options available, and with the introduction of Jack Wilshere, who has impressed, Denilson’s chances have been damaged even further. Many fans may believe that he is capable of cementing a place in the Arsenal line-up. However, after witnessing recent events it’s about time the player looked for another club…of course this is just my opinion.
Nicklas Bendtner
It was either him or Carlos Vela, but I believe the Mexican has more to offer than the Dane. Nicklas Bendtner claims to be the next best thing since sliced bread, when quite frankly he isn’t. The 22-year-old has demanded more regular starts as he feels he deserves a place in the Arsenal starting XI, but with poor and inconsistent performances the Danish international deserves to be shown the exit doors at the Emirates. I’m not saying the guy is useless, because he does have some good attributes, but the truth is he is not lethal enough. As well as that, Bendtner has to somehow try and get ahead of Marouane Chamakh who is on form and Robin Van Persie, who is looking sharp on his return from injury…its not going to happen is it? Wenger, sell him to one of the clubs who are interested in him, make a profit and then spend it on a much more valuable asset in the near future.
Voters were allowed to tick all ten players if they wanted to, hence the confusing percentages you are about to see. At the time of writing this there were a total of 45 voters (yeah, I know it’s not a lot) who took part in the poll. Results showed that there were 38 ticks for Manuel Almunia who topped the list with 84%, Nicklas Bendtner was second with 29 ticks (64%) and Denilson came in third place with 25 ticks (56%). If you would like to see the full table of results, check out the site Gunnersphere.com.
Read more Arsenal blogs at the excellent Gunnersphere website
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Beg to differ on your opinions regarding Denilson. FRead here : http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/03/21/denilson-arsenal-arsene-wenger-passing-ratio/
http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/07/30/central-midfield-role/
Underrated. He might not be as safe as Xavi, but the ability to keep the ball in circulation is king. Look at how Xavi and Roy Keane plays.
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It is more preferably for manuel almunia and nicklas bendtner to leave while arsenal should hold on denilson because of the injury in the midfield.
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Lol your comments on denilson shows how in football understanding terms immature you are n clearly have not played much football yourself. M so glad u r just a fan not a part of the coaching team,!
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I think you need to reappraise your view regarding bendtner v vela.
I understand how big headed bendtner is – but he has delivered (think back to the period last season when he returned from injury. Vela on the otherhand never remotely looks like scoring and has fallen well away from those carling days of 3 seasons ago.
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You are right except on Denilson. He is a superb supplier and a good back up for Song. He is such a guy that contributes quietly but significantly to a game just like Squillaci. Believe me that boy will soon be another Song.
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You are wrong on Denilson. The guy is a very good DM since he keeps it simple. He is much strong and can only improve. Bedner should not be sold off, look no further than last season when he was from injury.
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Your view on Denilson suggests to me that you should leave blogging about football alone. The guy is one of the best young midfielders in the premier league if not Europe. Talk someone who is really knowledgeable about the game and they’ll tell you the same.
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denilson???? you bugger off
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i’ve been waiting for this day forever, the day when Arsenal fans see Denilson’s contribution, im not gonna bother say anything about whats written in the article about Denilson, but im glad all the comments so far suggest the same thing that i’ve been saying about Denilson, understand his duties and you will realize that he is a very good player and he makes a significant contribution to arsenal and i for 1 would not want him to be sold.
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Manure???
Thts ManU or MAchester United..
All Gunners respect Manuel Almunia for his services…
and in no Arsenal fan site can u c a name Manure for Almunia…
Almunia and Bendtner shd leave if the want regular football..
Denilson leaving Arsenal??
haha wat a joke…who is the sub DM around here with Frimpong injured…
Denilson will stay fot 10 more yrs coz his heart is always here…just like our good old Gilberto Silva…
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