Let the Great Arsenal Rebuild of 2017 Begin! (Wenger or No Wenger)
You can spin anything to fit a purpose if you want to and apparently a 2-2 draw with Manchester City in which Arsenal fell behind twice, scored one goal which might have been offside and had a late handball ignored which could have cost them a penalty, was more fuel for the #WengerOut brigade. It wasn’t, that was a pretty good result on the whole for the Gunners. Much better than another defeat even if it means that Arsenal have only won three times in their last ten games across all competitions – and two of those were easy victories against lower league sides in the FA Cup.
We still don’t know if Arsene Wenger is gonna sign that new contract but the longer he waits the more it’s starting to feel like he’s stalling until the atmosphere around the club lightens up so he can confirm he’ll be staying on. Get a couple wins so the neutrals amongst the Emirates crowd are at least in a good mood. It’s typical emotional politics, you know. Don’t announce more tax cuts while the people are already pissed.
Gun to my head and I’ll admit I believe that Wenger’s gonna sign that two year deal. But I also think that for the first time in his career he really had to think about it (he definitely wants us to think he did). Therefore I genuinely think he understands where this club is at. He feels the unrest, even if he doesn’t show it. He wants the best for Arsenal Football Club.
And so this final two year stint, hypothetical that it still is at this stage, could well see a shifting in his approach. It’s a fallacy that Arsenal don’t spend, they didn’t while the stadium was being built but Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil didn’t come cheap, mate. Now the opportunity is there to put all the chips in the middle of the table. Wenger is too careful to burn the place down just to stay warm in the meantime but he also doesn’t have to worry about building for someone else’s future. Stay humble here, Arsenal fans, but we could be about to see one of those drastic squad overhauls…
The Arsenal squad itself isn’t weak at all. In fact it’s arguably the strongest squad in the entire Premier League – only Manchester United can say they’re as deep and balanced as Arsenal. Yet neither of those two teams are even in the top four right now. United’s case is probably more about Jose Mourinho than anything else, a deep squad which he refuses to rotate and a priority of not losing rather than winning, etc. With Arsenal it’s not that they don’t have talented players – it’s that they maybe don’t have the right kinds of players.
The good news is that they’ve bought pretty well lately. You can criticise Granit Xhaka for plenty, he’s a reckless son of a gun, but he’s also feisty in a way that Arsenal haven’t had for ages. Nothing wrong with that. Shkodran Mustafi was unbeatable in his first few months as a Gooner. 22 games without defeat to begin his career there… then they lost to Watford and from that day onwards he’s played all ten of the slump games in which they’ve conceded 23 goals. Bit rotten there but bear in mind that he’s only 24 and his partnership with Laurent Koscielny has plenty of potential. Mohamed Elneny is another underrated recent buy and Lucas Perez can do the odd thing himself. He’ll probably be more useful in his second season, supposing he gets more opportunities. One goal in 265 Premier League minutes isn’t great for a £17m summer buy however he has scored in every competition this season. Perez is better than what he’s shown so far.
Between those four players and guys like Koscielny, Hector Bellerin and Alex Iwobi who are all contracted until at least 2020, there’s a core group of guys to shape the squad around. Of those guys, Kosc at 31 might decide he wants to move on and Iwobi might decide he’ll grow more on a team where he’s playing every week but probably not. The only guy who could genuinely bugger off in the near future is Bellerin, who has attracted some big interest from Barcelona, apparently. He’s good enough that you have to take that interest seriously and he’d be a huge loss. Not having his best season, granted.
Only two guys are coming off contract after this season and both are out injured: Santi Cazorla and Yaya Sanogo. The latter is never gonna be scoring 20 goals a season for Arsenal so he’ll surely leave but Cazorla has been the club’s finest midfielder for ages only for his injuries to constantly keep him off the park. He only played 15 Premier League games last season and he’s been kept to 8 this time. Tough decision to be made there.
There’s a reason the two injured guys are the only ones with their contracts running down. In the high stakes world of professional football, it’s a cardinal sin to let a player with value walk for free. Hence the real running down of contracts comes with a year to go – that’s when players and clubs are forced to pick a side. To stay or to go? Well, Arsenal have seven players whose deals expire in June 2018 and every one of them could justifiably leave.
First off: the superstars. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil are both 28 years old, they’re in their peaks and they’re both upset. Sanchez had that falling out a few weeks back, his body language always rides on the edge but there have been some very stroppy moments lately. Snapping (often rightfully) at teammates and all that. He wants to win and it ain’t happening. As for Ozil, he’s similar except that when he’s frustrated he stops trying so hard and his form has been quite bad this season – a meaningless hatty in the Champions League aside (they were already 3-0 up vs Ludogorets when he scored the first of his three gees). Sanchez scores important goals while Ozil has a reputation for disappearing in big games.
Carl Jenkinson and Kieran Gibbs are guys that have come through the Arsenal system and been in and around the first team for a few seasons. Jenkinson has spent a lot of time out on loan recently, a season and a half at West Ham, and he’s barely played this season. Gibbs has seen more time out on the pitch and occasionally in a more advanced position too. But hasn’t really caught fire either.
Meanwhile Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey are more pedigreed young guns to have been developed by Arsene Wenger. Problem is they haven’t quite developed enough. Ramsey has been brilliant in times gone by but has strangely been a non-factor in this current season while the Ox sounds resigned to the fact he’ll have to go elsewhere if his career’s gonna really kick on. Both have enormous ability, neither is helping Arsenal to win games right now. And the last of the 2018 class is Per Mertesacker who… well he was one of the slowest defenders out there already and he’s only getting older. Crucial experience and leadership, not really a guy who can command first team opportunities at this club.
Mixed in amongst them all are a number of players who make up the bulk of the current squad and whose futures could be determined by the next phase in this club’s history. For example, if Wenger wants to make a point about moving on from a disappointing last decade then he may well decide that the symbolic sale of Theo Walcott would go a long way towards doing that. Or if Wenger leaves and a new boss comes in then does he then offload Wenger-fave Olly Giroud? Nacho Monreal is a guy that can be improved upon at left back and Petr Cech is a guy who whispers suggest might be ready for a different challenge at this stage of his career. Gabriel Paulista has never kicked on, David Opsina would rather be starting somewhere else, Mathieu Debuchy is already out on loan so the writing’s on the wall for him and Danny Welbeck needs to prove he can stay fit.
Who the Gunners buy in the English summer depends a lot on who they sell. Namely, if Alexis Sanchez ends up on Manchester City or Chelsea’s team sheet then drastic measures need to be taken to replace their most relied-upon dude. Mesut Ozil, who cares. Let him go to Spain or France or wherever and escape the enigma but Sanchez… yeah that’s a tricky one. He might be the best player in the whole Premier League and if he’s able to force a move to a rival club – and Arsenal might not be in a position to deny him doing so – then not only are the Gunners weakened but a rival is strengthened (best case scenario in there is that Sanchez replaces Eden Hazard for Chelsea, so the gain is offset).
But it doesn’t matter who they buy, they’ve shown they can find decent talent when they’re willing to spend and there’s every reason why they should be willing to spend in 2017. Arsene Wenger simply has to try go out with a bang or else his final two years (again, supposing he claims them) are gonna turn miserable. The way Arsenal fans have acted this season is a story for another day because the reality is the reality and that’s the way it’ll be if nothing changes. Arsenal can find the players though. What’ll be more indicative of an evolved and aggressive mind-set is who they’re willing to part with.
Thus without further ado, here are the Wildcard’s opinions on the matter. Player by red and white player.
Alexis Sanchez (contracted until 2018) – The talisman and a man who should be the centrepiece of the new era… so long as they can convince him to stay. Some call him temperamental, I call him competitive. Harness that energy and he’ll be even more of a hero. But I also kinda think it’s worth accepting he’s on his way outta there. Bridges may have been burned, I dunno. I’d keep him though, obvs.
Mesut Ozil (2018) – Get outta here, man. Not worth the hype. I understand some people will furiously disagree with that but hey, that’s Ozil for ya. Let some other team carry him on his many off days. The key to world class status is consistency and Ozil ain’t got that.
Santi Cazorla (2017) – Depends on the medical team, apparently he’s going for some experimental ankle procedure now. Worth keeping him around for the player he can be and also sentimentally if he’s gonna need some more recovery time. Just the right thing to do.
Aaron Ramsey (2018) – A wonderful attacking player when he’s fit, as he showed for Wales, but an absolute turnstile on defence. Therefore can only really compete for places as an advanced player and the Gunners have a few of those. I’d keep him around though, unless a monster offer comes in.
Carl Jenkinson (2018) – An Arsenal fan since childhood and thus a favourite of the fans. Also deemed too useless for West Ham so his chances of playing for the Gunners are mighty slim. Gotta go, sadly. He’s played as many times for the reserves as he has the first team this season.
Per Mertesacker (2018) – Will need replacing but I reckon you say cheers for the beers but it’s time to call it quits to Big Per. Seems a great chap so if he’s happy to stay around on a lesser deal with lesser game-time then you chat about it but be ready to cut ties.
Yaya Sanogo (2017) – What’s the point? He’ll only go out on loan, may as well get some permanence in there.
Kieran Gibbs (2018) – Keepsies. What people forget in these keep or sell things is that even the best Sir Alex Ferguson squads had a John O’Shea in them. You need those squad players to fill out the side and Gibbs offers more positional flexibility than people realise. Plus he’s an Arsenal academy grad and those guys are crucial to the heart of a club. Has captained the side before.
Mathieu Debuchy (2019) – As good as gone already.
Theo Walcott (2019) – Dramas here, I say Theo’s done his dash in North London. He’s 28 now and has only ever once score double figure goals in the Premier League. Not really a player who creates much for others so what else is he there for? Plus, yeah, it’d be symbolic.
David Ospina (2019) – Doesn’t really matter. He’s a good keeper but not a great keeper and they can replace him if they need to. Leave it up to Ospina himself, I’d have no worries keeping him there for cup games.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (2018) – My man Ox. I’ve already read stories that say he’s ready to leave and frankly if he wants to go then he should. Alex Iwobi gives you just as much and The Ox isn’t gonna get the week-in/week-out footy he desires at the Emirates. He’d rip it up at Everton or Southampton (the old boys!) or maybe even West Brom though.
Gabriel Paulista (2019) – Not at all convinced about him, but he’s shown some proper glimpses in the last few months. Some players take a year or two to get accustomed to the English game and there’s no pressing reason to give up on Gabby this soon.
Petr Cech (2019) – Another whose fate is in their own hands. Petr Cech is not a player you sell without having a Thibaut Courtois already there in waiting and he’s also not a player you keep around if he’s not happy. It ain’t fair on a PL legend (Chelsea let him go based on both circumstances). Will probably stay if the switch is flicked into ‘Win At All Costs Mode’.
Olivier Giroud (2019) – Meh, you keep him as long as he’s happy. I’m not fussed either way but he’ll have to be ready to play off the bench a lot. Gives this team a different tactical option up front though and that’s always useful.
Jack Wilshere (2018) – Rediscovered some form at Bournemouth. If the offer is big enough, you take it. If not then further discussions are had. Try sell him though, it’s best for all involved (including Gareth Southgate).
Joel Campbell (2018) – Another loanee. Please put him out of his constant recurring loan misery. Sell the poor joker already.
Hector Bellerin (2023) – Five to ten years ago he’d already be out the door with Barcelona waving hefty cheques in his direction. It’d be a stereotypical Arsenal deal, train him up from a teenager to an international and then sell him for a huge profit. Hence how firmly they withstand the Liga temptations here will also show their true intentions because Hector has to stay if they mean business.
Laurent Koscielny (2019) – Definite keep. The club’s best defender and a guaranteed starter for his international team as well.
Rob Holding & Calum Chambers (Both 2020) – Give the kids a chance (sparingly). Chambers might’ve blown his chance already but I reckon he’s worth further examinations.
Francis Coquelin (2021) – Long under contract but honestly he’s either gotta go or he’s gotta settle way back in the pecking order. He’s really not good enough to be starting big games for Arsenal.
Danny Welbeck (2019) – Absolutely keep, he’s one of my favourite players. Plus he’s a dude who makes his teammates better through his work-rate and selflessness. Very injury prone but I honestly think he can be a major figure for the Gunners if he can stay on the park.
Alex Iwobi (2020) – Similarly for this guy. He has pace and skill and he can pass and shoot… get him in there as much as possible. Still raw yet also brings a directness to his play which Arsenal sometimes lack. The more he plays with Alexis Sanchez the better.
Wojciech Szczesny (2018) – Goooooone.
Nacho Monreal (2019) – Might as well maintain. Left-back is a position they can work on but Our Friend Nacho is capable of settling into one of those squad player roles. He’ll do a job when called upon.
Shkodran Mustafi, Lucas Perez, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka (2020-2021) – Come on, can’t go selling players after only one full season. All four have the potential to play 30+ games a season and contribute positively to the ol’ cause.
The Wildcard’s Premier League Predictions – (Mid) Week 31
Watford 1-2 West Brom – Big win for Watters on the weekend while the Baggies will be keen to loosen things up after a 99.9% defensive effort at Old Trafford. Dig those motivations.
Burnley 1-1 Stoke – Burnley are strong at home, Stoke are in the middle of a really tough run of games (0-0 at City, 1-2 vs Chelsea, 0-2 at Leicester, with Liverpool to follow). Cancelling each other out.
Leicester 3-0 Sunderland – Moyesie’s team about to get a slapping from Leicester. Craig Shakespeare has a perfect PL record after four wins from four.
Man United 2-0 Everton – Tough loss in the Derby for the Toffees and not a lot of time to recover. Seamus Coleman is a huge loss. United should be better with Herrera and Ibra back (maybe even the Pog).
Swansea 0-1 Spurs – Not yet counting out Tottenham’s title credentials. Well, technically I am but do think they’ll drag it out a little longer. Stink on Swansea who are getting desperate again.
Arsenal 2-1 West Ham – Write 2500 words on Arsenal, I sorta have to pick them to win, right? But this is more about West Ham. I think they’re terrible without Winston Reid, Pedro Obiang and Michail Antonio and only one of those has a chance of playing this one (Antonio).
Hull 0-0 Middlesbrough – Because Hull City don’t lose at home any more (no seriously, check the stats) and Boro are quite good at not losing. Boro have to find some wins and this is a game they’ll target. Can see them getting frustrated though.
Southampton 2-0 Crystal Palace – It wouldn’t be a relegation battle if Palace kept winning. The Saints are a lot better on paper, although if Christian Benteke keeps rounding the corner then who the hell knows? People forget how good he used to be.
Liverpool 3-0 Bournemouth – It makes sense, even without Sadio Mane.
Chelsea 2-1 Man City – They’re just so hard to beat and I don’t know that City are disciplined enough to get it done. If Mourinho’s desperate pragmatism didn’t do it then Pep’s idealism is gonna struggle.