Here’s something not-so funny.
I typed this all up on a Word file around a week ago, and made the stupid assumption that I’d published it on the site. Cue yesterday, when I casually surfed the blog, only to find out that the article was still on my Android. Amazing how things work out? Not quite.
Without further exposition, read on.
Theo Walcott: I’m not Walcott’s biggest fan (whoever is?) yet on some level, I feel he has become too much of a lightning rod. It’s possible that some fans subconsciously perceive him as representative or symptomatic of the failed Project Youth, the barren years and the failure to capitalize on potential – failures that extend beyond Walcott’s hand.
I can understand that, but I can still vehemently call for his immediate sale. His one-trick-poniness and lack of interest off the ball is well warranted, and not worth furthering. However, despite that, the club need to make a statement of intent of sorts. Buying players will surely be a huge part of that, but letting go of perceived starlets who don’t quite reach the heights is another. To take our ambitions higher, Walcott must be sold.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Another player who by now should have kicked on, but hasn’t – and it’s easy to spot a pattern emerging. Young stalwarts like Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs, Walcott and him ought to have reached greater heights than where they find themselves. Maybe it’s a British thing, but that seems more of a coincidence than the truth.
On some level, there may be an argument that veteran Arsenal players don’t progress the way we want them to. Maybe it’s a player thing, but it may be a coaching thing too. Oxlade-Chamberlain still has time to resurrect his floundering career and it’s fair game to give him that chance, but to be perfectly honest, I don’t see him taking it. In fact, there’s a good chance the Ox could be the kind of player we hold in excess – good, but not good enough.
Joel Campbell: There’s some solid talent in him, and I hold my hands in defeat for being a skeptic. His passing is excellent, his crossing better than most and even when it’s not his day, he tracks back with sliding tackles worthy of full-back levels. It’s a shame Arsène doesn’t rate him and there’s a decent chance he’ll be sold, but if it were up to me, I’d definitely keep him on.
Alexis Sánchez: He has some faults, sure, but he’s easily the best winger we have and has done an awful lot for the team since his purchase. I’d like it if he improves on some aspects of his game – the buffering in front of goal and overambitious passing doesn’t help – but aside from that, the pace, panache and pedigree he offers makes him a huge asset to the club.
Alex Iwobi: Probably the most exciting youngster since Hector Bellerin, Iwobi has proven himself to be versatile as well as effective. His initial impact waned slowly as the season progressed, but he remains a superb prospect. Repeating the exercise of giving him playing time in the “cups” seems like a good idea. Knowing Arsenal, a bout of injury woes might mean he’d get a chance in the Premier League anyway.
Danny Welbeck: A short run of games between February to April resulted in some exciting moments and memories. His football was refreshing and at that point, a very welcome alternative to Giroud’s style of play. His injury is very unfortunate, and almost guarantees he’ll stay this summer.
There’s no apparent reason to sell him, but I feel Welbeck’s hit a sort of wall in his development. His initial purchase excited me because I thought he could undergo a Daniel Sturridge-type transformation to drastically change the manner of our attack. However, something about his finishing and composure is widely off, and some would argue those are the two most important qualities for a good striker to be a great one.
I’d keep him in the squad if I could, but to be frank, I’m not under any illusions that Welbeck is destined to be any kind of Premier League great.
Olivier Giroud: He’s a good player, better than many give him credit for, but on some level, I feel his value to the team needs a reality check. After all, he’s already 30, his immobility changes our approach play quite drastically and undergoes goal droughts that hurt the team badly.
I have no doubt he cannot be our first-choice striker, but I’m also beginning to wonder how I’d react if a reasonable bid for him came by. Giroud’s not massively improving his game anytime soon, and his market value is on a downward trajectory.
My gut on him is that he’d be an excellent backup striker, but not exactly an irreplaceable one.
Conclusion:
Theo Walcott needs to be sold, and as improbable as it sounds, Joel Campbell must be retained. Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck, in my opinion, need to refine their game hugely to be remembered, something that’s going to be difficult for the latter as his injury problems don’t show signs of stopping. We badly need a striker – there’s talk of Jamie Vardy which would be interesting – but if an ambitious offer for Giroud pops up in the meantime, it’s certainly worth listening to.
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And that completes my set on all the players of the squad. I’m aware that I entirely forgot about the whole “Season Awards” and “Season Blogged” part of this season, so I’ll try to get on that as soon as possible. Maybe tomorrow.
Until then.
-Santi [Follow me on Twitter @ArsenalBlogz ]
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