Forget Who's Coming In, Who's Going Out!

'Au revoir' - Who is Wenger saying goodbye to?

Unsurprisingly all the talk in recent weeks has been on who may be coming into the club. In this post however, I shall be taking a look at some players who may well be off in the summer. It has been speculated that as many as 16 players may leave the club, this does include academy players to though. For this reason I have selected 5 high profile members of the squad who's departure could free up some wages for the club and allow Arsene to spend big.


Name - Andrei Arshavin
Fee - Free
Possible Destinations - Zenit, Reading, The Middle East and Retirement

One player who is certainly on his way out is Andrei Arshavin. The Russian play-maker has played just 15 minutes since January, a clear indication of how far he has fallen down the pecking order at Arsenal. Having been signed by the club for a record fee, many had hoped that Arshavin would become a club legend. He has produced some world class performances, I myself will always remember that magical night at Anfield when the Russian found the net 4 times. However his honeymoon period with the club was short and his form dipped dramatically. He seemed unable to cope with the physicality and pace of the Premier League, a problem which was worsened by Wenger moving him out wide. As for where he may end up, it has been speculated that he may return to Zenit, or that he may even retire from the game all together.


Name - Sebastien Squillaci
Fee - Free
Possible Destinations - Anyone of a number of French sides

In my last post I voted Sebastien Squillaci as our worst player of the season. He has without doubt been one of our worst buys for sometime. He cost the club around £4 million pounds, meaning he cost around £170,000 per game - that's without adding on his wages. The Frenchman never looked like a player who could add genuine quality to our squad and I get the impression he was somewhat of a panic buy by Wenger. Squillaci was a cheap option and he was essentially bought to be a fourth choice centre half. The Frenchman was unwilling to move last summer, most likely because no one else would pay his reported £50,000 a week wages. Thankfully he is out of contract in the summer and it is expected that he will return to France.


Name - Nicklas Bendtner
Fee - £5 to 6 million
Possible Destinations - Turkey or Germany

At the age of just 18 Nicklas Bendtner claimed he was going to be top scorer at the 2010 World Cup and also one of Europe's top marksmen in the Premier League. Since that outrageous comment neither of these bold claims have come true. It is comments like that which best sum up Bendtner. I cannot think of any player who has more confidence, confidence which is board line arrogance, than the big Dane. Wenger seems to have given up on Nicklas all together, with the striker being loaned out to Juventus last season. Coming through the ranks Bendtner looked like a talented prospect, he was able to utilise his height and strength, making him a nightmare for opposing defences. However it appears that his attitude, so often the flaw of many players, has left him down. It has been reported that a number of German and Turkish clubs are interested in Bendtner meaning that I doubt he will be with us for much longer.


Name - Gervinho
Fee - £8 to 10 million
Possible Destinations - Lille and Lyon

This is once such rumour which has only come to light in the past few days. I am not too sure that it is a transfer that would happen as I get the impression that Wenger still values Gervinho as a very useful squad player. Having said that if Lille or Lyon were to come in with an offer of around £10 million I think the club would certainly consider it. During his 2 years at the club the Ivorian has hardly set the place on fire, in reality he has been the brunt of much criticism from our fans. Wenger normally gives a player two years to show his worth as more often that not it takes a year for a player to adjust to the English game. Gervinho has had those two years and although I believe Wenger seems him as a useful squad player, I think his resolve may be tested if he could receive an 8 figure sum for the winger.

Name - Bacary Sagna
Fee - £7 to 9 million
Possible Destinations - PSG and Monaco

I have the feeling this could be a transfer saga which rumbles on all summer. Bac has only one year left on his current deal and it has been reported that he is unwilling to sign just a one year extension, preferring the option of a further 2 seasons. If a solution cannot be found then the club will be forced to sell Sagna. I personally do not think this would be a terrible loss. In recent months Bac's form has dropped significantly and he has arguably not deserved to keep his place in the side. The feelings I have at the moment remind me of when we sold Clichy. I was not terribly upset to see Gael go. Yes he was a good player for us but he had grown complacent and the emergence of Kieran Gibbs meant he was not as indispensable as before. The same goes for Sagna. The emergence of Carl Jenkinson makes me think we could cope without the Frenchman, while his departure would also provide us with funds to find a replacement. Having said that Bacary has been a loyal servant and it would still be sad to see him go.


So that concludes this post. Who do you think we should sell and why?

Many thanks,

Come on you Gooners!