Danny Welbeck leaving is great news for the future of Arsenal

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Danny Welbeck has been a useful option for Arsenal over the years.

Since the signings of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, he has been 3rd choice striker. The best 3rd choice striker in the league.

But as Arsenal move forward into the new era, the likes of Danny Welbeck, as with Jack Wilshere before him, need to move aside. Make way for the next generation who have the potential to be better.

Last summer we let Wilshere go on a free transfer and signed Matteo Guendouzi. Losing a teenager superstar of yesteryear and gaining one of the best teenage central midfielders in Europe.

The decision to not renew Danny Welbeck’s contract is the same mentality.

Even if Welbeck had not picked up his recent injury, he still would have been released in the summer. The truth is, he has served his purpose, and his salary and squad place can now be better spent elsewhere.

He rarely plays as a striker – in the last 2 seasons he has started just 2 games upfront.

With Arsenal only playing 1 up top, it would take injuries to both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette for him to get a start.

The only time he has played consistently as a striker in the last two seasons is in the Europa League and League Cup.

Next season, if arsenal make the Champions League, it will be the first XI in Europe. That would further reduce the “striker minutes” available to Welbeck. It leaves just the League Cup.

For a while now a lot of fans have been clamouring for Eddie Nketiah to get minutes. In 2019/20, Nketiah should be our striker in the League Cup. This would mean that Welbeck would be relegated to 4th choice striker, not even starting up top in the Europa League.

The majority of his Arsenal career he has played on the wing, rarely first choice.

Arsenal need to sign a new first choice winger over the next 2 transfer windows.

Alongside the returning Reiss Nelson, who has been in fine form in Germany, this would relegate Welbeck in the pecking order to start out wide.

Already behind Aubameyang, Iwobi and Mkhitaryan, Nelson and a new signing would leave Welbeck as 6th choice winger. And that isn’t taking into account playing Mesut Ozil out wide.

Welbeck would not get a look in for Premier League games. Just 148 minutes played in the league this season. This would be further reduced next season with a new wide signing and Nelson returning.

Just where would Welbeck get game time?

He would need Arsenal to have a serious injury crisis, or be left playing League Cup games (at the sacrifice or Emile Smith Rowe or Joe Willock).

The reality is, at 28 years old and on £90,000 , Welbeck has become surplus to requirements.

He is not good enough to be a regular starter, and we have youngsters coming through with more potential that need to start getting more minutes.

In the summer, if we can secure someone like Anthony Martial, it would be ideal.

Martial would come straight into the first team on the left, but could also be back up to Aubameyang and Lacazette in case of injury.

For years Arsenal fans complained about paying average players big money.

Sven Mislintat bought in Lucas Torreira on £50,000 a week. Imagine what he could do with the £90,000 Welbeck is set to free up?

With Aaron Ramsey also set to be on the way out, that frees up £200,000 a week in salary.

That would allow Arsenal to go big in the summer. Buy a truly world class winger. Someone that would walk into the side on the left wing. And then could also cover the 2 men up top, or cover Ozil as a number 10.

Losing the likes of Wilshere and Welbeck should not be criticised.

Arsenal are looking forward, not backwards. Buying better than what we have, and improving the team.

Welbeck has been a decent player during his time at Arsenal, but that time is no up.

Keenos

Out of the EFL trophy, Laurent Koscielny injured & Jack Wilshere woes continue

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Disappointed to see the lads drop out of the EFL Trophy last night.

Whilst I am against academy sides being in the lower league competition, I can see the benefits of getting to see youngsters play against senior players.

Losing 2-1 against Portsmouth is not a bad result. They are flying high in League One this season – having lost just a single league game.

The side Arsenal put was very much a second string youth side, missing the likes of Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe, Joe Willock, Julio Pleguezuelo, Ben Sheaf and Xavier Amaechi.

The side contained 7 teenagers, and once you remove Laurent Koscielny – who hobbled off injured, the average age was just 19.

Promotions to the first team of Smith Rowe, Nketiah and Willock meant that a whole host of U18 players were then called up. This then weakened the U18 team, who as a consequence lost 2-1 to Everton.

With 16-year-old Karl Hein on the bench, the squad that travelled down to the South Coast to face Portsmouth had 10 players who were still eligible to be playing in the U18s.

Having seen a dozen youth team graduates make the trip to Ukraine last week, the academy is in a very strong position, with many players performing above their age group.

On Koscielny, it is concerning that he limped off last night.

Following a 45 minute cameo against Derby for the U23s last week, he played 85 minutes last night. It was a step up in his recovery process, with the target being to return to the first team against Qarabag next week in the Europa League dead rubber.

It is not yet clear whether he was taken off as a precaution, or whether he has tweaked something more serious.

At 33-years-old, your body does recover slower and is more susceptible to niggling injuries during recovery. If this turns out to be something more serious, it could be the end of his Arsenal career.

On injuries, it was announced earlier this week that Jack Wilshere has picked up yet another ankle injury just as he returned to first team action following an injury to his other ankle.

Wilshere had missed West Ham‘s last nine Premier League matches due to an ankle injury before making his comeback last Saturday against Newcastle.

After playing only five minutes against Newcastle on the weekend, he had to be rested for the Cardiff game because of an ankle pain.

This season he has appeared for West Ham just 5 times – starting 4 games and playing 339 minutes.

When Arsenal fans announced he was to be let go on a free transfer, a lot of fans responded in anger. Wilshere’s continuation of a poor injury record justifies Arsenal’s decision.

The decision to let Wilshere go is ever more supported in hindsight with the development of Matteo Guendouzi.

Had 26-year-old Wilshere played, he would have taken minutes away from the teenage Frenchman.

19-year-old Guendouzi has started 12 games this season and the extra play time has sped up his development.

Wilshere is the teenage star of yesteryear. Guendouzi is the teenage start of today.

Keenos

Tottenham, Manchester United and the FA Cup

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I am still coming down from yesterday.

Having taken yesterday off work, I strolled in today do 100 questions from colleagues as to how was the game and Arsenal were brilliant.

This time of year the games come thick and fast, and this week we have a mid-week games. Tomorrow it is another huge test with Manchester United away.

Arsene Wenger’s demise was defined by a lack of victories on the road to top teams. Unai Emery has a good chance to chalk up his first 3 points against United.

Jose Mourinho’s team are in total disarray. They are in 7th place, 16 points off top – last season they finished 19 points off Manchester City.

Whilst I am confident about tomorrow, I am also aware that Manchester United – and Jose Mourinho – often raise their game against Arsenal.

Our player of the season this season has been Lucas Torreira. Mourinho will employ the very basic tactic of sticking Marouane Fellaini as a number 10 and hitting him with high balls. Torreira will have no chance and United will then battle for the knock downs.

It is a basic tactic, but one which could work. Especially as we are without Granit Xhaka who misses his first Premier League game since the 2016/17 season.

The big news yesterday was the draw for the Emirates FA Cup third round. Arsenal will travel to either Solihull Moors or Blackpool.

We will find out our opposition for the match on December 11, when Solihull travel to Bloomfield Road for a second-round replay, after the sides drew 0-0 at the weekend.

Solihull Moors, managed by former England goal keeper Tim Flowers, play at Damson Park on the outskirts of Birmingham. With a capacity of just over 3,000, it is likely the fixture will get moved. Gander Green Lane (the home of Sutton United) held over 5,000 when we played them a few years back.

If the fixture is not moved, Arsenal will receive about 450 tickets. It will mean a ballot of the away scheme.

We played Blackpool at home earlier this season when we beat them 2-1 in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Halloween.

An away trip to them would be a good old day, as long as it is not ruined by TV. The last train back to London is at 19:32 via Preston. Easily Makeable if we are Saturday 3pm. But if it is moved to the 17:30 kick off time, it will be impossible to make it home.

On the Sunday we have planned engineering works. That means bus replacement services and 5+ hour journey times.

Friday and Monday would be a day off work and not getting back until the next day.

A night out in Blackpool would not be too bad, if it was not just a couple of weeks after Christmas and New Year.

Hopefully the TV companies take into account the travelling fans. They often point out that the FA Cup is dying, but football without fans is nothing. The TV companies are part of the problem.

So it is a case of cracking through today at work, before settling in to enjoy the game against Manchester United tomorrow.

Keenos