Arsenal Players That Should Leave, & Their Potential Replacements

The January transfer window is right around the corner, and every Arsenal fan knows the club needs reinforcements, desperately. Will the reinforcements the club needs to really compete come in January? Absolutely not. But will Arsene Wenger purchase one or two players to at least try to stabilize the club? We all hope so.

I took the time out to look at Arsenal’s wage bill and player salaries and picked the players I felt needed to both leave the club and be replaced in January or the summer of 2015, and some potential replacements for them. Let the FIFA 15 Transfer madness commence.

What Players Need To Go?…

When players are not getting game time or pulling their weight at a club, keeping them and paying ridiculous weekly salaries makes no sense. There are other players who could be playing in their positions for that amount of money or for even less. Here are a few players that Arsenal need to ship out permanently or on loan in either this upcoming January transfer window or next summer: Tomas Rosicky (£85K), Lukas Podolski (£75K), Abou Diaby (£65K), Mathieu Flamini (£65K), Yaya Sanogo (£20K), Francis Coquelin (£20K), and Joel Campbell (£40K). Between those 7 players Arsenal is paying them a combined £370,000 per week.

That same 7 has accounted for only one goal on the season thus far… an astounding 1 goal. Why is Arsenal paying absurd amounts of money for players who don’t play or perform? Makes no sense. It is part of the massive problem in the infrastructure of the club. Recently Tomas Rosicky said he has no idea why he hasn’t featured more this term and was puzzled on being basically being frozen out of the starting XI by Wenger.

For the amount of money Arsenal is paying Rosicky and Podolski, they should both feature far more and be made to earn their wages, or be shipped out for good. The argument can be made that when Podolski and Rosicky play they have been poor, but I can counter that by saying they not only lack match fitness, but also game time to improve weekly. Sending a player out once every few weeks and expecting a top-class performance is ludicrous.

Joel Campbell and Yaya Sanogo are talented youngsters, but with the current Arsenal make-up neither is going to see significant game time. Wenger needs to let both players go out on loan in January or next summer so they can enhance their long-term value on and off the pitch. If both players have what it takes to make it at Arsenal, then their growth will come to fruition with more playing time at other clubs.

But paying both of them to languish on the bench behind Danny Welbeck, Olivier Giroud, and to a lesser extent Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott, is career suicide for them and an unnecessary financial burden for Arsenal. All the above named players need to be gone from the club in some capacity and have the opportunity to either further or continue their careers; but not at the expense of Arsenal. But if they go, who can replace them?

Suitable Replacements in January and Summer 2015 at Defense…

Arsenal is always two or three quality players short of really competing for the EPL trophy, and this season was no different. Coming into the 2014-2015 season Arsene Wenger ignored the biggest holes in the squad at defensive midfielder and center (centre) back. That neglect has cost Arsenal numerous points so far and Wenger is the only person to blame. Why the gaffer refuses to spend the money needed to get the adequate amount of players to really compete is beyond me, but if Wenger refuses to spend in January then Arsenal are back to fighting for their coveted fourth place trophy.

There is no reason that 19 year old Calum Chambers and Nacho Monreal are starting weekly in the back line, and out of position at that. And there is no reason that Mathieu Flamini should be anything more than a great substitute to provide energy and cover off the bench; he should not be anywhere near the starting XI. Flamini has been massive in a few fixtures this season but not enough to be starting weekly. And Mikael Arteta is past his prime and far too injury prone to be relied on so heavily with the amount of fixtures top 4 EPL sides play annually. That being said, January is not a time when Wenger spends money.

Barring the capture of Andrei Arshavin and Kim Kallstrom, Wenger leaves the January transfer window alone. If the same happens this year then Arsenal will finish 4^th as usual; but there are a few players whom Arsene should try to purchase. Three defenders that have been linked with Arsenal recently are Mats Hummels of Borussia Dortmund, Sokratis Papastathopoulos of Borussia Dortmund and Aymeric Laporte of Athletic Bilbao. Any of the three would be a massive boost for the second half of the season push. Hummels and Sokratis play for a team similar to Arsenal in their ball possession and counter attacking play.

They would fit seamlessly into Arsenal without missing a beat if they were to transition from Jurgen Klopp to Wenger. Both players have great instincts and are both young to compete for years to come. They both have Champions League experience and have played in countless big games in Europe and in the Bundesliga. The problem with their possible transfer is that Dortmund is having trouble in their domestic league. Klopp needs all his men in order to get out of the relegation battle they are currently in. It is highly unlikely the Dortmund hierarchy will allow two stud defenders to leave mid-season when the club is struggling.

Both would be great captures and even one would help, but it’s unlikely we will see either player arrive in January. Which leaves Aymeric Laporte who is a 20 year-old Frenchmen so he’s right up Wenger’s alley. The issue with this transfer is the price tag I’ve been reading. I’ve read differing reports that Bilbao would part ways with the young defender for £30 million. Arsenal have the money to purchase him, Arsenal should purchase him if he is as good as all the reports I’ve read, now WILL Arsenal purchase him is the question.

At 6’2 with good speed and jumping ability he would be the perfect partner for Laurent Koscielny or for Per Mertesacker in the event Koscielny is injured. Plus the more competition at the back there is the better the players will perform. There might be other players on the radar that I’m unaware of but I would be happy with any one of the above named players, and would be even happier if we could get two of them. Fingers crossed, Gooners.

To Dm or Not To Dm, That is the Question…

No matter how the Arsenal defense is playing as a collective, the defense will be far better off with someone covering them at the DM spot. A few names have been thrown around for DM since last summer, and the same three names have popped up recently, William Carvalho of Sporting Club de Portugal, Sami Khedira of Real Madrid and Morgan Schneiderlin of Southampton. For me Khedira is automatically a no go for numerous reasons. First, he’s injury prone and that knee injury is one that scares me. Second, the EPL is far more physical than La Liga and that won’t help his knee situation.

Third, there is no winter break for him to have adequate rest if necessary and the Christmas fixture list is brutal. Last but very important, he plays a role in midfield far too similar to Aaron Ramsey for it to work. Arsenal can’t have both Ramsey and Khedira starting because that would leave a massive hole in front of the defense, basically putting Arsenal back to square one. Furthermore, Khedira is a World Cup winner with Germany and a Madridista, he’s going to want big money.

If Khedira wants anything more than £100,00 a week, he can enjoy the bench in the Spanish capital, no thanks.

That leaves Carvalho and Schneiderlin. Both are exactly what Arsenal need because they are stay at home DM’s that are good on the ball and can make the passes to link the defense and the midfield without losing the ball and causing headaches. Both are young and hungry players that will give it their all for a huge club like Arsenal. And neither player makes half of what Mathieu Flamini makes so their salary surely wouldn’t be an issue.

Arsenal could easily purchase either player and give them reasonable wages of £50K a week to play at the Emirates. Playing for Arsenal would afford them the opportunity to play in the Champions League with a roster full of World-Class talent. If Wenger can get either player in January, or at worst next summer, then the Gooners would have their holding midfielder of the future.

Two or three players in January would be a great boost for Arsenal. One or two center backs and a new DM would be exactly what the team needs to at least get another FA Cup and possibly more depending on what the standings look like come January. I understand this may all be a pipe dream, and the January transfer window for Arsenal may end up being as barren as Siberia.

But with money to spend, criticism at his back, and an injury prone team, Wenger can do wonders for the club if he just spends some money. Let us all hope come January that at least some of our prayers are answered. And as always, “In Arsene We Trust.”

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