Denilson, Arshavin & Squillaci Gone, But…

…what about Nicklas Bendtner, Andre Santos, Johan Djourou, Marouane Chamakh and Park Chu-Young?

The official announcement of Denilson, Arshavin and Squillaci leaving the club once their contracts expire on the 30th June is a welcome one, and you would hope that this would be start of removing the deadwood from the squad – but will we get rid of the Bendtners and the Chamakhs?

Their contracts are not due to expire this year, with Djourou reported to be signed up to the club until 2015, and Chamakh, Santos and Bendter are on “long term” contracts, so God knows when they are due to expire.

So the big question is how are we going to get rid of these players? We’ve waited for contracts to expire with Denilson, Arshavin and Squillaci, so are we going to do the same with these other players? Because finding a serious buyer for these guys is going to be a real task and the most likely solution would be to loan them out yet again, and still keep them on the payroll.

If Arsenal are serious about bringing in real quality this summer then we have to get rid of all the waste at the club. Money on wages for useless commodities like Bendtner and Santos is taking away valuable cash that could be going towards Wayne Rooney’s wages (I jest, but you get my point).

Once we get rid of the aforementioned players the happier and the more confident I will be that Arsene and Arsenal are really serious about competing for a major trophy next season.

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Koscielny / Denilson / Transfer Gossip

The main talking point at the moment is the reported quotes from one of our players of the season, Laurent Koscielny. Despite the fact he’s on record as saying he doesn’t want to go anywhere, and he loves it at Arsenal, people are still getting their knickers in a twist about the line where he says if he doesn’t win anything at Arsenal he “might” think about moving elsewhere.

And what is the problem with that? We all know reporters and journalists ask footballers leading questions so they can get their “story” and magical quote which will sell newspapers, but it is quite clear to me there’s no issue. Koscielny hasn’t said he wants to leave (in fact he’s stated he wants to stay) and outlined his ambition. And what is wrong with that?

No-one at Arsenal, and especially the players, should be settling for 4th spot in the Premier League, and our squad needs more winners. We’ve got some players who are hungry for success and it’s down to the manager and club to ensure we bring in players good enough to bring that success. We need to aim higher in our transfer dealings this summer and stop shopping in the bargain basement.

Which brings me nicely to the Wayne Rooney saga. We all know it’s not going to happen and this is just another perfect example of how journalists take a single quote out of context and make a completely fabricated story. Arsene said in an interview that he liked Wayne Rooney, and all of a sudden he’s coming to Arsenal? Come on, Arsene has on record said he likes Ronaldo, Messi and Falcao but it doesn’t mean they’re joining us!

On a more positive note, hopefully the departure of Denilson from the club (and more importantly our balance sheet) is a sign that Arsene is looking to offload the deadwood from the squad. We all know that players like Bendtner and Santos have no place at Arsenal and hopefully their futures are decided soon. We have the second highest wage bill in the Premier League (apparently) and with a lot of average players still on the books it’s not hard to see why.

And hopefully, that will free up some money to put towards the wages of players who will actually make a positive contribution to the club.

Wayne Rooney to Arsenal? You’ve Got To Be Kidding!

Like the Higuain, Jovetic, Benteke and Fabregas rumours which have been around for weeks now, the Wayne Rooney one is another which is still doing the rounds.

As many people have already pointed out, his salary demands are a million miles away from our famed wage structure and more importantly, Wayne Rooney is past it.

He’s a disruptive influence and a player Arsene would not want to manage. As usual, the football agents are “feeding” stories to the media to help him wangle a move away from Old Trafford, using Arsenal to try and drum up interest from other clubs.

Unfortunately, it’s not working and teams like Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid and PSG who would be the only ones able to afford him and his wages aren’t taking the bait.

His stock has fallen so low that he now has to be associated with a team like Arsenal, who are regularly fighting for the Top 4 instead of any major trophies.