Arsenal Transfer News: Why It's Time for Gunners to Dump Andrei Arshavin

The time has come for Arsene Wenger to cut his losses and send his little Russian packing. Andrei Arshavin has not lived up to the expectations Arsenal beholds of their players, and the clock on his career in North London has struck midnight.

The Russian winger came into the fold for the Gunners in 2009, after a long drawn-out transfer saga in the January transfer window. The former Zenit St. Petersburg man earned the reputation as possibly being one of Russia’s great exports.

Arshavin became an instant favorite to all the Arsenal supporters. His four-goal siege into English football at Anfield versus rival Liverpool in April 2009 seemed to instantly justify the purchase.

Oh, how long ago that must feel for Gooners throughout the world. The 30-year-old Russian has since continued to trend downward in his performances.

Arshavin scored six goals and had five assists in league play during his first four months in North London. He also started two games in the FA Cup and had two assists in those matches during the second half of the 2008-2009 season.

Since then his production has steadily declined.

In the 2009-2010 season, Arshavin bagged 10 goals in league play but only managed one assist in the 25 games he started. Of which, five he was a substitute for. That same year he scored once and had a total of five assists during six Champions League games.

Certainly, you would not consider his 2009-2010 campaign a disappointment if you were looking solely at the statistics.

His 2010-2011 campaign proved to be the true collective beginning of his descent in popularity amongst supporters. The little Russian’s work ethic and lethargic mannerisms began to surface.

Looking at his stat sheet, you would not consider his performances to be all that disappointing. In fact, Arshavin ended that season tied for third in the league in total assists.

Arshavin notched six goals and 11 assists in league play, and three goals and two assists in six appearances in the Champions League (including the winner versus Barcelona at the Emirates Stadium).

However, when watching Arsenal play throughout the league, Arshavin seems to be absent from the flow of play. He did not take on defenders one-on-one as much as he should have given his role as a winger. And if he did, he typically lost the ball.

His work rate back up the field to support his defensive unit was poor at best. Several would classify the Russian winger as lazy, and I think that’s a fair assessment. Even the best offensive players in the world must roll up their sleeves and get involved in the dirty work when they’re not in the opponent’s final third.

Tracking back to support the defense—especially after a turnover—is a testament to the player’s attitude and work ethic. When a winger or a forward trudges back to help, it only hurts his side’s overall ability to boss the game. When it comes to a club like Arsenal, who put an emphasis on distributing the ball throughout the pitch and maintaining possession throughout the entire match, tracking back is especially vital.

Fast-forward to this season, and Arshavin has slowly fallen from grace. With the arrival of Gervinho from Lille during the summer, and the rapidly up-and-coming Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arshavin has fallen down the pecking order for Arsenal.

Add to the mix Yossi Benayoun, Tomas Rosicky and Aaron Ramsey, and the need for Arsenal to keep Arshavin as a substitute is quickly dwindeling. Yes, Benayoun, Rosicky and Ramsey are not natural wingers, but all are capable of playing out on the wing or in the center of the park.

Lest we forget that wonder boy Jack Wilshere is scheduled to return in February. Wilshere’s return will mean Benayoun, Rosicky and Ramsey will get pushed out to the wings a little more frequently.

All of this adds into the reasoning of why Arshavin should be sold. The biggest rationale behind why he must be sent packing from North London is pretty simple: His play has not succeeded the players that are now ahead of him in Arsene Wenger’s roster order.

The current season has been his most disappointing season thus far. His nonchalant, passé strolls down the wings have yielded just a measly two goals and two assists in 22 appearances in all competitions this season for Arsenal. Compare that to 18-year-old new boy Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has two goals in just six appearances in all competitions.

Arshavin has brought the Arsenal faithful plenty of memorable moments throughout his two-and-a-half years in North London. The four-goal bombardment at Anfield, his shhhhh celebrations after every goal or the earth-shattering counterattack goal versus Barcelona in the thrilling Champions League tie at the Grove.

His memorable moments throughout his time in North London have bought him more time than he may have deserved. Gooners all over the globe have held out hope—however small that may be—that the winger who once was seemingly destined for Premier League stardom could find his groove again.

Wenger must now make the inevitable switch and try to recoup some of the £15 million transfer fee. His former Russian club, Zenit St. Petersburg, have shown interest in bringing back their prodigal son to Russia.

Wenger has revealed he plans to unleash the Ox this spring, which should all but bring a certain end to the Arshavin era for Arsenal. Oxlande-Chamberlain has shown flashes of brilliance and with Gervinho participating in the African Cup of Nations in January, Oxlade-Chamberlain will get to prove he belongs in the first team.

"Age before beauty," is the old saying. But that will not be applied this time around. The 30-year-old Arshavin has exhausted his stay in North London. He has had immensely talented youngsters in the first team and the reserves nipping at his heels to earn their spot ever since his arrival, as is the norm at any large club.

It’s time for Arsenal to promote the next man up and sell their Russian import.