Nicklas Bendtner: The Paradox Unfolded

The future of Nicklas Bendtner at Arsenal will be an interesting one for two reasons.

First, the depth of the Arsenal system projects to be deep at the striker position, meaning he may become expendable.

Furthermore, he is significantly more valuable in the "super sub" role, which is a role he may not ultimately accept.

Both possibilities suggest the possibility of Bendtner leaving. This would not matter were he, say, Eboue. However, he has genuine quality and potential, even if he does not always show it. As such, his future matters to the future of Arsenal.

Arsenal project to be very deep in attack for years to come. Aside from Bendtner, who would be fourth choice right now if all were healthy, the Gooners have Van Persie and Adebayor essentially in the prime of their careers.

Eduardo, if he can return from his horrific injury and replicate the form he began to show before a certain Martin Taylor invaded his life, merits a starting spot.

Theo Walcott, England's maturing starlet, may be best suited up front rather on the wing as his game matures.

Carlos Vela, the young Mexican that some consider a phenom, will bring his skill and pace into the attacking equation very soon, if not sooner, as this season goes along.

Even Jay Simpson has shown promise, scoring twice in the Carling Cup win over Wigan and displaying moments of brilliance so far in his short spell with West Brom.

With all of this depth, Bendtner may become expendable and could be sold to another team. And God knows the likes of, say, a Bolton or a Hull City could use this guy immensely.

Him leaving, however, concerns me, as Bendtner makes a real, substantial difference to the squad when he is playing well. Further, at the young age of 21, he will surely get better and may become a class striker.

At this point, however, Bendtner's value to the club is as the "super sub."

He has developed a penchant for scoring key late goals, doing it against Tottenham and Aston Villa last season, and has now emulated the task in consecutive Premier League contests: against Bolton and Hull City, respectively.

The last two have been absolutely and utterly crucial. Arsenal have been in a semi-crisis, fifth as the standings show now, and desperately needed to pick up all points possible. By scoring the late winner against Bolton, he alone did this.

Also, for me, he was the pivotal player in the win against Hull City. According to most experts, Robin Van Persie was the man of the match, but Bendtner deserves the MOTM title for the Hull match.

When Bendtner came in, Arsenal looked lethargic in attack and on the verge of a draw or worse. He single-handedly changed this and swung the game in favor of Arsenal. He injected the side with pace, energy, and creativity. He was instrumental in the second goal, playing an excellent and fairly difficult pass into Van Persie, who then made a brilliant turn and layoff to Nasri.

The third goal was all his, as he took the initiative to attack the defense, played the 1-2 ball and firmly put the ball away. He nearly added another goal in injury time only to be denied by the post.

This performance highlights how valuable Bendtner is as a "super sub." Without him, it is doubtful that we would have six points from the last two matches. So, it can qualifiably be said that his "super sub" role is a positive force for Arsenal.

He has not shown the ability to start. Quality comes in ten to twenty minute spurts for him. It comes in loads in these short spurts, but when he plays for prolonged periods of time as a striker, he is exposed.

As such, I know, and suspect Wenger knows, that he cannot be a starter yet for this Arsenal team. Given his brash and sometimes arrogant attitude, I highly doubt he will accept being relegated to such a role.

Further, given the deep and talented nature of Arsenal's projected future attack, it is not clear this role will change. Even as a self-assured youngster, he probably recognizes, and should he see the writing on the wall, he will leave for greener pastures. Pastures without benches.

Arsenal's attack would probably be fine without him, but I would rather not see him leave. He is a highly valued member of the squad, both in the light of his recent performances and his potential worth, as his class unfurls through the maturation of age.

But will he stay for the long term? Gievn the paradoxical nature of his role (valuable, but not as a starter), it seems unlikely. Given the overcrowded attacking depth at Arsenal, it seems unlikely.

That being said, I hope the issues surrounding his role can be resolved as he is important to Arsenal when he plays like he did against Bolton and Hull City. I hope the paradox called Nicklas Bendtner can be resolved at Arsenal, because he is valuable now, and will be valuable later.