FA Cup Heartbreak Brings Danny Welbeck's 1st Arsenal Season to Disappointing End

Danny Welbeck's debut season with Arsenal has come to a premature end. As reported by Jeremy Wilson of the Daily Telegraph, manager Arsene Wenger has ruled out the England forward for the Gunners' appearance in this weekend's FA Cup final because of a knee injury.

Although Welbeck has enjoyed a few high points during his first campaign in north London, the overall impression must be one of mild disappointment.

Welbeck, 24, joined Arsenal last summer from Manchester United, his boyhood club and quickly became a fan favorite. His technical ability made him an obvious fit with the Gunners, and his £16 million fee (per BBC Sport) seemed a bargain based on his ability and potential for further improvement.

At the time of the transfer, United manager Louis van Gaal justified the sale by noting that Welbeck lacked the scoring record of players like Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie. 

"That is the standard but that is why we let him go because (of) Falcao but also the youngsters who can fit in," Van Gaal said, per ESPN FC.

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Those words came back to hurt Van Gaal as Welbeck netted the winner in Arsenal's FA Cup quarter-final victory at Old Trafford in March. The goal was undoubtedly the highlight of Welbeck's season, though he also drew plaudits for a hat-trick against Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League in October.

But apart from those two performances, the disappointments arguably outweighed the highlights. Welbeck scored just four times in the league this season (with the last coming in December), and his last appearance—barring a miraculous recovery—came in the FA Cup semi-final on April 18.

Admittedly, extenuating factors were at work. Chief among those was the fact that Wenger preferred to play Welbeck on the wing, rather than through the middle, as Welbeck clearly wants. In addition, the knee injury ended any hopes Welbeck had of finishing the season on a high note.

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As noted above, Welbeck's talent and potential are obvious. ESPN FC placed Welbeck at No. 46 in their Premier League player rankings. B/R's James McNicholas put Welbeck at No. 13 in his power ranking of Arsenal's players this season, a respectable rank given Welbeck's lack of goals and playing time.

Even so, both Welbeck and Arsenal will have hoped for more following his move from Manchester United. As such, his first season must be considered something of a disappointment.

As club and player head toward the summer, both will be looking for improvement. For Welbeck, the summer will represent a chance to put himself ahead of Olivier Giroud as Wenger's preferred center forward. Arsenal, meanwhile, might be tempted to enter the transfer market for a ready-made upgrade, or for more strength in depth.

While a big-money move for a center forward might hint at fewer chances for Welbeck next season, it's too early to write him out of Wenger's plans just yet. The ability and potential are there. What Welbeck needs now is to put together a productive summer in order to make himself indispensable.

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