Did Arsenal Make a Mistake in Signing Danny Welbeck?

Danny Welbeck is in danger of becoming the odd man out in the Arsenal squad. The forward, who signed for the club a year ago, is at risk of becoming the Gunners’ forgotten man.

After missing the back end of last season with bone bruising on the knee, he has faded into the background. Now questions are being asked as to whether the decision to sign him in the first place was correct.

Welbeck’s signing was not one that seemed to have been planned in the long term. It seemed that having signed Alexis Sanchez, Arsene Wenger had no further plans to add a striker in the summer of 2014. He recalled Joel Campbell from a succession of loan spells and put his faith in young Yaya Sanogo, who impressed with four goals against Benfica in pre-season. 

However, those plans were dramatically altered when Olivier Giroud suffered a fractured leg in an innocuous incident toward the end of August. By that time, Alexis had already failed to impress in a couple of auditions as a centre-forward. When Sanogo turned in a worryingly raw display in the draw away at Leicester City, Wenger felt compelled to act.

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On deadline day, he swooped to prise Welbeck away from Manchester United. The move appeared to be facilitated by the fact the striker was training at London Colney with the England squad. That convenient fact raised questions about whether Welbeck was a legitimate long-term target or merely an expedient emergency recruit.

Whatever the machinations that led to his arrival, Welbeck was a sensible signing for the Gunners. As a young England international, he represented a sound financial investment. Welbeck is likely to retain his value should he ever become available for resale.

He’s also a player who fitted neatly into the squad. As a product of the United academy, he arrived with a high level of technical ability and an inherent appreciation for the attractive style of football both United and Arsenal aspire to play. As he told the club's official site at the time:

"

It's great to be a part of this club and it's a team that I've always watched in the Premier League. I've envisaged myself playing in this team before. For it to finally happen is very exciting. 

I believe the style of play the manager's got and the boys play and with the magnificent players in midfield slotting balls through, I can run on to the end of those balls and slot them away. 

"

It seemingly had the potential to be an excellent match. If Wenger was initially unsure about the decision to sign Welbeck, his fears will have been quickly assuaged when he witnessed the player's remarkable work ethic at first hand. There have been times when his ability has been questioned, but his attitude is absolutely beyond reproach. 

However, that team-orientated attitude has hindered Welbeck as much as helped him. Although he began his time with Arsenal in his preferred position as a central striker, that desired deployment did not last.

Welbeck started brightly. After striking the post with an impudent chip on his debut against Manchester City, he went on to open his account during a stellar display away to Aston Villa. He then collected a marvellous hat-trick in the home mauling of Galatasaray. The pace and poise he showed raised comparisons with Thierry Henry.

However, as has often proved to be the case in Welbeck’s career, the goals dried up. Despite making 25 Premier League appearances, he finished the season with just four goals to his name. When Giroud returned from injury, Welbeck’s selflessness became his undoing again, as he was shifted to the wing to accommodate the returning centre-forward.

The reversion to the wide role damaged Welbeck’s confidence and his chances of improving his goalscoring tally. For the remainder of the season, he was an effective squad player but not the star striker it had initially seemed he might become.

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His position is arguably even more difficult now. Giroud’s outstanding form in the second half of 2014/15 has ensured he stands above Welbeck in the pecking order. However, there is now another rival to contend with in the shape of Theo Walcott.

Since the spring, Wenger has made it clear he now considers Walcott a serious contender to start as a central striker. Unlike Welbeck, he lacks the positional discipline and defensive awareness to be a sensible option on the flank. However, through the middle, he is liberated from responsibility and free to make use of an attribute Welbeck does not possess: ice-cool goalscoring instincts.

A year ago, Welbeck was Arsenal’s first-choice centre-forward. He’s now third choice.

What’s more, he’s not even in a position to stake a claim at present. Before arriving at Arsenal, Welbeck was physically robust. However, he seems to have been struck by the Gunners’ injury curse. Wenger has admitted his prolonged absence is somewhat mysterious, telling Amy Lawrence of the Guardian:

"

It is much slower than expected. It was a bone bruising at the start. You think that it will be quite quick. He is an important player for us and the fact that he is not available is a bit of a concern. It is bone bruising and nothing wrong at all. They have done all kinds of scans that today are very sophisticated and some of them I don’t understand at all.

"

All the while Welbeck is sidelined, his stock falls. He’ll be desperate to recover and prove his worth to Wenger and the Arsenal fans. At his very best, he can combine the attributes of Walcott and Giroud to offer an all-round alternative.

However, the key missing ingredient is goals. He needs to demonstrate he can add killer instinct to the enthusiasm and strong technical base he has always possessed.

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With a couple of weeks left in the transfer window, Arsenal are still being linked with bids for new forwards. Italian sports journalist Emanuele Giulianelli (h/t the Express) has claimed the Gunners have made a £45 million bid for Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema that is currently being considered by the Spanish club.

If Arsenal did recruit a new striker, Welbeck’s place in the Arsenal squad would be at considerable risk. With Walcott and Giroud both further up the hierarchy and having recently agreed fresh terms with the club, Welbeck could find himself being moved on.

The signing of Danny Welbeck from Manchester United was not a mistake. It was a necessary measure at a time when Arsenal were bereft of options—and it could yet prove to be a masterstroke.

However, the success of the signing is contingent on Welbeck’s improvement. He must return to fitness and show he can improve his form in front of goal. If he can do that, his acquisition stands to be regarded as a legitimate coup.

However, injuries and erratic finishing could yet derail his Arsenal career and lead to him leaving before fulfilling his undoubted potential.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.