Who Could Leave Arsenal This Summer in the Transfer Market
Yet another season has come and gone for Arsenal, and an all too familiar empty feeling is once again in the hearts of the Gunners faithful.
Going on its sixth straight trophiless season, the North London side could see a number of familiar faces depart this summer in the transfer market as a massive overhaul of personnel is arguably due for Arsenal.
Manager Arsene Wenger has reportedly been promised a "large sum of funds" this summer and may deviate from his preferred style of buying and developing young players to now exploring the market for big-name talent.
With that being said, there is a good possibility that some familiar faces could be departing the Gunners this summer.
8. Nicklas Bendtner
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A superstar in his own mind, Bendtner has been given numerous chances to display his "talents" the past few seasons, but has not delivered the goals that are expected from him.
The young Dane believes he should be playing regular first-team football, but having scored nine goals in 32 appearances this season, his productivity begs to differ.
Though his past two seasons have been marred by injury, his highest tally in 2008-2009 was 15 goals in 50 total appearances. Simply put, he struggles to find the back of the net consistently.
Time and Arsene Wenger's patience may be running thin with Bendtner and his stint at Arsenal. There has been reported interest from teams in Italy in the past, and off-loading him this summer would be a smart move.
7. Andrey Arshavin
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Arshavin bursted onto the Arsenal scene in 2009, scoring in half of the games he played in. Unfortunately, his form has been on slow decline ever since.
A promising start to the season for the Russian (five goals in the first 10 games) has been overshadowed by his lack of consistent form and inability to have an impact on important games this campaign.
Though he showed glimpses of greatness this season and scored two important goals against Barcelona in the Champions League and Ipswich in the Carling Cup semi-final—both securing Arsenal victories, his inconsistency has done more to Arsenal's detriment than success.
The Russian play maker turns 30 at the end of May, and his prime may be coming to an end. With reported interest from his old club Zenit St. Petersburg, Arshavin could find himself moving back to the mother country this summer.
6. Tomas Rosicky
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Rosicky has been loyal to the Gunners and a solid addition to the lineup when healthy. The biggest concern here is that his health is always a matter of concern.
Having spent 18 months on the sideline prior to this season with an injury sustained in January 2008, Rosicky made 34 appearances this term (mostly as a substitute), but showed signs of the good form that got him signed at Arsenal back in 2006.
He is a talented, well-experienced player and a good leader. The problem is Arsenal cannot invest anymore money into him because of his health—he unfortunately is just too fragile.
5. Denilson
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Denilson has been featured in the press quite a bit this year, but unfortunately not for all the right reasons.
The young Brazilian made limited appearances for the Gunners this season, and failed to make a lasting impact with the first-team.
A few injuries may have limited the 23-year-old's playing time in 2010-2011, but it was arguably his words that saw him ride the bench. In January, Denilson questioned captain Cesc Fabregas's captaincy and did not believe he was a "true leader."
Such beliefs are one of the reasons why Denilson wants to leave this summer, along with the search for more first-team football. In an interview with British Newspaper The Sun, Denilson called this season "the worst of my life, I was so upset."
There have been numerous reports stating he has met with Arsene Wenger, who has agreed to let him go this summer. The Brazilian seems to know where he may end up too, saying in that same interview, "I think my future will be in Spain or Italy."
4. Goalkeeper
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The man between the bars seems to be of constant concern for Arsenal. Manuel Almunia battled injury this season and could not string together a good set of games.
Lukasz Fabianski has developed a reputation of letting in soft goals, and though fellow Pole Wojciech Szczesny certainly showed his talent this year in Almunia's absence, he is only 21 years of age, and there is much room to develop for the youngster.
Look for the Gunners to offload one of these three goalkeepers this summer, especially with young talent Vito Manonne returning from loan and long-time Arsenal net minder Jens Lehmann rejoining the squad this spring.
3. Alex Song
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There is no questioning that Arsenal's deepest area of talent is in the midfield. The only problem is that there is a surplus of said talent.
The emergence of young star Jack Wilshire has certainly complicated matters, along with the talented Aaron Ramsey returning this spring from a long-spell on the sidelines, and Abou Diaby will be looking to make his way back onto the first team after an injury-plagued season.
Alex Song had a breakout campaign, appearing 41 times this year for the Gunners, and has essentially cemented himself has Arsenal's top holding midfielder.
Such good form has attracted quite a bit of attention around Europe, with Inter Milan reportedly showing interest in the Cameroon International.
2. Gael Glichy
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Clichy is one of two players on the current team that won silverware with the club and who was on the Arsenal "Invincibles," having been with the North London side since 2003.
After Ashley Cole's departure in 2006, Clichy stepped in as the full-time left back and has proved to be an outstanding replacement to a often shaky Arsenal defense.
It has been recently speculated though that the Frenchman wants to take on a new challenge and is projected to land in Italy or Germany, with big boys Inter Milan and Bayern Munich as potential suitors for the 26-year-old.
1. Cesc Fabregas
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Arsenal's talisman has been the center of a transfer saga for two-years running, and this summer could finally be the time for the Catalan native to return home.
It is no secret that Fabregas wants to return to Barcelona, and after watching him this season, any fan could tell that even though he was in Arsenal red, his heart and mind were already in Barcelona.
Fabregas lacked the leadership and assertion that any captain must have, and it is time Arsenal cash-in on the 24-year-old's large price tag and look for players who are fully committed to the team they are currently playing for.
Even teammate Denilson questioned Fabregas's leadership and poise, which caused for unwanted controversy. Arsenal have been lacking a true-leader since the departure of Thierry Henry, and it's time for their current captain to move on.
Spanish teammates Gerrard Pique and Carlos Puyol were photographed recently holding a picture of Fabregas at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, where they are training prior to the Champions League final at Wembley this Saturday.
It just seems that all signs are pointing towards Catalonia for young Cesc.
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