Arsenal FC: Are the Gunners Making a Mistake by Selling Nicklas Bendtner?

Don't get me wrong: I dislike Nicklas Bendter as much as the next Arsenal supporter.

The Dane has an ego that is on its own at least three times the size of Andrei Arshavin. In his mind, if he is not the best striker in the world, he is surely in the top three. And if he misses a shot off-target, it surely cannot be his fault. It must be the wind, or the ball, or the color of the goalkeeper's shirt.

It is this self-confident nature that has drawn the ire of many Arsenal supporters—myself included—over the years. It is also what gave Bendtner the audacity to ask for a transfer at the end of this past season.

Many supporters were more than happy to bid good riddance to Nicklas, and it seems as if all parties are about to be granted their wish, as reports suggest that Bendtner will shortly be unveiled as a Sporting Lisbon player.

But if we step back and think, are the Gunners really making the right move by shipping Bendtner away to Portugal?

Let's look at the man who is set to replace his physical presence in the squad: Marouane Chamakh. Despite showing decent form at the beginning of last season, he was utterly useless after the new year, and has not shown that he can withstand the demands of a full Premier League season.

More worryingly, though, the Moroccan has shown a total inability to shoot and score from anywhere outside the six yard box. However, this gets exposed less than one would expect because Chamakh will only shoot when absolutely forced to.

If there is one thing you want from your striker, it is a willingness and a desire to—what else?—strike the ball into the net at every opportunity. Not only does Chamakh not have the skill to finish when he takes a shot, he always seems to want to hand the burden to someone else.

Translation: he is not a good striker.

A perfect example of the difference in skill and mentality between Chamakh and Bendtner is the latter's second goal against Leyton Orient in the FA Cup.

Cutting in from the left side, Bendtner perfectly curled a low shot into the far post. it was a great piece of skill, especially from a striker of Bendtner's size.

Not only would Chamakh have never even thought about taking that difficult shot, he has not shown the skill so far to be able to execute the shot like Bendtner did.

All the goals that Chamakh has scored have either been headers or tap-ins past the keeper from close range.

And to put to rest the argument that Chamakh was simply burned out in the second half of last season, he has continued his abysmal form into preseason. His displays have been even worse than those when he was supposedly physically shot.

So, while it is true that Nicklas Bendtner is egomaniacal and comically self confident, he remains a better option to back up Robin van Persie than Marouane Chamakh.

Since our flying Dutchman is constantly injured, it is an extremely important role, and one that needs to be filled by a player of real class.

Thus, despite his many irritating qualities, Arsenal might be better served by promoting Nicklas Bendtner and selling Marouane Chamakh—not the other way around.