It is high time Unai Emery offloads Danny Welbeck from Arsenal
Arsenal have significantly strengthened their squad over the summer, with Unai Emery bringing in a number of talented individuals. The Gunners should be aiming to get back into the top-4 after failing to do so for consecutive seasons.
The transfer window shuts tomorrow, which means Unai Emery has minimal time to complete his summer business. But more than spending, the former PSG manager needs to make a decision on striker Danny Welbeck.
The Mirror understands that the Gunners are said to be willing to listen to offers for the former Manchester United striker as Unai Emery has not included him in his plans for the season. Southampton, Everton and Bournemouth are all said to be in the race for his signature.
Arsenal should definitely choose to offload the player given that they currently possess an exceptional crop of strikers in the team. Arsene Wenger signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last January and the Gabon international along with Alexandre Lacazette has been a great addition to the club.
The former Dortmund striker scored 10 goals and provided 4 assists in just 13 league appearances for the Gunners last season. Those are stunning numbers for a man with no prior Premier League experience. Lacazette enjoyed a fruitful campaign as well, as the Frenchman scored 14 goals in 32 league appearances.
Both of them are more than capable of supporting each other and offering cover to each other whenever needed. Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger opted to rotate the two strikers during the course of the domestic and European tournaments last season and even though that was mostly because Aubameyang was cup-tied, it proved to be a success, with both players staying fresh.
Danny Welbeck, who currently earns £70,000-a-week, is only 27 and has many more years of football ahead of him. The striker must opt to make the move in search of first-team football. The former Manchester United man is capable of fitting into any Premier League side given his goalscoring prowess and versatility.
Unai Emery should certainly try and offload the player. But Arsenal have already seen Calum Chambers join Fulham on loan, which means the departure of Welbeck will leave the club short of two homegrown players.
Unai Emery must ensure the replacement is another homegrown player, as the club currently have 17 non-homegrown players already. The other option could be to leave two free slots but that would mean Arsenal entering the season with a 23-man squad instead of 25.
The move will help Arsenal raise some funds. Arsenal have looked impressive in pre-season, with the manager’s football philosophy proving to be a huge influence on the players.
If Emery can offload Welbeck and sign a quality replacement, it could turn out to be a brilliant move by Arsenal’s Spanish gaffer.