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Is Danny Welbeck Doomed at Arsenal Again this Year?
By Josh Sippie
I was incredibly excited and incredibly outspoken about what this season could mean for Danny Welbeck given a full and healthy preseason. A lot of his troubles last season came down to not having had time to practice and learn with his new squad. He was tossed into the fray and left to fend for himself.
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That was all supposed to be fixed this season, giving him a fresh start.
However, Danny Welbeck’s injury is keeping him out for at least the first month. This is the same injury that kept him out for the last month of the 2014/15 season as well as the entire preseason. Immediately, the thought is that when Danny Welbeck returns to the team, he is going to be no better off than he was when we initially signed him. And there are a plethora of reasons why.
Welbeck needed a preseason with this team more than anyone, particularly with how successful the team has been. He needed to be a part of that environment and be a benefactor of the extraordinary midfield. He could have scored two or three goals and kick-started his Arsenal career.
But he missed it all and he is still missing it.
Welbeck’s injury is working in the exact same way that Jack Wilshere’s is. While the Arsenal team is growing together and meshing and each player is establishing where he should be on the team, Danny Welbeck is in rehab. He has not returned to training and there really is no timetable for his return to the team.
Once he does return, where exactly will he fit in? The wings are under complete control by Alexis and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with Theo Walcott sure to factor in as well. Santi Cazorla or Aaron Ramsey will end up on the wings at times as the central midfield position cannot be manned by both.
At striker, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott will not be unseated by a Danny Welbeck of the same quality as last year. It is a tough situation for the English forward and for those reasons, transfer rumors have been forming around his name. One particular rumor indicates that the ever-ambitious Turkish league is after Welbeck’s signature.
Danny Welbeck may not have scored many goals last year, but he contributed to the team in many other ways. He maintained an 82% pass completion percentage, which was much higher than both Giroud and Alexis. He also contributed 1.2 key passes per game. Perhaps the most underrated part of Welbeck’s game is his defensive contribution, as he added a tackle and a half per game and an interception per game as well (via Whoscored.com).
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Needless to say, Danny Welbeck was valuable to the team last year, just not in the facet that he was meant to be – providing competition for Olivier Giroud. This season, I fully expected him to be able to provide that competition but without the preseason and the advantages that it would have provided, Danny Welbeck may very well be doomed to another year of substitute appearances and random outbursts of brilliance.
However, being just 24 years of age, Welbeck does still have time to make it as a striker. Arsene Wenger will not give up on him just like that, particularly when considering how much time he gave Gervinho. If the goal is to be a striker, Welbeck picked the right team.
Even though opportunities are going to become increasingly limited given the quality of Arsenal’s squad, there will still be chances and if worse comes to worse, Danny Welbeck can always look forward to next year. Lets not get too far ahead of ourselves though. It is a long season.
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