Arsenal: Santi Cazorla Exit Necessary To Move Forward

Enough is enough. Arsenal are stuck in a groundhog day and the focus needs to shift to how to move forward. Santi Cazorla leaving is necessary in that regard.

Arsenal’s massive loss at the hands of Bayern Munich reminded everyone that the Gunners have flatlined. For about the past decade, they have been unable to make any meaningful progress in their quest to reassert themselves as a ‘big club’ with actual capabilities of winning a major trophy.

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So naturally, the question is how we can fix this, move forward and accomplish that goal.

Well, there are a ton of theories, most of which begin with Wenger stepping down and I won’t offer any argument there. But we also have to break free of some of the recurring trends that have come to characterize this club in the past five years or so.

Namely, the holding onto of players who are over the hill in roles that only their younger selves could hold down.

In the glorious Invincible days, Wenger sold guys, almost questionably so, right as they were supposedly nearing the end of their prime. He sold Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires, after all. Any manager that can sell three of the key Invincibles has no qualms with the requirements of progress.

That useful practice has stopped lately. It wasn’t that long ago that we still expected Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta to be functioning members of this team.

That’s a joke. They were past their prime, nowhere near what they used to be, and felt like spot holders for a newcomer that never came. Until now.

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In order for that progress to continue, and it is headed in the right direction, players like Santi Cazorla cannot be relied upon in the same capacity. It was clear when Wilshere was loaned out that Wenger was throwing all of his eggs in the Spaniards basket, despite the fact that he had just missed most of the previous season with an injury.

When it happened again, who was to blame? This team was not equipped to compensate for his loss. It’s the whole “fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

It is foolish to go into the 2017-18 season expecting anything to be different. Cazorla is 32, his body is not reacting well to age (no one’s ever does) and he is entering into that dangerous territory of being more of a burden than a help.

Progress can be painful sometimes, seeing beloved players depart, but it’s necessary if you don’t want the club to flatline like Arsenal are currently doing.

Reports are indicating that Fenerbahce are interested in picking up Cazorla if his contract isn’t renewed (it runs out at the end of the season). I hate seeing a player go for free, because it reeks of poor planning, but money isn’t an issue for the Gunners. Or at least it shouldn’t be.

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Let him go, put faith in internal promotions or external improvements. It’s all in the name of progress.