Arsenal: Danny Welbeck has actually relegated Alexis Sanchez

Arsenal supporters have been left beleaguered by the living contrast that is Danny Welbeck, yet here he is, relegating Alexis Sanchez to the Europa League.

Arsene Wenger sneaked in at the closing whistle to land Danny Welbeck in 2014. It was supposed to be the big answer for Arsenal, and to Wenger’s credit, it was worth a shot. Welbeck is an outstanding athlete who has only ever needed to fine-tune his finishing.

It simply never happened and Alexis Sanchez came in and, just like that, Welbeck was pretty much confined to substitution duties, if anything at all. Occasional blips of brilliance would remind us of what he could do, but nothing substantial.

How things have changed.

Going into the start of the Europa League, there were seven guys that were held out of training, as these were the seven guys that figured to have no involvement in the midweek competition.

There were the usual names like Laurent Koscielny, then there was the entire attacking trio of Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and… Danny Welbeck.

I had spoke earlier in the week about how the chopping block needed a head to accommodate Alexis’s return. I was hoping that the Chilean would have to earn his way back into the starting XI, but I didn’t see that as a likely outcome.

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Yet, that looks to be exactly what is happening. With Alexis in training and looking to regain match fitness (and just get some minutes) against FC Koln, it therefore stands to reason that Danny Welbeck has supplanted Alexis in the starting XI through his own merit.

Welbeck has forced Alexis to the bench.

That’s crazy and it seemed completely impossible no more than a month ago, yet with Welbeck tied for second in the golden boot race and accounting for over half of Arsenal’s goals, it is a refreshing turn of justice for the Englishman.

In the past, Wenger would have been quick to swap back in the guys he wanted most keep happy, but with Alexis likely facing a free exit and Welbeck on top of the known world, the sensible option looks to have won out, which can only mean good things.

Next: Arsenal vs FC Koln Predicted Starting XI

It remains to be seen what will happen against Chelsea. And if Alexis is pulled out at the hour mark against Koln with a 3-0 lead, I may be inclined to believe that I have spoken too soon. But for now, it looks as though the internal competition has finally paid off, and in the most unlikely of places.

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