Arsenal: Selling Shkodran Mustafi a rash, unnecessary decision

Arsenal fans are unsurprisingly calling on the club to sell Shkodran Mustafi, but this is a short-sighted, rash decision to make. Think, people!

As soon as Shkodran Mustafi popped up as a potential transfer target for Juventus, you just know what Arsenal fans were going to come together to say – “sell him!”

Mustafi was not a favorite last season due to the defensive errors he made alongside Laurent Koscielny and Petr Cech, who were also error machines. It was an anomaly, as this kind of thing doesn’t just happen all the time. Not for class players like we have.

But I get it – it happened, and there is no excusing that. The only way to ensure that it never happens again is to part ways with the responsible parties.

And yet, wanting to sell Mustafi in the wake of a poor season isn’t all that different than wanting to sell Cech for the same. Yes, Cech has a better track record, but aside from that, the logic is the same – cut away the problems.

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Yeah, sure. Or… you could just replace them and give them another chance. This happened with Cech. It is happening with Koscielny. The same luxury should be afforded Mustafi who, let’s be honest, is a tremendously talented defender.

He just needs to keep his head in the game.

Well, one way to do that is to help him to understand that what he is doing isn’t flying. Put him on the bench and make him sit behind a new pairing and I guarantee you that when he hits the pitch again, he will be sharper than he has been previously.

Maximizing Mustafi is so much more beneficial than selling him. And we haven’t been able to maximize him in the past two years because there has been no immediate pressure put on him. Put the pressure on him this season, see how he reacts, and then make a decision.

There’s no point in rushing it. What happens if he gets sold to Juve and rocks it out? Will those same fans that want him gone want him back? Will they gripe that we made a mistake?

Next: Arsenal Complete 2017/18 Player Ratings

Avoid the possibility of a mistake. Give the man his chance to win his spot back and see what happens. Worst case is we have a solid defender for side competitions for a year and sell him next summer. Best case, he reaches his full potential. What’s there to lose?

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