Arsenal: Danny Welbeck dilemma has simple but uneasy solution

More substantial reports are beginning to surface regarding a possible exit for Danny Welbeck. His situation is a dilemma for Arsenal, but it comes with a simple solution. Unfortunately, it’s also an uneasy one.

The time has come for Arsenal, and Unai Emery especially, to consider the weight of his squad. Arsene Wenger famously labelled his ‘heavy’ before a spree of sales in an effort to trim the fat and slimline the quality. That time has now come for Emery as he begins to sculpt his new era at the club.

Catch the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal podcast right here

There is a vast myriad of players on the fringes of the squad, all of which could be sold in the coming months. From those previously shunned by Wenger to those that were his unjustified favourites and now face an uncertain few weeks, Emery has plenty of players to make a decision on, none no more so than versatile attacker Danny Welbeck.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

The Welbeck dilemma is a difficult one. He is not a starting-calibre striker — he never will be — but he is extremely useful depth. He is not exactly expensive, but he could command a sizable fee that could be redistributed in the market. He brings some value and carries some significance, but he is not totally indispensable. In summary, he’s good but not great, and it those players that can be awkward to evaluate.

And this summer, the situation is only complicated by the presence, or lack thereof, of a contract. Welbeck has only one more year remaining on his current deal. No new one has been offered, and it doesn’t seem as though one is imminent. It’s not exactly atop the Emery job list, especially with Aaron Ramsey’s future still to determine. I am sure you can see the dilemma developing, and the potential solutions unravelling.

It would be easy to just keep Welbeck. His wages aren’t completely unmanageable — a reported £70,000-a-week — and he offers a unique flexibility in being able to provide cover at almost all of the attacking positions. But in doing so, Arsenal would be liable to lose him for nothing in just a year’s time. We saw how holding players into the final year of their contracts played out last season.

The simple solution is to sell. Stir up as much interest as possible, try to ignite some form of bidding war and simply accept the highest offer, which could, if all things fall right, reach potentially £20 million — it is far more reasonable to accept a fee in the region of £15 million, as the Sun are reporting in regards to Everton’s potential interest.

But it’s an uneasy solution. It would be leaving Arsenal a little bare in the attacking positions and would leave Emery relying on the likes of Lucas Perez and youngsters Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson to potentially fill in during the season. Hardly the most reliable of reserves.

Next: Arsenal: 3 reasons why Aaron Ramsey must be Unai Emery's linchpin

It remains to be seen what will happen with Welbeck. Is he the beer gut that must go or is the bulging bicep that provides strength to the squad? That is the question that Emery will be asking himself this summer. Whatever side of the debate he lands, the solution to the problem is not a comfortable one.