Arsenal: Danny Welbeck extension has nothing to do with emotion

Arsenal are no longer run on the emotion that Arsene Wenger used. It’s different under Unai Emery, but that still jives with a Danny Welbeck extension.

For far too long, Arsenal had been governed by the emotions of Arsene Wenger. He would invest infinite faith in certain players, while others were simply never on the receiving end of his backing. It was a heartfelt attachment to the club, but it was also an obstacle.

Unai Emery is clearly different. He has no favorites at the club, at least not yet. He has had no problems swapping players in and out of the starting XI, subbing out different players depending on the situation and just doing things that otherwise go without saying.

As fans, we loved it. We loved that the cub was sensible now, that it was moving towards practicality over emotional attachment, because it often pays to have a ruthless streak that isn’t dependent on how one man feels towards one player.

And then Danny Welbeck happened. Again proving himself to be a fantastic squad player with upside galore, Welbeck suffered an ankle break with no return timetable set. He has only recently had his operations and it’s too far off to start thinking about a return.

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It couldn’t have come at a worse time – as usual. The Englishman was hitting peak form and it was in a contract year and down he went with one of the more gruesome injuries we’ve seen in years.

And thus the debate begins – what happens next? Ian Wright has urged the club to give Welbeck a new deal while he recovers, and he isn’t alone.

But we have to ask.

Do you let his contract run out and emphasize that the club is moving towards a more practical approach, or do you give him an extension and let come what may, because he has been a servant to the club and a fantastic presence?

Neither.

There is an in-between. You don’t give him a hand-out because this is all very sad, and you don’t withhold it because it seems impractical. You give it to him because it is practical.

Where else are you going to find a harder work than him? Someone who is as happy as he is and with the gung-ho attitude that he has? You won’t. You lose Welbeck and you lose more than just a rotational option.

He had already proven that when he got hurt. So give him a contract because of what he had proven. That’s pretty practical.