Arsenal: If ‘half the squad’ want to leave, let them

Per a report by Miguel Delaney in the Independent, ‘half the Arsenal squad’ want to leave. If that is indeed the case, the club should not hesitate to sell.

Is it the players or the manager? It has been a raging question at Arsenal for several years, dating back to the latter Arsene Wenger years. Were the players simply not very good or were they being put into disadvantageous positions by the manager such that they did not look very good? Well, after Wenger, Unai Emery and now Freddie Ljungberg, we might finally have our answer.

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And it seems as though quality is not the problem among this wretched, infected squad, but rather the character. The players are good. This was the crux of the debate. But they did not play well, not because the manager’s tactics were unhelpful, but simply because they could not be bothered.

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Now, with the club undergoing yet another coaching overhaul just 18 months after the last one, it is being reported that many of the stars want to leave, disenfranchised with the general trajectory of the team. Given the results, you can hardly blame them, until you realise that they are the reason for such a downward spiral.

As the following section from Miguel Delaney’s report in the Independent details, the players no longer want to stay:

"“One of Mikel Arteta’s first tasks at Arsenal will be to either convince big players to stay or overhaul his squad, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leads a number who are considering their futures <…> Alexandre Lacazette and Granit Xhaka are among others considering their future, but several sources say it is a feeling spreading among “half the squad”. That is not specifically related to the appointment of Arteta, but more about the general lack of direction at the club.”"

Well, if that is indeed the case, and there is evidence to support it, like Lucas Torreira flirting with Napoli and his agent admitting that he is not happy with his role in the team and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette refusing to enter contract negotiations as they look to hold all the power at the negotiating table in case everything goes south once more, Arsenal should not hesitate to sell them on the cheap and let them leave.

In fact, that is the viewpoint of interim head coach Ljungberg and growing numbers within the club, per Delaney:

"“Ljungberg told the hierarchy that too many of the players didn’t care, and that was unlikely to change until a permanent appointment was made. Both the interim manager and key officials are said to have been taken aback by just how much the players have dropped off, and how slack some attitudes were. It has fired the mood for a clear-out.”"

If the ‘slack’ attitude continues within the squad under impending new head coach Mikel Arteta, there is only one way for the club to respond: a fire sale. Get rid of them all, no matter the discount on price. Relieve the wage budget, promote the youth, find players who are willing to work for the team and commit to the club and coach, and then start again.

Arsenal should not keep unhappy players. It never ends well. And the sooner they sell, the better value they will get. So, if ‘half the squad’ want to leave, let them. The team will be better off for it.