'Half of the dressing room wanted to leave' - Revisited

[ArsenesNO1Fan]

Wenger made this shocking comment last summer. So who wanted to leave? Can players who want to leave still be motivated to perform?

The obvious who wanted to leave: Fabregas, Nasri, Bendtner, Denilson, Eboue

The others?

RVP - he didn't sign a contract last year so I'd assume he probably wanted out then. Given the quality of signings if he goes now, he was always going to go for more money. At least this shows a player who wanted to leave can put in a top class season

Song - strongly linked to Barcelona, we don't really know his intentions. But we know we've been strongly linked to possible replacements in Sahin and M'Vila. I don't see why Wenger would sell, other than: A. he can get top dollar B. He doesn't rate him (unlikely) C. he sees him as disloyal

Walcott - I don't think so, he's likely not too highly in demand, he does want more money and he hasn't re-signed with a year to go though, so who knows

So who is loyal to the badge:

Rosicky - ageing but took half the money to sign a new contract, then improved his performances, sadly injured again, but the type of attitude we want in the club

Verminator - he's been given the armband, I think Wenger wants a loyal captain this time so I'll put faith in that

Kos? - has he signed a new contract yet, I haven't kept up with that

Arteta - seems grateful to have his shot at playing for a club like us

Wilshere/Frimpong - players who've come through our system that seem to have a love for the club

I do think we've had cancerous attitudes in the dressing room and that needs shaking up as much as our need to hang on to top players.

 

[truth_hurts]

RVP clearly wants to leave, I think fabianski will want to play more often so he can be added to the list, Theo seems loyal although the longer he gets used as a winger the more frustrated he will get.

Everybody else I believe is fully happy to be here although some may want higher salaries etc. considering what the likes of Chamakh earn.

 

[ebouenolike]

Wenger's quote was a turn of phrase - as in a lot of players wanted to leave, and important players at that.

Think you can add Clichy and Arshavin to your original list, and probably a squad member or two.

 

[Jury]

I didn't read too much into that, and still don't. If that was really the case, he wouldn't have said it.

For me, it translates as: A few players I was thinking about getting rid of, wanted to leave, and a fair few squad members that weren't playing were showing discontent. But I'll make it seem worse than it was and take the credit for steadying the ship....

Voila! Wenger.

 

[Anzac]

Considering we have one of the largest senior squads at about 35 players then that's a helluva lot of players to be taken literally.

That said I DO think that there were a number of players that were not happy & were at least borderline uncommitted at the time such as RVP, Walcott, Song, AA.
Others such as Flappy probably joined the discontented as a result of their lack of playing opportunities.

As The Jury said - probably also included players like JET & Nordveit,
as wel as a healthy dose of Gallic dramatic overstatement.

 

[DanDare]

RVP - he didn't sign a contract last year so I'd assume he probably wanted out then. Given the quality of signings if he goes now, he was always going to go for more money. At least this shows a player who wanted to leave can put in a top class season

Well that was just some terrible logic.

 

[Vela]

Fabianski, Mannone, Almumia all wanted first-team football. Traoré and Eboue wanted first-team football as well. Clichy wanted a change, that's why he joined Man City.

Fabregas, Denilson and Nasri all wanted to leave. Bendtner and Vela wanted to leave for first-team football.

It was the likes of Kos, Chamakh and Squillaci first season at Arsenal, so I doubt they wanted to leave.

Players like Szczęsny, Wilshere, Gibbs, Ramsey are happy at Arsenal. More senior players like Sagna, Djourou, Vermaelen, van Persie, Diaby, Song and Rosicky were happy as well.

I'm talking about the end of the 2010/11 season.

 

[Anzac]

Regardless of the specific numbers involved it's still a scenario aligned to the amount of dross in the squad,
in that neither scenario should have been allowed to develop to this extent.

Further to that,
considering that some of the dross are the same players who don't want to be here and we are unable to sell them,
then this also tells us 2 things:
* the error / weakness of the wage structure & youth emphasis based upon numbers rather than genuine quality & the need to be more selective;
* the mercenary nature of those players = they don't want to be here but they are not prepared to drop their individual demands in order to achieve their transfers.

 

[Accomplished]

That said I DO think that there were a number of players that were not happy & were at least borderline uncommitted at the time such as RVP, Walcott, Song, AA.

I agree with the others but I haven't seen anything to suggest Song is/was unhappy. He just had his best season for us and received a great deal of praise for his performances.

Apart from a few rumours over the last week, I'm yet to see anything concrete to suggest Song isn't 100% committed to the club.

I may be wrong, but for now I don't see any proof.

 

[DiamondGooner]

Why do we portray this like were some sort of special victims? this happens in every club across football.

The only reason it's bitten us on the arse so badly is because instead of dealing with it like the big clubs do (except City, they are new to it though) we just bury our heads in the sand and pretend nothing bad will happen and moan "well if they won't re-sign what do we do??".

Players show us that they are going to play the free agent game and we just pray like idiots that they will have a change of heart not realising that the longer the contract runs down the more temptation there is for them to actually not re-sign.

E.g Walcott last summer sign or go - "Ok I'll sign".

12 months to go till free agent - "Hmmmm I do like Arsenal but next season I'll get £££££££ because there's little to no transfer cost just my wages, what do I do?".

How we handle the Song situation is going to be a perfect chance to excersise this scenario, we either A) cash in at full price and replace quality with quality or B) Make him stay a year till we re-evaluate at 24months till contract expires.

There is a C) he refuses to sign again next year running down within his 24month expiry date and we just keep praying he'll change .... this third option is what we've been doing RVP/Walcott and its not working!

 

[KY]

WHy do you wanna revisit something this negative and unnecessary at this time? is the summer too positive that you need to inject some negativitiy to bring us down to earth?

 

[redanddread]

Why do we portray this like were some sort of special victims? this happens in every club across football.

The only reason it's bitten us on the arse so badly is because instead of dealing with it like the big clubs do (except City, they are new to it though) we just bury our heads in the sand and pretend nothing bad will happen and moan "well if they won't re-sign what do we do??".

Players show us that they are going to play the free agent game and we just pray like idiots that they will have a change of heart not realising that the longer the contract runs down the more temptation there is for them to actually not re-sign.

E.g Walcott last summer sign or go - "Ok I'll sign".

12 months to go till free agent - "Hmmmm I do like Arsenal but next season I'll get £££££££ because there's little to no transfer cost just my wages, what do I do?".

How we handle the Song situation is going to be a perfect chance to excersise this scenario, we either A) cash in at full price and replace quality with quality or B) Make him stay a year till we re-evaluate at 24months till contract expires.

There is a C) he refuses to sign again next year running down within his 24month expiry date and we just keep praying he'll change .... this third option is what we've been doing RVP/Walcott and its not working!

Bollocks.....

 

[DiamondGooner]

Bollocks.....

Care to expand?

 

[Airknight]

He was subtly talking about redecorating half of the dressing room.

I'd only put Denilson and Bendtner, maybe Arshavin (because he wants minutes) into that category, Nasri was holding us at ransom so he could have stayed easily, can't remember at all Eboue being happy to leave.

Atm is Mannone, Fabianski (easily replaceable) and Robin, but he apparently looks OK with waiting for the right club, Walcott again wants more money, if we give in he stays.

 

[DasBootist]

The only uncontented Arsenal player I'd be worried about leaving is Van Persie, but he's getting on a bit and in all likelihood will spend much of the coming season out injured. I'm all for selling Song and getting in M'Vila. Almunia, Squillaci, Denilson and Bendtner I could cope with leaving.

 

[xinu]

Regardless of last seasons problems I do think we have a good squad moral at the moment and mainly due to the dynamics of the nationalities involved and of course alot of new players being excited about their future at Arsenal. Players settling in well because they have countrymen in the team to help them settle and a new strike force to bring out good competition. Regardless of what happends with RVP i am really looking forward to the start of the season.

 

[Glovegun]

Just because players consider their options doesn't mean that they necessarily want to go.

I started a new job a month ago. Am I thinking of leaving anytime soon? No, highly doubtful. But does that mean I want to be here until I'm sixty? Of course not. Just because you see a fit girl across the bar and think 'I'd tap that' doesn't mean you're going to dump your girlfriend.

 

[DasBootist]

Just because you see a fit girl across the bar and think 'I'd tap that' doesn't mean you're going to dump your girlfriend.

For the sake of clarity, are you pro or anti having it off with the 'fit girl across the bar' behind your gf's back?

 

[a_fourteen]

Just because you see a fit girl across the bar and think 'I'd tap that' doesn't mean you're going to dump your girlfriend.

For the sake of clarity, are you pro or anti having it off with the 'fit girl across the bar' behind your gf's back?

why choose? fit girl + gf = happy threesome

 

[bingobob]

Just because you see a fit girl across the bar and think 'I'd tap that' doesn't mean you're going to dump your girlfriend.

For the sake of clarity, are you pro or anti having it off with the 'fit girl across the bar' behind your gf's back?

Surely that would depend if you get caught or not...Dont get caught oh aye, get caught it was a terrible mistake I thought she was you, dam drink...

On this topic I think its clear some players wanted to leave us we lost 3 first names on the team sheet last season and there are a few reserves who wanted to leave (Vela, Denilson and NB) and thats before you begin really looking at those on the fringe (Floppywrists, Almunia) and before even considering the likes of Arshavin who in the end ended up moving on. That is 9 players and from a team of 25 is a significant amount and all of them have been moved on exluding Floppywrists.