Arsenal FC: Why Arsene Wenger Should Allow Nicklas Bendtner to Quit the Club

Will this miss cost Bendtner his Arsenal career?

Arsene Wenger is a manager who has been reluctant to discuss the futures of his Arsenal players in the media but he admitted that he could have important meetings with a number of disgruntled players. He could have a busy summer regarding transfers and he will be keen to sort out the futures of fringe players like Nicklas Bendtner and Tomas Rosicky.

The manager has placed a lot of faith in his players and many players including the likes of Wojciech Szczesny and Barcary Sagna have admitted that they have let him down. Wenger has made it clear that he would like to keep Nicklas Bendtner at Arsenal and that he would have crunch talks with the Danish striker.

Robin van Persie's form in the second half of the season has practically meant that the best that Bendtner can hope for is playing time as a substitute when the Dutchman has been fit. The tall striker has been linked with a move to the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and Hamburg being the clubs linked with a move to sign him.
The situation regarding the future of Nicklas Bendtner's future can be focused on looking at the possible transfer from the perspectives of Arsenal and the player himself.

Arsenal's Perspective

Arsene Wenger has believed that the Dane is a very talented player and he has improved his game in the last couple of years. He was immense in the latter part of the 2009-10 season where he scored a number of vital goals but he has been a peripheral part of the team this season with both Marouane Chamakh and Robin van Persie ahead of Bendtner.

The manager has accommodated the striker by using him on the right wing where he has been ineffective for large parts of the season. He is not ruthless in his finishing and has squandered a number of decent opportunities when provided the chance in the Arsenal first team. Most Arsenal supporters still remember the squandered opportunity to knock out Barcelona from the Champions League in the closing stages of the game and his profligacy has proved to be costly for Arsenal on a number of occasions.

Though the Dane is still young and can develop into a decent striker, he is certainly not going to be pleased to be playing second fiddle to Robin van Persie even if he gets the nod above Chamakh. The club will probably gain a sum of around £8 million from his possible transfer and can use it wisely to acquire a new striker.

Kevin Gameiro is an exciting young prospect, who has been impressive for Lorient this season. The French striker has scored over 20 goals in this season and he can play on either wing along with his favored role as a centre forward. Arsenal have good relations with the French club after their signing of Laurent Koscielny and could move for the youngster who will cost around £10 million.

Big Decisions to make for Arsene Wenger

There are some other exciting strikers who could be available at the right price and Wenger could be monitoring their progress.The club could sign a striker who could score vital goals in the absence of Robin van Persie, who has missed a number of games in his time at Arsenal due to various injuries.


Nicklas Bendtner's Perspective

From the point of view of the player, it is quite understandable that you do want more playing time at this stage in his career. He is a player who is confident of his abilities and believes that he needs to be starting regularly for the Gunners. However, the formation of 4-2-3-1 will mean that Robin van Persie will currently occupy that role and chances to start in the Premier League and the Champions League will be hard to come by if the Dutchman is fit.

He is a regular for the Denmark National team and has been decent for his country. However spending time on the Arsenal bench, which will be the case if van Persie is fit, will hamper his chances to play for his country. At the age of 23, it is important that he plays regularly because he can develop into a quality player only by playing more games.

It is good that he shows the ambition to play regularly but he has not done enough in the opportunities provided by the Arsene Wenger. Though Wenger believes in the talent of Bendtner, he will not be able to provide regular opportunities for him in the role of a centre forward. It will be a difficult decision to make for Bendtner given the fact that he has been at Arsenal from a very young age but he needs to move in order to develop as a quality striker.


What Is Most Likely To Happen In the Summer Transfer Window?

Though Wenger will try to convince the Danish International to stay at the Emirates, it is unlikely that the striker will be provided with the guarantee of a place in the first team. It might force him to look for a different club where he has a good chance of starting games on a regular basis. There is a good possibility that Bendtner will move on after making just three starts in the Premier League.

Wenger will also attempt to bring in a replacement for Bendtner which is likely to be a forward like Kevin Gameiro who could be available at a price of around £10 million. If the manager cannot find any centre forward in that range, he is likely to use youngsters Carlos Vela and Jay Emmanuel Thomas to make up the squad though Chamakh will be the second striker behind Robin van Persie.

In an ideal scenario, if Wenger can sign a striker like Gameiro or Falcao, it is expected that he will let Bendtner move on to another club in order to gain playing time and it will be beneficial to both the club and the player.