Arsenal has begun the process of cutting the fat on their squad as they announced the departure of three players that have failed to live up to expectations.
Arsenal.com originally broke the story on Wednesday that Sebastien Squillaci, Andrey Arshavin, and Denilson were all leaving the team once their contracts expire this summer. The team thanked them for their service to the club and wished them well in their future endeavors.
The only player out the three that saw any significant playing time with Arsenal was Arshavin. After coming to the squad in 2009, he put together two strong seasons with the club, scoring 11 goals in the 2009-10 campaign and 13 in the 2010-11 season. However, starting with the 2011-12 season, his form started to fade and many began to question his work ethic. He only appeared in seven EPL games in this last season and his only goal for the club this year was in the Capital One Cup against Coventry. After being removed from the squad, the football results improved for Arsenal – and therefore the Russian found it very hard to get back into the squad.
Squillaci has really been a disappointment after coming over to the club from Sevilla FC in 2010. The Frenchman made several high-profile errors during the 2010-11 season, resulting in him falling down the pecking order on the squad. Per Mertesacker was signed in 2011, Squillaci dropped to fourth choice and has only appeared in eight total matches for the squad since.
Denilson has been on the way out for two years. In 2011 he revealed he wanted a return to Brazil, he has spent the last two seasons on loan to Sao Paulo. He last played in the Premier League in the 2010-11 seasons, making 16 appearances.
The departure of these three players will leave additional room for Arsene Wenger to play with in his quest to compete for trophies once again. He has already been approved to tap into the club’s EPL sponsorship money and spend over £70 Million this summer. With the termination of these three contracts, Wenger will have additional roster spots to fill with quality talent and hopefully talent that will help the Gunners compete for the EPL or Champions League crown next season.
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