Arsenal striker considering Summer Exit

Arsenal’s summer activity in 2011 saw the London club add to their strike force with 26 year-old Park Chu-Young from AS Monaco for a fee of around £3-£5 million.

It was something of an odd signing, as it soon came to light that the South Korean forward would be forced to leave Arsenal within just two years as he needed to complete compulsory military service for his country: "My national service is inevitable and there is no point in thinking anything else." It was assumed therefore, that the striker would be utilized as much as possible during his short spell with the club.

Well over half way into Park’s debut season in England, and this has evidently not been the case. Whether it be down to the sensational form of Robin van Persie or the fact that Wenger does not trust his new signing to deliver the goals required to impress the Arsenal faithful with an immediate impact can be debated, but with just one league appearance, it seems something isn’t right.

The situation also isn’t something Park himself anticipated when he decided to move to Arsenal from Monaco. he had another another option to consider at the time, with French side Lille close to his signing just before Arsenal swooped, and he may now be regretting choosing England over France, with the prospect of first team footbal far more likely with Lille.

The recent January transfer window saw him linked to fellow Premier League side, Fulham, who apparently attempted to take Park out on loan although no deal materialzed. During the summer, if his situation in the first team does not improve, Park will be looking for a new club as he said: "If the current state continues, we will have to look at the transfer market in the summer.”

It is a far cry from a few months ago when Park joined the Gunners, with Wenger claiming: "He will add true quality to our attacking forces and will be a valuable addition to the squad,"  whilst Park exclaimed with evident delight that: "It is a dream to be here and I am really proud to be an Arsenal player."

A total of five first team appearances with even less full 90 minutes, scoring just the one goal against Bolton in the League Cup has not been the desired start to his England career, and a move looks on the cards for the player who is running out of time.

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Wenger Considering Several Signings

While many will be unwrapping presents and digging into a generous helping of turkey and pudding on Christmas day, Arsenal's devoted manager will meticulously be going over and over in his mind who he should bring in to the London club during the January transfer window. He may not be very good company around the dinner table for the 25th, but come the 1st January, he could well have a vintage Thierry Henry to unwrap, and perhaps even a brand new left back in the form of Wayne Bridge, and the French manager will surely be a lot more satisfied and relaxed going into the new year. He may even be filled with enough festive cheer to spend some money.

Having no recognized left backs in his side at present is a headache cured only by the approaching January transfer window, with the similarly troublesome departures of Marouanne Chamkh and Gervinho to the African Cup of Nations also prompting Wenger to act in the market. He has Christmas day off thanks to Arsenal's boxing day fixture against being moved back to the 27th due to tube strikes, and will put it to good use with a period of thinking time.

His comments yesterday confirmed that he has already established players need to be brought into the club, and that they will most likely be short term loan deals simply to keep the squad strong in the face of current injuries. The thinking time set aside for the Arsenal manager is there for him to ponder on who specifically would be available and suitable for the job at hand. He said:

"It can only be a short-term solution for us because we have bought [Andre] Santos, we have Gibbs, we have [Thomas] Vermaelen who can play there, so we do not need a long-term solution."

"Long-term, I am sticking to Santos and Gibbs, I love both of them because they have a quality I like, which is to attack. I haven't made any enquiry yet [for Wayne Bridge], so for the moment not him or anyone else." 

Manchester City's out of favour left-back, Wayne Bridge has been the one player rumoured as most likely, and as he is not needed at City having played only once this season, and forced to train with the youngsters rather than the first team, it is understandable if he wished to move to Arsenal for some action. However, Wenger has, as he emphasizes, time to decide on exact personnel.

Talk of Wenger attempting to turn back time and re-introduce club legend, Thierry Henry to the adoring Arsenal fans may yet turn into a reality, but again, Wenger needs to think about it and make the decision as to whether it would be beneficial to him to bring back the clubs all-time leading goalscorer to help Robin van Persie with his goal-getting duties. As is known, Henry is currently training with the London side while his current MLS side, the New York Red Bulls enjoy the end of their season. Wenger said yesterday:

"That's why I have Christmas Day off. I have to think about that. Short-term is ideal for us, but I haven't made any enquiry yet. Thierry is not here at the moment. It has never come up in conversation."

"The 1st of January is the vital date for us. We are at the 23rd of December today, so we have seven days to make decisions and I will make a decision in the next seven days on players. I promise you will know." 

While Henry may be a popular option for Arsenal fans, and a big moral boost for the squad, some may prefer to remember the legend as exactly that - a player who was unrivaled in his time with the club, and that is something perhaps in Wenger's mind. Other more expensive options like Lukas Podolski who has also been linked to Arsenal recently would give the side an exceptional boost in quality but would damage Arsenal's bank balance - another thing on Wenger's mind.

Wenger will use Christmas to decide on Arsenal's transfer activity, and whether or not it will be a happy new year will rest upon those decisions. Bridge, Henry, Podolski, with murmurs of the French midfielder Johan Gourcuff being offered to Wenger. Who comes in and how much will be spent will be decided over Christmas dinner at Mr Wenger's house.

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Arsenal Midfielder Considering Leaving

The last thing Arsenal want to be doing this winter is letting their best players go. Offers to take Robin van Persie away from the club seem inevitable, with Inter Milan and Real Madrid just a number of sides apparently preparing bids. However, Arsenal may face losing a player who is currently a lot less involved in first team proceedings like the club captain.

Francis Coquelin, Arsenal's 20 year-old defensive midfielder is giving serious thought to quitting the club during the January transfer window because of the "annoying" lack of first team football. He is frustrated that despite his season long loan to the French side FC Lorient last season to gain valuable experience, he has not been given enough of a chance so far with Arsenal.

The France Under 21 international has started just two games this year, with a total of five appearances, but he is not satisfied by his use by the London club. His performance at Old Trafford in Arsenal's humiliation at the hands of Manchester United was seen as a shining light among a number of awful performances - particularly defensively, but once player began to return from injury as well as the addition of Mikel Arteta to the side, first team opportunities have become scarce. He said:

"I thought I had a shot to play so I decided to stay at Arsenal. I played a lot at first, even big games, but when players came back from injury I just disappeared."

"It is often said that when you are young you have time but I played a whole season at Lorient and now I'm virtually not playing at all. It's annoying. Given my playing time for sure the idea of a departure this winter is in my head."

It is rare when players speak out against Arsene Wenger's decision making; the sides experienced Russian midfielder Andrei Arshavin confirmed as much when he said recently: "Wenger is a very strict manager… nobody at Arsenal even thinks to talk him into changes when it comes to football issues." 

So Coquelin's quite public show of irritation of Wenger's decision making may not go down too well. However, it is, if viewed in a more positive light, a clear sign that the youngster is eager to play and confident enough to perform at the highest level. One thing is for sure; the next time he gets a first team place, he must prove he's worth it.

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