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Yesterday I wrote an article on three players Arsene Wenger should consider signing this winter, this one is simply the opposite – which three should be on their way out?

Arsenal do have a number of players within their squad, who are injury-prone, inconsistent, or just plain garbage. I posted a weekly poll on my site to see who the visitors think should leave this winter. There were 10 possible candidates (not implying that we need to sell all of them) on the list in which voters could select between one or all ten players, and surprisingly the results matched the three players that I think should be walking out of the Emirates this January. The players listed in this article were in my mind prior to the poll going up (I swear). Anyway, I await the barrage of horrible messages and abuse from the readers, here is my list:

Manuel Almunia

Do I really need to explain why he has to go? I think the nickname ‘Manure’ (given to him by the Arsenal fans) says it all really. The 33-year-old is not Arsenal material (never has been) and has not featured for the club since late September, and appears to be out of the Arsenal picture for Wenger and the fans. He has made countless mistakes last season and a few this one (when he’s played of course) and quite clearly Wenger has run out of patience with him. As a result, Lukasz Fabianski and even youngster Wojciech Szczesny have leapt ahead of Almunia in the pecking order. Simply put, Almunia is not what you would call a reliable set of hands between the posts and has dropped to third choice goalkeeper very rapidly. We have two better goalkeepers in our ranks and because of this the Spaniard should be sold this winter…even if it’s for a small fee.

Denilson

The 22-year-old Brazilian midfielder has shown that he is not capable of performing at the highest level and here are my reasons for saying this. When in possession of the ball, he seems to have a liking of looking back instead of forward. I will admit his distribution of the ball is exceptional and the Brazilian has been known to belt in a few goals for the Gunners. However, he is a very inconsistent performer, and has a very poor reading of the game in general. His defensive attributes are abysmal and has shown he is unable to keep up with the pace of the game at times. On several occasions this season Denilson has looked very flat-footed and has lost possession of the ball very cheaply (have a look at the games he has played in so far, and you will get what I’m saying). We have better options available, and with the introduction of Jack Wilshere, who has impressed, Denilson’s chances have been damaged even further. Many fans may believe that he is capable of cementing a place in the Arsenal line-up. However, after witnessing recent events it’s about time the player looked for another club…of course this is just my opinion.

Nicklas Bendtner

It was either him or Carlos Vela, but I believe the Mexican has more to offer than the Dane. Nicklas Bendtner claims to be the next best thing since sliced bread, when quite frankly he isn’t. The 22-year-old has demanded more regular starts as he feels he deserves a place in the Arsenal starting XI, but with poor and inconsistent performances the Danish international deserves to be shown the exit doors at the Emirates. I’m not saying the guy is useless, because he does have some good attributes, but the truth is he is not lethal enough. As well as that, Bendtner has to somehow try and get ahead of Marouane Chamakh who is on form and Robin Van Persie, who is looking sharp on his return from injury…its not going to happen is it? Wenger, sell him to one of the clubs who are interested in him, make a profit and then spend it on a much more valuable asset in the near future.

Voters were allowed to tick all ten players if they wanted to, hence the confusing percentages you are about to see. At the time of writing this there were a total of 45 voters (yeah, I know it’s not a lot) who took part in the poll. Results showed that there were 38 ticks for Manuel Almunia who topped the list with 84%, Nicklas Bendtner was second with 29 ticks (64%) and Denilson came in third place with 25 ticks (56%). If you would like to see the full table of results, check out the site Gunnersphere.com.

Read more Arsenal blogs at the excellent Gunnersphere website

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There has been some potentially positive news coming out of the club in the past week or so with SISU’s Joy Seppala finally deciding to communicate with the fans.

We as supporters have been calling for communication and the relationship between SISU and the fans and it would potentially be a lot better if they had done this from the very start.

Certain aspects of the interview she gave offered interesting and potentially positive steps that the club are looking to take. The main thing that stood out for me was the suggestion that they would be looking at ways that they could transfer an ownership stake in the club to supporters.

A fans stake in the club is an essential aspect to have at any football club and it helps to make fans feel more involved with the club. It also ensures that people who have the interests of the club at heart are able to have some say in what goes on at the club. Fans are the lifeblood of every club and without them the club would not exist so it seems right that fans should have at least some stake in the club, not just for financial problems, but for our voices to be heard.

There are issues to consider in relation to the transfer of this stake in the club. Obviously there is the fact that relations between fans and SISU are now at an all time low. The circumstances of SISU’s initial takeover of the club is also a factor in that in order for the takeover to happen, fans had to give up their shares in the club for nothing. I’m sure because of this the fans would want SISU to return the favour and give them back for nothing but with the financial situation of the club I cannot see this happening. I hope I am wrong because giving back the fans stake in the club will go some way to repairing a relationship which at times has looked irreparable.

Another issue that has been of concern is that of the Ricoh Arena. SISU have now missed two months worth of payments on the rent which has been seen by some as a protest to the unquestionably high rent of £1.2million and by others as SISU just not having the funds to pay it. The rent is not sustainable for a League One club though and I think every one involved knows that.

Negotiations have and are supposedly continuing between SISU, ACL and the council over multiple issues surrounding the Ricoh Arena. The club itself does need to be able to make some form of income off of the stadium or at the bare minimum break even which we as a club haven’t done since we moved to the Ricoh.

It has to be said that this actually isn’t SISU’s fault, in that the rent on the Ricoh was agreed before they came to the club. However they did promise to buy into the Ricoh when they took over so in that sense they are partly to blame.

Politics has become an issue in the debate. The council have previously stated that they would be unwilling to do any sort of business with SISU over the Ricoh. It has been suggested that they are jumping on the band wagon and publicly criticising SISU in an attempt to win votes in the upcoming elections. There is every possibility that this is true but one thing we can all agree on is that some sort of agreement has to be reached for the sake of the football club.

These negotiations need to come to a conclusion sooner rather than later so the club can begin to look forward to next season. With the transfer embargo still in place the plans for next season in terms of the playing squad remain on hold. The accounts need to be filed to the Football League for this to be removed and this will not be done until the issues surrounding the Ricoh are sorted.

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Whilst I am remaining sceptical over SISU’s running of the club it looks like they are going to be the owners for the foreseeable future. With no takeover bids in the offing following relegation to League One we as a club need to try to pull together. The council needs to consider how detrimental it would be for the city as a whole if it no longer had a football club.

Whilst there is clearly a lot of unresolved issues surrounding the club there has to be a starting point in which the club can move forward from. The reduction in the rent of the Ricoh is this potential starting point and could put the club back on a more solid basis so we can finally start considering a future for our club.

PUSB!!

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If the recent over-hype of Barcelona is anything to go by then you could be lead to believe that the only attractive football that has ever graced the face of this planet has only been played in the past four to five years. But let’s put this into a little perspective here, Barcelona are just one example of many who have played subliminal football, of a technicality and uncanny ability that is completely unique to that particular club and no other, not even other clubs within Spain. It is not right to suggest then, unlike other obsessive media outlets, that Barcelona , Catalonia and the greater Iberian peninsula are in the indestructible ascendancy and that the rest of the world must stand around and take heed of our mighty deficiencies.

‘Mes que en Club’ goes the club motto, ‘more than a club’ to me and you and in every respect it is, Barcelona represent Catalonia, they are the embodiment of an area which are autonomous in all but name. A club which, for the Catalonians at least, are worshipped with nationalistic fervour and in their club have their vehicle to fly the Catalonian flag on the world-stage. The football, in some respects, matches this ethos.

The entire football community are in state of semi-permanent-flux about Barcelona at the moment and in some respects you cannot blame them. However, the football they are playing at the moment is completely unique, save for that of the national team, which includes several key Barcelona players. It is wrong for people, for casual observers, tacticians and members of the press to suggest that every club should try to match this style of football. Why? Barcelona will rule the roost for another few years yet but teams will eventually learn how to break them down, to turn their high-tempo, short-passing game into their weakness.

The great thing about football, especially at Champions League level, is the true clash of styles that each team represents. We have a problem in England whereby we see something abroad that works and we instantly decide that this is what we must adopt as our own. As indelible as that sounds, football just doesn’t work like that. United were comprehensively beaten by Barcelona last month but they shouldn’t look towards the Nou Camp with exasperation. United play a brand of football which is also unique, a dogged persistence that formation shouldn’t be broken, which explains the rigidity of their two banks of four and an absolute belief in their ability to score a goal at any point during the game. Barcelona are unique in their ability to play without formation but this approach to the game should be handled with care.

With the internationalisation of the Premier League it is hard to suggest that the Premier league still harps back to the years of push and rush football. What is interesting though is how ball possession is still not necessarily a fundamental aspect of the English game. Many managers, Wenger included, have had limited success in trying to implement it into their teams but for all intents and purposes, this style of football just isn’t compatible with the pace and pressures of the English game. And why should it?

English football should be the master of it’s own future, not constantly blighted by the need to look elsewhere for footballing inspiration. Some observers would say that we need to look towards teams such as Barcelona and take their footballing philosophy completely to heart, but for what end? Sometimes it can be a case of trying to fit square pegs into round holes. English clubs should be helping to enshrine a distinct footballing ethos completely separate to that taught in academies such the one in Catalonia. Of course coaches should respect the technicality of a team such as Barca but football, much like life, can be played in more ways than one. Coaches need to realise that.

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The U21 Championships give rise to a certain sense of cautious optimism. The directness of players such as Scott Sinclair , Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson and the power and potential of Connor Wickham hints at a particular style and substance. It is this, fundamentally, which could be crucial in forming our footballing legacy for the future.

Read more of Thomas Walters’ articles at This is Futbol

No manager has been caught up more in club v country rows than Arsene Wenger of late, and a new battle is set to erupt as the England U21s look set to name their strongest squad possible and call up Jack Wilshere for the tournament in Denmark. The Arsenal boss knows the implications of these tournaments, given that he lost Theo Walcott for a large part of the season as a result of the player’s desire to represent his country.

In the papers this morning there has been a mixed bag of stories that includes Taylor hinting at Newcastle stay; Usmanov set to fail in Arsenal bid, while Warnock is set to head the list of player exits at Villa Park.

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Taylor hints at Newcastle stay – Sky Sports

Chris: I’ll quit over Sam axe – Sun

United sale ‘a long way down line’ – Daily Telegraph

Wilshere caught up in club v country row after Under 21 call riles Wenger – Daily Mail

Manchester United hope to pip Chelsea and City to Pepe – IM Scouting

David Dein ‘set to be named FA chairman’- Mirror

Warnock may head list of player exits – Guardian

Brooking’s 2018 vision – Daily Telegraph

Malouda tells Chelsea defenders to up their game – Daily Mail

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Platini on brink of second term at Uefa – Guardian

Balotelli: only Messi better than me – Daily Telegraph

Usmanov’s Arsenal bid looks set to fail – Guardian

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Gabriel Agbonlahor has praised the bravery of Aston Villa team-mate Stiliyan Petrov, as the Bulgarian starts his battle against acute leukaemia.

The Midlands club’s captain started rehabilitation at a London hospital this week, with the sprightly attacker taking over as the outfit’s skipper in the mean time.

Agbonlahor has hailed Petrov, but admits that the news is a massive blow for the Villa Park club.

“The news about Stan (Petrov) was a massive shock,” Agbonlahor told Absolute Radio.

“For someone who’s as healthy as Stan, it was very shocking. But he showed bravery to come to the Chelsea game at the weekend.

“He knew he would have been asked a lot of questions and came and showed what a big effect he is to the players and also what a big captain and we’re all ready for him to battle through this.

“It’s hit the players hard. I think they showed great fight on Saturday for Stiliyan and were unfortunate not to get the right result. I think everyone’s close to Stan anyway and everyone’s been in contact with him, and he’s going to keep in contact with everyone on his progress.

“He’s done fantastic for this club, he’s been a great example, and everyone is hoping that he can get through this and then come back and captain us all again,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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With the players’ holidays coming to an end, the Manchester United team will be returning for pre-season training soon and I’m already finding myself getting increasingly excited for the new season to start. There are five big reasons I can’t wait for the kick off:

1. Ashley Young

I’ve thought the winger belongs at United ever since he started to flash potential when Watford came to the Premier League, now he’s here this signing could be a big impact on the team. Many see Young as a similar mould as Nani and Valencia with his pace and skill. However Young’s direct finish product in his crossing ability will be the best in the United team, something I can’t help but sometimes feel Nani lacks. Also being a set piece expert, Young should give United the opportunity to be threatening from free-kicks and corners again.

2. The Manchester Derby

With City’s team strengthening by the transfer window the Manchester Derby’s are growing more and more competitive and this is represented in the football betting. That’s why I have never loved Wayne Rooney more and been more relived when his goal of the season, acrobatic kick flew into the noisy neighbour’s net. It’s not only just the derby matches themselves now, the rivalry has grown to a scale on which City are poised to compete for the Premier League title. If this is the case next season then any points taken from derbies will be even more vital. An even more exciting prospect would be if the two meet in the Champion’s League knockout stages, in which case let’s just hope United can bring City’s fast progression to a halt.

3. Michael Owen

I almost feel like I shouldn’t be writing this and realise it is the most bizarre aspect of United to be excited about and I would not be surprised if I am on my own with this. Plagued with injury since his return to the Premier League and only netting 14 goals since his arrival, two years ago, at United does not make Owen much to shout about. Despite this I can’t help but get excited when I see him on the pitch in United colours. He is a natural finisher, proven through a fantastic career, and at 31 is not over the hill. If Owen can overcome fitness issues he can still grab the goals to change a match. If rumours of Berbatov’s departure materialise I don’t think Ferguson will bring in a replacement yet but may instead trial Welbeck and Macheda. In this instance Owen may receive more playing time and may finally become a reckoning force in the United attack, something I think he is still capable of.

4. Chicharito

I’ve sung Javier Hernandez’s praises until my throat is sore this last season, and that’s the least he’s deserved. The striker enjoyed an emphatic start to his United career netting twenty goals in his first season without being an every game first team starter. Towards the end of the season Hernandez overtook Berbatov as first choice for Rooney’s strike partner, and so surely will keep this role next season. The difficult second season syndrome is a rotten concept in football and is something which looms ahead of the new United favourite. The reason Chicharito is an exciting prospect for me next season is because he has shown he is a natural striker and continued to improve throughout the season. Therefore I think he can overcome second season syndrome to pass last season’s goal tally and continue to develop into a world class player.

5. The defence of a title

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Finally what better reason to look forward to a new season than your team having one of the most prestigious titles in the footballing world to defend, the Premier League champions. Next season’s title race promises to be an exciting with presumably Chelsea, as always, contending United for the league and this time round possibly even City and maybe Liverpool pushing for the top. However so far United seem to have strengthened their team the most and so we will have to wait and see how their rivals respond. Fans will also be looking for another run at the Champions League and so does another tussle with Barcelona await?

Read more of Tom Daniel’s articles at Red Flag Flying High

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Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is ready to throw John Mensah into his team for this weekend's Premier League clash at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Ghanaian has just recovered from a dislocated shoulder but, with regulars Michael Turner and Titus Bramble picking up injuries, Bruce believes the risk may have to be taken.

"It would be a big gamble. It's a gamble but, with his ability, if he can do it, I am prepared to make that gamble," he said.

"He trained today with it – in pain, I have to say – but he wants to try to give it a go, so a lot will depend on him.

"It's typical of him, he comes in and wants to train, which is probably three weeks quicker than he should be.

"But he wants to give it a go, so let's hope the specialists are right. They don't think by him training on it he can do any more damage, that's the most important thing.

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"But it is sore, as you can imagine. John trained this morning and came through it and if he comes through tomorrow, then it will be his call."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Former Chelsea forward Adrian Mutu is likely to raise eyebrows with his claim about Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s situation at Manchester United.

The former Sweden international was a massive hit at the North-West club last season as he scored 17 goals in 28 Premier League performances.

The 36-year-old was proving that age is just a number until he suffered a serious knee injury in the closing stages of last season.

Many questioned whether the striker would ever play again, but he did recover and signed a new one-year deal at United, much to the delight of the supporters.

However, it has not quite gone to plan for the Swede as he has made just seven appearances in all competitions this season and has scored just the one goal.

Ibrahimovic suffered an injury blow in December and has not played since United’s draw with Burnley on Boxing Day.

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Mutu, who played under Mourinho at Chelsea, has now made a bizarre claim that the only reason the former Paris Saint-Germain star is not playing is because he has fallen out with the manager.

In an interview with Telekom Sport Romania, Mutu said:

“I do not care about Mourinho. Mourinho doesn’t care about the performance, only the result. I have the information that Ibrahimovic is not injured, he’s just cold with Mourinho right now.”

Burnley are a ‘nice’ team, but is that worth anything during a relegation battle? Sean Dyche seems like a respectable manager, and he doesn’t get drawn into any slanging matches with other managers or ever try to pass the blame. His squad is built entirely of British and Irish players with one English born Austrian – a remarkable achievement.

Except the quality of their squad quite simply isn’t good enough for the division that they have found themselves in. As expected, of any promoted side, the majority of the squad are of a ‘Championship level’ and it can take a season or two of hard-fought survival to turn that around. In their 25-man squad for the Premier League season only 13 have any previous experience of playing in the Premier League, with most playing around 10 games or fewer in the competition. Compared to that of fellow promoted team QPR who’s 26-man squad contains 19 players who have previous Premier League experience, and a further two loanees from Italy’s top division, Serie A.

Credit where credit is due, Burnley finished 2nd in the Championship last season and fully deserved their promotion. However, after being the final team in England’s professional divisions to pick up a victory this season, it’s clear they are in for a season of struggle. With eleven games gone the Clarets are rock bottom of the league having scored just six goals. One positive note for them so far this season is the fact that they can effectively shut off some opponents, so the lack of goalscoring isn’t completely painful. Early on in the season Dyche’s men managed three bore draws in a row against Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Sunderland, before conceding four to West Brom. After scoring in the opening weekend defeat to Chelsea, they went six games in all competitions without another. And to be fair to them, they’ve hardly had the easiest run of fixtures to start off with.

Having a squad with no standout quality isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as a squad of team-players can sometimes be enough to survive in the top division. But should Burnley stick with Sean Dyche through what seems like an impending relegation?

Any manager who gains promotion from the Championship will be very much aware of the trouble that the following season will create, and although one of the promoted sides usually overachieves the other two ultimately struggle to survive. Then again, is football all about surviving? Burnley supporters will cherish the victories in the Premier League this season even if they are relegated, more than they cherished the 26 victories during the last campaign in the Championship. Dyche led his men up and with little resources made the best squad that he could. It was a fantastic achievement and automatic promotion in the Championship shouldn’t be undervalued.

I believe that Dyche has taken this squad to it’s absolute peak by reaching the Premier League and they inevitable relegation is looming. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that his days are numbered. The money earned and the players gained will only make Burnley stronger for next season should relegation arrive, and the problem isn’t of anyones fault. It’s a rare thing in football for nobody to pick up the blame for poor performances, but the manager is aware of how difficult the Premier League is and how much greater all the other sides are in terms of quality – and he’s right.

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If Burnley do get relegated – as seems most likely – it will be through no fault of the players or the manager. Not the fault of any trouble maker or lazy individuals. But a squad of almost entirely British and Irish players just not being good enough. Perhaps the best way to go down, but still, come on Burnley – it would be one of the greatest triumphs in the Premier League if Sean Dyche can mastermind this rather average squad of players to survive relegation this season.

Peter Crouch was quoted in the papers morning that with no front teeth and a brace in place that it was a good job he was married as he looks a bit of a mess at the minute. It was also he who famously gave the answer “a virgin” – when asked the question ‘What would you be if you weren’t a football?’

The Stoke City striker is married to arguably one of the most beautiful woman in the country, who unlike many other WAGs has a successful career in her own right and breaks the mould that they are simply money grabbers happy to bleed their partner dry. Indeed Rafa van der Vaart said that his Mrs was actually more famous than him, while it is hard to dispute that Helen Flanagan has been getting more air-time at this moment than her Manchester City boyfriend Scott Sinclair.

WAGS come in all shapes and sizes and the Premier League’s player lounges has see some absolute beauties mingle through them over the years. The following list is a collection of the best England’s top division has witnessed over the years.

Click on Miss Goodwin below to unveil the list