Danny Welbeck may very well have played his last game with Arsenal.
According to Sky Sports, Arsenal is prepared to let Welbeck leave as a free agent this coming summer, with Welbeck’s contract coming to an end. The report states that the club isn’t planning on offering Welbeck a new contract.
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Welbeck is likely out for the rest of the season after suffering a gruesome ankle dislocation in November, having to be stretchered off the field and taken to a hospital for surgery during Arsenal’s home match against Sporting Lisbon. Welbeck had to undergo two operations on his injured ankle, making a return unlikely in the short term.
If this is the end of his stay at Arsenal, Welbeck leaves with just 16 Premier League goals in five seasons for the Gunners. After joining in 2014 from Manchester United, Welbeck stated he had hoped to play as the main striker. However, persistent injury problems dogged him while Olivier Giroud, and then Alexis Sanchez, served as the team’s main goal-scoring threats. In 2017, Alexandre Lacazette was brought in and six months later, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was also signed, leaving Welbeck further down the pecking order.
Despite his lack of goal production, Welbeck continued to get the call from Arsene Wenger as well as for the England National Team due to his willingness to track back and put in the hard work defensively, which could help other players shine. That quality may be missed for Arsenal in the future.
