Why a wave of good feeling shouldn’t stop Arsenal from cashing in this summer:

After the torrid start to their season, you’d excuse those Arsenal fans who are basking in the glory of two excellent wins on the trot. First there was the 7-1 victory over Blackburn, which set the Gunner’s back on the right and then there was a 2-1 win against Sunderland in a tricky away fixture. That the goal came in the last minutes of injury time from a club legend is all the more reason to celebrate. It seems some fighting spirit is left in this side.

Of course, the real challenge will come over the following weeks where the Gunners have to face off against AC Milan in the Champions League, Spurs in the Premiership and Sunderland away in the FA Cup. By the end of February Arsenal could be out of both club competitions and too far off the chase to capture fourth place in the League. To say that it’s a big month is an understatement.

At the moment, however, Arsenal fans will be celebrating moving back up to fourth and will be hoping that this will provide them with the confidence to keep at it over the next few weeks. I just hope all this good feeling doesn’t succeed in covering up some important home truths at Arsenal. It remains the case that there are too many passengers at the club – too many players that can’t be counted on to provide the goods.

Now the fact that Andrey Arshavin provided the cross that Henry latched onto to score the winner at the Stadium of Light will likely have Arsenal fans reconsidering their position when it comes to the Russian International. But it shouldn’t. He should be judged on the basis of the entire season – not the five minutes when he actually managed to do something positive for the club.

All in all he has had a hugely disappointing season and hasn’t displayed the attitude necessary to survive at a club with ambitions the size of Arsenal.

For all his talent and ability his lack of application has held the Gunners back. Those who are defending him on the basis of his cross against Sunderland would do well to remember how his unwillingness to track back cost Arsenal a draw against Manchester United at the Emirates.

If you can’t be bothered to keep fit and work hard, then you don’t deserve the huge wage package you pick up on a weekly basis. As such, if Arshavin can’t prove his fitness and ensure that he’s motivated then he has to go this summer.

What’s your take? Is it time for Arsenal to cash in on their little Russian?

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