Does this tenacious talent still have a future at Arsenal?

Now call me crazy, but haven’t Arsenal spent the last two or so seasons trying to ship Nicklas Bendtner to whatever club will have him? For all his goal scoring prowess (and he does a fair ability in this regard), attitude problems, a lack of pace and a lack of dynamism have cost him big thus fair in his career. There’s been the general feeling that he’s just not good enough for the Gunners (or, I’d say Juventus, but for one reason or another, they were desperate to sign an Arsenal striker this summer). So I can’t be the only fan bemused by Arsene Wenger’s recent comments concerning the great Dane.

When asked why he values Bendtner, Wenger told the Press: “It is not for nothing that I loaned him to Juventus. He is a talented player. There he will grow and then return to my team. I am convinced that at a team like Juventus, in a very difficult league, especially for strikers, he can make the final leap in quality. Don’t forget, he is a boy of 24 years. The right age to prove who he is. The talent is not missing, otherwise I would not have bought him from Copenhagen when he was just 16 years old.” (Source: The Guardian).

The thought of Nicklas Bendtner returning to the Emirates, is no doubt currently sending shivers of fear down the spines of Arsenal fans everywhere. They just can’t seem to get rid of him. But is Wenger right to place so much faith in a player who has shown so little respect to him?

One thing’s for sure. If Bendtner doesn’t come back from Italy with a brand new attitude, he’ll never make it at the Emirates. His time in Serie A will essentially act as an opportunity to save his career. If he doesn’t make it at Juve, it’s hard to see other top clubs showing interest.

It’s also worth noting that he’s a fairly similar player to Frenchman Olivier Giroud. Both are slow, strong in the air and natural goalkeepers. In the past, Arsene Wenger has shown an aversion to these kind of players, so I doubt he’ll want two of them in his squad. There may well be a battle between these two players over the coming season to prove themselves worthy of a place in this Arsenal side.

My feeling is that Arsenal could use a player with pace. Bendtner will score goals, but he won’t scare defences. For this reason, the time may be right to let him go. Whether Wenger can face up to this eventuality, is another matter.

What’s your take? Does Bendtner still have a future at Arsenal?

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