Marouane Chamakh has experienced a quite spectacular fall from grace. It’s almost like a microcosm of Fernando Torres’ career, yet unlike the Spainard, there seems to be no chance of a revival.
After arriving at the Emirates from Bordeaux back in 2010, Chamakh was asked to fill in for the injured (of course) Robin Van Persie. He did so with aplomb. He held the line nicely, chipped in with some goals and won over the fans quickly.
The trouble came when Robin Van Persie recovered and earned his place back in the team. The Dutchman found the best form of his career and somehow threw off his injury curse. As a result, the Moroccan stopped getting a look in in Arsene Wenger’s side. He rarely featured and when he did get a game, he looked entirely drained of confidence.
With RVP’s sale this summer, Chamakh may have thought he’d get more opportunities this season. Boy was he wrong. Olivier Giroud was signed this summer and despite the fact that he’s been (on the whole) disappointing, the Moroccan has still yet to feature this season.
Arsene Wenger has instead opted to play Gervinho upfront. It’s a bizarre decision, given his frustrating unpredictability and inconsistency, but one that’s paid off as he’s already grabbed five goals this season (1 more than last year).
Suffice to say, Chamakh is some distance away from the first-team picture. He didn’t even feature against Coventry City in the Capital One Cup. His Arsenal career looks all but over.
Luckily, however, his old club Bordeaux look ready to give Chamakh a life line. The club’s president, Jean-Louis Triaud has admitted as such:
“Chamakh could return. There is a serious chance. It is feasible for us and him but the choice is down to Arsenal. If he’s not happy then we are in a position to talk about it.” (Source: ClubCall).
I’m not sure why Chamakh stayed this summer. Maybe he thought he’d be able to crack the first team with Robin out of the way. Maybe he was just happy to pick up a paycheck. You can’t help but feel, however, that the best thing he could do for his career would be to move on. He just won’t get opportunities at Arsenal and he owes it to himself to re-establish his worth.
Arsenal on the other hand, could probably re-invest the small amount of cash they do get from his sale on a striker Wenger actually trusts enough to play occasionally.
What’s your take? Is Marouane Chamakh’s Arsenal career all but over?
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Honestly,it is pity seeing chamakn end his arsenal career as a bench warmer,i love his height,i love his name,i love his look,i wish he could stay & play good 4 arsenal.,he needs 2 start playing,so if he goes good 4 him,if he stays, better 4 him..,GUNNERS EVEN IN HEAVEN,(still jecwenger)