Tough times: Arsene Wenger shows the strain during
the recent goalless draw against Blackburn
EXCLUSIVE
Arsene Wenger will wield the axe in a summer
shake-up after finally losing patience with his Arsenal
flops.
The Frenchman has given the green light to an
end-of-season rebuilding plan at the Emirates which will see a
number of the club's top stars depart - including £15million Russia
forward Andrey Arshavin, left back Gael Clichy and the self-styled
'best striker in the world' Nicklas Bendtner.
The Arsenal manager will also consider offers for bit-part
players Emmanuel Eboue, Tomas Rosicky, Abou Diaby, Denilson and the
goalkeeper with whom he persevered for so long, Manuel
Almunia.
Wenger's belief in his current batch of Gunners stars had
been staunch despite their six-year trophy drought. But a sequence
of one win in seven that has seen the Gunners lose the
Carling Cup final to Birmingham City and crash out of both the
Champions League and the FA Cup has forced the manager into a
rethink.
Sportsmail understands influential members of Wenger's
backroom team floated the idea of selling a number of the club's
underachievers to raise money for new signings.
Wenger is primed to show his ruthless streak with a
clearout and there is a feeling Bendtner has had enough time to
prove his worth, with the Denmark striker so often failing to
fulfil his promise.
Arshavin's arrival in January 2009 was heralded as a major
coup but he has struggled to replicate his dazzling Euro 2008
displays.
Sportsmail revealed last month that the Gunners feared the
worst in their attempts to persuade Clichy to sign a new contract
and will sell him in the summer rather than risk letting him leave
on a free transfer in a year.
Arsenal hope to recoup as much as £35million from
player sales this summer and Wenger has already told chief scout
Steve Rowley to instruct his global network of scouts to identify
targets. Some are already in Wenger's sights but yesterday he gave
an impassioned defence of his record, insisting being second in the
league is not a 'disaster'.
The Arsenal Supporters' Trust expressed their
'considerable disappointment' at recent results but Wenger hit
back, saying: 'We are second in the league. Is that a disaster for
you?
'There are teams who invest 10 times more than us, one
player cost more than the whole team and they are behind us. I
don't understand the way people think. Where is the common
sense?
'Some of the clubs behind us have done nothing for 20
years, yet suddenly they get a lot of praise. I don't understand.
'To be consistent at the top level is the most difficult thing in
our job. We have been in the Champions League for 15 years and
there are only two clubs who have done that in this country - us
and Manchester United.
'The way we are doing things is right. If I look at this
team I'm proud of them, proud of the attitude of the players and
the football we play.'