Danny Welbeck | Arsenal player

[Patchbeard]

Welbeck proved many times for us he's not a natural finisher. He had plenty of opportunities to show what he could do but missed too many good chances. 20 goals in 90 appearances shows that. When Giroud is fit again he'll be first choice striker and Welbeck will be shunted to the bench.

Sturridge showed nothing out of the ordinary at Chelsea or City, so they were right to move him on. The fact that he's now scoring goals with a different team doesn't mean he would have scored them with Chelsea or City. You often get that with players - they show nothing with one team then for no particularly apparent reason blossom when they go elsewhere. Conversely though, they can just disappear into obscurity.

If Welbeck scores lots of goals for Arsenal - which I seriously doubt - it doesn't automatically follow that he would have scored them for us.

Sturridge looked class for City as a teenager in my memory, though he also his cnutishness by running his contract down so young to move to a bigger club at the time. Chelsea wasted him in very similar circumstances to us and Welbeck. Having two other big name strikers (Drogba & Torres, ala Rooney & RVP) who cant play together, but one of them was always going to play centrally ahead of Sturridge.

The other worrying similarity is that although Sturridge had shown some great potential on the ball, he also hadn't really demonstrated he would be such a prolific goalscorer..

 

[devilish]

Welbeck is ridiculously overrated in here.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I don't think he outperformed Hernandez at all in 2012-13. Hernandez got 18 goals in 36 games that season, some of them very important to our title challenge. Welbeck had 2 goals in 40 games. I wouldn't say he outperformed him that season at all.

Probably 18 months would be more accurate than 2 years. Still, Welbeck definitely looks to have more about him than Hernandez. All that's missing from his game is finishing and that might still come (in the same way that Rooney's finishing improved dramatically in his mid 20s). All that Hernandez ever had was his finishing and that looks to have deserted him some time ago. I think there's a lot more to the differing opinions than academy vs foreign import (although that's still a perfectly valid reason to be more upset about one departure than another)

 

[Godfather]

Or perhaps they've just been watching Welbeck consistently out-perform Hernandez over the last two years?

As a striker Danny failed to outperform anyone for too long. For his own sake going away was a good choice. he wasn't going to be first choice here.

 

[Member 39557]

It sucks. He has genuine pace and great link-up play and I think we'll miss him.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

I think the price we've sold for is a bit of a disgrace to be honest... for a young, English international, we've been royally mugged.

 

[Sarni]

I think the price we've sold for is a bit of a disgrace to be honest... for a young, English international, we've been royally mugged.

It's more than Chelsea got Sturridge. Basically when there's clearly no space for a player in your squad and said player hasn't really set the world alight for you lately you're not getting into £20m+ region IMO. Lukaku went for more but he had an excellent season for the club that signed him so it's different.

 

[Cina]

Probably 18 months would be more accurate than 2 years. Still, Welbeck definitely looks to have more about him than Hernandez. All that's missing from his game is finishing and that might still come (in the same way that Rooney's finishing improved dramatically in his mid 20s). All that Hernandez ever had was his finishing and that looks to have deserted him some time ago. I think there's a lot more to the differing opinions than academy vs foreign import (although that's still a perfectly valid reason to be more upset about one departure than another)

Bit harsh. I think we've just used him wrongly really. We have a knack for trying to convert players to something they're not, like inexplicably trying to make Hernandez a more complete footballer, turning him into a target man and dropping him deeper, despite his best assets being his insane movement and ability to pop up in the box at the right time. I have a feeling he'll find his finishing boots at Real again.

 

[NK86]

I think the price we've sold for is a bit of a disgrace to be honest... for a young, English international, we've been royally mugged.

We seem to have a history for that. We almost always get short changed when we sell. Kagawa's fees was equally mind bogglingly cheap.

 

[RuudTom83]

By all accounts Welbeck is now going to turn into a Henry/Sturridge hybrid...what a beast

 

[Decotron]

He'll have a point to prove now which could easily be the spark he needs to finally fulfil the potential the always been there. Wenger could also be the man to bring that out of him. Would have much preferred a loan move given the age of our strikers....over the next couple of seasons we could live to regret this transfer.

 

[coolredwine]

We seem to have a history for that. We almost always get short changed when we sell. Kagawa's fees was equally mind bogglingly cheap.

Kagawa's was okay. But the thing is, we didn't add the usual 50-100% English tax on Welbeck.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

It's more than Chelsea got Sturridge. Basically when there's clearly no space for a player in your squad and said player hasn't really set the world alight for you lately you're not getting into £20m+ region IMO. Lukaku went for more but he had an excellent season for the club that signed him so it's different.

Get what you're saying... but, he played 30 odd games for us last year, starts regularly for England and is 23 years old... regardless of the space in our squad (and if he'd stayed, he'd have still made quite a few appearances in my opinion), with how much English players are sold for, less than £20 million is a bit of a joke.

Contrast it to the fee for Lallana for example.

 

[bishblaize]

Really sad to see him go.

That's mainly with him being a youth team product and a manchester lad. He went to my school & grew up near me so I've wanted him to do well since I first saw him in the youth set ups.

Just to be clear, there's no argument from me that we've upgraded our personnel in that position. Swapping Hernandez & Wellbeck for Falcao is a significant improvement. I'd also say that while we're strengthening our opponents in one respect, they could have taken Falcao, which would have been far worse.

However the guys only 23. He may or may not end up being a top striker but I really don't think at that age you can say for sure that he won't. With Rooney and RvP he was only going to be a sub this season anyway so its not like we were relying solely on him. And bear in mind that for a young player at United, striker is always the hardest position to force your way in to. I don't see that he was a spent force.

I just hope this is a one-off situation, that our short term needs temporarily outweigh our long term goals with regards to our youth players. Indeed maybe (hopefully) our faith in Wilson is part of the thinking here. He already looks a much better player at the same age than Danny did.

But still, sad news.

 

[Sarni]

Get what you're saying... but, he played 30 odd games for us last year, starts regularly for England and is 23 years old... regardless of the space in our squad (and if he'd stayed, he'd have still made quite a few appearances in my opinion), with how much English players are sold for, less than £20 million is a bit of a joke.

Contrast it to the fee for Lallana for example.

Lallana was a key player for Southampton, Welbeck was a squad player for us. I'm not that bothered about fees to be fair, we've spent more than £100m in this window and look set to spend £30m on Falcao alone next year, we're clearly not bothered about expenses so extra £4m for Welbeck would have made feck all difference. We let Kagawa go for £8m and he's probably a better player than Welbeck, goes back to his comfort zone where he's basically certain to excel and it didn't cause that much outrage.

 

[kopviolator]

Sad to see him go but it's the best move for him. I'm sure he'll do well over there.

He's still only 23 and has the best years ahead of him. Arsenal have got themselves a good deal.

Best of luck Danny.

 

[Loublaze]

Welbeck proved many times for us he's not a natural finisher. He had plenty of opportunities to show what he could do but missed too many good chances. 20 goals in 90 appearances shows that. When Giroud is fit again he'll be first choice striker and Welbeck will be shunted to the bench.

Sturridge showed nothing out of the ordinary at Chelsea or City, so they were right to move him on. The fact that he's now scoring goals with a different team doesn't mean he would have scored them with Chelsea or City. You often get that with players - they show nothing with one team then for no particularly apparent reason blossom when they go elsewhere. Conversely though, they can just disappear into obscurity.

If Welbeck scores lots of goals for Arsenal - which I seriously doubt - it doesn't automatically follow that he would have scored them for us.

Prolific strikers will score at whatever club gives them a chance, its about the ability itself and the opportunity more than it is the club. If Welbeck does a Sturridge at Arsenal then it applies that he would've done the same at United if he was allowed to mature and play at OT.

 

[Phil]

Why is the thread title a winking sad face though?

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Lallana was a key player for Southampton, Welbeck was a squad player for us. I'm not that bothered about fees to be fair, we've spent more than £100m in this window and look set to spend £30m on Falcao alone next year, we're clearly not bothered about expenses so extra £4m for Welbeck would have made feck all difference. We let Kagawa go for £8m and he's probably a better player than Welbeck, goes back to his comfort zone where he's basically certain to excel and it didn't cause that much outrage.

Oh I'm annoyed about the Kagawa fee (it's £6mil isn't it? piss poor either way) too, but that's old news now...

 

[FacerTheRed]

Sad to see Welbeck leave united, but at the same time it'll be good for him as a player. He couldnt compete against big name strikers at united. He'll fit in Arsenal perfectly, personally to get the best out of Danny you gotta put him front and he'll keep improving.

 

[Sarni]

Oh I'm annoyed about the Kagawa fee (it's £6mil isn't it? piss poor either way) too, but that's old news now...

We could have probably got £12m for Kagawa, £12m for Hernandez and £20m for Welbeck - that's £44m there as opposed to £22m we've got for Welbeck and Kagawa (and feck all for Hernandez at the moment). Would it have made a big difference for the club in the long term though? We've just spent £100m on Di Maria and Falcao assuming we sign Falcao at the end of his loan.

 

[Kaos]

I genuinely don't care at this point, he's no longer one of us now as far as I'm concerned. goodbye.

Harsh, but I agree.

I think signing Radamel fecking Falcao has made it impossible to get upset at this. Its like replacing your beloved VW Golf with a Maserati - there's a sentimental sadness to it but you now have a fecking Maserati.

 

[Man of Leisure]

Might as well cough up the only bit of "ITK" info I ever got, without revealing the source.

A little bird told me that Danny met with Van Gaal when he first took the reins and was told that he'd be "third choice", which he was ok with - considering the ages of Rooney and RvP.

A couple of weeks later he was informed that United were looking to move him on and had been touting him round mid-table clubs, as they didn't want to sell to a rival. Turns out "third choice" actually meant third behind Januzaj and Wilson as back up to RooVP.

From that point it escalated as Danny and his agent (understandably) pushed for the best move possible for his career. Which it looks as though they got in the end. Good news for Arsenal. Shite news for United.

Not doubting you or your source, but I find that incredibly hard to believe. If true, Welbeck would have justifiably felt it necessary to move elsewhere for the sake of his career. Sitting on the bench behind Rooney, RVP, and Falcao, while fighting for scraps with the likes of Januzaj and Wilson without CL or League Cup competitions would be pretty demoralizing. Arsenal should afford him great opportunities for further development. Good luck to Danny but really hope this doesn't come back to bite us when it comes to making top 4.

 

[holyland red]

Shaw, Jones, Smalling, Blackett, Wilson etc etc?

I therefore said it was possible, and not that we would not be able to field an Englishman.

 

[Seveneric]

Hoping he does really well for Arsenal and if that contributes to helping them finish above United, good.
I'd also find it hilarious if he outscored Falcao and Rooney.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Why is the thread title a winking sad face though?

I think that's the key issue here.

 

[Strike]

I can actually see Welbeck doing really well for Arsenal…we may regret this one.

 

[Man of Leisure]

Arsenal were staring at four months of Sanogo ffs!

 

[Hoof the ball]

Sacrifices have to be made for :-

1. New British talent (James Wilson) to be given a realistic chance to develop with us.
2. Success on the field to be maintained.

We cannot afford for sentimentality. We got a manager who would not allow us such. This is the change we needed and this is the change we're getting.

When all is said and done, we have shifted a performer with low productivity (that's what he is) for a player who has the capacity to be a major star for us.

Time for some of the Cafe to man up.

 

[CircusMonkey]

Losing Welbeck is depressing. He will thrive at Arsenal.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Harsh, but I agree.

I think signing Radamel fecking Falcao has made it impossible to get upset at this. Its like replacing your beloved VW Golf with a Maserati - there's a sentimental sadness to it but you now have a fecking Maserati.

I was going more along the lines of, it's like ending it with your girlfriend of 5 years (who was really, rather endeering, if not fully in control of all her limbs) and find yourself with a new, more interesting, hotter girl. Ultimately, this new girl is better for you, because she's more interesting and has better breasts - but still...you'll miss larking around with your ex, and all that weird elbowy sex you once had....

 

[Kaos]

I was going more along the lines of, it's like ending it with your girlfriend of 5 years (who was really, rather endeering, if not fully in control of all her limbs) and find yourself with a new, more interesting, hotter girl. Ultimately, this new girl is better for you, because she's more interesting and has better breasts - but still...you'll miss larking around with your ex, and all that weird elbowy sex you once had....

What?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Arsenal were staring at four months of Sanogo ffs!

That's the killer in all of this. You get the gut punch of losing Welbeck, then KTFO by Arsenal solving the most obvious flaw in their squad. Horrible bit of business.

 

[Red Shorts]

Harsh, but I agree.

I think signing Radamel fecking Falcao has made it impossible to get upset at this. Its like replacing your beloved VW Golf with a Maserati - there's a sentimental sadness to it but you now have a fecking Maserati.

So true.

I really don't think he will be a huge success at Arsenal if I'm honest. This is now his best chance to lead the line on his own now that Giroud is out and Sanogo doesn't seem cut out for it, let's see if he can bag the same as the other top players out there, because it should be expected of him playing for a top four club. He can achieve 15 in a season, but I will predict that he won't (in the league, that is).

 

[villain]

I am disappointed, I love Welbeck and won't stop supporting his career.

However, with RVP potentially out - he just doesn't fill me with confidence about scoring goals.
And frankly, we need goals.

I personally don't see him doing a Sturridge, but he will raise his game, and the way Arsenal play will suit him.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

What?

Oh don't act like you don' know what I'm talking about...

 

[coolredwine]

Arsenal were staring at four months of Sanogo ffs!

That is the only reason why I'm sad.

 

[Nickosaur]

I'm absolutely gutted.

This feels similar to a break-up Don't get me wrong I'm over the moon we have Falcao but I can't stop thinking about Danny!

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Welbeck is ridiculously overrated in here.

He really is.

You'd think he's a Januzaj level talent on top of being an academy product.

But I do agree with the sentiment of this being an unnecessary risk. I'm not convinced he'll be a quality player for Arsenal but he has certain qualities that should work well with Wengers system, and it just seems like we gave Arsenal a striker when they really needed on, despite them being our rivals for 4th.

 

[Red Shorts]

If he does prove to be a success, I hope this isn't going to be the new Pogba thread...