Wenger surprisingly willing to let long serving Arsenal duo leave this summer
Reports suggest there could be a bit of a clear-out at Arsenal this summer, with Arsene Wenger willing to listen to offers for both Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, according to The Telegraph.
The manager goes through phases at Arsenal, following the trends and reading into which countries will enjoy success in the future. He invested in French players ahead of a strong spell for the French side, in Spaniards before Spain built their world cup winning side, and repeated the feat ahead of Germany's success in Brazil.
He's also heavily invested in British players though, building a core of players who he hoped would be loyal to the club and progress alongside each other.
That British core hasn't yielded the results expected though, and it's now in real danger of falling apart. Jack Wilshere is still a top talent but is perennially injured, Aaron Ramsey is incredibly inconsistent, and Carl Jenkinson struggled to nail down a starting spot at West Ham during his second season on loan.
Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain haven't progressed the way many would have hoped, with the left-back not really improving in years, and the young winger frustratingly up and down. At times he looks capable of being truly world class, but his complete lack of end product and his non-existant composure continuously holds him back.
If we can find a replacement left-back then it certainly wouldn't be the worst thing to let Gibbs go, as he's not improving at all and isn't all that young anymore. There still looks like there is plenty more to come from the Ox though, and if we let him leave we could end up regretting it.
While he may not be showing it now, it's easy to see the Ox becoming a truly top quality player in the future. It would be a real blow if we were to sell the 22-year-old now and see him succeed with one of our rivals, so perhaps he deserves a little more time or even a season out on loan.
More Stories: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Kieran Gibbs