Are Arsenal right to want Bojan Krkic or Willian instead of Andrey Arshavin?

EPL: Andrei Arshavin, Arsenal (Getty Images)

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ANALYSIS
By Jonathan Birchall

Arsenal unveiled their new home kit yesterday, and amongst the players sporting the 125th anniversary commemorative strip was Andrey Arshavin.

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It might be one of the few times the Russian winger gets to sport the old-fashioned design, with Goal.com revealing today that Arsenal are considering selling the 29-year-old with Barcelona’s Bojan Krkic or Willian of Shakhtar Donetsk lined up as potential replacements.

The common belief – and one apparently shared by boss Arsene Wenger – is that Arshavin’s performances have too often fluctuated from inspired to insipid this season.

Being only two goals off his highest scoring tally since joining the Gunners in 2009 and having weighed in with 11 assists in the Premier League – the second highest at a club whose ability of creating chances is not a problem – would suggest that the former Zenit St Petersburg man has done much to impress this season.

Strange as it may seem, Arshavin has come in for fierce criticism from fans and pundits alike.

The inconsistency of the man is certainly frustrating. Sublime in his side’s 2-1 defeat of Barcelona in February, Arshavin looked as if he had returned to the form that made him a fan favourite at the Emirates at the end of his first season in English football.

However, with only one goal in the 13 games he has played since, there is clearly a case to be made that despite the flashes of sheer brilliance, the consistency is undermining Arshavin’s Arsenal career.

And Wenger’s gaze has turned towards the continent. It speaks volumes that even in the finest football team on the planet, amongst such luminaries as Lionel Messi and David Villa, Bojan has made over 100 appearances for Barcelona, including one as captain, and is still yet to reach 21 years of age.

THE CONTENDERS | Season 2010-11
Games (sub) Goals Assists Games per goal or assist	35 (16) 10 18 1.3	33 (20) 6 2 4.1	36 (0) 5 5 3.6

Having come through the ranks at Barca, the striker has scored 25 times in 102 games and is the youngest player to have ever scored for the Camp Nou giants, opening his account aged only 17 years and 53 days in 2007.

He is largely used off the bench, with his pace a frightening prospect for defenders left weary from having chased shadows of him team-mates. Concerns over his size would be understandable, at only 5ft 7in. Not that it has stopped him so far.

But tensions between Barcelona and Arsenal are well documented, so no deal would be easily completed. That could pave the way for Wenger to instead pursue Willian.

Much is expected of the 22-year old Brazilian, having joined Ukrainian powerhouses Shakhtar Donestsk in the summer of 2007 from his hometown club Corinthians for £11.5 million. He’s not looked back since, proving arguably the most dangerous weapon in an attacking quartet that helped Mircea Lucescu’s side go 55 games undefeated at home until they stumbled to Obolon and then Barcelona last month.

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A winger that can play on either flank, with a penchant for moving inside to devastating effect, Willian can slow the game to a snail’s pace and then explode to catch defenders and sometimes even his team-mates unaware. Ever the creator, the Shakhtar man is hardly prolific, having only scored 13 times in 85 appearances since he joined the club.

He may not be the goal threat that Arsenal crave but there’s no doubting that his brand of football would more than suit the slick, stylish mantra of Wenger’s side.

Who would you want to see at Arsenal next season? Bojan Krkic? Willian? Stick with what Arsenal know in Arshavin? Or perhaps someone else entirely? Vote in our poll below, and have your say by leaving a comment.