Rosicky Arteta Flamini
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Arsenal rumours: Arsene Wenger to axe ageing midfield trio?

| 03.11.2015
SPORTSBOOK ODDS

Jamie Clark, Sports Editor | November 3, 2015

Reports in the London press claim Arsenal are to axe ageing midfielders Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky at the end of the season when their contracts are up.

Coral make the Gunners 6/4 second-favourites to win a first Premier League title for a dozen years, but the contribution made by this 30-something trio has been limited at best.

Age before beauty

Club captain Arteta, who will be 34 before the campaign ends, has started just two games in all competitions this term so far, and is out until after the international break with a sprained ankle.

Soccer - FA Cup - Final - Arsenal v Hull City - Wembley Stadium

Fellow holding midfielder Flamini turns 32 next spring, meanwhile, and has played just 29 minutes of Premier League football under Arsene Wenger in 2015/16. Czech Republic centurion Rosicky, 35, has missed the entire season to date after undergoing knee surgery.

With injury problems and poor match fitness an increasing concern for Arsenal’s ageing engine room options, rumours they will be released can hardly be seen as surprising. Lousy luck when it comes to the treatment table is not confined to Arteta and Rosicky, however.

Could Gunners shoot themselves in the foot?

Soccer - FA Community Shield 2014 - Arsenal v Manchester City - Wembley Stadium

Homegrown British duo Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere continue to pick up injuries, with the latter enduring long-standing ankle problems. This situation does leave Wenger rather dependent upon playmaker Santi Cazorla, who turns 31 in December, and Gunners academy product Francis Coquelin.

In a bid to solve what is perceived to be a real need to spend on deeper-lying midfield options, Arsenal have been linked with powerful Poland international and Sevilla star Grzegorz Krychowiak, but no firm interest has materialised in him.

Arteta, who used to captain Everton, arrived at the Emirates in 2011, while Flamini was re-signed by Wenger after leaving AC Milan in 2013. Rosicky will rack up a decade of service, joining the Gunners from Borussia Dortmund following the 2006 World Cup.

Related

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Author

Jamie Clark

Athletics aficionado, die-hard snooker fan and Crystal Palace supporter Jamie has written for Coral since February 2014 after spells with Soccerlens and the Press Association as a digital journalist and copywriter. A former East Midlands sports correspondent and Bwin tipster, he is a graduate of both the University of York and University of Sheffield, with a Masters in web journalism from the latter.