The 31 players in Arsenal’s 25 man squad for the season…

Posted on by Tony Attwood

The regular and usually inaccurate summary of the 25 squad by Tony Attwood

Clubs also have to name at least eight homegrown players (ie one who has been registered with an English or Welsh club for at least three years prior to them turning 21) for the season until the next transfer window.

The names on the squad list of Arsenal are (excluding U-21s) are:

1.      Andrey Arshavin

2.      Mikel Arteta

3.      Santi Cazorla

4.      Marouane Chamakh (A)

5.      André Clarindo dos Santos

6.      Abou Diaby

7.      Johan Djourou

8.      Lukasz Fabianski

9.      Gervinho (A)

10. Kieran Gibbs

11. Olivier Giroud

12. Laurent Koscielny

13. Vito Mannone

14. Per Mertesacker

15. Lukas Podolski

16. Aaron Ramsey

17. Tomas Rosicky

18. Bacary Sagna

19. Sebastien Squillaci

20. Wojciech Szczesny

21. Thomas Vermaelen

22. Theo Walcott

23. Craig Eastmond

The (A) shows the players who may be called up in January and February for the Africa Cup of Nations.  (This has been held every other year in the past but this time it is being held in two consecutive years so that it moves from even numbered years to odd numbered years).  It is noticeable that we only have two such players in the 25 and (I believe) none in the under 21s, so for once the Cup won’t affect Arsenal that much.

I am sure Mr Wenger has not avoided African players per se but certainly those clubs that have signed players who will play again in Africa in the new year will be a loss to their clubs.

Anyway, moving on…

From the under age group we might expect to see…

  1. Carl Jenkinson
  2. Francis Coquelin
  3. Jack Wilshere
  4. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain
  5. Ignasi Miquel
  6. Thomas Eisfeld
  7. Damian Martinez
  8. Chuks Aneke

Which by my calculations gives us 31 – plus any surprise under 21s, or come to that any that I have stupidly forgotten.

I should add that Arsenal traditionally list every single under 21 on their books in the submission to the Premier League, but I’ve tried to include the ones that I think are most likely to end up with a squad number through having at least sat on the bench for a game.

I’ve done this every season since the 25 rule came in and never once managed to produce a list without errors in it, so you really ought to read the comments below before taking my list as being remotely accurate.

And here’s the Champions League A list

  1. Wojciech Szczesny,
  2. Abou Diaby,
  3. Bacary Sagna,
  4. Per Mertesacker,
  5. Thomas Vermaelen,
  6. Laurent Koscielny,
  7. Tomas Rosicky,
  8. Mikel Arteta,
  9. Lukas Podolski,
  10. Andre Santos,
  11. Olivier Giroud,
  12. Theo Walcott,
  13. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain,
  14. Aaron Ramsey,
  15. Sebastien Squillaci,
  16. Santi Cazorla,
  17. Johan Djourou,
  18. Lukas Fabianski,
  19. Andrey Arshavin,
  20. Vito Mannone,
  21. Carl Jenkinson,
  22. Gervinho,
  23. Kieran Gibbs,
  24. Marouane Chamakh,
  25. Serge Gnabry.

So now you can tell me this time’s mistakes…

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47 Replies to “The 31 players in Arsenal’s 25 man squad for the season…”

  8. You have forgotten Jack WIlshere in the Champions League A list and have put Serge Gnabry instead.

  10. Chuba Akpom, Chuks Aneke – if not loaned out will most likely play in the Capital One Cup

  13. 54 players registered to play in the prem is very impressive. So much for the 25 rule, I think Arsene intentionally makes a mockery of it.

  14. I heard Liverpool have beaten us to the signature of an up and coming Dutch ace, his name is Robin Van Stereos 😉

  16. Think you have overlooked frimpong who also may represent ghana in the acon. i would also think that yennaris and conor henderson may get a look in.

  17. Tony,

    Very funny. Anyone who accuses you or this site of arrogance on all things Arsenal should have this page/link highlighted to them. Very funny indeed.

  20. Mandy, IF there is any truth in this, does a contract actually matter? Song had three years, and Cesc had five. Forgive my cynicism, but what the hell’s the point of a contract extension these days if a young, improving star like Song can go for 15 million and three years left? He was tied to a long term contract and left for a joke of a price (the real scandal of the summer, and one that no-one’s really talking about). I’m feeling a bit let down by contracts in general at the moment.

    At any rate, it’s a big IF given what we know about news outlets, and I hope it’s wrong because I love watching Sagna.

  21. Looking at that list, of the non-Academy players, very few were bought from within England & Wales. Total outlay within the EPL:
    Arteta (£10m?), the Ox (£12m?), Jenks (£1m?), Ramsey (£5m?) and Theo (£9m?) over six years. Being generous that’s £40m accounting for variations in reported deals.
    Or to put it another way, less than £10 million per season leaves Arsenal’s coffers to go into the hands of the less fortunate clubs. If there is an implied relationship that the big clubs will subsidise the little clubs, as exists in Spain and the SPL, then Arsenal clearly aren’t very good partners in it. Other clubs might get annoyed with the predations of the big clubs but if selling one or two key players a year increases their turnover by 50% then it’s in their interest for the process to continue. Especially as the law of diminishing returns would suggest that a player 90% as good can be bought for two thirds the price.

  22. love watching him as well El Gringo – and as you say, the word IF is key here.
    But, a player like that, I would rather see his contact extended sooner rather than later, the later we leave these things, the more chance it gives the likes of Dein the lesser to step in..and we all know the rest. You are correct, even if he did sign a contract, either side could ultimately end up breaking it, but if he extends, any break of contract would presumably be on our terms, or if not, we would be well rewarded – as opposed to letting a player run his contract down.

  23. Spot on, Mandy. I’m just a bit depressed at the moment about the nonsense that is contract negotiations, and I think that’s getting the better of me. One of those “nothing new under the sun” and “vanity of vanity” moments! Certainly you’re right about the contract now giving us a better place in negotiations, and for what it’s worth I’d like to see Bacary signing up to play with the Arsenal til he hangs up his boots.

  24. I like Sagna, but it’s smell not good.

    Sagna already 29, Arsenal will not give long contract at his age. With Jenkinson looking good, maybe Arsenal will sell Sagna. (PSG will be very interesting I think)

  25. Woolwich Peripatetic, a few of our Academy players also come from lower league clubs and we pay a fee for them as well as loaning them Arsenal trained players at a no doubt subsidised wage. When we sell players for a low fee or release them to end up at lower league teams aren’t we supporting them in kind? And let’s not forget the fee to Barnet for using their ground for our reserve games or the money spinning pre-season friendlies for lower division clubs.

  26. Mandy Dodd, I can see why the club might want to wait before offering a new contract – Bac is nearly 30 and has had 2 breaks of the same leg in one season. They might want to be sure that he is fully recovered before making an offer. How long would it take for the usual suspects to start crying about ‘deadwood’ if he gets a contract and pay rise and then spends more time out than in?

  27. So, mates, where’s the loyalty toward Sagna?
    Always lots of laments about no loyalty by players, true enough, I’ve lamented. But also, this man deserves serious recognition and a raise. No approach to him with a new contract. Or is Jenkinson the new (cut rate) Sagna? He’s donated limbs to our cause and endured stompings by the worst of the aggros and abetted by the worst of the refshite. Now, oh my, he’s 29. How social darwinist of those who think this. This man was being praised in most quarters as world-class or at least best in the EPL at his position, just before the second leg break. If people start to sign off on his departure for vocalizing his concerns, but are willing not to slate PH(e)W for his callous can do without a championship, thank you very much, then there is something really awry in Denmark, and I don’t mean Denmark. Really disturbing attitude on a super player and a loyal player. Let’s not start dumping him into the traitor category just yet, eh? Then again, I can just about hear the accountants’ knives and forks at dinner as we speak.

  28. I am suprised that Sagna has said that the club did not approach him about a contract extention, when there were strong rumours that the club approached him in 2010 when Real Madrid sniffed around and again when he broke his leg the 1st time in 2011 as a sign of good faith and belief in him. The psuedo-AFC player union has been smashed and I suppose it’s sign on or off now as I don’t think we will see a Rooney type resolution for Sagna, even though he is a top RB. The question for Sagna to consider is, whether he has enough belief in his team mates that they can win something. If not, then there is no point in contract negotiations as of course it is always about wanting to win trophies.

  29. After the bitter disappointment of 2010 (I thought we would win at least 1 of the 4 trophies on offer), I wondered whether if it was’nt ‘one or two more players’ in this or that position needed, but a overhaul of the team. I enjoyed watching the majority of the recently departed players turn out for Arsenal and it has taken a bit of an adjustment to get used to the new players, especially as many of the departures were quite abrupt. Dealing with the forced change and the idea of bedding in a new squad require’s patience. Understandably, due to the mini trophy drought, it is asking a lot from fans. I’ve reconciled to doing this because I have bought into the evolutionary process going on. I like the quality of the emerging players coming through, plus the effort and heart being shown by the new lot of players drafted in also.

    This is just my own take on things but I felt that the same confidence and belief instilled in the players to give them a winning mindset also gave rise to arrogance, with a number of players believing that they were bigger than the club (it didn’t help that there were other clubs letting the players know how much they admired them also too). Maybe I am a bit old fashioned in that frankly I support rewarding success and not failure. With a new set of players we have those whose careers have stalled elsewhere and are grateful for the opportunity, we have young precocious talents with a lot to prove, we have players that have been overlooked for their countries and we have players written off as not good enough. To me this makes for a hungry group of players with chips on their shoulders, serious points to prove and a willingness to give every thing to win and achieve something as a team. This can be more potent and effective than having singularly talented players.

  30. @bob: I love Sagna and I know he loves the club. But, sadly, as Ong Bing said, he is 29 already and Arsenal will not offer long-term contracts, especially with raised wage, to players at that age, which I totally agree. I will be very sorry if he leaves us, but that’s life. Will remember and appreciate him forever.

  31. @Gooner Gal: Agree about rewarding success not failure, and especially no player is bigger than the club 🙂

  32. Damien Luu and Ong Bing,
    Ok, so now it’s Sagna’s acting bigger than the club?
    This man has donated body parts.
    You are so cavalier on moving out the old because of the toy store of new Unproven talent that dances before us.
    I totally disagree with the ruthlessness approach you endorse, as if 30 years old means the exact same thing for all players. Bodies age differently, depending on how well people take care of themselves. It is short-sighted at best to act like that number means the same in each players case. And AW has shown loyalty and received loyalty back to others (Rosicky, right now).
    I think your view is disloyal to their service. And in any case, please think twice before demanding loyalty of a player again, when you take this attitude toward Sagna – a Proven superior talent – for seeking something better, when he’s done the business and is widely recognized, worldwide, as a top-talent. Unless of course what brings you joy is to sell him off now and add to the Unspent pot gold that do not seem to be enough to buy quality depth to step in and do the job when the inevitable wave of injuries hit us. To be honest, I find such attitudes toward Sagna cruel. If you’re fine with that – in the name of football is cruel – then so be it. We’re then at opposite ends of what Arsenal’s ethic is supposed to stand for. And so be it.

  33. p.s. are you so willing to develop the cut rate Jenkinson and sell off the totally Affordable Sagna? Man for man, how do you justify that. Both are Affordable, in the worst case scenario. To see it as either/or is an Accountant’s game in my books, not a fan’s.

  35. I can understand the frustrations arising from Sagna’s interview, but I think we have to accept that this is now all part of the game now. A player looking to extend his contract/move away will drop these little hints in the media. It leaves a slightly bad taste in the mouth, but I think in this case, you have to say ‘don’t hate the player, hate the game’.

    I don’t think we should sell Sagna. He’s a brilliant defender, and his attitude has been right up there. He also performs consistently. His goal sparked the comeback against Spurs (I was there 🙂 ) and possibly for the season. I think it’s only previous experiences with players that makes us jump the gun when it comes to Sagna. I expect we’ll negotiate a deal sometime this season, probably when he makes his comeback and proves his fitness. And I think he’ll sign on.

  36. bob

    “but are willing not to slate PH(e)W for his callous can do without a championship”

    Sigh.. Why the hate towards our chairman?

    He might have said it’s not a concern to the board that we haven’t won a trophy since 427 BC, but we don’t know what question he was asked by the Spurs fan Mihir Bose, and hence the answer lacks context. Maybe he was asked about Wenger’s position being in doubt cos of the said lack of trophies, and he said that it doesn’t concern the board.

    Even if not, he said we’d like to win. We try to win. But it’s not easy. What’s wrong with that?

  37. What if Sagna’s second leg break results in him being able to only play a handful of games for the rest of his career? I would hate for this – I love Sagna in the squad, but would you really want us to put a new improved contract forward with this as a possibility? Don’t we have enough dead-wood on the books as it is?

  38. Shard,
    I do appreciate your thinking and clarity on Sagna, and feel you’re right there. I really pray it’s so. I believe in loyalty and see him as having been loyal to the team, Arsene, the vision and ok, to his friends of ’07, mostly gone. But to lose him and endorse moving him on without any reflection on what he’s given and hopefully, with health returned, will continue to give us feels beyond callous.

    As for Hill-Wood (not my chairman), you’re right about the question asked – I don’t know what it was he answered. I guess past statements have struck me as callous and imperious and his background as an extractive mineral executive has never impressed me as having any relevance to football, except as another resource play. I like people who are demonstrably into the game; as opposed to it’s being their play thing or status symbol (as so many of these men are). Yes, I know this is cheeky or mean spirited of me, but his pronouncements (in his vehicle, The Star, is it?) have felt out of touch with fans’ sentiments; and, admittedly, this one – taken out of the fullest context – does seem to suggest money only and always; and that where we finish is just a detail. It’s not to fans. And, yes, well, I’d expect him to want to win – at whatever he plays (or plays at). And I’m happy to be wrong, but these are my prejudices. He’s not been convincing to me and I don’t take him on faith, any more than other similarly-situated executives.

  39. Shard,
    And you’re being there!!!! at Sagna’s goal!!!!
    The turning point of the Great Turnaround.
    Geez, I forgot. I’m so glad you were there to bear witness.

  40. cohara,
    Potential Deadwood, is it now?
    What if your next young man – still growing with not yet finished ligaments/bone formation – and, of course, a sure thing world beater – gets his broken leg? Or cruciate ligament like Frimpong? or ankle like Jack? What’s age got to do with it? And are you absolutely sure it’s the same leg that Sagna broke? (I’m not.) Of course he gets a medical check-up – would you think anyone would advocate otherwise? But your assumption that he’d be more injury prone than the next young stud is just an assumption. And your non-appreciation (knowledge?) of what he’s brought to this team and the violent stompings he’s endured – two in full view of the referee and assistants, and that’s just one game two season’s back – and the crap he’s taken from the Joey Barton types – is quite sad. Call me a tree-hugger… well, then, I’d have to contrast that with being a tree-killer. C’mon, mate. Grow a heart.

  41. cohara,
    And the Sagna “risk-money”‘s there. From where? Squilacci. Arshavin. Other so-called Deadwood. The CL-qualifying 35M. The new TV contract. The Apartment sales. I could add more.

  43. @ Damien Luu, if the players had premiership or something I would probably side with them for big wage hikes.

    @ Passenal, regarding the supporting lower leagues thing, I got sidetracked and forgot to mention Chris Powell. Although the Charlton manager is a Spud, he will willingly say that the Arsenal deal for Jenks really helped Charlton move up a football league. As the £1m was a massive cash injection and he was able to bring in new recruits and pay the loan wages of a better class of players.

    Also, the fact that so many lower league clubs feel confident enough to enquire about loanee’s speaks volumes of the clubs approachableness and willingness to work with them. And finally having Arsenal loanee’s are also a bit of a crowd puller, which can’t hurt the club’s coffers.

  44. ***that should of course read ‘if the players had WON THE Premiership or something I would probably side with them for big wage hikes’.

  45. @ Shard, I have no idea why there is so much disrepect towards the Chairman Peter Hill Wood who is fiercely loyal to AFC and one of the clubs long standing servants. I have’nt yet come across reasonable justification for it.

  47. In response to the absence of wilshere in the champs league list, clubs are allowed to add and extra 3 players after the group stage ( with a max of 25, so we’ll have to take one out ) so we’ll still have him for the knockout’s.

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