First off, let me start by saying that as an Arsenal fan, our wonderful boss is the king, better yet, a deity in my eyes and the subject matter of this piece is a little mischievous, but I felt that it was worthy of debate.

Every season, there are a mountain of players who are allowed to leave their respective clubs and, more often than not, the decision that managers make is the correct one. This is true for Arsene Wenger also. In other words the good decisions far outweigh the bad. But maybe he should have stuck with some of the players who were not regarded as good enough for the Gunners. Here's my personal top five of those who perhaps were not given the chance to prove themselves ...

Matthew Upson
A contentious figure with many Arsenal fans, a player who could have helped us a lot in previous years when there were spaces up for grabs in the back four. The Luton man spent six years trying to get a regular spot in the first team before giving up and heading for Birmingham for £1m. His career has stuttered a little but following his big money move to West Ham he has impressed and seems to be again on the fringes of an England call-up.

‘Pennant certainly has a lot to offer and, incredibly, even though his pro debut was almost nine years ago he is still just 24, with a future at the highest level of the game.’


Steve Sidwell
Part of the victorious FA Youth Cup-wining sides of 2000 and 2001, Sidwell is a battling, goal-scoring midfielder who failed to make the first team in his time at Arsenal. He proved his worth after moving to Reading on a free and now finds himself at Stamford Bridge with the Chelsea big boys. He has managed to get some first-team action but does seem destined to become another Scott Parker.

Moritz Volz
I have always been a big fan of the German wide player who spent four years learning his trade at Highbury following his arrival in London as a 16-year-old. Always gives 100 per cent for Fulham, who got him for next to nothing, Volz really seems to appreciate playing at the highest level. Hasn’t quite made it into the German national team but, at 24, he hasn’t missed the boat just yet.

Jemaine Pennant
There were mitigating circumstances in the case of Pennant, mainly involving the young player being more than a little off the rails following his teenage move from Notts County to Arsenal. To his credit he has made something of his post-Wenger career at Birmingham City and now Liverpool, although how long he remains part of Rafa Benitez's plans is anybody's guess. He certainly has a lot to offer and, incredibly, even though his pro debut was almost nine years ago he is still just 24, with a future at the highest level of the game.

Arturo Lupoli
The Italian was a prolific scorer in the reserves and he impressed me when he made his few appearances for the first team. I recall vividly the contribution he made against Everton in the Carling Cup against a full-strength Premier League side when he netted twice. He was loaned out to Derby where he was a moderate success, scoring 11 goals as he aided the Rams’ promotion push. Now he is at Fiorentina where he is yet to make it into the first-team reckoning, but still only 20 and again I predict a bright future.

They are the ones who maybe could have done it at the highest level in an Arsenal shirt. But they are canceled out by the myriad of players who have left north London because Wenger was correct about the fact that they would never have featured in his squad, players such as Matthew Rose, Lee Harper, James Harper, Richard Hughes, Jason Crowe, Tommy Black, Julian Gray, Jerome Thomas, David Bentley, Tony Stokes, Jeremie Aliadiere, Fabrice Muamba – I could go on and on.

Many of these still perform at a high level and they are proof that Wenger has given a lot back to the English game by producing quality young players, many of them British. He has just decided, quite rightly, that most of them are not good enough to play for a table-topping Arsenal side.

Arsene Wenger is god!