Wenger Tells Loaned Strikers Only One Will Return

The windswept hill seemed to whine as the grass achingly tried to withstand the angry breath of mother nature. Shadows crashed upon the banks of the hill like waves on a cliff. Darkness had claimed this place and shrouded all it around it. Clouds ensconced the sky and reached longingly towards the ground filling the air with an eerie mist.

What should have been a tranquil place stank of scheming iniquity. This was the place evil came to enact its plans. 

Silhouettes moved stealthily towards the tor - the deliberate silence in their movements unnecessary due to the deafening howl of the wind but old habits are hard to break. A slight and unexpected easing in the thickness of the clouds allows a soft glow of moonlight to scantly illume the hillside. Three men, burnished swords readied for an attack, head for the middle of the tor - the source of the silhouettes revealed. The fog begins to clear and the men start to circle one another.

Bolts of lightning flash through the sky and scorch the earth at the feet of the three swordmen. The burnt and cracked rock around them creaking under its own weight adds to the tension as the three men, steel in their hands and their eyes, head for their ternion combat - thought of the victor's spoils steadying their hands and slowing their frantic beating hearts.

This is an epic battle of blades that you see in the movies. Three men pitting their wits and skills against each other for the ultimate prize.................

Survival.

There can be only one.

This situation is akin to the milieu that is forced upon three of our strikers – Podolski, Sanogo and Campbell.

Each striker has been farmed out to another club, with but one simple task to accomplish before their time in the wilderness can come to an end.

Strike hard, true and with ferocious multiplication. In short, score goals. Whoever can impress at their respective loan clubs will surely be welcomed back to The Emirates Highlands and Chief Clansman Wenger will grant them kinship.

With Giroud building on an already impressive skill-set and showing everyone he isn't just a target man, that means one striker slot is sewn up.

With Alexis giving performances that demand he be included in one of the attacking positions – another slot is gone.

With Danny Welbeck offering endless running, a great touch and an adequate scoring rate – another place in our attacking arsenal is gone.

With Theo returning and the promise and threat he brings, the fort is burgeoning. It shows that we have ample options up top despite catcalls from some to sign another striker.

Wenger enjoys allowing our players freedom to roam and build up their playing rapport to such an extent that they can work their own exchanges, one-two's etc. With that freedom comes a demand that we have players to fit the bill.

Some would argue we have sent out some of those players we require.

Joel Campbell can feel rightly disgruntled regarding his chances at Arsenal. His 41 minutes on the pitch in Premier League games is minuscule and his only real chances have come from the catastrophic loss to Southampton in the Capital One Cup and in a much changed side in the Champions League. We have no idea what he is capable of with an extended run in the side. We only have his displays in the World Cup for Costa Rica to go on and his televised displays last season for Olympiacos. Which were all rather good.

Yaya Sanogo last season picked up a stigma that he hasn't been able to shake. Thanks in part to his displays Vs Bayern and in the Cup Final, he appeared to have the ability to put opposing defenders on edge but with all the grace of a raging bull lumbering around sluggishly fighting the effects of ketamine. This season though, has seen a far more refined Yaya and he has even ended his goal famine, scoring his début goal and capping a great display Vs Dortmund in a 2-0 win. He is a great option to have but blooding his finishing technique at The Emirates could be the end of him. He needs a club where he can chisel away at his shooting until it is of an adequate stature where he can once more play in front of Gooners. The loan is needed.

Podolski is an oxymoron and one I've discussed at length many times. He is the finest finisher we have at the club yet he cannot play as a centre-forward. He prefers to play as an inside left but isn't willing to run. He likes to lackadaisically float around the box. Meandering around, and for all intents and purposes, looking like a worthless investment. That is until he receives the ball in a shooting position. Once the gunpowder is dry the results are quite extraordinary. He is more than capable of scoring 25 goals a season. His exertion levels however, are his biggest let down. It isn't just at Arsenal as well. A member of the Bayern hierarchy whose name escapes me also stated that it was his frame of mind that let him down, rather than talent, which is undeniable. Which makes Podolski's situation all the more frustrating.

All three have the capacity to pin down a squad place at Arsenal next season. All three have an opportunity to earn another lucrative contract elsewhere if that is what they desire. The challenge is to score goals. Campbell at Villarreal, Podolski at Inter and Yaya at Crystal Palace all know that Wenger and his cohorts will be watching every twitch of a muscle.

My humble opinion? I think Podolski will be utilising 'Der Hammer' elsewhere next season. He will never be satisfied with a bench place.

Campbell obviously is an ill fit with Arsene. He just doesn't know how best to utilise the man from Costa Rica. I don't think he will be wearing the Cannon again.

Yaya has a fantastic chance to show Arsene that he can be a prized asset. I think he will do just that.

To be fair, who can a man fail with a partner like Chamakh?

Written in collaboration with Daniel Cowan.

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