According to Sky Sports, Championship side West Bromwich Albion are working on a deal to sign Carl Jenkinson.
The 27-year-old is believed to be out of contract at the Emirates this summer although the club, curiously, left him off the released player list when it was published a couple of weeks back.
Jenkinson has been on the books at the Emirates since signing for £1 million from Charlton nine eight years ago. Despite struggling to establish himself as a first team regular, he’s signed two contract extensions in that time, first in 2012 as Arsene Wenger looked to build a future around five young British players and again in 2015 before heading out on a second loan spell with West Ham.
Injuries have taken a toll on ‘the Corporal’. During that second spell at the Boleyn Ground he suffered a bad ACL injury and when he was sent to Birmingham City in 2017 he dislocated his shoulder in the first game of the season. That bad luck seemed to take a toll on his confidence.
Most supporters assumed Jenkinson would leave last summer but he stuck around to work on his fitness and this season made eight appearances as back-up to Hector Bellerin and Stephan Lichtsteiner. As a born-and-bred Gooner, he seemed to really enjoy his rare cameos although it’s fair to say he knew he was on borrowed time.
Carl’s got a very decent engine on him, can whip in a dangerous cross and if he stays fit, the Baggies stand to get a very decent player for free. If he moves to West Brom, he’ll enjoy a reunion with Slaven Bilic, just installed as the new boss at the Hawthorns and the man who twice signed him for the Hammers, and Kieran Gibbs, another of our ‘British core’.
On one level we’ll be very sorry to see him leave – he’s one of us, after all – on another, after nine years, it’s probably time for the lad to play regular football somewhere.
Nine years ago!? Blimey
Is there a German word for the feeling of mortality you get when you realise you are now much older than the playing staff of your football team and are well into retirement age for a footballer?
If this is true, good luck to Jenks.
Maybe he can help us by playing well against the likes of Chelsea, Tots, etc.
In the cups obviously, as they’re a Championship team
So are Tottenham, Chelski and Man City. Overachievers in every sense of the word
Still no takers for Mustafi, then
You are surprised?
Serious question: do you believe Mustafi is a significantly inferior player than Otamendi, who plays for the champions of England (though more and more rarely), as well as regularly starting for Argentina? Is he actually inferior to Dejan Lovren, who sometimes starts for the champions of Europe, as he did in the World Cup final?
Quality centre-halfs are rare. Mustafi, for all his mistakes, is nowhere near the bottom of the heap.
Face it, he’s crap and we should be looking to sell ASAP.
Yeah but arse and gunnerblog make jokes about him, so like sheep we have to follow them and take it to the nth degree with Mustafi jokes for every news post (even though both would openly acknowledge he’s not THAT bad, seems some fans can’t use their minds about it, and now have written up bounties for Mustafi’s head).
I suspect it’s just being done because people think they’ll get cheap “thumbs up” for it. Sad.
It’s not because Mustafi is an awful, dreadful defender. He’s had some good games for us. It’s that he makes crucial and utterly pathetic decisions at important moments. Crystal Palace and Sp*rs both cost us points in the run in. And he doesn’t learn from this. He continues to dive in when an imbecile could see that this costs us points and goals over and over. Then just to add insult to injury he gives a frankly laughable interview where he tells us how much he gets right and plays the victim. This shows that he doesn’t even take accountability… Read more »
This is an excellent comment, HH.
Very well done.
tbf, some of us were making Mustafi jokes well before then. Thankfully there are plenty to go around.
He is bad and way worse than Otemendi and Lovren.
He is not worse than Lovren
I think you’ll find Lovren is the best defender in the world
So, I watched a bit of the Copa America match where mighty Argentina were lucky to escape with a draw against Paraguay, because Paraguay missed a late penalty kick. Oh, yeah, that was Otamendi who needlessly gave away that penalty with a ridiculous tackle. Oh, yeah again, that was Otamendi who had earlier found himself wrong side of the Paraguay striker on their first goal. Shambolic defending. Cagooner–my point was that these two very mistake-prone centre-halfs play for very good sides; if you watch matches of mid-table sides, it is even worse. I think, as I have posted before (I… Read more »
I think my comment is being moderated because I mentioned S***’s name. Sorry.
It’s fans like Faisal why we have to put up with so much crap at this club. You’ll happily accept mediocrity and keep paying high prices to finance it.
Viva La Revolućion
Interesting question. You could argue Mustafi does as much decent things in games as those guys….but do they make as many basic mistakes as him ? Not for me. The problem is that a centre half who isn’t great is just that; not great. A centre half who makes loads of mistakes is a liability…so on that basis he is definitely inferior …for me anyway.
Liverpool fans would say Lovren just as many basic mistakes.
I know whether the problem is entirely with our centre halves. Personally, I think we still need to sort out our midfield. Do we really need a very defence minded midfielder, I think it does not suit our game. I believe we need a more technical midfielder than we have and that can improve our defence.
100% disagree Gunna4Life. Since the last time we won the league the only times when we have looked like potential champions were 07-08, the first half of 13-14 season & 2015. (Spanning the 2nd half of 14-15 & the first half of 15-16)
Flamini, Flamini again & Coquelin. Playing a more technical defensive midfielder has proven not to work for Arsenal over & over again.
We need to sort out BOTH.
Cback issues still not resolved.
But midfield still not solid even with Torreira. He has not been the answer.
The two aren’t mutually exclusive.
Personally I’d prefer a 3-man midfield. I think we’ve looked more balanced both defensively and offensively when we’ve used a 3-man midfield in games tbh.
I’d like to see Iwobi as one of the 3
Honestly yes I think Mustafi is worse than either of them, from what I’ve seen. He can be good but he makes far too many stupid mistakes.
I wouldn’t really want them in my team either.
Obviously you want two really top CBs. Makes a big difference. Kos is the only one we’ve got right now and he’s fading.
Sokratis I can live with, he’s pretty good. Mustafi is a liability.
Holding was looking good before he got injured too. I’d take him over Mustafi any day.
The issue with Mustafi is a) we should not have paid so much for him b) whilst he is better than many suggest, he should not be first choice. That said, it will be difficult to sell him. There is no “Must”. Bc if he is prohibitive thanks to salary, he is at least still of use to the squad. Then IMO it depends on Chambers. Either or. If Calum feels he has better opportunities elsewhere, that is another way to recoup some money for the transfer window and boost our spending power this summer from the paltry 40m. We… Read more »
Koscielny is a bridge too far this season. Sorkatis and Holding are OK. Lets not say they are great either. Mustafi isn’t the only one making stupid mistakes mind you. But if we add a new (disciplined) Cback to Holding and Sokratis it will be better than Koscielny another season all due respects to him (wear and tear issues at 33yrs+) Then its either betwen Mustafi or Chambers for 4th choice. Depending who sells in market. Mavropanos frankly will do him more good on loan and playing a lot. Bielik a wild card could be cycled in as a fifth… Read more »
How the fuck Koscielny is beyond censor on these pages I don’t know. The guys been front row and centre in every dismal defensive performance we’ve had since the 8-2 at Old Trafford, up to and including the most recent one in the Europa Cup final, 2 matches Mustafi didn’t feature in. Even Zaha’s Goal this season was primarily Koscielny’s fault for rushing up the pitch trying to win a header against a player 3 inches taller than him, and Mustafi gets the blame for not covering his mistake. Is Mustafi blameless? No, but maybe we should shift our gaze… Read more »
I think, actually, Monreal (a player I have always liked) has made more serious defensive mistakes than either Koscielny or even Mustafi this season.
The two that you mentioned aren’t starters for their clubs. That’s the difference, they got replaced with upgrades.
Right. And how much did Man City pay for the excellent Laporte, uncapped and relatively unknown? And, although I may be remembering incorrectly, it seems to me that Liverpool spent rather a lot for a centre half. And I haven’t mentioned Smalling and Jones. Or David Luiz, usually very good with the ball at his feet, occasionally maker of spectacular Hollywood passes, good in the air–and capable of some of the most ludicrous errors ever seen on a football pitch.
Clubs will know we’re desperate to move on certain players, and they’ll be looking to get bargains+loans. We’re in a very weak selling position, we currently have 23/25 players over the age of 21, and 15/17 non homegrown players. Meaning there’s currently 2 available spaces in our 25 man squad, Ospina+Jenks potentially leaving? opens up another 2 spots, but won’t really slice too much off the wage bill, or create any significant funds to play with. There’s plenty of players I’d like us to shift, but the only ones I can see generating any significant funds are Aubameyang, Lacazette, Xhaka,… Read more »
hoping that gazidis puts in $40M bid for him…there is a precedent
He just needs a good paddlin’
They all do
No point selling center backs if there arent available replacements to buy. It’s not like quality defenders are just sitting on a conveyor belt ready for the big clubs to choose at their discretion. We could sell him and end up with another squillaci as replacement.
We have too big a squad. Athletico and Chelsea are far more trim in assets. Just at Cback alone, we still have Chambers spare. Mavropanos IMO will stagnate if he isn’t given time to play and frankly a loan is best for him (much like Bielik) Mustafi if he doesn’t get sold (bc of his wages) we keep. Or Chambers one or the other IMO. If we confirm the Cback coming in then Koscielny should be released. Too much wear and tear. I’d bring the Cback in earlier. We don’t have to break the bank on this player, a diligent… Read more »
sad to see him go so late, should’ve gone many years ago, clearly not good enough for premier league standard.
Turn around, Bright Eyes…..
Every now and then we fall apart, it’s true
Jenkinson gets away with his decision to stay on even when clearly told that he is not a part of first team plans because he is a gunner. any other player who stayed on only because he was paid way more than the market value and contributed close to nothing would be slayed by the fans.
Maybe get mad at not the player offered a stupidly long and highly paid contract, but instead look to the former CEO, or to be more accurate (even though people don’t want to admit it) to Wenger himself, who extended his contract largely because he hated going into the transfer market.
I’m willing to bet there are a few people who can do you job but for less money. Why don’t you do the honourable thing and step aside for them? Or request for a paycut?
fair point. I do blame the management (and wenger) for giving him a lucrative contract.
the fact that he’s still here while contributing nothing is NOT the point that I was driving at. I was instead highlighting that he gets away at being below the standard expected at arsenal because he is a gunner. but is that fair?
he’s probably earns a quarter of ozil’s salary. and as much as I don’t like ozil, his contribution is definitely 4 times more than Jenkinson’s. so then why does everyone direct invectives at ozil and shower Jenkinson with “wishes for the future”?
It’s a fair point but if figures are to believed he earns about 11% of Ozil’s salary, a lot less than a quarter. (40k v 350k)
Just call me New Pedant.
Yes, we all know a non playing Jenkinson is always more efficient than a playing Özil.
Wake up and smell the coffee, 90% of our squad are below the standard. Why victimise him? And if Ozil’s contribution is 4 times more than Jenks then he’s still under achieving, because Jenks is said to be getting £70k per week AT MOST, which means Ozil is in fact making 5 times as much. So even if his contribution is 4 times more, it’s still less than give. But I can guarantee you Jenks, limited as he may be, would never decide he doesn’t want to play if we go too far up north. That’s the difference as to… Read more »
My brain hurts.
Oh people can come up with statistics to prove anything. 40% of all people know that.
Much like Sex Panther, 60% of the time, it works every time.
I tell it simply: Özil is the biggest failure in Arsenal History. No otheer thought is accepted among fans no matter the stats, results… Don’t scratch your head: Jenkinson is a much better investment that Özil has ever been.
You would be our worst signing even if the club signs you on a free for zero wages.
I know £70k a week would not be his average salary over the full 8 years but that works out at £28m earned by Carl. This is more bizarre than the earners like Özil who at least provided more assists than anyone in Europe before he got paid and stopped doing it. Can you think of anywhere else where you can (essentially) fail and become rich for life. I’m 38 years old and could retire in reasonable comfort now on a lump sum of £1.5m – £2m! And it’s a general comment about football rather than Jenkinson or any individual… Read more »
Proof that Özil once said “Oh, it’s to cold, i don’t travel”? And would you support a club allowing his best paid player to behave like this? I wouldn’t.
Jenkins delivers far more banter than Özil, plus his dad is a famous singer. If we divide (banter+singing dad+playing duties)/(playing duties+assists+goals-sick days-dictators as best man weddings+umlauts) we get a ratio of approximately 1:3 which puts Jenks as a better value for money player than Özil.
Glad we cleared that up.
Jenkinson doesn’t sell shirts.
He doesn’t even start at Rback ahead of Mustafi.
Might as well employ me. I’m an Arsenal fan last I checked.
Its clear thinking like this which made Britain great. Papà for PM.
Is it West Brom that have failed to agree terms the last few summers?
I’m sure I’ve read that his contract has 12months left – which would mean we get a fee, happy days!
I saw a headline saying Celtic were hoping to get him on loan so this would suggest that you’re correct and he is still under contract
We should put a sale sing saying ” Buy Jenko for 1 million and you will get Mustafi and Ozil for free.”
Funny, but true.
We have the biggest gap between the first team and the reserve one.
Our squad was crumbled before the end of the season. The game against Palace was our typical loss during all those years. We ran out of players to rotate, were forced to start with Elneny + Guendozi at midfield and Jenkinson as our defender.
I was under the impression he had a year left, no?
Yes, signed a 5 year deal ? in 2015 therefore he is contracted to us for 1 more year. Personally can’t see us getting a fee for him.
If this & the Ospina rumour is true, this is a good start in terms of outgoings. Quite a few more to go sadly such is the state of our squad.
Copa America good showing for Ospina. Hopefully he can move on bc he will want a number 1 shirt.
I think we should give Emi Martinez a shot. He’s 26yrs now. If not Macey is waiting on the wings too.
I feel sorry for Jenks. I bet every now and then he gets a little bit nervous
that the best of all the years have gone by
Karaoke at it’s finest ??
I thank you….
Everything wrong about our squad management.
Should have been cut years ago.
No buyers because frankly he’s crap.
Out of topic but, can we give Bielik a contract already and give him first team chances pretty please? the guy is being immense at the uefa’s u21, really deserves a chance. On topic. Feel sad for Jenks, still think he could be a fine squad player to have (and homegrown). I don’t think he is good enough to be a first team player with us, but he doesn’t lack love for the team and will run himself to the ground, and sometimes we need that kind of players. Will be sad if he leaves, but will be understandably if… Read more »
I’d rather do that than waste money on Saliba and return him to Saint Etienne for a season.
Not a criticism of Jenks himself but I find the fringes of football even more bizarre than the lavish behaviour at the top-end. What do we reckon, an average £30k per week over 400 weeks earning Carl a cool £12m in the process? Could very easily be more. And now I’m wondering how that has worked out per appearance.
Third goalkeepers live a very strange existence too. A careers officer wouldn’t know what to make of it. ?
careers officer when I was at school was always just the teacher who wasn’t quick enough off the mark to avoid getting lumbered with the job. Because what you need to advise you on a life long career is a bloke that’s spent 30 years wearing a tweed jacket and hush puppies silently fuming at the injustice which has seen him spend his days with lots of other people with talent but no ambition…..
Good luck to the Corporal!
Always one of us, and is a better player than given credit for.
Nah. He was a poor to average player.
Waste of space.
Too many people cloud their judgement on his affiliation. We needed better. Club was just as per usual skimping on the squad, adding dead weight and clogging up the wages even more with completely useless asset. At very least Ozil had some function even if exorbitant for output. Plus he sold shirts. Jekinson has been the epitome of poor squad management. AMN for all his youth and him not playing in his “natural position” night and day to Jenkinson. Lichsteiner I don’t understand. Granted we had a bit of a Rback injury crisis but this fellow was on 90K a… Read more »
Finally, some movements from Sanllehi.
Is it that hard to sell him? I mean we should have got rid of this kind of player one year ago.
Emery once told that we had many players on the first team. And i think he means “unusable”. Of course we can’t expect much from selling would give us a major boost for our budget but we should clear some rooms for certain players to come in.
Now please someone takes Elneny!
He has his work cut out for him. We are trying to move on two players in Jenkinson and Elneny who are fundamentally average or poor that no one really wants. Why should they? Plenty of cheaper options in market at lower salary levels. Then some people like to box themselves in and insist certain players like Ozil and Mustafi MUST be sold. there is no MUST, bc they may not be able to given they are fundamentally flawed and high on salaries. Therefore for the later two, if we can’t find buyers in market we have to be prepared… Read more »
Should be able to move him on Just never been good enough. Over hyped and imagined better than he was by some because of Arsenal affiliation. The fact that Emery started the ‘calamitous’ Mustafi ahead of him at Rback says it all. Another we need to move who is completely uselss to squad is Elneny. He’s improved and a hardworking player but we just need better at this point. If anything the sort of standard (minimum) we should be able to call off the bench is Torreira. We need someone now who can boss it for us in midfield. As… Read more »
I never liked his cross. Over hyped.
He put them in blind.
Most of them were useless.
Slightly better this season as he finally has some sense to look up but still poor.
That said, Kolasinac started off well with crosses and assist in the season and then caught a bit of the Jenkinson.
Yep, that’s the level we operate at now, striking deals for Carl Jenkinson to West Brom