Friday, March 29, 2024

The Young Guns Column: Is It Time To Recall Jenkinson?

I have to say I was rather surprised when we loaned Carl Jenkinson to West Ham United in the summer. On paper it made sense as we had Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers and Hector Bellerin- who could all play right-back and were seen as the options for that position. However, things have soon changed. Debuchy is out until christmas and Calum Chambers seems to be the back-up for every position in the squad.

Chambers, in my eyes, is the perfect candidate for the defensive midfield position in our squad. He may not be the huge name we crave but I have no doubts that he can do a better job than Mikel Arteta or Mathieu Flamini. He’s also our second-choice centre-back, whilst also currently first choice right-back. That’s not right- you can count Arsenal’s fit senior defenders on one hand at the moment.

So, why did we then make the decision to send Jenkinson to a Premier League rival on loan? Yes, he will get plenty of first-team experience but he would get the same here. Also, he understands the club. He’s a passionate supporter of the team and is loved by the majority of the fans. He can also slot it at centre-back when necessary, as well as on the right- so why is he in East London?

With all the talk about a free agent needing to come in to bolster Arsenal’s squad depth at defence, surely the better option is to recall Carl Jenkinson- a player with Premier League, Champions League and international experience. We cannot rely on Hector Bellerin to be the first-choice right-back in Debuchy’s absence and with Chambers needed elsewhere, it’s looking increasingly likely that we’ll have too.

Jenkinson isn’t the best defender, there’s still plenty of work to be doing but he has the passion- which is something the side has been missing a lot this season. In the North London derby we were flaccid and for the majority of the time we looked uninterested. A select few wear their heart on their sleeves, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for example, but others aren’t the same. It’s not a criticism, as why would a Chilean or a German understand just how important the North London derby is after a short spell at the club?

In my eyes, recalling Jenkinson is the right move. He provides us with an experienced option in defence and improves our squad depth. Also, he has impressed during his short stint at West Ham and could do an ideal job for us, filling in where required. To loan Jenkinson out when our defence was already low on options was a strange, and arguably wrong, move to make- but now we have the chance to redeem ourselves before things start to go even worse.

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