I remember the time Denilson was bought by Arsenal .There was so much hype attached to the guy, captain of the U-17 Brazilian squad and very much a successor to Gilberto Silva with a much more overall midfield game. It looked like Arsenal had unearthed another diamond in the rough. With the emergence of Cesc Fabregas, people had similar expectations from the Brazilian who looked very much of the same mould as the Spaniard and much to the amazement was given the same squad number(15) as was given to Fabregas earlier in his career. But unfortunately, the Brazilian has not been able to grow as was expected. It’s been six years since Denilson has been in London but still he does not seem to be a regular member in the squad. This has not gone down well with the supporters and to top that, the frustration of not winning any silverware for so long just makes it even harder to bear a player who is not been able to apply him in a way that people would have liked. With Arsenal continuously losing midfield players year after year, the onus of stepping up and replacing players like Gilberto Silva and Mathieu Flamini fell on Denilson. The attributes that Denilson possess don’t really give him much option in the formation arsenal has been playing for past few years. With years of 4-4-2, there was a clear cut formula of one creative and another defensive midfield; with the defensive midfielder working as a sweeper in front of the back four that requires a bit of physicality to go with it which I feel Denilson does not possess. Denilson, from the start was always a hybrid of a creative and a defensive midfielder, having the understanding of the game, intercepting the ball at the right time but never having the legs to trace back or dish out the killing final ball that could split defenses. In recent times, Denilson has come under a lot of criticism for his lack of aggression. Moreover, he looks restricted on the pitch, mostly playing the ball sideways rather than forward, thus hindering the flow of the game. The only thing that looked gifted in the Brazilian was his long range shooting (that I somehow feel is a forte of Brazilian midfielders). Though Arsene still remained persistent with the midfielder but the fans never really looked on his side. With Arsenal switching to a 4-3-3, his chance of impressing in a three men midfield was there but that too was snatched up by the young English midfielder Jack Wilshere who utilized every single minute on the pitch cementing his place.
"Why can't I be like him?"-Denilson
Recently Denilson came out and spoke about his intention to leave Arsenal after seeing a barren spell on the sidelines, claiming that he was a winner and wanted to win somewhere else as he could not see himself winning anything at the Emirates.This came as a relief for some of the Arsenal faithful who have been praying to see the back of the player. It’s so sad to see players not justifying themselves and targeting the club. Particularly players who are not able to contribute in any sort despite being given opportunity time and time again (The only time I saw Denilson play good for arsenal was in FIFA 10 where the guy has amazing overall rating, and is like a super version of him. That guy can play, defend, run and make up plays unlike the actual Denilson. Conspiracy theory has it that Wenger is still keen to keep the midfielder in hopes that one day he may emulate his FIFA 10 version)
The current scenario is that Arsenal haven’t received any offer for the midfielder yet with certain Spanish and Italian clubs showing interest but nothing consolidated. Now the player’s agent seem to take a U-turn to what his client earlier said claiming that the player will be reporting to Arsenal’s pre season camp if nothing happens and that they have never discussed player’s possible departure with the club gaffer.
