The Curious Case Of Nicklas Bendtner
Towards the end of the 2009-2010 season, with Arsenal clinging on for dear life to their title challenge that season, they welcomed Wolverhampton Wanderers to the Emirates stadium with three points an absolute must.
I attended this game, and it was one of the most stressful experiences of my life because up until the 93rd minute the score was tied at 0-0. But, with almost the last kick of the game, Nicklas Bendtner popped up to knock in the winning header and keep Arsenal’s title hopes alive. Of course, it came to nothing in the end, but I remember very vividly the entire stadium singing Bendtner’s name after his moment of glory.
How times have changed.
Bendtner is now so out of favour with Arsene Wenger that most of the summer was spent anticipating his departure, only for the Dane to still be at the Emirtates due to Arsenal’s inability to capture a replacement striker. ‘Anyone but Bendtner’ is a common mindset amongst the fans and probably with most of the coaching staff too.
A big part of his problem is that Bendtner’s ego is so inflated, so large, that he believes himself to be one of the finest strikers the footballing world has ever seen. Admittedly, he is a good striker. I have seen him play well and knock in some important goals, but there is no way that he is anywhere near as good as he thinks he is.
Last season Wenger loaned him out to Juventus and due to his poor attitude and lack of commitment didn’t even get a look in there. He did, however, end up crashing his car in an alleged drink driving incident which is very embarrassing for Bendtner indeed.
It is clear that Bendtner’s time at the club is over and the reason he hasn’t moved is because no one is willing to match the wages he is getting at Arsenal. That says a lot about the player as he is unwilling to take a pay cut for the sake of his development as a footballer.
The Bendtner situation is a real shame. If he was willing to put in the hard work and sort out his attitude than he could be a very decent option for Arsenal. As it stands, though, he is unfit and gathering dust in some corner of the dressing room.
0 comments