5 Arsenal players who should be worried about their futures

1. ShkodranMustafi"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" came the bloodcurdling cry from an Arsenal fan a couple of rows in front of the press box on Thursday night. He'd just seen Shkodran Mustafi slip at the crucial moment, allowing Antoine Griezmann to equalise and potentially end the Gunners' hopes of making the Europa League final. "What's he fallen over for?!" the enragedsupportershouted,as Griezmann raced off to celebrate whileMustafi lay prone on the grass.We're pretty sure thecentre-back didn't actually intend to fall over at the worst possible moment, but it was a moment that symbolisedthe German's time at Arsenal so far. Before his crucial slip,Mustafi certainly hadn't had his worst game against Atletico, but he was brought in two years agoto improve the Gunners' defenceand has generallybeen unable to do that. In fact, Arsenal's defensive record has got worse over the last two seasons.Mustafi had been heavily linked with a move to Inter lastsummer, and admittedrecently that his current campaign "hasbeen a bit like Arsenal’s - peaks and troughs". Arsene Wengersaid just a few days ago thathe still regardsthe 26-year-old as "a promising defender for the future", but with the Frenchman no longer in charge beyond the end of the season, a new boss may potentially look to upgrade at centre-back. Arsenal need players for now.2. Laurent KoscielnyAs captain, Koscielny's place might look safe– but he too could be vulnerable to changes if a new boss wants to build a new defence. The France international has been amainstay in central defence for several years now, but hasn't been immune from errors: Atletico's equaliser on Thursday was less down to Mustafi's unfortunate slip, and more becauseKoscielnyfailed to clear in the first place.If Arsenal want to return to the top,a new manager may see a complete fresh start in defence as vital. Koscielny is now 32, and it would be hard to see him getting into many of the other topdefencesin Europe right now. For that reason, the skipper may not be indispensable.3. Granit XhakaXhaka has been a regular in the Arsenal midfield this season, without always– or indeed often– impressing. Defensivelyhe's sometimes caught napping, and his disciplinary recordhas also beenpoor: the Swiss enforcer has picked up 22 yellow cards and two reds in two campaigns at the club.Against Atletico, the Gunners had 76%possession so Xhaka had less to do defensively, allowing him to utilise his passing skills and spread play. He largely did that well,but was neverreallyincisive in quitethe same way as Jack Wilshere. If Arsenal are to compete at the top level again, they need more in central midfield– both offensively and defensively. Xhaka, not offering enough on either front, could be under threat.4. Danny WelbeckSome suggested that Louis van Gaal might have made a mistake by selling Welbeck to Arsenal in 2014, but so far that doesn't really look to have been the case. True, a lot of that has been down to injuries, which have restricted his game time since moving to the Emirates - but 27 goals in four seasons probably wasn't the return thatArsenal would have been hoping for.Against Atletico, Welbeck showed promise but couldn't provide the clinical finishing that is so badly required in a match like that. A first-half effort was saved by Jan Oblak, when he probably should have scored.Perhaps there's always been the sense that, while talented,Welbeck is just a little bit short of being a regular goalscorer in a highly successful team. As the years go on, that perception sadlycontinues to grow. He's now 27, and Arsenal may need more in attacking areas if they're going to be transformed into title contenders again.5. Jack WilshereWilshere's future is potentially more complex than the four players already discussed. After a difficult couple of years, the midfielder was Arsenal's best player against Atletico, controlling the play andsetting up Alexandre Lacazette's goal.The La Liga side were happy to pack central areas and force Arsenal to attack on the flanks:Wilshere was the one player who was still able to find gaps and slide passes into more central positions, creating a number of chances.The 26-year-old could yet play himself into contention for the World Cup - his chances have been helped by injury to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a player he can actually take inspiration from. His ex-team-mate has flourished under new management at Liverpool, after stagnating under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. Wilshere is already showing signs of revival, and perhaps under a new boss he can kick on again andfinally become the playerhe was always supposed to be.Despite all of that, he still has reason to worry about his future. His contract is up this summer, andreports have suggestedthat Arsenal have made a 'take it or leave it' offer that he's not entirely content with. After how he played against Atletico, though, this would seem a strange time to let Wilshere leave. Get the best out of him under a new manager, and he could be pivotal to a potential Arsenal revival.New features you'd love on FourFourTwo.com