Report: Arsenal set to release injury-prone Abou Diaby at the end of the season

Arsenal could release injury-prone Abou Diaby at the end of the season

According to a report in Daily Mail, Arsenal are all set to release Abou Diaby at the end of the season when his contract expires. The French midfielder has been at the club since 2006 but has only played 180 games in nine years in North London – an average of less than 19 games a season.

In the past two seasons alone, he has managed just two appearances – one in each season. A victim of a number of injuries which have plagued him ever since 2006 has left the club no choice but to finally release the 28-year-old.

A tall midfielder with both power and dribbling skills, he was initially compared to Patrick Vieira but in a more attacking sense. But it all started to go downhill when Diaby was the victim of a horror tackle from Sunderland’s Dan Smith on 1 May 2006.

Wenger wanted to keep Diaby if his fitness improved

Having suffered a number of injuries during his Arsenal career ranging from ankle, calf and hamstring injuries, Diaby never got a good run of games under his belt. Arsene Wenger always believed in him and even offered to give him a new contract if his fitness levels improved.

“If he comes back, I will keep him. I always believed in him. In football, the most important thing is health.” – Wenger in November 2014

Even Patrick Vieira had revealed that Diaby had the potential to be a better player than him if he was 100% fit.

“If he could have improved constantly, he would have reached an exceptional level. About his potential, he is better than me, better on a technical level, better dribbler, and better scorer too.” – Patrick Vieira in 2012

List of injuries Diaby has suffered at Arsenal

According to the data, Diaby has been out injured for a total of 1554 days. That is the length of almost half his career at Arsenal (46.5%).

Diaby’s injuries at Arsenal – Data from Physio Room

#	INJURY	DATE
2006
1	Ankle/Foot Injury	May 1st
2007
2	Knee Injury	February 2nd
3	Sprained Ankle	February 25th
4	Concussion	April 20th
5	Sprained Ankle	August 14th
6	Back Injury	November 22nd
2008
7	Calf Muscle Strain	February 8th
8	Calf Muscle Strain	March 7th
9	Thigh Muscle Strain	April 25th
10	Thigh Muscle Strain	August 3rd
11	Abdominal Strain	November 22nd
2009
12	Thigh Muscle Strain	January 31st
13	Calf Muscle Strain	February 24th
14	Thigh Muscle Strain	April 1st
15	Knee Injury	July 27th
16	Groin Strain	August 12th
17	Ankle/Foot Injury	October 10th
18	Calf Muscle Strain	November 7th
2010
19	Calf Muscle Strain	January 20th
20	MCL Knee Ligament Injury	February 17th
21	Calf Muscle Strain	March 27th
22	Calf Muscle Strain	August 11th
23	Ankle/Foot Injury	September 13th
24	Ankle/Foot Injury	October 4th
25	Ankle/Foot Injury	October 19th
26	Calf Muscle Strain	December 30th
2011
27	Calf Muscle Strain	January 2nd
28	Ankle/Foot Injury	July 22nd
29	Hamstring Injury	November 26th
2012
30	Hamstring Injury	March 3rd
31	Hamstring Injury	March 29th
32	Illness	April 23rd
33	Calf Muscle Strain	April 28th
34	Muscle Injury	September 7th
35	Thigh Muscle Strain	September 29th
2013
36	Illness	January 22nd
37	Calf/Shin Injury	February 23rd
38	ACL Knee Injury	March 27th
2014
39	Groin/Pelvis Injury	April 22nd
40	Hip/Thigh Injury	July 26th
41	Calf/Shin Injury	October 14th
42	Calf Muscle Strain	November 24th