Ex-Arsenal star who Wenger said ‘will be a big player for me’ left unemployed at 32 days after Premier League return
A FORMER Arsenal star once hailed as a promising young player by Arsene Wenger has been sacked by Luton just days after the club’s promotion to the Premier League.
Henri Lansbury, 32, made just ten league appearances for the Hatters this season, scoring one goal.
2
2
And after falling out of favor at Kenilworth Road, he will leave Luton on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of this month.
Pro team stars Sonny Bradley and Harry Isted were also sacked.
Lansbury’s departure from Luton comes 11 years after his departure from Arsenal.
The midfielder joined the Gunners’ academy in 1999 at the age of nine and was highly regarded throughout his youth career.
He signed his first professional contract in 2008 and made his Premier League debut against Fulham two years later.
Lansbury scored one goal during his time at Arsenal – in a 4-1 win over arch-rivals Tottenham – but has struggled to establish himself in the first-team.
And that’s despite Wenger once claiming he’s a “big player” for the future.
While Lansbury was on loan at Watford in January 2010, the Frenchman said: “He’s going to be a big player for me. He is having a very interesting experience at the moment.” [at Watford] which we consider very successful.
BETTING SPECIAL – BEST NO DEPOSIT CASINO OFFERS
“He will come back at the end of the season and will train with the first team in the next pre-season. Then we will assess the situation together with him.”
Lansbury left Arsenal for Nottingham Forest in 2012 for a million pounds.
He scored 33 goals in 150 appearances during his five-year spell with the Reds before joining Aston Villa in 2017.
After a four-year stint at Villa Park, he made a permanent move to Bristol City but left just five months later to join Luton.
