Nicklas Bendtner has always split opinions. If you want a footballer to keep his head down, be humble about his achievements and always put the team first, stick the Dane at the bottom of your list. However, those who follow me on twitter will know I’m a big fan of Nicklas despite his arrogant nature and horrific dressing sense (Google it, seriously!); I think Wenger’s decision to keep the striker at the club this season could be a pivotal one.

You know when you’re in a hurry to go out and the weather is a bit chilly so you just grab any old jumper, despite the odd hole and coffee stain being glaringly obvious to anyone who sees you in it? That is exactly what keeping Nicklas Bendtner this season initially felt like for most people. Just like that jumper, he hadn’t been used with any regularity for a few years, he was a last resort and quite frankly, people are going to laugh at the sight of it. In spite of this and the fact Nicklas Bendtner did his best to ensure mocking with his new samurai style appearance, I was happy when we kept him because despite popular consensus, he is not rubbish. He may have been rubbish in the past but who hasn’t?

For many, Nicklas’ career was over at Arsenal after THAT miss against Barcelona that prevented us pulling off what would’ve been a famous victory across the two legs. I personally think that tie was over the minute we had a striker sent off for taking a shot but that’s irrelevant. The fact remains that one miss shouldn’t control public opinion and despite his occasional lethargic play and interesting media comments, people should remember how effective he has been in the past. The hat-trick against Porto, the late goals against Wolves and Hull, the goal against Ipswich. Remember that phase when Nik was renamed ‘Big Game Bendtner’ due to his match winning performances? Those were simpler days. Sure Bendtner has perhaps never been consistent enough to be our number one striker and perhaps that Barca miss did burn too many bridges but people shouldn’t think he can’t contribute anything to Arsenal this season

For me, the home game against Hull typified how useful he could be in the long run this season. For all of Giroud’s abilities and his impressive performances this season, we cannot rely on him the whole season if we want to mount a serious title challenge so from a rotation point of view, Bendtner could prove vital. Giroud even mentioned how tired he was after that completely ‘meh’ display against Napoli in the week so anyone who tries to claim Bendtner won’t be needed this year is looking through tinted glasses. Is that the phrase? You get what I mean.