To say there needs to be a huge clear out of the playing squad this summer would be an understatement.
The poor business the club conducted during last summer’s transfer window contributed to what has been a disappointing season so far; several of the players brought in to strengthen the squad in fact managed to weaken it.
So with a bit of a player cull expected to happen, we decided to ask our readers which players they would like to see axed most this summer, as well as the ones they would rather see stay at the club.
In a simple up/down style vote, fans were asked to vote thumbs up for the players they want to see stay and thumbs down for the ones they don’t, with the results something of a surprise. The poll received almost 6,500 votes in total.
There were 11 players and Slaven Bilic to vote on, and the three that got the most thumbs down were Sofiane Feghouli, Jonathan Calleri and, sadly, Mark Noble.
The points system works by subtracting the number of down votes from the number up votes, which meant Mark Noble is effectively the player fans want to see axed the most this summer.
That will come as surprise to many fans who feel Mark Noble deserves much more respect for his loyal service over the years, including myself.
Jonathan Calleri unsurprisingly got the most down votes, he also got the most up votes, which does suggest the fans are mostly undecided on him right now, though his overall score leaves him in the bottom three.
And despite a recent uplift in form, Feghouli is the third player fans have called for the axe once this season is over, perhaps suggesting the Algerian’s recent good performances have come too late to save his reputation.
James Collins, Jose Fonte and Arthur Masuaku all came close to falling to the final three, while it was a surprise to see both Sam Byram and Andre Ayew receive the lowest amount of down votes of the 12 options.
