Arsenal have announced that they have parted ways with former number one goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, who was on the roster this season but was hardly seen, and spent a short loan spell at West Ham during Rob Green's absence due to injury. Additionally, Arsenal have released Gavin Hoyte, George Brislen-Hall, Sean McDermott, Rhys Murphy, James Campbell and Jeffrey Monakana, young players who may never have featured for the Arsenal but who leave with a tremendous footballing education. Almunia, 35, played over a hundred games for Arsenal, and was a starting eleven player for three seasons following the downfall of Jens Lehmann. Gooners never really took to Almunia who was seen as a place-keeper at best and below Arsenal standards at worst. Almunia showed himself to be a good shot stopper but was prone to errors when facing set pieces or chasing the ball--though this may have been symptomatic of Arsenal's defensive disorganization for the past few seasons.
