Injury-plagued midfielder Abou Diaby has been placed on Arsenal's release list and could be set to leave the club when his contract expires this summer.
Diaby, 29, joined the Gunners from Auxerre in January 2006 but saw his progress halted by a horrific broken ankle following a tackle by Sunderland's Dan Smith at the Stadium of Light in May at the end of that first campaign.
Despite making several comeback attempts, the Frenchman continued to be hit by a string of fitness issues, the latest being a cruciate knee injury which sidelined him for 14 months, after which he made only one appearance last season, in the Capital One Cup tie against Southampton on Sept. 23.
While clubs are required to list those players who are set to be out of contract after the submission deadline of late May, the Premier League stress it "should not be seen as definitive for players leaving their club'' and he could yet sign a new deal.
Premier League retained and released player list is not definitive. Many players will stay. http://t.co/GMA2RMTMnu pic.twitter.com/sKYLGFOxvA
- ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 10, 2015
Manager Arsene Wenger had long defended Diaby, a player he viewed as a great asset when at his peak.
Speaking in November 2014, he said: "Diaby is a player that I have an enormous amount of respect for. Every time he comes back he has to start from zero with another injury. He is not a fragile player. He was the victim of an assassin's tackle that went unpunished.''
Wenger later stressed: "If Diaby is fully fit, he will have a new deal at Arsenal.''
However, by April, the Gunners boss indicated the situation was perhaps not as straightforward despite Diaby having started to play for the under-21s to build up match sharpness.
"I had a chat with him and told him how I can envisage the future,'' Wenger said. "Of course he understands completely that he has to perform and to show that he can be present on a consistent way. I will see where we go from there.''