Andrey Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh have been purposefully omitted from the squad which travels to France to face Montpelier tomorrow.

The duo were present during Monday’s training session at London Colney and participated in all preparations for the Champions League affair, but their names were excluded when Arsene Wenger revealed his 18-man list of players to make the trip.

Chamakh is yet to make an appearance this season and contrary to reports that he is currently nursing a health issue, the Moroccan did appear to be fit enough to play during today’s activities. His colleague Arshavin has been limited to the bench so far this year and made his only appearance during a cameo against Sunderland on the opening day of the season.

The Russian was available as a substitute on Saturday, but he will join Chamakh outside the squad tomorrow after being denied a place in the team. Both players have been linked with a move away from the club ever since their decline in form but neither of them found any suitors to price them away from north London during the summer.

And so, with an eye still on a possible departure in the January transfer window, Arshavin and Chamakh have been excluded from Arsenal’s Champions League action for the time being in order to avoid being cup-tied – a situation which would harm their resale value in January.

While Arsenal dealt with the frustrated duo during Monday’s session, a more cheerful pair in Jack Wilshere and Emmanuel Frimpong were welcomed back to training for the first time since being ruled out by injuries.

For more of this, follow us on Twitter or join us on Facebook.

Be the first to receive breaking news about Arsenal!