Mikel Arteta has admitted that the Arsenal squad will be reduced by eight players.
Mikel Arteta has seen several major signings arrive at Arsenal, and the club may now need to offload several players as they assess their squad at the Emirates.
Mikel Arteta has admitted that he will need to offload a number of Arsenal players in order to reduce his squad size ahead of the new season.
This same Gunners have added players like Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira this summer, and Oleksandr Zinchenko is expected to join them soon. This would bring their spending to £100 million as they prepare to fight on four fronts after regaining their place in European football. Meanwhile, Arteta has focused on reducing the squad size.
"We have a large squad, so we have to make some decisions on the players that we're not going to be using consistently and be fair and straight with them, and that's a process that will start very soon as well," Arteta said of Arsenal's transfer plans.
In terms of potential outgoings, he added: "We have no choice. We have a large team, and now it's up to us to make things happen." The Gunners must balance the books while also ensuring that all members of their squad are satisfied.
With that in mind, Mirror Football examines those who could leave the Emirates this summer. Pepe, Nicolas
The club paid a club record £72 million to sign the Ivorian in 2019, but he's never really delivered at the Emirates. While Pepe was prolific with Lille in Ligue 1, he has only shown his best form in brief glimpses in North London. Arsenal has reached the point where they must cut their losses.
Bellerin, Hector
The Spaniard has made it clear that he wants to leave North London, with some reports claiming that he was willing to forego the remaining wages on his contract in order to do so. Bellerin spent last season at Real Betis and was eager to stay with the LaLiga club. The Spanish club is believed to be offloading players in order to raise funds to sign Bellerin on a permanent basis, with less than a year remaining on his contract. Nelson, Reiss
The Arsenal academy product is full of untapped potential, and given their depth in attack, the Gunners may decide to cash in. Nelson has been pushed down the pecking order by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Balogun, Folarin
A highly rated forward, he was loaned out to Middlesbrough last season to gain first-team experience, scoring three times in 20 appearances. Balogun previously excelled in Arsenal's youth ranks, and the club will be interested in seeing how he develops, so a permanent departure appears unlikely.
However, another loan spell could be on the cards now that Gabriel Jesus has been appointed as the club's new No. 9 and Eddie Nketiah has signed a new contract. Pablo Mariscal
After being overlooked at the Emirates, he spent part of last season away at Udinese in search of playing time. Mari has slipped further down the pecking order as Arteta's back four has been strengthened by the return of William Saliba.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0