Many of our Arsenal players have been linked with exits this summer, so I thought I’d give a breakdown on who I think will be staying, and how our exit-dealings should pan out.
Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini are three who are all set to leave at the end of their contracts, and all deserve a decent send off this summer, but they will not all feature in the remaining two league fixtures, although I expect the former two to at least sit on the bench for the Aston Villa tie, before getting a proper goodbye from the fans at the end of the game.
Kieran Gibbs also appears to be set for an exit in the close-season, having lost the challenge with Nacho Monreal for a first-team role. Talk of a move to Manchester United are simply untrue, but we should have no problem with him joining another Premier League side who are not a threat to us (there is talk of Newcastle, but they may not stay up).
Olivier Giroud is another who could go, but for him to leave we would have to have an out-and-out striker lined up to replace him. There is much talk of Higuain currently, always talk about Benzema, but for the time being, none of them look likely to join us. I would take Lacazette from Lyon but there is no telling how quickly he could settle in the Premier League.
Theo Walcott is believed to be open to moving clubs should he lose his England place for the upcoming European Championships. I can’t see him being on the plane, and actually believe his time is up this summer. There is talk of some big clubs being keen on him, so I would favour a move abroad for him.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is another being talked up for a move, but he is simply too young to part with just yet. I’m open to a loan move to give him more regular first-team action, but a sale is simply not an option for me.
Do you agree with my ‘should they stay or should they go’?
Gooner P