After watching their Premier League title hopes bleed out thanks to a season riddled with injuries, Arsenal are reportedly ready to wield the axe this summer. A major squad overhaul is on the cards, reports the Daily Mirror, with Mikel Arteta looking to build a ruthless squad capable of finally seizing the title.
With Edu’s reign over, all eyes are on his successor, Andrea Berta, who’s expected to take the reins in March (per Fabrizio Romano). Berta will have the unenviable task of deciding who gets to stay and fight and who gets shipped out in the cold. While Edu gets credit for bringing in fresh blood and securing contract extensions, he also proved adept at offloading dead weight – a skill Berta will need in spades.
Kieran Tierney is already sharpening his sword for a return to Celtic when his contract expires. Arsenal are also expected to be aggressive in the transfer market, with Martin Zubimendi reportedly a prime target. But what about the current crop of players? Who should be sleeping with one eye open?
The Chopping Block: Potential Exits
Let’s not beat around the bush; some players are living on borrowed time. Here’s a look at who could be facing the executioner this summer:
Neto: The Brazilian replacement for Aaron Ramsdale has failed to impress. His rare audition against Girona was a disaster..
Karl Hein: With younger keepers rising through the ranks, the Estonian’s time in North London is likely over.
Jakub Kiwior: Arteta clearly doesn’t trust the Polish international, and a return to Italy seems inevitable.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: Another player seemingly out of favour with Arteta. With his contract running down, now is the time to cash in.
Nuno Tavares: Currently on loan at Lazio, a permanent move seems all but certain.
Thomas Partey Out of contract in the summer and a high earner, it’s time for the Ghanaian to seek pastures new.
Jorginho A good influence off the pitch, but no longer a vital cog on it. V
Albert Sambi Lokonga Currently on loan at Sevilla, a permanent move to Spain could be on the cards.
Fabio Vieira: A disappointing signing who could return to Porto permanently.
Reiss Nelson Has shown flashes of quality on loan at Fulham, but not enough to warrant a place in Arteta’s plans.
Marquinhos Set to return to Brazil permanently after a loan spell at Cruzeiro.
Raheem Sterling: A loan signing that simply hasn’t worked out.
A Summer of Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Arsenal’s summer promises to be a dramatic one. With key players potentially heading for the exit door and new faces set to arrive, Arteta is clearly not afraid to make tough decisions. The goal is clear: to build a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League title. Whether he can achieve that remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: this summer will be a bloody one for the Gunners.
ADMIN COMMENT
So here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….
You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.
I think Vieira will return to Arsenal, but Partey will have to wait for the final verdict of his legal case
Trossard must leave, because he will only get slower, is highly inconsistent and his misplaced passes have put his teammates in very dangerous situations
@Gai, I think Pathey deserves a year contract if he won’t mind. He was Arteta’s Mr dependable this season. And even played right full back many times with good injury record this season. Imo, Lokonga /Viera should be kept for squad depth. I also wish Tavares can be converted into left winger because of his pace and physicality
I think you meant to have said ‘alleged’ legal case.
Trossard would keep it.
Yip, I agree with most of that list.
It’s just Partey that I would think twice about. He’s still world class IMO and he’s only turning 32 in June. I would give him one more season then let him finish his career in Saudi.
Waiting for the influx of comments asking to sell Kai. Kai our second best attacker of the last two seasons. Kai who has also been better than Odegaard for the past two seasons.
Havertz has to be sold. This is his best season and he won’t better it, that means its the best time to sell him and actually generate funds.
He is the highest earning player in our club and that should reflect on his input. That is not the case at all as he can’t play any other position than striker, and in that he’s above average at best. He’s performed exactly like he did for Chelsea, and Chelsea haven’t missed him at all.
Being reasonable, I would also send Jesus packing but seeing as he won’t be fit until next fall, he’s likely to stay for another year.
He won a champions league for Chelsea and they havent qualified for it since his departure ?
Incoming!!!😂
Just because he scored in the final? Very lame argument. Care to expand how he qualified them every season he was there, how he won it for them from group stage to the final?
Seriously some arguments from Arteta cult members are like coming from a 4 year old.
He said Chelsea haven’t struggled without him and I pointed out they haven’t qualified for the champions league WITHOUT HIM ? I also can point out they haven’t won a trophy SINCE HE left either and he won the champions league for them. So HH why dont you come up with a reason why they haven’t struggled without him ????
I am gonna challenge you to use your brain for once instead of babbling nonsense like a programmed robot.
You haven’t answered my question, expand on your earlier statement regarding Havertz and Chelsea’s success.
Answer my question before I answer yours.
@liam
You mean the Champions League that ex-Arsenal, Olivier Giroud was their highest scorer, all through the ucl except he was not used in the final.
But he went on to immediately won Serie A, and became prominent in the AC Milan till his last day.
Don’t mind me, I love OG, and he proved himself, some proud people said he wasn’t going to win a club anything, but he simply went on an amazing time winning and winning and winning.
How can you possible claim he won’t be better next season? He’s 25 and already surpassed his numbers from last season. Don’t try to dress up your blatant hatred for a player by phrasing it as something else.
I would keep Zinchenko. It has been apparent since forever that he is not a fullback but he is a gifted midfielder and I would gladly keep him at Arsenal if he were to be used correctly.
With an outlay of around £150M in the summer, which by today’s standards is nothing spectacular, Arsenal could assemble a side worthy of winning the EPL. Zubimendi, Niko Williams and Dusan Vlahovic are all available for ~50M and would improve this team immensely. I prefer not to just list potential line-ups but sometimes it is called for. Imagine this 25 man squad next season:
Raya
Sub GK
Sub GK 2
White
Timber
Tomiyasu
Saliba
Gabriel
Kiwior
Calafiori
Lewis-Skelly
Partey
Rice
Zubimendi
Merino
Zinchenko
Odegaard
Nwaneri
Saka
Jesus
Williams
Martinelli
Havertz
Vlahovic
Huge wage bill granted, but if you want to win you gotta pay the big bucks.
Anyway, we can dream. We will probably get Jonathan David which would be fine. He’s a good player, versatile, and is an Arsenal fan apparently, so he ticks a lot of boxes. Similar to Jesus with his work rate and versatility but what he lacks in guile he makes up for in goals, which is a pretty good trade off.
Good list, Trossard would keep it.
Another rebuild? Why so if the substandard manager has been a success? I always thought a new manager was going to need a rebuild after Arteta shumbles but Arsenal has done one better and are rebuilding with the same real specialist in failure.
So the phases will be resetting and we start with phase one again?
If second makes you substandard what does that make the other 18 managers in the league. Instead of keep repeating the one word you have learnt this year why don’t you say something new something with actual substance????
What something new when results speak for themselves? Out of FA Cup at the earliest possible as usual, out of Carabao Cup, Champions league looks unlikely as usual.
Here is something new, the 2nd place trophy is not certain this season.
The other 18 managers did not have 800 million to WASTE, did not freeze out an entire squad of FA Cup winners and EL finalists to scratch their ego and are not on undeserved 16 million a year contract.
Your acting like time stood still whilst Arteta spent that money though and everyone else spent 0. By you’re logic we are still behind chelsea, united and city in terms of spend so you should be happy we are overachieving in second?
How many of the players he froze out have had successful careers elsewhere ? Wasting 800 million is a bit of a stretch when Gabriel, Rice, Odegaard, White, Timber, Raya would walk into the majority of teams in the league and are worth more than we paid.
There is a question above you have cowardly run away from.
Cowardly run away from post youre address and then call me a coward.
You havent answer any of my questions so dont start with that attitude. You are just a sad little man
I have asked HH to refrain from digging fellow Gooners out and name calling and I request the same from you Liam, I am sure you can get your point acriss without calling people a sad little man or coward.
If they can walk into the majority of any team in the league why can’t they win for us at the very least a Carabao Cup?
Love how you listed only 6 players out if 29 signed. How about you list the rest?
I think Zinchenko and Kwior are no longer in Arteta’s plans and will be sold for sure at the end of the season.Jesus and Tomi who also fall into this dispensible category will not of course be sellable assets until they fully recover from their current injuries.
As far as I am concerned I would not contemplate selling a class act like Partey unless an equally talented replacement has been secured.
Instead of replacing players why don’t Arsenal first replace the manager Arteta (Even spending fortune, he always seems to giving excuses instead of correcting his lame side ways passing game and man management) . Then the new manager will have chance to pick his players.
Seconded
@Gunnerbyheart
The suggestion of overhaul is a joke, just fantasy, definitely, definitely Mr Stan Kroienki will never ever fund that, he ain’t dumb. He didn’t fund a striker, only one, and you want him to overhaul a team in 2nd place.
Stop dreaming to those sleepy gooners.
Rearranging deck chairs on the titanic, unless Arteta plans to change his tactics as well. It is more than just new players, we need new tactics and a plan B also.
Why get an Isak-type striker if they are dropping back and helping with the buildup, and spending energy chasing shadows in the opponents third of the pitch? You think Isak will retain his excellent goal record if he is out of position in buildup, or defending around our 18 yard box?
Why get Nico Williams if he also gets isolated and double-teamed on the LW because Arteta continues to invert the LB?
Why get pacey goal scorers if he persists with the slow-motion buildup, and endless sideways and backwards passing?
We need a lot more than just players, we need new tactics. Also, anyone sure the new SD will get the decision making power or will it be Arteta who decides on players leaving or staying?
Well summarized. But that stubborn Arteta did not realized this in 5 years.
Of course it has to be Mikel who decides on which players we sign and which ones leaves, as he’s the one that will fall on his sword if things go wrong, not the SD.
You got me 100% on this one, sir
Hope many more people, including the ownership realize this.
I hope this reported clear-out includes Arteta. Here’s hoping. 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
I take all these reports of a clear out coming with a pinch of salt as apparently there was going to be one at the end of last season and again this January. To my memory not a lot happened. As for constantly listing the players Arsenal should be dumping, it’s all very subjective and reminds me of the very disrespectful term ‘deadwood’ which was the much used description previously.
People on this thread need to chill. United have spent more than arsenal, can you imagine 80m on a striker who hasn’t in months , a 70M winger and a collection of other 40,/50,m players who have failed even bring the club anything other than 14th place?. Can’t say Chelsea are fairing much better considering their fruitless efforts.Dare I mention Tottenham?
Chill out people.
Why you are comparing only with failed teams why not with Liverpool then. Arsenal is never a big spending team like ManU/Chelsea.
The point is our competition is with ourselves, If we improve ourselves every season then ultimately one day we will be champions.
But the we are playing we looked regressed since 2 years before.
Looks like Arteta best was that season when we came 2nd first time with him. Now in these 2 seasons even with investments teams play is not progressing (No innovation, only lethargic side ways passing). The Goals CB Gabriel M has some what saved Arteta’s face.
I have said it numerous times the way Arteta deals with players he will only succeed at unlimited purse teams like City, Manu. He will never succeed at Arsenal unless he changes his man management
Maquinos is such a massive disappointment! He started like a house on fire and I thought here is the Saka deputy we all crave. But he just fizzled out so pitiable.