Former footballer Noel Whelan has warned Arsenal that they could be in for a rocky summer transfer window, with doubts over their ability to keep their best players, and serious doubts on who they will attract also.
The Gunners have all-but sealed a year without European football for the new campaign, with a minor miracle needed to climb into the top seven with few matches remaining in the Premier League.
We had been pinning our hopes on winning the Europa League, but those hopes were dashed when we were unable to overcome Villarreal on Thursday night.
The former Leeds forward now believes that the Gunners will struggle to keep their best players at the club for the new season, and despite needing a big overhaul, he is expecting them to struggle to attract the level of player needed.
When asked if Arsenal could struggle to keep their better players, Whelan told the Football Insider: “Yeah. Absolutely. Top players play in top competitions and they’re not in it.
“Getting in Europe was probably their bargaining tool to try and keep these big stars at a club. It’s not there so they’re gonna have a massive job to keep these big star players happy.
“That’s very difficult because these players want to be playing in top competitions. They deserve to be playing in top competitions. This season they’ve shown that they’re absolutely way off representing Arsenal in the Champions League.
“They need a really serious overhaul there and adding some quality. They’re not going to get that now because they’re not going to tempt these players to Arsenal.”
Do fans need to brace themselves for a tricky summer window? Could we be forced to concentrate on youth further in the new season?
Patrick
We won’t be able to attract players we couldn’t afford anyway. We need to be clever and go after players who are less proven but hungry – we will be able to attract plenty of those kinds of players to Arsenal. The problem is: we need to be smart about this, and history suggests we won’t be…
We aren’t a draw anymore, Arteta isnt a draw, so we aren’t going to attract top players while Arteta is here. We maybe able to attract mercenaries to the club, we maybe able to attrack past it players. To attract top players we need a top manager, hard times ahead for AFC.
What Whelan is saying…. isn’t that what anyone with an ounce of common sense KNOWS?
You’re right, all I ever hear from these overpaid so called pundits is the bleeding obvious.
big star players? what big star players?
Who are these star players? Aubameyang? Leno? Xhaka?
Apart from Saka, Tierney and ESR I couldn’t care less if these other “star” players want out.
Thank you very much.
Martinelli?
why brace for something I would gladly embrace
Seriously, which so called “best players” would Arsenal fans want to keep ?
Saka, Tierney, ESR … that’s it. List is short. May be Laca but his contract ends next year and Leno who it seems wants to leave and doesn’t want to extend his contract which expires in 2 years.
Like I would shed any tears if the likes lf of our lot wanted to leave. Only the youngsters (Tierney, Smith Rowe, Saka and Martinelli) wanting would make me unhappy. But I don’t feel like they want to leave at the moment.
The rest can go.
If all the senior stars want to go and play elsewhere then away they go and make sure we get funds for them. Let’s be realistic who is going to come in for underperforming stars who have been awful.
Maybe its Mikel, maybe hes the one who needs to go as he cant get this team playing at all.
Saka, SmithRowe, Martinelli & Bologun have all signed new deals or in Emile case hes about to & that’s our future front 4. Partey along with Gabriel has just arrived plus Saliba is to return this summer. Teirney wont be going anywhere & believe he will be Arsenal Captain very soon, Auba isnt Capt material.
Still have Willock, Dino, Matteo, Ballard & AMN all to come back from loans.
Next question how did City do this when they were finishing mid table and then went to attract the best players….. money and ambition from the owner to which we dont have. He needs to go also and he is part of the reason we are where we are and the love from Highbury which never should’ve happend.
Going to be a very interesting few weeks coming up.
Ralf Rangnick or Erik Ten Hag might be a better fit for our current needs. Arteta lacks the ability to transform our Academy talents into a fighting unit. Hell; he has proved himself incapable of turning a host of international players into a team. First of all, we need to stop Edu building his retirement village for spent Brazilians. Ideally, Kronke goes; takes his silence and leaked promises; along with his henchmen: veni, edu and mikel. Suggest we stop buying merchandise tickets and subscriptions. Only message KSE will get.