8 players that Arsenal have to sell this summer to start the rebuild
Following their UEFA Europa League exit on Thursday, Arsenal have plenty of rebuilding to do, with the summer transfer window set to be one of the biggest in the club's history in terms of outgoing players.
Apart from having to make a big decision regarding Mikel Arteta's future at the club, Arsenal have to clear out several players from their squad as they seek to sell the club's deadwood and recuperate some funds going into the new season, especially since they will most probably not be playing European football next season.
As a result, I have compiled the eight players that Arsenal have to sell in the coming summer transfer window to commence the rebuilding phase.
Hector Bellerin
The 26-year-old has been at Arsenal for ten years, but his time at the club seems to be coming to a close after years of inconsistency and injuries.
Bellerin has failed to impress this season, even losing his place in the squad for a significant period of time to Cedric Soares, who has proven to be a much steadier full-back that is more settled in defending.
The Spanish full-back has been linked with moves away in recent windows, and with Paris Saint-Germain interested in signing him for a £22 million fee, it may finally be time for Arsenal to let him go.
Sead Kolasinac
Kolasinac has had a very turbulent time at Arsenal since joining them in 2017, from an attempted robbery on him and Mesut Ozil, to an impressive first season at the club in 2017/18.
However, the 27-year-old Bosnian has been named as one of the problems that the Arsenal dressing room has had in recent seasons, and after making just nine appearances this season in English football, he was immediately shipped out on loan to his former club Schalke 04, who got relegated in one of the worst seasons in their club history.
It is unlikely that Arsenal will get anything for him in the summer, but he is one of the names on the list that simply has to leave the club.
Willian
Willian's career at Arsenal looked like it was going to take off from day one, with a fantastic display against Fulham on the opening day that saw him assist all three goals in a 3-0 win.
However, his season has been nothing like that game, with underwhelming performances throughout the whole campaign, with him not scoring a single goal, and assisting just four other goals apart from his opening day glory.
Willian just has not been at it this season, and he has not even merited a place in the 18-man squad for matchdays, let alone a place in the starting eleven. Given he has a contract until 2023 though, he will be relatively difficult to sell in the summer.
Lucas Torreira
When Arsenal signed Torreira in 2018, it seemed like a match made in heaven, with Torreira impressing in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and Arsenal wanting an energetic defensive midfielder.
However, Torreira has struggled after an initial good start to his Arsenal campaign, eventually leading to him being loaned out to Atletico Madrid as part of the deal to bring in Thomas Partey, yet he has failed to make a good impression in Spain as well.
He has spoken of his desire to return to South America and join Boca Juniors on multiple occasions in the past, and he looks destined to put an end to his Arsenal career this summer.
Matteo Guendouzi
Still only 22, Guendouzi has been a very controversial figure at Arsenal ever since he joined from Lorient in 2018, with him having a terrible relationship with Arteta.
The midfielder was consequently loaned out to Hertha Berlin, where he has produced some tidy performances, but it still remains to be seen whether the German club will want to make his move permanent.
Guendouzi is set to return to the club once the season ends, but given his relationship with Arteta and his disciplinary issues, his time at the club looks set to end, especially if Arsenal can get a decent fee for him.
Runar Alex Runarsson
The 26-year-old goalkeeper has had a time to forget at Arsenal since joining last summer from Dijon.
The Icelandic goalkeeper has made some vital errors whenever he has been called upon, either in the Europa League or in the Carabao Cup, most notably against Manchester City, where he fumbled plenty of shots and just looked out of his depth.
Arteta was forced to loan in Brighton goalkeeper Mathew Ryan in January, who in the three games that he has played for the Gunners, has looked much more assured and confident as Bernd Leno's back-up.
Calum Chambers
Chambers has been terribly unlucky during his Arsenal career, suffering from an ACL injury that kept him out for a whole year between 2019 and 2020.
However, when he has played, he has looked completely out of his depth at the club, making crucial mistakes at the back, and also failing to nail down a spot in the Arsenal team regularly, falling victim to Arteta's constant rotation at the back.
At the end of the day, Chambers might be a good servant to the club, but he is just not good enough if Arsenal want to actually make some progress, and with him not knowing his preferred position between centre-back or right-back, it is time for him to move on, especially since he is now 26.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette
This may come as a surprise, but following this season, Arsenal have to choose which of their star names up front they are going to keep.
Aubameyang looks like the obvious choice, given his impressive record over the seasons at the club, but his huge wages might lead to problems that are unrelated to the actual football.
Lacazette on the other hand has proven to be a consistent goalscorer for Arsenal, scoring ten goals or more in the Premier League in each season that he has been at the club. However this season he has been in out and out of the team, and whilst he has scored regularly, his performances have not been up to scratch.
Lacazette has been linked with a move away to Italy on numerous occasions over the last few months, with Inter and Roma both reportedly interested in him, yet Arsenal will first have to decide whether they should sell him, or else sell Aubameyang to get a reasonable fee for him.
Selling both would mean that Arsenal would be left with Folarin Balogun, Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Martinelli as their only options up front, and all of them are too inexperienced to lead the attack of a side that are eager to return to European football next season.
Aubameyang and Lacazette are two of the few players that still have a relatively high value at Arsenal, and selling them could prove to be a huge statement by the board that they are planning to rebuilt the whole side, no matter the reputation.
Whether Arsenal sell any of the players listed above remains to be seen, but whatever they do, things have to change for the better, whether through a long-term project, or a short-term fix.
