With the treble signing of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz bolstering Arsenal’s first-team squad size to 30, Mikel Arteta has conceded that the Gunners are currently faced with an “unsustainable” crop of senior athletes.
Rumours continue to swirl over possible moves for Gremio’s Bitello or Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus also, but Arteta’s admission was from a man who is seemingly focused on trimming his ranks rather than warmly embracing any new faces at London Colney.
As three players have come through the door, another trio in Granit Xhaka, Pablo Mari and Ainsley Maitland-Niles – the latter of whom ran down his contract – have ended their association with the Gunners, and a host of other players surplus to requirements should soon follow.
Here, MS News Ug Sports picks out eight players on the Arsenal chopping block who could be seeking pastures new in the coming weeks.
Alex Runarsson
Surely the foremost name on Arsenal’s outgoings list, Icelandic goalkeeper Alex Runarsson has failed to make the grade in North London – hardly a surprise given that the Gunners paid just £1.7m to sign him from Dijon in 2020.
Barring a 15-minute Premier League run-out against Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2021 following Bernd Leno’s sending-off, Runarsson has been restricted to fleeting appearances in the Europa League and EFL Cup, although he was peculiarly included in the Gunners’ USA tour.
However, the 28-year-old is only under contract for another year and reignited his career during a loan spell with Alanyaspor last term, so a parting of the ways is seemingly the only plausible outcome.
Auston Trusty
The capture of Auston Trusty from Colorado Rapids in January 2022 was ostensibly a ploy to build relations between Arsenal and their American counterparts, but the centre-back quickly adapted to English football on loan with Birmingham City last season.
Scoring four goals in 44 Championship matches to help Blues stave off the threat of relegation, Trusty was named Birmingham’s Player of the Season, and the 24-year-old has been offered minutes against Nurnberg and MLS All-Stars in pre-season.
Despite his impressive exploits over the past 12 months, Timber’s arrival means that Trusty is dispensable, and Scottish giants Rangers are supposedly prepared to offer him the chance to continue his development at the top level.
Rob Holding
Gooners often felt a sense of reassurance when the ‘Rob Holding emergency protocol’ – as it has been affectionately known – was initiated, as Arteta would often bring the Englishman off the bench to shut up shop in the final few moments.
However, Holding was soon thrust into regular action during William Saliba’s absence at the back end of last season, and after a few underwhelming displays, the 27-year-old soon lost his spot in the XI to January signing Jakub Kiwior.
Another player who is due to become a free agent in 2024, Holding has apparently been the subject of one failed bid from Turkish giants Besiktas, and the defender may depart Arsenal ruing what could have been following his arrival from Bolton Wanderers as a 20-year-old.
Injuries may have robbed Holding of a more successful Arsenal career, but the Englishman will always have the 2017 FA Cup final and Arsene Wenger’s memorable “I’m sorry he did not cost £50m” rant to fondly look back on.
Nuno Tavares
A player who experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows during his debut season in North London, Nuno Tavares would seemingly give Kieran Tierney a good run for his money at left-back following an explosive display versus Aston Villa in October 2021.
However, less than two months later, the Portugal Under-21 international was memorably withdrawn in the first half of an FA Cup loss to Nottingham Forest, and an outburst of emotion soon followed as he reluctantly took a seat in the dugout.
Tavares’s tumultuous nature somewhat marred his time on loan at Marseille too, as despite scoring six goals in 31 matches from a wing-back role, the defender allegedly came to blows with then-head coach Igor Tudor and was even expelled from training during the spring.
Due to his recent exertions with Portugal at the Under-21 Euros, Tavares has not been seen in an Arsenal shirt in pre-season, but it is difficult to see Arteta giving the left-back a chance to redeem himself if Tierney stays put.
Cedric Soares
While Tavares would often fill in for Tierney in the 2021-22 season, Cedric Soares did the same on the right flank for the injury-plagued Takehiro Tomiyasu, and the ex-Southampton man often held his own as the Gunners just missed out on Champions League qualification that year.
However, with Ben White transitioning to a wide role to brilliant effect, Cedric was cast asunder and was shipped out on loan to Fulham for the second half of the 2022-23 campaign, but the form of Kenny Tete forced the Portuguese to accept a bit-part role once more.
Since returning to London Colney, Cedric has supposedly made it clear that he wants to stay and fight for his place in Arteta’s setup, and he is still believed to be held in high regard by the Arsenal boss given his experience.
Cedric did not join the Gunners for their USA tour, though, and Arsenal will surely try to garner a nominal fee for the Euro 2016 winner before his contract expires at the end of the upcoming campaign.
Albert Sambi Lokonga
Belgian midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga has made no bones about his frustration with his role in the Arsenal setup, although the 23-year-old cannot realistically claim that he has done enough to warrant a weekly starting spot.
Having been given Vincent Kompany’s seal of approval before starring in his first pre-season in 2021, Lokonga briefly broke into the starting lineup as Granit Xhaka recuperated from a knee injury, but it was only downhill from there.
While Xhaka and Thomas Partey’s inseparable bond would have been difficult for any lynchpin to break up, Lokonga did himself no favours with a spate of poor performances when given the chance to prove himself, and even though Patrick Vieira saw fit to bring him into the Crystal Palace fold in January, Roy Hodgson did not share the Frenchman’s point of view.
The former Anderlecht captain sat out the Gunners’ USA tour due to a supposed muscular injury, but it would not come as a shock to hear that his agents have been working on an exit during his recovery period, and a reunion with Kompany at Burnley is still seen as the most likely outcome to the saga.
Nicolas Pepe
Having been dethroned from his position as Arsenal’s most expensive signing by £105m man Rice, Nicolas Pepe could reportedly now leave the North London club for nothing, only four years after the Gunners committed £72m to poach him from Lille.
Despite a few flashes of quality on his left foot, the Ivorian has failed to rediscover the prolific form that made him a wanted man during his time in France, and it did not take long for Arteta to lose patience with him.
Eight goals from 28 games in a Nice shirt during last season’s loan spell was not a bad return by any stretch, but injuries also reared their ugly head for Pepe, whose contract at the Emirates Stadium is also due to run out next year.
Arsenal have tried to move away from high-profile contract terminations in recent months, but the Gunners could allegedly revert to their old ways and rip up Pepe’s £140,000-a-week deal, bringing the winger’s forgettable North London spell to an abrupt end.
Folarin Balogun
By the time the summer window slams shut, Arsenal could have both a new record signing and record departure on their books, as up-and-coming striker Folarin Balogun aims to kick on following his rise to stardom at Reims last summer.
The USA international had left a lot to be desired at Middlesbrough, but he found the back of the net 21 times in Ligue 1 last season and has unexpectedly become one of the most sought-after strikers on the European market.
Balogun has been offered minutes by Arteta in pre-season, but the striker’s route into the first XI is still blocked by Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah, and he has hardly pulled up trees during the summer period of friendlies either.
Inter Milan have apparently seen a £34.3m bid for the Hale End academy product rejected as Arsenal hold out for a £50m fee, which would make Balogun Arsenal’s most expensive sale of all time – an honour currently held by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s £34.2m switch to Liverpool in 2017.
