'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
When the 2019-20 Premier League campaign was suspended in March, Arsenal fans seemed to have plenty to be hopeful about. Mikel Arteta’s side had gone eight matches unbeaten since the turn of the year. And he’d begun to really make use of the Gunners’ outstanding young talent.
Last night’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City seems to have erased some of that optimism, though. Arsenal were thoroughly outplayed, struggling to control City’s midfield in particular.
The result made it clear that Arteta needs to ring the changes in the summer – likely with a cull of some current players.
But who should he look to offload? The following 5 players may be about to see their time at the Emirates come to an end.
#1 Shkodran Mustafi
The main man to blame for Arsenal’s defeat to Manchester City was undoubtedly David Luiz – whose contract with the Gunners expires this summer anyway.
However, if the Brazilian does depart the Emirates this summer, it could be time for a full defensive reboot. And that would signal the end of Shkodran Mustafi’s time as a Gunner too.
Signed in the summer of 2016 for a fee of around £35m, the German international was supposed to help to solidify Arsenal’s defence. However, that just hasn’t been the case.
2018-19 saw Mustafi make a number of absolutely criminal errors that cost his club dearly. One such error against Crystal Palace arguably caused the Gunners to miss out on an all-important spot in the Champions League.
His form has improved somewhat during 2019-20 and he’s found himself back in the first team under Arteta. However, is he really the man to provide defensive solidity going forward? The answer is probably no.
At 28 years old, Mustafi likely has just a handful of years left at the top. So if Arsenal are to offload the German international and recoup even a fraction of that £35m fee, it probably needs to be soon.
Given that they have a potential replacement already coming in – William Saliba – it’d make sense to engineer him a move this summer.
#2 Mesut Ozil
One major absence for Arsenal from last night’s game with Manchester City was midfielder Mesut Ozil. He was not named in the Gunners’ squad and Arteta later claimed he’d been left out for “tactical reasons”.
The German international was once the Gunners’ biggest-ever marquee signing, but right now, his future at the Emirates definitely looks bleak. Ozil’s contributions have often been brought into question in recent years. And he’s been painfully inconsistent during the current campaign, with just one goal and two assists in 18 league matches.
It’s true that Arsenal could lack some creativity without the German. But in all honesty, would a younger talent like Joe Willock or Emile Smith Rowe do any worse than he has recently?
The stumbling block to offloading Ozil is clearly his contract. The German currently earns somewhere around £350,000 per week at the Emirates. However, his contract expires in the summer of 2021 – meaning it might be easier to sell him in a cut-price deal this summer than it may initially seem.
Even if that’s not possible, moving him on via a season-long loan deal before letting him leave on a free transfer could be an alternative idea. Either way, Arteta should probably look to offload him soon, in the name of squad harmony if nothing else.
#3 Ainsley Maitland-Niles
One plus point to Arsenal’s squad right now is the presence of a multitude of talented youngsters. The likes of Eddie Nketiah, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, for instance, have already established themselves in the Gunners’ first-team this season.
Just a year or so ago, it looked like the man to lead the way for this younger talent was Ainsley Maitland-Niles. The versatile 22-year old – who won the U20 World Cup with England back in 2017 – made 28 appearances under Arsene Wenger in 2017-18.
And in 2018-19, he established himself as a first-team regular under Unai Emery, scoring two goals in 30 appearances overall. Since Arteta took over at the Emirates though, Maitland-Niles has slowly slipped back down the pecking order.
Part of the issue could be his versatility. Capable of playing in multiple positions, Maitland-Niles was largely used as a right-back when Hector Bellerin was on the shelf. But since the Spaniard’s return to full fitness, the 22-year old has been somewhat of an odd man out.
Maitland-Niles reportedly sees himself as a midfielder. But given the Gunners have a plethora of options in that area – names like Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira and Joe Willock – it seems tricky to imagine him forcing himself into Arteta’s plans.
With that in mind, his future may be better served away from Arsenal. And selling him this summer could provide Arteta with some much-needed funds to strengthen elsewhere.
#4 Alexandre Lacazette
When Arsenal signed Alexandre Lacazette in the summer of 2017, Gunners fans were highly excited. The French striker had scored 37 goals for Lyon in the preceding season, and Arsenal were hoping that he’d be the man to fire them back to the top.
Since then, however, Lacazette has scored a decent amount of goals. He notched up 17 in his first season, 19 in his second, but he’s largely been overshadowed by the purchase of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. And while the Frenchman’s form started strongly, the current campaign has seen him become ever-more inconsistent.
Since Arteta took over the reins at Arsenal back in December, Lacazette’s goals have largely dried up. He’s been criticised by fans for missing more chances than he scores.
And in more recent games, Arteta has preferred to use young striker Eddie Nketiah – who has largely repaid the Spaniard’s faith with some excellent performances.
It’s also worth noting that the Frenchman is also amongst the Premier League stars who found themselves in hot water after breaking the UK’s rules during the COVID-19 lockdown.
At the age of 29, Lacazette simply can’t afford to sit on the bench at a club like Arsenal and watch his career stagnate. That’s why a transfer this summer would probably be best for both parties.
Arsenal could likely recoup at least some of the £46m that they initially paid for him. And that cash could be used to strengthen the squad in other areas – or help the club to fund a new deal for Aubameyang.
#5 Henrikh Mkhitaryan
When all is said and done, the January 2018 transfer that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan arrive at Arsenal from Manchester United, with Alexis Sanchez going in the other direction will probably go down as one of the worst of all time.
Both players have largely flopped at their new clubs since. And fascinatingly, both men have headed to Serie A on loan deals during the current campaign.
Mkhitaryan has joined Roma, and since arriving in the Italian capital, the Armenian has been a big hit. He’s made 13 appearances in the league, and has already scored six goals and registered three assists. That’s a better return than he managed in either of his seasons at the Emirates.
It’s almost certain that Arteta won’t look to bring the Armenian back to North London. At the age of 31, he just doesn’t fit the youthful bill of what the Spaniard appears to be planning at Arsenal. But could he move to Roma on a permanent deal this summer?
It’s definitely a possibility. His form since arriving there would appear to make him a player worth keeping. And a recent report suggests that the Gunners only value him at around £13m – hardly an earth-shattering fee for one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
With the current rumour suggesting that the Armenian could be used as a makeweight in a deal to bring Justin Kluivert to the Emirates, it’s almost certain that Arteta will be desperate to offload Mkhitaryan somehow this summer.
