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With just days remaining in the transfer window, the future of several Arsenal players is still up in the air.
In a World Cup year, everybody wants game time in a bid to cement a place in their respective nations’ squad for the elite tournament in Russia. There have been many players linked with a move away from the Emirates this window, but would their departures be justified?
Here are five players who Arsenal should look at selling.
#5 Mathieu Debuchy
It’s a wonder as to why Mathieu Debuchy hasn’t already left Arsenal. Arriving at the club from Newcastle United, the Frenchman came in to replace Bacary Sagna who departed for Manchester City.
Unfortunately for the full-back, it’s also the time that Hector Bellerin started to make a name for himself, namely against Bayern Munich in the Champions League – that alone, has yielded little playing time.
Upon arrival at Arsenal, Debuchy probably would have imagined playing more games than the 30 that he has appeared in. A loan move to Bordeaux didn’t work for the right-back while the 2017/18 season has seen Arsene Wenger use Debuchy as a bit-part player, featuring him in the Europa League.
With 18 months remaining on his contract, it’s hard to see where Debuchy fits in at Arsenal. He’s fallen down the pecking order within the France national team setup due to lack of playing time. Thus, meaning he’ll likely miss out on the World Cup squad while it looks extremely likely his future will be away from the Emirates.
Reports have suggested that Arsenal may offer him to West Bromwich Albion as a makeweight to sign former Manchester United defender Jonny Evans. With just a few days remaining of the January transfer window, only time will tell.
#4 Calum Chambers
It’s a real shame that Calum Chambers’ Arsenal career hasn’t really taken off yet. Arriving from Southampton as a highly talented player, the England international has yet to show why Arsenal spent £18 million on him.
A loan spell at Middlesbrough last season provided unspectacular performances while the 23-year-old has been error-prone during the 2017/18 season. Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi, Per Mertesacker and Rob Holding are all ahead of him while a move away from Arsenal may be what Chambers needs.
Ultimately, he’s just not good enough for Arsenal. If the Gunners are to really challenge for the Premier League title once again, it’s unlikely that the Englishman will be part of the squad. You look at the likes of Liverpool signing Virgil van Dijk or Manchester United signing Eric Bailly and then look at Chambers at Arsenal, the formers are certainly superior.
Former Chelsea player turned pundit Tony Cascarino hasn’t been convinced by the Arsenal defender. He told The Times: “Calum Chambers joined Arsenal from Southampton more than three years ago and also won the first of his three England full caps about that time, as a 19-year-old, yet he still looks like a kid who has only just been given his chance.”
#3 Santi Cazorla
Adored by Arsenal fans, it’s time for Santi Cazorla’s time at the Premier League club to come to an end. Holding a contract that expires in June 2018, talks this week have suggested that he could yet sign an extension.
At 33, Cazorla has yet to feature this season due to injuries while playing just 856 minutes of football last season. There’s no doubting that he could still be an asset to the Gunners should he be able to prove his fitness, but unfortunately there are now players ahead of him given the arrival of Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Signing for Arsenal in 2012, Cazorla joined the club from Malaga. 180 games in all competitions later, the Spaniard has two FA Cups and two Community Shields to his name, proving himself an important member of the squad when fit. After all, he did score a sublime free-kick in the 2014 FA Cup final to kickstart their comeback, after Arsenal found themselves 2-0 down to Hull City.
Going forward, it’s hard to say where exactly Cazorla can fit into this side. The likes of Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil are all ahead of the Spaniard in the pecking order while you have the likes of Ainsley Maitland-Niles making a name for himself.
Ultimately, if it’s playing time that Cazorla wants them he should probably look elsewhere.
#2 Olivier Giroud
In a World Cup year, Olivier Giroud wants to be playing first-team football and following the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette, he’s just not getting that and with the potential arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Frenchman may find limited playing time.
Reports have suggested that Giroud may join Borussia Dortmund on a six-month loan as part of the Aubameyang deal, while Premier League rivals Chelsea have also shown interest in the 31-year-old.
And although Giroud isn’t your typical Arsenal striker, you can rely on him for goals. In 252 games in all competitions, the talisman has scored 105 goals, average a goal every other game in the Premier League. Arguably since the departure of Thierry Henry, Giroud is the player Arsene Wenger has relied upon to get the goals.
The No. 12 has scored important goals against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United during his six-year spell at Arsenal and while he’s come in for a lot of criticism, Giroud has got the job done when needed.
Arriving in the same season as Santi Cazorla, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Frenchman leave the club this January should the right offer come in, while the departure of Giroud would hinge on Aubameyang’s arrival.
#1 Petr Cech
Since his arrival from Chelsea in 2015, Petr Cech has helped Arsenal lift two Community Shields and an FA Cup and so his name on this list may come as a surprise.
At 35, the former Czech Republic international isn’t getting any younger. The departure of Wojciech Szczesny to Juventus certainly turned heads within the Arsenal support as he would have been a ready-made replacement for Cech.
However, Arsenal now have a problem. David Ospina probably isn’t good enough to be starting game in game out for the Gunners while he’s prone to the odd error. And so, the departure of Cech would raise eyebrows.
When his eventual departure comes, Arsenal are going to need to dip into the transfer market. Any potential successor for Cech is likely to cost in upwards of £25 million while questions over who may replace the stopper have been asked.
Liverpool have been linked with Jan Oblak who is likely out of Arsenal’s price range. Which is exactly the problem. Many have argued that Arsenal haven’t had a world class goalkeeper since the days of Jens Lehmann.
The sale of Cech would help fund the arrival of his successor. Although it’s unlikely to be in January, Arsenal must make a move for a new No. 1 come the summer window.
