5 players Arsenal should sell this summer

There have been big changes at Arsenal this summer. After 22 years at the helm, Arsene Wenger’s spell in charge at the club came to an end, and he was replaced by Unai Emery.

There hasn’t been a summer like this at Arsenal since the start of the Premier League era. Since 1996, Wenger has been in charge at the club and has built the Gunners around his image. The fact that a new man has come in from outside the club means there will obviously have to be massive changes.

Emery comes to the Emirates with a raft of experience in European football. He led Sevilla to an unprecedented three consecutive Europa League titles between 2014 and 2016 and won the Ligue 1 title with PSG last season. In his time in France, he also won two Coupe de Frances, and the Coupe de la Ligue twice.

He will change the way Arsenal play this season, there is no doubt about it. The Gunners will still play, good, attractive, football, but it will be different compared to Wenger's reign. There will probably be a more directness to the play, and the 3-4-3 that they played with for much of last season will change a bit.

There have been a few changes at the club already this summer. Bernd Leno has joined from Bayer Leverkusen and is likely to challenge Petr Cech for the goalkeeper’s jersey, with Lucas Torreira, Sokratis and Stephan Lichtsteiner amongst the other arrivals.

There have been some departures, with the experience of Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla and Per Mertesacker all leaving the Emirates. There will be more to come this some in terms of exits though.

Here are five players Arsenal should let go before the transfer window is over.

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#1 Danny Welbeck

Welbeck has been at Arsenal for four years

It has been a frustrating few years for Welbeck at Arsenal. He made the move to the Emirates from Manchester United in 2014, hoping to establish himself after falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford.

But he has suffered from injuries in his time in North London and has never really made his mark at the club. He has made just 80 Premier League appearances in his four years at Arsenal and scored just 15 goals.

With the squad now containing the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Welbeck will be a backup player at best, and that isn’t great for Welbeck’s career, and Arsenal won’t want an unhappy player in their squad.

Gunners should be able to get around £20m for Welbeck in this market, as there are sure to be suitors for a player with his attributes - most notably his pace.

#2 Shkodran Mustafi

Mustafi looks unlikely to be the first choice at Arsenal this season

Shkodran Mustafi has been with Arsenal for two years now, but he has never been entirely convincing. He is pretty good on the ball, and a regular threat in the opposition’s penalty area, but defensively, he has been inconsistent.

Things have been difficult given there have been multiple changes in that Arsenal back line. Laurent Koscielny has been in and out of the side due to injuries while, under Wenger, Arsenal have swapped between two and three centre-backs.

With the signing of Lucas Torreira in midfield, Arsenal could return to a back four, meaning that there is only space for two centre-backs. Having spent £16 million on Sokratis Papastathopoulos, the Greek international will probably be the first choice.

Koscielny is Arsenal’s best defender, so when fit, he will partner him. Given that the likes of Konstantinos Mavropanos and Rob Holding have both looked good when given an opportunity, both need the time on the pitch to progress, and they would be better off if Mustafi wasn’t at the club.

#3 Carl Jenkinson

Jenkinson joined Arsenal from Charlton seven years ago

When he signed for Arsenal in 2011, Carl Jenkinson was seen as a hot prospect in England, but his career hasn’t exactly gone forward in the way he would have hoped.

He is now 26, six years on from winning his only international cap, and further away from the Arsenal first team than ever. He had a couple of successful seasons away on loan at West Ham, but he has also had a couple of miserable campaigns.

He spent last season on loan at Birmingham City, but that was disrupted by a dislocated shoulder he picked up on his debut which limited him to just nine appearances in all competitions.

There is almost no chance that he is given an opportunity at the Emirates next season, and it is in the interest of both parties that he is moved on this summer.

#4 Petr Cech

Cech has been linked with a return to Chelsea

There is no doubt that Petr Cech has been one of the great goalkeepers of recent years, but his powers are dwindling. The four-time Premier League winner has been a good servant to Arsenal in the three years he has been there, but he was never going to be a long-term solution to their goalkeeping problem.

He has been linked with a move to Chelsea to replace Thibaut Courtois, who looks set to move to Real Madrid, and that would be a decent move for Cech. It seems likely that Bernd Leno will be Arsenal number one going into next season.

If that is indeed the case, Cech will be reduced to a backup role. There is no need for Arsenal to have three senior goalkeepers in their squad and, as David Ospina will be much more content as a reserve choice, it makes sense for Cech to leave.

He will be able to return to Chelsea for regular football, while Arsenal will be able to get him off the wage bill.

#5 Lucas Perez

Perez spent last season on loan at Deportivo

Lucas Perez had just come off the back of an excellent season with Deportivo La Coruna when he joined Arsenal in 2016 for a fee of around £17 million.

He scored 17 goals in his final season there, but appeared just 11 times for Arsenal in the Premier League, scoring just the single goal, away at Bournemouth.

Because of those struggles, he returned to Deportivo on loan last year. He has returned to North London this summer, but there are a lot of attacking options available to Unai Emery, so Perez is unlikely to be a regular in the first team.

There will be clubs out there who will want a player like Perez in their squad, and it would be good for Arsenal to sell, as it will generate funds as well as give them some room to manoeuvre as far as wages are concerned.