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After missing out on the Premier League last season, Arsenal are doing all they can to go one step further in the 2023/24 season. They've already completed the signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea and look set to finalize further big-money deals for Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice. Bukayo Saka signed a new long-term deal while William Saliba and Reiss Nelson are expected to follow suit in the coming days.
But with that said, the Gunners also need to offload some players. This will not only help them further fund their summer expenditure with potentially more signings, but also help the trim the squad of excess fat. And so, here are five players Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta should offload during the summer transfer window.
1. Rob Holding
The number one priority for Arsenal should be to get rid of Rob Holding. The simple fact is the former Bolton man is just not good enough for the Premier League, let alone a club like Arsenal that have ambitions to win league titles. It's no surprise that Arsenal's title collapse coincided with Holding being a starter in the team once Saliba was ruled out for the rest of the season with injury. Eventually, Arteta dropped Holding in favor of January signing Jakub Kiwior who now appears to be above him in the pecking order as well.
Arsenal would be lucky to get anything above £5 million, but at this point, the fee is irrelevant — Holding should be sold at all costs.
2. Granit Xhaka
Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka is one of the more experienced members in the squad, having signed with the North London side back in 2016. He was already expected to leave this summer with Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen the favorites to land his signature. However, it's already July and there is still yet to be an official agreement.
This isn't new either, as Xhaka has been linked with moves away from the Emirates Stadium in the past only for them to never materialize. However, this summer seemed different especially with Arsenal's pursuit of Rice. Of course, it wouldn't be the worst thing to keep Xhaka in the squad as he enjoyed a spectacular campaign last season and would make a great backup player. However, Arsenal could use the funds and with the Swiss international said to be commanding around £13-15 million, a sale definitely makes sense.
3. Kieran Tierney
Kieran Tierney lost his place to Oleksandr Zinchenko last season, but even when he did play for the Gunners, he didn't look all too impressive. That's not to say he isn't worth keeping. After all, it's hard to find a better second choice left back in the Premier League and in fairness to Tierney, he's regularly dealt with injuries.
However, the Scottish international wants regular game time and with Newcastle previously interested in his signature, it makes sense to offload him — especially with reports of a £35-40 million fee which could help Arsenal conduct further business in the summer transfer window.
4. Nicolas Pepe
Nicolas Pepe arrived at Arsenal in 2019 with high expectations and an even higher transfer fee of £72 million — a club record as things stand at least. That said, it's fair to say he's been a massive transfer flop. With Saka taking his position, Pepe spent last season out on loan with Ligue 1 side Nice. The Ivorian scored six goals in 19 league games and eight in 28 overall for the French side, but given his high wages — thought to be around £140,000-per-week — it'll be hard to find a permanent suitor.
The likelihood is Pepe going out on loan again and running his contract out until 2024 before leaving on a free. However, if Arsenal could offload him this summer even for a small fee and have him off the books for good, that alone would be a small victory in itself.
5. Eddie Nketiah
This is a tough one as Eddie Nketiah is an academy product who clearly loves the club, but the reality is he will never be a starter for Arsenal. He got his chance when Gabriel Jesus was injured last season and while he did perform admirably with some key goals, he didn't really do enough to show the Arsenal brass that he could be the main man up front for the long term.
Folarin Balogun is also back from his Reims loan spell where he scored 21 goals in 37 league games and along with his overall marketability, could offer a much better second choice option to Jesus for Arteta. Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in Nketiah and with reports of Arsenal demanding at least a £20 million fee, it would certainly be good business for the Gunners if they get a transfer fee in that range.
