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Mikel Arteta's Arsenal project has shown a lot of promise. However, for it to fully take off, the Gunners need to sort quite a few things out first. They will need to make some big calls with regards to the unresolved futures of some of their stars.
Arsenal have been working proactively on outgoings
The Gunners offloaded Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the deadline day of the January transfer window. He has since joined Barcelona. The Gabonese international had fallen out of favor at Arsenal but the termination of his contract came as a bit of a surprise.
They also let go of Sead Kolasinac and Calum Chambers as well. However, it's unlikely that we've seen the end of the mass exodus at Arsenal. The Gunners are likely to offload a few more players in the summer and use the funds generated through their sales to bolster their squad.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five players who could leave Arsenal in the summer.
#5 Alexandre Lacazette
Let's start with the obvious ones first. Alexandre Lacazette's contract with Arsenal expires this summer and he is set to leave in the summer as a free agent. The Frenchman signed for the Premier League giants in the summer of 2017 and played a crucial role in their 2020 FA Cup triumph.
Lacazette is in talks with his former club Olympique Lyon and is likely to join them in the summer. Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas recently revealed that they will be making a summer move for their former player.
“We’ll do our best to sign Alexandre Lacazette in June."
Vincent Ponsot chimed in and confirmed the same as well.
"It's Lacazette, he interests us because he marked this club. It's a profile that interests us and we have always been in contact with him."
Though he has only been sparingly used at Arsenal over the past couple of seasons, Lacazette cannot be deemed a transfer flop. In 193 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners, the 30-year-old has scored 70 goals and provided 33 assists.
#4 Eddie Nketiah
Eddie Nketiah was reportedly set to leave Arsenal in the January transfer window. However, due to a shortage of quality options in attack, the Gunners blocked his move. But the 22-year-old is likely to get his way in the summer. His current contract with Arsenal expires at the end of the season.
The Englishman is reportedly in talks with multiple clubs. Premier League clubs Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion have registered an interest in Nketiah. Bayer Leverkusen have also been credited with a long-standing interest in the young forward.
Arsenal will look to sign a high-profile striker in the summer. Nketiah has made 12 appearances across all competitions for Arsenal. He has scored five goals, all of which came in the EFL Cup.
#3 Bernd Leno
Bernd Leno was Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper at the start of the season. But new signing Aaron Ramsdale has overshadowed him since with some incredible performances. As a result, Leno is now playing second fiddle to the Englishman and his appearances have largely been limited to cup competitions.
The Gunners have now been eliminated from all such competitions and we're unlikely to see a whole lot of Leno for the rest of the season. Newcastle United were reportedly keen to sign Leno in January and the player was interested in joining them as well. However, an agreement couldn't be reached between the clubs.
Arsenal have signed Matt Turner from MLS side New England Revolution and he will join the club in the summer. This surely means that Leno's time at the Emirates is drawing to a close.
#2 Nicolas Pepe
Arsenal broke their transfer record to sign Nicolas Pepe in the summer of 2019. However, the Ivory Coast international has failed to live up to his price tag and has become a peripheral figure at the club.
It doesn't look like Pepe will have a major role to play in Arteta's project going forward and this is likely to be his final season in North London. Arsenal have been keeping tabs on RB Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku and the plan is to offload Pepe to furnish funds in order to sign him.
However, Manchester United have now entered the race for Nkunku. The player has worked with Ralf Rangnick before and as such, the Red Devils have the edge over Arsenal in the race to sign him. Even if that's the case, Arsenal are still unlikely to turn down a good offer for Pepe.
#1 Granit Xhaka
Arsenal are already light in the midfield department. However, if they can make a high-profile midfield signing this summer, it could spell the end for Xhaka's Arsenal stint. AS Roma have been linked with Xhaka for quite a while now and the Giallorossi manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly an admirer of the Swiss international.
Arsenal academy graduate Ainsley Maitland-Nile joined AS Roma on loan in January. AS Roma and Arsenal share a good working relationship. Henrikh Mkhitaryan joined AS Roma from Arsenal two years ago and the two clubs could do business together again this summer.
While Xhaka's relentlessness and tenacity are admirable qualities, his recklessness has cost Arsenal on multiple occasions. If they can get a replacement in the summer, there is no reason why Arsenal would turn down a significant offer for the midfielder.
