5 players Arsenal should sell this summer 

The replacement for Arsene Wenger has been the biggest talking point coming out of the Emirates since the Premier League season ended, and with the appointment of Spaniard Unai Emery, speculation will shift to what players he and the Arsenal board will try to bring into the club.

A serious issue for the new manager would be the players he needs to get rid of. It is clear that Arsenal needs an overhaul, and behind the scenes, the club has done that with the biggest example being the appointment of Raul Sanllehi as head of football relations and Sven Mislintat as head of scouting/recruitment.

The squad of players that will be available to Emery is not good enough to compete at the top level in the Premier League, so he will certainly have a task to get this squad up to pace and add the quality where they are lacking.

With a reportedly depleted transfer kitty, there is work to be done to raise money to spend to add the much-needed quality to the squad. The Arsenal attack going into next season looks extremely promising, with Mesut Ozil committing to the club and the additions of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January.

The midfield and defence, however, is another matter, and that is where the big upgrades will be needed.

So who should the club sell on?

#5 Granit Xhaka

The Switzerland international was perhaps the most vilified Arsenal player during the 2017/18 season. Despite playing in 46 games in all competitions for the club, the Arsenal fans have never truly warmed to the former Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder.

It is hard to analyze his position within the team as he is supposed to be the defensive midfielder of the team but he comes up short in this role.

The 25-year-old has a real lack of discipline to play the holding midfield role in this Arsenal team, positionally he looks all over the place and his concentration is often found lacking, when an analysis is made of the number of goals Arsenal have conceded from opposition players running off Xhaka or making a simple run in behind the player knowing this will catch him off guard.

The faith shown in Xhaka by Arsene Wenger was bemusing, as his contributions simply were not good enough. Despite having good technical abilities, his inability to see forward passes instead passing from side to side and backwards has been poor at the heart of the Arsenal midfield.

Arsenal should cut their losses as despite being relatively young for a central midfielder, he has not gotten any better since arriving at the Emirates, whether Emery will see a future for the left-footed midfielder is be another matter.

Replacing Xhaka in this Arsenal may have begun with the links they have with Nice star Jean-Michael Seri. Seri would add more power and dynamism in the heart of the Arsenal midfield, while not considered a holding midfielder, Seri would certainly add more class and energy within the centre of this team.

#4 Shkodran Mustafi

Mustafi has proved a poor acquisition for Arsenal

No place in the Germany World Cup squad, is the consequence that Mustafi has to do deal with since his sub-standard season with Arsenal. When Arsenal signed Mustafi from Valencia in 2016 it was believed to be an exciting signing, one where the team could build a solid platform, however for Arsenal and Mustafi this has not worked out.

Despite making 35 appearances for Arsenal last season, Mustafi failed to really enhance his game at Arsenal and notably, his display in the Carabao Cup final against Champions Manchester City was the one that seemed to hurt and anger the Arsenal fans the most.

His lack of composure on the ball has cost Arsenal goals in the past, and consequently, he had 2 direct errors leading to goals last season. In a positional sense for such a key position, he looks lost, especially when it comes to the big games.

The lack of leadership would be a real concern when watching Mustafi, he is an experienced European defender who should be guiding that defence. One mistake is sometimes all the opposition needs from the German defender as he does not look to recover from making mistakes.

Whether Emery who will have known Mustafi from their time in Spain will feel he can get the best out of the German defender, or could possibly use the player in his previous role at right back would be another matter to discuss.

Right now Mustafi looks a player who could be leaving North London this summer. Could a more efficient option for Arsenal be: Caglar Soyuncu, the Turkish defender is right at the top of Arsenal summer's target list according to The Telegraph.

#3 Danny Welbeck

The Englishman has consistently failed to deliver

The former Manchester United forward will often be credited for his work rate and his tenacious attitude, but there is a point when this just simply is not enough to offer. The 27-year-old has suffered an injury-hit career, and this season was no different despite making 43 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal, 19 of which were substitute appearances.

The return in goals, however, is certainly not considered a great one, actually not even a good return with only ten goals and surprisingly only two assists. Question marks have always been asked about Welbeck and his goals ratio, and rightly so.

Obviously, his versatility to play on either flank is a great benefit and he can play anywhere across an attack, but Welbeck is not of sufficient quality to improve this Arsenal team. His composure in front of goal is poor, the amount of chances Welbeck fails to convert is what ultimately made Manchester United happy to sell the player on.

Welbeck possesses good movement, but often not the right movement despite being quick. His decision making is also questionable which is evident when watching Welbeck from wider positions.

For Welbeck and Arsenal, the best scenario this summer is that the player gets a move away from the Emirates in the pursuit of first-team football.

Somehow Welbeck is going to the World Cup with England, whether he gets enough chances to showcase his ability is another question, but right now Welbeck is simply not good enough to be a regular starter in this Arsenal team, and a player that could easily get a move to a mid-table club within the Premier League to get regular action.

The blessing for Arsenal and Welbeck is that Besiktas have shown an early interest in the player according to TalkSport.

#2 Alex Iwobi

Iwobi hasn't been convincing enough for Arsenal

For three seasons Alex Iwobi has been in an around the Arsenal first team, and still, it is unclear to many as to what is the player's best position? Despite making 98 appearances in his time within team, the Nigerian international has hit only 9 goals, and with only three of these goals last season and a poor record of 6 assists in all competitions this is not a return from a top attacking threat for a club like Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger showed enormous faith and trust with Iwobi playing him in big games, trusting his work rate to benefit the team, but really he was sacrificing further quality in the front line.

This season, at times, we saw Iwobi play as part of a three-man midfield, centrally and this is when he has looked most comfortable, contributing more in the game but surely he would not be considered as a top option to play in this position right now.

At the age of 22, Iwobi may still be considered young enough to improve, but there is so much to his game that he needs to improve on, that incoming manager Emery might need to consider if the Nigerian international actually has a clear future at the Emirates.

Iwobi should be able to showcase his ability this summer for Nigeria at the World Cup, and to see what role he fulfils for his national side will certainly be a decision of interest. The biggest weakness seen in the young midfielder's game is the lack of end product, so many times you see him in great positions or areas of the pitch and he makes a mistake, either making the wrong decision or being too indecisive.

His lack of goals and assists makes it very difficult to see why Emery would consider playing Iwobi. His reputation still has not propelled in the manner which Wenger and Arsenal would have liked, so would he generate enough interest to consider moving on?

A fresh beginning and time to work on his game are what the player needs as right now he is far from being the sufficient quality to play for Arsenal. Might a loan move be more beneficial for both player and club, a loan move might be the most appealing option to both.

#1 Hector Bellerin

Bellerin has not improved over the course of the season

This would perhaps be the most controversial player that Arsenal should consider selling given his reputation and his ability, but right now this should be an option that the club should very much consider. The Spanish right-back, by his standards, has had a very poor season, and even the previous season he was very average.

Consequently, due to his displays for Arsenal, he has been left out of the Spain squad for the World Cup in Russia, and rightly so when considering the competition for that right back berth.

Bellerin has enjoyed four seasons as the first choice right back for Arsenal, but his lack of ability defensively has really come in to question this season after the team, overall, has been poor and exposed further than we all had seen previously when it came to the Spaniard.

Stats show that Bellerin's interceptions per game and tackles per game have declined over the previous two seasons for the club.

At the age of 23 now, he is not considered a young player now, and with his experience especially in Europe he should be better defensively, that is unquestionable.

The really concerning aspect of his game right now is how indecisive he looks going forward, which is what he has built his reputation on with only five assists in his 43 appearances over the course of last season. This is not so much a decline in numbers for the fullback but shows that he is also not developing.

The player needs guidance and a chance to develop as a defender first, his inability to cover on the inside for his central defenders is very poor, players feel confident when they get in behind the full back and his discipline and work rate as a fullback has rightfully been questioned.

Undoubtedly, however, Bellerin has the talent to improve and with the right guidance could propel himself to certainly one of the best in the world in this position.

Right now though the big question for Arsenal, and the board will be should we cash in on the player? With clubs like Barcelona and Juventus being linked with big money moves for the right back, could they get the right money in to help rebuild what is a poor defence?

His future will undoubtedly come down to the player and he could force a move from the Emirates, but right now this would not be a bad thing for the player. A cheaper right back and in better form than Bellerin would be Cedric from Southampton, there should be a competitive market trying to gain the services of the Portugal international.