Arthur Okonkwo and Cedric Soares are among the players who will leave Arsenal this summer as the Gunners bid farewell to a number of men’s and academy scholars. Mikel Arteta faces another massive summer as he looks to provide the North London club with an extra boost to see them over the line ahead of Manchester City and Liverpool.
Leandro Trossard, Declan Rice and David Raya proved to be pivotal signings in the transfer market but Arsenal couldn’t end their wait for top-flight success after City’s win on the final day of the campaign sealed a fourth successive triumph. On Monday, the Gunners hit the headlines after it was revealed that 22 players would be released at the end of the season, including men’s players and scholars plus three women’s players.
This past Premier League campaign was dominated by Profit and Sustainability after Everton and Nottingham Forest were sanctioned for financial breaches. The Toffees were found guilty of two charges which saw them deducted a total of eight points, after their initial 10-point deduction was reduced to six.
Forest, meanwhile, saw their points total reduced to four points but they narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship as Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United were relegated. Figures released for the year ending May 31, 2023 showed the club suffered a £52million loss while matchday and broadcast revenues increased with the help of their Champions League qualification.
Despite the negative digits in the records, Arsenal remained in line with the profit and sustainability regulations as clubs are allowed to make a loss of £105million over a three-year period. Although, there are some repercussions for the losses and Arsenal still have some academy graduates in their squad who, if sold, could bank the club profit and alleviate the strain of the regulations.
Arteta could utilise some of the players on the fringes as an option to boost the budget for this summer. City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle United will all be looking to strengthen while the Gunners have targets and areas for reinforcements of their own.
Albert Sambi Lokonga is a player that has emerged in the conversation in recent weeks following his comments after a successful spell at Luton Town. The Belgian’s future seemingly lies away from the Emirates Stadium after a difficult spell in North London.
Bayern Munich are reportedly among the clubs interested in the 24-year-old but the cards could be with the Gunners as he has two years remaining on his current deal.
Lokonga has already expressed his intentions to leave the club this summer, speaking recently he said: “For me, I had a discussion with Arsenal and the conclusion was the best thing for me was to leave the club.
“So now it’s up to my agent and the club to find something. I still have a contract there, one year plus a one-year option so let’s see what happens.”
London Colney academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe was reduced to just 13 Premier League appearances this term. Injuries and competition within the squad consigned him to just three starts in the English top-flight.
The Telegraph reported last week that London club Fulham have made the attacking midfielder a transfer priority this summer. It has been said that the 23-year-old has been identified by Marco Silva as the candidate to bolster their attacking options.
In the report, it claims that Arsenal will listen to offers for fringe players with Aaron Ramsdale and Eddie Nketiah said to be looking for first-team football. Transfermarkt has valued the midfielder at £18million but with two years remaining on his current deal, he could land the Gunners large profit.
Thomas Partey is also among the list of players who could leave the club this summer. Partey has attracted rumours from Turkey with the likes of Galatasaray and Fenerbahce among the clubs interested in his services.
The 30-year-old has one year remaining on his deal which presents Arsenal with the opportunity to cash-in or risk losing him on a free transfer next summer. Saudi Arabian clubs have also been mooted which could attract a sizeable fee.
Arsenal have been repeatedly linked with strikers in recent months with attacking reinforcements set to dominate the transfer landscape in North London this summer. Gabriel Jesus hasn’t managed to solidify a place in the Arsenal squad and has endured difficulties since moving from Man City.
The Brazilian has fallen down the pecking order as a result of competition upfront and recurring injuries for the 27-year-old. Jesus has three years remaining on his deal but Arsenal could look to offload the profligate attacker and cash-in to allow themselves to compete financially for their attacking targets.
Nketiah, as mentioned in The Telegraph, could be off in search of regular football. The forward had a strong start to the campaign, starting nine of the first 11 Premier League matches – scoring a hat-trick in the 5-0 win over Sheffield United. However, he soon fell down the pecking order and was used as an impact substitute.
The 25-year-old was named as an unused substitute for each of the last five Premier League matches. For years, the Englishman was destined to play elsewhere until he established himself as a good option for Arteta. However with three years remaining on his contract and his Three Lions hopes diminishing, Nketiah’s future would be best served away from North London which could land Arsenal with profit due to his homegrown status.
Raya’s arrival posed fresh competition between the sticks for Aaron Ramsdale. The England goalkeeper overtook Bernd Leno in the goalkeeping ranks at Arsenal and proved to be a fine shot-stopper but the 26-year-old was susceptible to criticism for his mistakes.
Unlike Nketiah, despite his lack of gametime, Ramsdale has retained his place in the England set-up. However, if he wants to stake his claim to usurp Jordan Pickford, he will need to earn first-team minutes but with the emergence of Raya, he will find opportunities few and far between at the Emirates Stadium.
With that being said, reports have emerged that Newcastle are among the clubs interested in the shot-stopper. Valued around £21million, with two years remaining on his contract, if Arsenal are looking to sell Ramsdale, they will be looking to earn in excess of the £30million they bought him for from Sheffield United.
