Arsene Wenger has confirmed what most of us had already hoped: Arsenal will be letting some players go between now and then end of the transfer window on 31 August.
Arsenal currently have a massive squad, which isn’t always a good thing since it means that there are currently numerous players, who are unlikely to see first team football, taking up wages.
Wenger insists that this will be taken care of before the transfer window shuts at the end of August, as some players will be ‘let go’.
“To be honest, the number is too high,” he said following Arsenal’s Community Shield win over Chelsea on Sunday.
“We will let some players go.
“Too much competition for places is detrimental, but not enough competition for places is detrimental as well.”
Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson, Jack Wilshere, Santi Cazorla and Joel Campbell all have less than 12 months left on their current deals and none of them appear to be getting an extension.
Cazorla and Campbell are both injured, so the club may have to wait until January to sell them.
Mathieu Debuchy is also said to be on his way out of the club.
Arsenal have already sold Wojciech Szczesny to Juventus, sent youth goalkeeper, Emi Martinez, out to Getafe on loan, and released Yaya Sanogo.
Takuma Asano failed to get a work permit again this season so will stay at Stuttgart for a second loan spell.
Wenger also confirmed last week that Lucas Perez, who has only been at the club a year, will leave this summer.
Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have all been linked with moves away but the boss insists they’re staying put.
Hopefully, a more stream-lined squad will mean that every member is pulling their weight and their wages can be put to better use, such as rewarding current first team stars better contracts, or bringing in newbies.