Arsene Wenger believes that selling Arsenal’s deadwood this summer will help improve the ‘mental climate’ at the club.

Wenger has explained the importance of Arsenal shedding some of their extra players before the transfer window shuts on 31 August.

As some players know that they’re surplus to requirements, it’ll be a bit awkward if they then have to stay at a club that doesn’t really want them.

“It’s difficult to speak about that,” Wenger said. “If the players don’t get an opportunity to go and they stay here and you know you wanted them to go it creates a difficult mental climate.

“We are open, there’s not any specific [players] I want out because they all have great attitude.

“But in some areas when you have three or four players in the same position it’s better that they have a chance to play somewhere else.”

Kieran Gibbs, Jack Wilshere, Carl Jenkinson and Joel Campbell all have under 12 months left on their current deals and have been linked with moves away.

Gibbs is rumoured to be wanted by West Brom, Wilshere has been linked with clubs in Italy and Turkey, as well as boyhood team West Ham, and Jenks is said to be wanted by clubs in Italy.

Mathieu Debuchy, who’s currently hanging around with Arsenal’s u23s despite being 32-years-old, is also rumoured to be finally returning to his homeland, and Lucas Perez has handed in a transfer request, with his former club Deportivo and Newcastle linked.

So far, however, Arsenal have only managed to sell Wojciech Szczesny to Juventus for £10m – a player the vast majority of Gooners wanted Wenger to keep.

The boss is right. If he has a load of players who Arsenal wanted to get rid of skulking around London Colney feeling unwanted, it’s not exactly going to make for the most pleasant of working environments, is it?