With contracts coming to an end, coupled with the poor performance by Arsenal fringe players in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest, there could be a lot of players being sold in January.
5. Alexis Sanchez
The Chilean nearly left the club in the summer, and now it looks like he might finally go this month. If Alexis does leave, it will probably be to Manchester City. This is the last chance Arsenal have to cash in on the former Barcelona man, since his contract expires in June.
Wenger says City haven’t contacted the Gunners about a move yet. But Di Marzio say the Sky Blues and Sanchez have already agreed terms – they just need to convince Arsenal.
Alexis’ performances have slightly improved in recent weeks. But in my opinion, he’s still not playing particularly well, he’s just scoring again. Nonetheless, it’s a shame it seems we’ll never see 2016/17 Alexis at Arsenal again.
4. Mathieu Debuchy
Debuchy is the only player who publicly stated he wanted to leave before the window opened. Now, Simon Stone says Arsenal could use the defender in a swap deal for Jonny Evans.
He performed poorly against Nottingham Forest, and Whoscored gave him the lowest rating on the pitch. I think that’s a bit harsh, but he was certainly just as culpable for the loss as the rest of the team, so Wenger might think it’s time to sell now.
3. Theo Walcott
Walcott hasn’t indicated he wants to leave Arsenal, but the general consensus is that he should. The Gunners haven’t given the 28-year-old a single league start, and the World Cup is coming up this summer.
The winger scored three goals and provided five assists in the Europa League group stages. He also scored one goal in the League Cup, although that was in the third round against Doncaster Rovers.
Nonetheless, hopefully he’s done enough to get the move he wants, because I can’t see much of a future at Arsenal.
2. Chuba Akpom
Arsene Wenger gave Akpom a couple of chances in the cups this season, which is more than the Englishman’s loan spells probably merited. Despite playing up front, the 22-year-old didn’t score a goal for four of his five loan clubs.
Unfortunately for the Arsenal academy product, I’d expect the last week to finish his chances here off. He was involved in a drink-driving incident, then missed a crucial chance against Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners don’t have any cup games left to give him, since the tie against Chelsea will likely mostly involve first-team players, so it’s probably time to move on.
1. Francis Coquelin
You can’t fault Coquelin’s passion for Arsenal, but as Arsene Wenger pointed out before the match against Nottingham Forest, the Frenchman has been a victim of the Gunners’ change in system.
When the 26-year-old first returned to the club, he struck up a fantastic partnership with Santi Cazorla. But then the Spaniard kept getting injured, and Coquelin didn’t fit quite as well with anybody else. His game is too limited offensively and in possession, even if he does win the ball well.
Now, Arsenal don’t even use the same formation and Jack Wilshere is fit. There just doesn’t seem to be any room in the first-team for the Frenchman anymore, hence the rumours he could leave.
Valencia seem closest to completing a deal, for a rumoured £10m fee, but West Ham and Crystal Palace are also interested. Hopefully he finds the right club for him.