Arsenal need to sell before they buy and Mikel Arteta wants to revamp a number of positions, something David Ornstein has been talking fans through.
Answering questions from fans for The Athletic on the Tifo Podcast, Ornstein delivered information, informed opinions, and some educated guesses, all of which you can watch in the video below.
It won’t come as a surprise to know that Arsenal are trying to clear out a load of centrebacks given most of the centrebacks we have are rubbish. Of course, they’ve just re-signed David Luiz to a new one-year deal so he won’t be going anywhere. At least it came with a significant reduction in wages.
Sokratis, who doesn’t really want to go anywhere himself, is up for sale, as is Rob Holding.
The club, Ornstein added, were also open to selling Shkodran Mustafi. I’m not sure how his recent surgery has affected that ambition and the German is out of contract next summer.
“Of course Arsenal’s finances are going to be heavily impacted by how their season finishes,” Ornstein states before reminding us that we won’t have any European football at all at the Emirates unless Arsenal win the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday.
“That said, and Mikel Arteta has made this very clear, I think Arsenal are a very attractive proposition whether they’re in Europe or not and they certainly have a vision to get back there and that’s what a lot of players will buy into.”
The reality is, either way, Arsenal will have to sell to see that vision realised. Mikel Arteta wants a wide player, according to Ornstein. He also wouldn’t mind some competent central defenders.
That means the squad is being assessed for it’s value.
Matteo Guendouzi certainly holds less of that than he did at the start of the season but the club are happy to let him go and it seems he wants to leave, too. Ornstein also says Arsenal are open to letting Lucas Torreira leave, which might not go down too well with the fans. Only Joe Willock made more appearances from the bench this season, however.
His update on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s contract is based on what Mikel Arteta has been saying so there seems to be no new movement on that front.
Arsenal ‘would consider’ selling Alexandre Lacazette, if the right offer arrived and we know that Real Madrid are reportedly every close to agreeing a new loan deal with Arsenal for Dani Ceballos.
Poor Mesut doesn’t even get a mention but even my granny knows he’s up for sale.
Ornstein ended by simply urging Arsenal fans to ‘be patient’ to see how the club do over the course of the summer as, like I said in a post yesterday, there are so many unknowns at present. He did not talk about likely incomings but does go into what I’ve mentioned above in more details, so worth a watch.