BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 01: Matteo Guendouzi of Hertha BSC is challenged by Felix Klaus of VfL Wolfsburg during the Bundesliga match between Hertha BSC and VfL Wolfsburg at Olympiastadion on November 01, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Homegrown problem ahead with at least 8 Arsenal players for sale

Apr 18, 2021

There are at least eight Arsenal players for sale this summer, so who are they all and how could it cause a homegrown problem for Arsenal?

Lucas Torreira with Atletico Madrid (Photo via Twitter) — Arsenal players for sale this summer include Lucas Torreira (Photo via Twitter)

The S*n wrote that Arsenal are willing to listen to offers for Alexandre Lacazette this summer, and are likely to sell loan midfielders Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira for around £25m each.

Left-back Sead Kolasinac will probably leave for a nominal fee (unless reports that Mikel Arteta has now blocked him from leaving are true), and Joe Willock, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson, and Eddie Nketiah are all also at risk of being put up for sale.

In addition to sales, the report highlighted the possibility that Arsenal and David Luiz will part ways. The player’s contract expires this summer, so that would be on a free transfer.

Despite the unreliability of the source, it’s hard to make an argument that it’s impossible for any one of these players to leave.

We’ve already heard rumours about Lacazette and Nketiah’s potential departures, and the reason Guendouzi and Torreira went on loan in the first place was that things weren’t completely working out in North London. Torreira has since made it clear he wants to leave Europe.

Kolasinac is almost certain to leave as long as Arsenal have a buyer. If Schalke stay up (which they won’t), they’ve already shown their intentions to sign him.

As for Willock, Maitland-Niles, and Nelson, none of them have much certainty over their long-term future right now. All three of them were up for loans in January, only Nelson stayed and he has only made the matchday squad five times since, three of which were in the Europa League.

Arsenal players for sale – The homegrown problem

Reiss Nelson with the Arsenal u23s at Meadow Park (Photo via Arsenal Academy on Twitter)

I have to say it would surprise me to see all four of the homegrown youngsters leaving at once. Arsenal need to have at least some homegrown players in their squad, and having so few at the moment is why they keep struggling with non-homegrown spaces.

Obviously, when you don’t have many homegrown players, and you can only afford to sign non-homegrown players due to the premium on homegrown, you end up hitting the 17-player non-homegrown limit very quickly.

Arsenal have some homegrown players you’d expect to stick around for the long term. Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba (who should both get homegrown status) are among them.

But when you look at the homegrown Arsenal over-21s right now, it’s a short list: Hector Bellerin, Calum Chambers, Rob Holding, Dejan Iliev, plus Maitland-Niles on loan. How many of that list will even stay past the summer?

Unless Arsenal have some homegrown summer signings lined up, I think at least one or two of Willock, Maitland-Niles, Nketiah, and Nelson will stick around, because the club will need them to fill squad spaces.