Arsenal look keen to make Martin Odegaard a permanent signing this summer, but big questions remain about how the club will afford his substantial transfer fee.
The Gunners have already cut their wage bill by finally getting rid of Mesut Ozil, but it’s clear that more work needs to be done to overhaul a largely tired and demoralised squad.
It’s fair to say that the Arsenal squad is something of a work in progress at the moment. While the likes of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, and Gabriel Martinelli are youngsters with huge amounts of promise, the same can’t be said for a handful of Arsenal players who could easily be moved on in the summer transfer period.
Plus it has also been rumoured that Arsenal are planning to buy the full-back Achraf Hakimi from Inter Milan this summer. All of which means that the Gunners will need to create plenty of space in their squad if they want to have a new-look side to start the 2021/22 campaign. So who is looking most likely to be moving on from the Emirates?
Matteo Guendouzi
While Guendouzi put in some decent performances with the Gunners, his consistency was lacking and his fiery temperament hurt the team at some very important moments. As such, it wasn’t massively surprising to find that Mikel Arteta was more than ready to ship the player out on loan to the Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin. If this deal could be made permanent over the summer, it’s expected that it could bring in up to $20 million.
David Luiz
Arguably the Premier League’s most hapless defender, David Luiz is up for contract negotiations this summer. It’s up in the air as to whether Arsenal will be happy to give the Brazilian defender another contract given the ease with which he picks up red cards and gives away penalties. While it would be easier to spend time finding the best UK betting site than for Arsenal to keep a clean sheet with an accident-prone defender like Luiz in the ranks, it has to be said that he does offer the team a kind of ‘spirit’ that few other players have.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
This versatile midfielder is another talented player who has found it difficult making his way into an overcrowded Arsenal squad. As a result, the 23-year old found his way out on loan to West Bromwich Albion. Recent reports have said that Maitland-Niles wants to ‘play at the very top level’ which probably means that he won’t be keen to hang around at the relegation-threatened West Brom. Early indications suggest that Wolves, Southampton, and even Leicester City have been sniffing around Maitland-Niles which could bring in a very welcome £16 million to the Arsenal coffers.
Lucas Torreira
It’s fair to say that Arsenal’s £26 million signing of Lucas Torreira might not have been one of their greatest bits of business. While there is little doubting the midfielder’s talent, he has failed to show the consistency required to earn his place in the Arsenal team. As such, it wasn’t a total surprise to see the 25-year old shipped out on loan to Atletico Madrid. However, it looks like Torreira isn’t getting too much playing time at the Spanish club either. Arsenal will be keen to see if they can get anywhere near £20 million by selling Torreira on to an interested club like Boca Juniors.
Alexandre Lacazette
While the partnership between Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been a joy to behold in past seasons, it’s clear that things aren’t quite firing on all cylinders at the moment. As it stands the French star has just one year left on his Arsenal contract and is reportedly willing to leave the club. Already major European clubs like Roma and Sevilla have expressed an interest in signing Lacazette. While the forward has been a fixture in the Arsenal team for the past few seasons, it’s worth noting that he turns 30 soon, and that shipping him on could bring in over £30 million to help Arteta shape a new-look Arsenal team.