Talking about the departures of Arsenal players in the past was always a touchy subject for Arsenal fans to approach.
We’ve had to sit back and watch the likes of Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri all quit the Gunners in order to seek success at some of Europe’s top teams, but all that is beginning to change.
Arsene Wenger is now in control of a squad that is full of depth, and he has adopted two to three players who can cover each position on the pitch.
Attention is now being turned to who will get the chop from this squad during the summer transfer window, and with several players returning from loan, we take a look at who the Gunners can afford to lose.
1 – Joel Campbell
Yes, you’re reading this right and Joel Campbell is still technically an Arsenal player, no matter how much we seem to forget about him.
Things seemed to look on the up following last years World Cup, as the Costa Rican star led his side to a remarkable number of impressive performances.
However, with the early exit from the Capital One Cup, appearances seemed to dry up for the winger, with the likes of Walcott, Welbeck and Alexis all getting in the way of Campbell breaking into the first team.
That of course forced the youngster out of the starting eleven, and as part of the January deal to bring Gabriel into the Gunners, we saw Campbell head out the other way to feature at Villarreal for the remainder of the season.
How has he done?
The 22-year-old has enjoyed some decent form during his 15 appearances in Spain, and has won the confidence of the fans, who weren’t sure whether the winger would fit in.
Although Campbell hasn’t lit up La Liga, we’ve seen a player who enjoys his football and is definitely good enough to feature in an Arsenal squad at some stage.
However, when you look at the talent already in this team, it’s hard to work out if he really has a future at the club. We already have four or five players who can play in his position just as well, so what’s the point in him eating up our wage bill sat on the bench?
How much can we get for him?
When you have a player of Campbell’s ability, it’s hard to put a price on him seeing as he could go either one way or another at just 22 years old.
Wenger can be looking for something in the region of £7million if he is to get rid of the youngster, which is a fair price for a player who has never really settled into the team properly.
Who will he go to?Â
When it comes to the location of Joel Campbell, there isn’t really a limit on where he might go. Villarreal could sweeten up the deal by offering a short-term contract for his services, but at the moment we’re not too sure on where he may end up.