Two games, two defeats, zero goals scored, the start to the season for Arsenal has been extremely disappointing and even that may be downplaying it. The situation amongst the fans has begun to deteriorate further, the players look devoid of any sort of ideas and Mikel Arteta’s time in charge at the club appears to be running out. However, before the club can even think about Arteta’s future at the helm, several first-team players are most likely to be on their way out in the immediate future.
The 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Chelsea has been immediately followed by rumours of Arsenal players on their way out of the club, indicating that before Arsenal can look to improve the side, the deadwood must exit first. Sead Kolasinac’s time at Arsenal appeared to be over a long time ago but the club have struggled to find an available suitor for the Bosnian.
According to football.London, Fenerbache have finally emerged as a club willing to take the left-back on and the 28-year-old will join his friend and fellow former Arsenal colleague Mesut Özil in Turkey. Despite Edu not being able to get a fee for the player, Kolasinac’s exit will free up valuable resources in terms of player wages.
A player who is also on huge wages and looks set to be leaving the club on a free transfer is Willian. The Brazilian’s time at Arsenal has been a complete disaster and fans will be delighted to see him leave the club. Fabrizio Romano’s tweet that Willian is set to join Corinthians has been followed by reports in England saying the same and the player’s return to Brazil is looking increasingly likely. Similarly, to the Kolasinac exit, this deal will free up a lot of money in wages and allow Arsenal to potentially re-enter the transfer market and offer a player a substantial wage to come to the Emirates.
Reports have also circulated today regarding players leaving for an actual fee, suggesting Edu does actually have the ability sell players for money. Following in the footsteps of fellow Hale End graduate, Joe Willock, it would seem that young forward Eddie Nketiah is on the way out with a move to the Premier League looking likely. David Ornstein stated in The Athletic that Brighton were previously interested in England U21’s record goalscorer, however when talks broke down regarding his involvement in the Ben White transfer, their interest subsequently ended. It appears now that Palace are the frontrunners for Nketiah but are struggling to meet the valuation Arsenal have set on the youngster.
Reports have suggested that Arsenal are looking for around £20 million for the player, whereas Crystal Palace want a deal closer to £10 million. This deal looks like it could take some time to complete due to the difference in valuations, but Arsenal will be hoping to sell the player before the window closes.
Another player whose time at Arsenal looks almost certain to come to an end this summer is Lucas Torreira. The Uruguayan, who joined Arsenal following his fine displays at the 2018 World Cup, has struggled to cement a place in Mikel Arteta’s plans and, following a loan spell in Spain with title winners Atletico Madrid, his departure looks imminent. Football.london states that Torreira will be on his way back to Italy with Fiorentina looking to obtain the services of the 25-year-old. This move indicates a clean break for both the club and the player who has struggled to adapt to life in England and has had personal problems off the pitch which have impacted his wellbeing immensely.
All of these moves suggest that Arsenal will be ready to dip back into the transfer market following the flurry of activity from earlier in the window. The club clearly still has many weaknesses on the pitch and Edu and co. will look to plug these gaps in the upcoming weeks.