It’s not been a great week for Arsenal but there is one positive they can take from their title bottlings. One, there’s still a chance they might win the title – granted, that chance is VERY slim, but it’s still there. And two, they’ve mathematically secured Champions League qualification for next season, meaning their spending power will be greater in the summer transfer window.
Mikel Arteta is seeking a serious reshuffle of his squad, which doesn’t only include players coming in but also some players exiting the Emirates Stadium. This would clear up the wage bill but also make some room in the squad for some new signings, which could bolster the squad for an even closer title challenge next season.
For today’s Arsenal transfer news roundup, click here.
According to the Mirror, Arsenal have named the three players they’re looking to sell in the summer transfer window as: Kieran Tierney, Folarin Balogun and Granit Xhaka. These three sales are thought to fund their return to the Champions League, which they hope to make it successful.
Kieran Tierney isn’t much of a surprise. He’s hardly featured this season, despite playing well when called upon. This is because Zinchenko fills his position, making it nearly impossible to break into given Zinchenko’s great abilities.
Folarin Balogun isn’t too surprising either, although it is a surprise that he’s sold instead of Eddie Nketiah. I guess this is because Nketiah has invaluable Premier League experience behind him now, having filled in for the injury of Gabriel Jesus midway through the season.
One name that is very surprising, though, is Granit Xhaka. Xhaka has immensely improved under Mikel Arteta and is one of the senior players in the squad. I guess Arteta wants to reinvest in youthful players but there’s no denying that this could come back to bite them since Xhaka has been one of the better performers this year.
Do you think Arsenal are right to sell these three players?