Arsenal looking to offload five first-team players for a £62.5m fund injection in the transfer market
A lot has been happening at Arsenal during this summer’s transfer window. Four new players have joined the team in an effort to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Since his appointment at the club, Mikel Arteta has been vocal about investing in young talents. Despite spending heavily in the transfer window, he has not been able to demonstrate the expected performance on the field. Gunners have already spent more than €85 million this summer after spending over €140 million last summer.
According to reports, they are looking to sign a center-back and winger after clinching Gabriel Jesus as their attacking leader.
In order to achieve their transfer hit list this summer, the Gunners will have to offload some of their surplus players. Matteo Guendouzi and Konstantinos Mavropanos have already been sold, and many more possible departures are being explored.
Let’s take a look at the expected departure from Emirates Stadium this summer.
Hector Bellerin
Despite being perceived as an unfulfilled potential, Hector Bellerin’s time at the London club is finally expected to come to an end after eight years. Last year, he spent a full season at Real Betis on loan.
He is no longer in Arteta’s plans with Takehiro Tomiyasu and Cedric Soares ahead of him. A return to Real Betis has been hinted at by Bellerin as well, and this move can be worth up to €18 million for Gunners according to Transfermarkt.
Bernd Leno
Bernd Leno came to Arsenal in 2018 with high hopes of filling Peter Cech’s shoes, but he has not met those expectations. Aaron Ramsdale has displaced him in the club’s pecking order since his arrival last summer. According to reports, the German is also on Arsenal’s surplus list and willing to let go this summer. With only one year remaining on his contract, Leno could fetch up to €6 million according to CIES.
Nicolas Pepe
Nicolas Pepe’s career never kicked off in Premier League after his heroic season in the French League. In 2019, he was signed for a whopping £72 million and will be remembered as one of the worst signings in history. The Ivory Coast winger is no longer in Arteta’s plans, especially after Saka, Martinelli, Smith Rowe and Odegaard’s emergence in the attack last season. CIES reports the Gunners to want to offload him for £25 million, his current market value
Pablo Mari
The arrival of Ben White has pushed Pablo Mari down Arteta’s list of preferred centre-backs. After an impressive time in Brazil with Flamengo, Mari joined Arsenal in 2020. It’s clear, however, that he hasn’t thrived at the Premier League’s pace and is on the verge of leaving Arsenal. According to reports, he has been on the transfer list since last January window, and Gunners may even be tempted to sell him cheaply.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
A versatile English fullback, Maitland-Niles is yet another potential Arsenal Academy talent wasted. His recent loan spell at AS Roma also didn’t garner any attention during the second half of the season and is finally on his way out of Arsenal as well. The England international has tried to force his way out of Emirates since last season. He even posted a controversial story on Instagram in protest.
He might finally be free to leave this summer as Arsenal has finally given up on him. His current market value is £9 million, according to Transfermarkt, and he could generate decent money with many suitors available.