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With the rumour mill accelerating steadily, few clubs promise to be as active in the transfer market as Premier League outfit Arsenal after narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification at the end of the 2021/22 season.
As the Gunners aim to go one better in the upcoming campaign, attention switches to what Edu Gaspar and co. can do during the transfer window to bridge the gap that left them just a point away from fourth place, meanwhile also standing a staggering 24 points off eventual champions Manchester City.
Alexandre Lacazette’s departure on a free transfer marks the first move played by Arsenal and their transfer strategists, but who else should be following the ex-Olympique Lyonnais striker out of the door in anticipation of imminent arrivals in North London?
Who should stay and who should go at Arsenal this summer?
William Saliba - Stay
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Saliba’s loan spell in Ligue 1 has done wonders for his stock
Touching down on British shores at the tender age of 18, William Saliba still enjoys the reputation of being one of the leading centre halves of his generation. Three years on, however, the Frenchman is yet to debut for the Gunners’ first team and his situation is made even more delicate by the two short years left on his current Arsenal deal.
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Saliba’s loan spell in Ligue 1 has done wonders for his stock and it’s high time the defender was given the love and trust his talent deserves, creating competition at the heart of Arsenal’s defence next to Benjamin White and Gabriel Magalhães.
Nuno Tavares - Go
With just 69 top-flight appearances to his name in three years, Nuno Tavares is still very much a baby at this level, as demonstrated by his struggles to bear the same fringe-player responsibilities held in Portugal in a Premier League scenario.
The minutes will be there for Tavares, this season, with Europa League action incoming and Kieran Tierney’s fitness quickly becoming an issue for Arteta and his men, but the Portuguese full-back is likely to benefit more from an established role out on loan, offering him continuity and the leeway to make mistakes he can’t afford to make for the Gunners.
Nicolas Pépé - Go
The hopes were sky-high, as you’d expect with a record-breaking £72-million price tag, but the brief glimpses of brilliance came few and far between for Nicolas Pépé in the Premier League and, after three muted seasons, it’s time for Arsenal to cut their losses and move the Ivorian forward on.
Héctor Bellerín - Go
After almost ten years associated with the club, Héctor Bellerín’s time in red and white is due a definitive end after a successful loan spell back home with La Liga outfit Real Betis.
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The Spanish club has registered its interest in the right-back which, if Arsenal stand strong, should result in a reasonable fee for the Spain international.
Granit Xhaka - Stay
Xhaka was key in midfield for Arsenal last season
An enigma among fans, the Swiss midfielder has always been a source of division among the Arsenal faithful and questions are sure to sneak back onto the agenda again, this summer.
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Few in the squad can say they’ve had as good a season as Granit Xhaka, however, meanwhile his stature among abiding teammates is also well-documented, making this “dilemma” one of the easier decisions Arteta should have to make ahead of the new season.
Bernd Leno - Go
As far as back-up goalkeepers go, there aren’t many as highly-thought of as Bernd Leno in the division, but the German shot-stopper has never fully aligned with the qualities that his manager looks for in a number one, with the club well-positioned to move on fully from the former Bayer Leverkusen man with the arrival of USA international Matt Turner pending.
Cedric Soares - Go
Arteta may think otherwise, but the drop-off from Takehiro Tomiyasu to Cedric Soares, particularly defensively, was fairly visible down the final stretch of the season. It’d be in Arsenal’s best interests to upgrade.
Brooke Norton-Cuffy - Go
One of the candidates to deputise in Tomiyasu’s absence is Brooke Norton-Cuffy after an eye-catching loan spell at Lincoln City that saw the 18-year-old rack up 17 League One appearances for the Imps.
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But for all the promise shown, some more first-team football out on loan wouldn’t go amiss in the youngster’s development, with the Championship the most likely to call for his talents.
Rob Holding - Stay
The English centre-half’s strengths are well-celebrated, but the cons to his game are just as obvious, placing his status as an Arsenal player in danger. Should Saliba land a definitive return, however, the Gunners could do a lot worse than Rob Holding as fourth choice.
Pablo Mari - Go
In a situation not too dissimilar to Holding’s, Pablo Mari, particularly as a left-sided centre-back, wouldn’t be a bad option to have as fourth choice centre-back, but given how difficult it has been in the past for Arsenal to shift unwanted weight, the interest shown in the Spanish defender is to be taken advantage of.
Lucas Torreira - Go
Lucas Torreira had a good season with Fiorentina
Another of Arsenal’s outcasts, Lucas Torreira has attracted some suitors, more prominently Fiorentina, where he starred last season. Never in Arteta’s plans, the North Londoners should be looking at finally bringing the Uruguayan’s time at the club to an end and recouping some cash.
Albert Sambi Lokonga - Stay
The name hasn’t quite stuck in his ‘freshman’ year at the Emirates Stadium, but hope is that with the increased number of games to be played in the new season, Sambi Lokonga and his dynamism can soon be established.
Reiss Nelson - Go
Once the crown jewel of the Hale End academy, Reiss Nelson has treated us to just a fraction of what his talent possesses, but a successful loan switch to Feyenoord in the Eredivisie has kept his flame alive.
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The next step? Consistency. Arsenal could certainly keep him around, but there’s also the feeling that the club owes their young man a fresh start elsewhere, which should represent a respectable lump-sum coming into the club’s coffers.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles - Go
Much like Nelson, Ainsley Maitland-Niles has an abundance of talent attached to his name but his path at Arsenal has been littered by personal and more general obstacles. The time to allow the versatile academy graduate to settle and flourish elsewhere has come.
Folarin Balogun - Stay
The picture up top has changed drastically over the last year with the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and, more recently Lacazette. The flowers have been left for Eddie Nketiah to pick, now reportedly on the brink of penning a new five-year-deal.
What could this all mean for the highly-rated Folarin Balogun? Media links see Arsenal edging closer to the signing of Gabriel Jesus, a similar profile to what Arteta already has in Nketiah, so it may well be wise to hold onto the differing qualities Balogun holds, with the technical forward keen to leave a lasting impression.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Arsenal, William Saliba, Transfers, Mikel Arteta, Granit Xhaka