Mikel Arteta is well underway in building the next squad he believes can make history for Arsenal. This season brings the privilege of a Premier League title defence, something the Gunners haven’t experienced in two decades.
Not even Arteta himself was fortunate enough to know that feeling as a player, but he will look to navigate it just as his old boss, Arsene Wenger, did once upon a time. And with that comes the need to be somewhat ruthless in the transfer market.
He’s already proved himself in that regard after cutting ties with a slew of names already this month. Mirror Football examines who has left through the departure gate, as well as who could be set to arrive, as director Andrea Berta sizes up a number of potential signings.
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Eight players officially left the Emirates on Wednesday, July 1, once their Arsenal contracts reached their expiration dates. The club had already confirmed plans to cut ties with a number of academy hopefuls this summer, but there’s always a chance those plans can change.
Not on this occasion, though, as Sam Chapman, Harrison Dudziak, Seb Ferdinand, Cam’ron Ismail, Will Lannin-Sweet, Josh Nichols, Samuel Onyekachukwu and Alexei Rojas-Fedorushchenko each departed on Wednesday. Nichols and Chapman had already lined up moves to Croatia and the United States, respectively, while the future remains unknown for the majority of those names.
A number of those named had only signed their first professional contracts with Arsenal in the last couple of years. That being said, one of the most hallowed academies in world football tends to have a high turnover of talent.
In addition to the eight released players, defender Jakub Kiwior and goalkeeper Karl Hein have also departed. Kiwior has joined Porto permanently following a loan spell last season, while Kein has headed to Werder Bremen in similar circumstances.
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As for arrivals, the only move Arsenal have completed already this summer is the £34.5million signing of Piero Hincapie. The Ecuadorian was at the Emirates on loan from Bayer Leverkusen last term and clearly did enough to convince he was worthy of the investment.
However, director Berta and head of scouting Maurizio Micheli are supposedly working on six other deals at present. The Daily Mail highlighted Berta’s tradition of working on numerous deals simultaneously, tending to cast a wide net before refining his searches.
View 2 ImagesArsenal director Andrea Berta has a habit of working on numerous deals at once(Image: Stuart MacFarlane, Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Paris Saint-Germain star Bradley Barcola are the main names in contention to upgrade the left wing. Leandro Trossard has been touted for an Emirates exit, while Gabriel Martinelli may also leave.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Kerim Alajbegovic is also in the conversation to improve Arsenal’s depth out wide. Greece forward Christos Tzolis is also in the mix after he was purportedly offered to the Gunners by Belgian side Genk.
In midfield, Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes are the leading contenders. Arsenal have reportedly seen two offers for the latter rejected, with the second said to be worth £55m.