Arsenal: 4 players who should be sold after Europa League disaster

On Thursday night, Arsenal crashed out of the Europa League in humiliating fashion. After the disaster, here are four players who should be sold this summer.

After Thursday’s dismal performance in which Arsenal crashed out of the Europa League, it is clear as day that despite the improved form there are players who are not up to the task and cannot perform when required. With a big summer expected with quite a few outgoing and incoming signings, Mikel Arteta and co. have some big decisions to make on the future of some Arsenal players.

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Here are four players who I believe should be moved on in the summer.

Alexandre Lacazette

After Thursday’s performance, I have given up on Alexandre Lacazette. He has been poor for much of the season, struggled in his first year at the club, and has largely underwhelmed his transfer value. I understand that his current form can be put down to confidence, but prior to his recent run, his stats are not all that impressive, especially when you consider he was a club-record signing at £47 million.

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Recently, there has been talk of Arsenal having an agreement to let Lacazette go in the summer if they don’t qualify for the Champions League. However, the decision to let him go should be made regardless of whether we achieve champions league football. At 28 years old, he will not improve much more and is entering the final two years of his current deal. Either Arsenal must offer him a new contract or look to sell in the final window in which they can recoup decent value. Of the two avenues, there is only one choice.

Hector Bellerin

It might be a little harsh to include Hector Bellerin on this list, and it is sure to be a controversial proposal, that is for sure, but largely thanks to injuries, the Spaniard has declined over the last couple of years and now looks half the player that broke into the first team all those years. Since he has returned from his ACL injury, he has lost his pace and has been found out defensively. He was never the best at defending but he could rely on his pace to get him out of trouble. Now with no searing speed, his poor positioning is exploited more frequently.

Selling ultimately comes down to value. Bellerin is still a useful player who will expect to play regularly at this stage in his career, especially after his extended absences. But if Arsenal can invest in a cheaper, younger option who has the potential to supplant the Spaniard, offloading him for the right price might be the ideal move to kickstart the squad overhaul.

Sokratis

Early on in Sokratis’ career, he looked like a real leader in defence. However, since Arsenal’s form dipped under Unai Emery, Sokratis’s performances also cratered and he has never really reached the level again that he did early on in his time in north London. On rare occasions, he can still look solid, but he is too often found out thanks to a lack of quickness and propensity to wander positionally.

Currently, he cannot even get into the first team, with Mikel Arteta preferring a partnership of David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi. With Pablo Mari and Rob Holding currently in the squad and with William Saliba, Calum Chambers and another centre-back likely to return or arrive in the summer, there is no longer a place in the team for Sokratis. With his age and wages to take into account, offloading is the smart and necessary move.

Mesut Ozil

When it comes to Mesut Ozil, there is really not much to say that has not already been said. The debate has raged on inexorably. £350,000 per week wages, an apparently elite playmaking ability, an improved work-rate without the assists and creativity. Arsenal get one or two performances a year that deserve the hype and money. And it is performances under Mikel Arteta that have been most concerning.

Ozil has actually worked hard under his new head coach. He presses, he tracks runners, he is combative and industrious. But where in the past, he would not commit himself to the team but provide value in the quality of his play, now, he no longer possesses that elite skill level and creativity to add the production to his game. It is time for Arsenal to move on from Mesut Ozil.