Arsenal: 6 January Transfers That Could Still Happen

Shkodran Mustafi Contract Termination

Arsenal do not need six central defenders. That’s the number they’ll have at their disposal between now and the end of the season if an agreement isn’t found on the future of Shkodran Mustafi.

With close friends Ozil and Kolasinac having already left this window, the German’s clique has dwindled and he’s looking set to face the same fate that befell Ozil and fellow centre-back Sokratis.

Not making any of the recent squads and furthest down the pecking order after Calum Chambers’ return from injury, what happens next for Mustafi is either embarking on a new chapter elsewhere or being nothing more than an extra body in training for six months. Hence why discussions are taking place over a contract termination.

There is no need for him to be here. Moving him on in whatever capacity suits all parties.

As the latest squad announcements are closing in, Mustafi is facing exile. Of course, earning the money he is and becoming a free agent in the summer wouldn’t go amiss. He can leave then and negotiate a heftier contract when he’s unsigned, so Arsenal convincing him to do so six months early is high on the agenda.

In terms of outgoings, Mustafi joining the already departed would constitute a squad reset every supporter would favour.