Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal: 15 potential player departures after Brighton

By Ross Kennerley

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 14: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal speaks with Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal as the Arsenal team take a drinks break during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on March 14, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 14: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal speaks with Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal as the Arsenal team take a drinks break during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on March 14, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, Granit Xhaka
Arsenal’s Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka (L) celebrates with Arsenal’s Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos after their team scored a goal during the UEFA Europa League round of 32 first leg football match between SL Benfica and Arsenal at the Olimpico stadium in Rome on February 18, 2021. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images) /

3. Arsenal Midfielders Who Could Leave This Summer

Dani Ceballos – Could? He will.

Praise be.

Martin Odegaard – Most definitely is bidding farewell to Arsenal after Brighton, with the question being whether it will only be temporary goodbyes or permanent ones.

Arteta has waxed lyrical about the Norwegian all year, regularly heralding his ability to control matches, dictate the tempo and run until his socks wear off. Everything signals that the manager will push to bring him back to the club, albeit an operation that grows increasingly less likely by the week.

A permanent deal will cost a small fortune, as will his wages, and the heightened pursuit of Emi Buendia may signal a change of tune. Arteta may want both, but financial restraints could prevent that.

Mohamed Elneny – Here, at the season’s finish line, Elneny has decided to start playing. Two of his best performances of the entire campaign have come in back-to-back outings against Chelsea and Crystal Palace, perhaps unsurprisingly those being alongside Thomas Partey, a partnership which throws his other superb performance, Old Trafford, into the mix.

He is another player with just 12 months left to run on his deal but in the current climate, it’s almost worth letting him run it down as opposed to seeking out a buyer and then securing a replacement. Whatever fee is accrued for Elneny won’t change the landscape of the window, and as a fourth choice option in he centre of the park Arsenal could do worse. They could also do significantly better, mind you.

Granit Xhaka – This is a big one. Mr. Hated and Mr. Loved combined into one Swiss package.

The talk is that Xhaka is eager to leave Arsenal, a five-year journey that understandably in his eyes of run its course. Likewise in those watching on.

His presence has been missed in central midfield, drastically so, and without him Arsenal resemble an unstable mess. But this is a rebuild (there’s that word again) one that can be both frightening and exciting. If it’s going to be a mass exodus and refocus on the magnificent young core then a complete restart would include Xhaka’s departure.

Time to start afresh and build towards the future, his 24 months left also present prime selling opportunity and the 28-year-old has admirers across Europe who’d be willing to secure his signature. Him leaving will be part of the new chapter, yet if he did stay few would overly oppose it.

I get the sneaky feeling this will be his final Arsenal outing.

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