Arsenal midfielders: Who stays and who is sold?

The Arsenal midfield has been one of its biggest issues over the last decade. While some may say the defence is stocked full of mediocrity, in truth, both are just as bad as each other. Already thin in the middle of the park, the injury to Thomas Partey further highlighted the need for reinforcements with Albert Sambi Lokonga the only addition.

As we saw against Brentford, the midfield was serviceable with Sambi and Emile Smith Rowe the clear standouts. As Arsenal slumped to a 2-0 loss, fans were outraged, and rightly so. The club has had over two months to sign players who can help shore up the midfield. Yet they didn’t.

With Joe Willock’s move to Newcastle sanctioned at around £25m, the beginning of a supposed vast overhaul took until but a few weeks before the window closed to begin. Matteo Guendouzi left before him, but he was never anything other than halfway out of the door already.

Granit Xhaka seemed for all the world as if he was following suit, but as Arsenal does an “Arsenal”, he has had the additional year in his contract exercised with one optional 12 months added on. This all despite him declaring his wish to join Roma just weeks ago.

Arsenal midfielders: Who should stay and who should be sold in the transfer window as summer deadline draws close for Mikel Arteta

It is a real problem area with only Partey as the bonafide stars, although Sambi showed real promise in his first Premier League start.

Lacking any kind of presence without Partey and essentially every other player not looking up to the standard of Arsenal, who should stay and who should be sold? Providing there are any suitors for them, that is, it’s ideally quite a few.

Keep 4 – Thomas Partey, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Albert Sambi Lokonga

That’s right, just four. These four players are the heartbeat of the team and the sad reality is hat three of them are under 21 years old. Arsenal need more to help them out.

So much is put on the shoulders of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe to drive Arsenal forward. A 19-year-old and a 21-year-old are the heart and soul of a club the size of Arsenal. That is not a good position to be in. While there is a case for Saka not being a midfielder per se, he’s not a natural winger or striker.

When Partey is fully fit and firing, he does transform the way Arsenal plays but since he arrived from Atletico Madrid, he has seen the inside of the medical room more than Jack Wilshere. So, getting him fit for large periods of the season is paramount to the Gunners climbing the table. That’s already got off to an unfortunate start.

Lokonga has shown real promise during the pre-season and was thrust into the starting lineup due to the Partey injury, not looking out of place. While not a standout by any means, the Belgian acquitted himself rather well in his Premier League debut.

Then there is Smith Rowe. What else can you say about him that hasn’t already been said? Arguably Arsenal’s best creative force and the link-up with Saka once the latter came on was its usual free-flowing best. However, far too much is expected from him as the Gunners simply do not have an alternative; if Smith Rowe doesn’t fire, then simply put, Arsenal doesn’t either.

With Martin Odegaard last season, some of the creative burden was lifted but with his return to Real Madrid, it all fell back on Arsenal’s No.10. There are strong reports that Odegaard could be signed before Arsenal’s next Premier League match against Chelsea, albeit on loan with an option to buy.

Whatever the outcome with him, the signs are pointing towards the Norwegian making a summer return.

Mikel Arteta simply has to sign at least two players before the transfer window slams shut in two weeks: a creative option and a central midfielder. We can dream.

Continued…

Sell 4 – Lucas Torreira, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Ainsley Maitland-Niles

In an ideal world, all four would already be off Arsenal’s books. However, such is the club’s inability to sell, they remain with Xhaka (back being stand-in captain) and Mohamed Elneny (on the bench) who were present in the Gunners opening day loss to Brentford.

Xhaka had already booked his Italian language lessons by the time the deal fell through and now he’s contractually staying in north London for another year at least for reasons only the club knows.

Lucas Torreira has made his feelings known with his desire to move clubs and Arsenal still can’t move him. Why he has not at least got a run with Arteta is a mystery but it is clear he is on the way out. Only at this institution can a perfectly serviceable £26m midfielder become unsellable and unwanted in such a short space of time.

Whether the club wants too much money or simply because there are no suitors, it is a huge concern that these fringe players are still at the club. They need to be moved on and quickly.

Then there is the curious case of Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Sent out on loan last season to West Brom as he wanted midfield minutes, Arteta saw him only as a fill-in defender. He can consider himself hard done by not to have gotten more of a chance, but the fact is when he’s had his opportunities, Maitland-Niles has not grasped them with both hands.

After a summer in which Arteta said the club had to be “ruthless” with it’s transfer dealings, very little has been done and the only ruthless thing we have seen is what Brentford did to Arsenal on Friday night.