Arsenal forwards: Who stays and who is sold?

Sell 4 – Willian, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson

These four are pretty self-explanatory, although the fanbase could be divided on who should leave out of Aubameyang and Lacazette.

When it comes to Willian, however, everyone involved wants it to end; Willian himself; and Arteta who left him out for the Brentford match. The latter point being remarkable given he had a whole pre-season to prepare.

The fans also want Willian gone and looking at his output, it is easy to understand why.

In 37 games in all competitions, the Brazilian scored one goal, although did provide seven assists last term. The most in the squad! That goal output, however, is not what you want for someone who is on a seriously big wage.

The fact that Willian started over the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Nketiah, Nelson, Pepe and others while being so hopelessly out of form was baffling.

Arteta has had enough and wants to offload him. Whether he can or not is another thing entirely, but it is clear that his days in north London are numbered.

Then there is Arsenal’s captain. According to various reports the club is willing to offload the 32-year-old (not much of a revelation), and while some might think this is a huge mistake, the fact is he is on some serious money – £350k-per-week – is not getting any younger nor is he in good enough form to warrant selection. Captain or not, there have to be standards.

Having only signed a new whopping three-year deal last season, whether the club has time to move him on and sign a replacement remains to be seen. Yet one thing is for certain, his future is dangerously up in the air.

That brings us to Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah, two options who can’t thrust themselves into the starting XI either by hook or by crook. The pair could well be used as sweeteners in any potential deals Arsenal do between now and the end of the transfer window.

After an impressive pre-season, Nketiah is currently dealing with an ankle injury that could hamper the Gunners moving him on. With no new contract to come and less than 12 months left, he has to leave this window. No ifs, buts, or maybes.

As for Nelson, he showed flashes of brilliance last season when given the opportunity but with players like Saka, Pepe, Martinelli, and Emile Smith Rowe ahead of him, he is likely to only get substitute appearances in the league and the odd cup game in terms of minutes.

Joe Willock may not be the only exodus of Hale End this summer.