5 Arsenal players who won't be back in the 2026/27 season

Having been crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years, with a Champions League final on the horizon too, what next for Arsenal? Well, many years ago, Mikel Arteta talked about his five phases, widely mocked for this since, but perhaps no longer. Phrase four was about winning the biggest trophies, but phase five was "domination".

So, how do the Gunners get there? Well, it'll be fascinating to see who they target but, at the same time, a fair few will surely depart. Arsenal are notoriously bad sellers, something Andrea Berta is tasked with changing. So, here are the five players most-likely to have played their last game for the club.

Christian Nørgaard

When Christian Nørgaard arrived from Brentford for £12 million, this was widely considered a shrewd piece of business. He racked up 10,173 Premier League minutes across four seasons at the Bees, a key figure as they stabilised in the top division, the club captain for the last two campaigns.

Despite this, it took until the final day, after the title had already been secured, for him to start a Premier League match in Arsenal colours for the first time. Before this, he'd seen less than an hour in the competition, replaced at half time at Selhurst by Kai Havertz. Thus, it is clear, for whatever reason, Arteta does not trust Nørgaard, hence why it seems inevitable he will depart.

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Arsenal's goalkeeping situation, behind David Raya, is a lot less clear. Kepa Arrizabalaga made his Premier League debut for the club at the weekend, his 12th appearance overall. He controversially started the EFL Cup final at Wembley, a key reason why the Gunners were beaten by Man City.

Thus, it is clear that Arrizabalaga is nowhere near as good as his compatriot, but are Arsenal going to find a better deputy? Also, having sat on the bench at Real Madrid in 2023/24, but been a regular starter for Bournemouth last season, is Kepa content to play just cup matches at Arsenal? Will he push for a move? If he does depart, would Tommy Setford be ready to be the number two? Or, should the 20 year old be loaned out to get some expirence? Goalkeeper depth is not the most interesting aspect of any squad build, but is one to keep an eye on.

Ethan Nwaneri

Sadly for all Arsenal fans, Ethan Nwaneri could be the big sale of the summer. Having come through the academy, any fee would go down on the books as "pure profit", helping comply with PSR. In January, the teenager was loaned out to Olympique de Marseille and, at first, this looked like being a genius move. He started his first three Ligue 1 games, scoring on debut against Lens, also named in the XI for Le Classique against Paris Saint-Germain.

However, given that les Phocéens lost 5-0 at Parc des Princes, Roberto De Zerbi was sacked and his replacement Habib Beye did not fancy Nwaneri. After that, he saw just 152 Ligue 1 minutes across 13 games, an unused substitute on seven occasions, and it felt like a wasted six months.

This loan certainly does not mean Nwaneri is out of Arteta's plans entirely. Ideally, he would probably be loaned out somewhere else, to a more stable club than OM, and become a key figure at Arsenal later down the line. However, were a big offer to arrive, the accountants may be pushing to accept it.

Gabriel Jesus

One player whose Arsenal exit appears inevitable is Gabriel Jesus. Given how hampered by injury he has been ever since suffering a knee problem at the World Cup in Qatar, it is easy to forget just how good the Brazilian was when he first arrived in 2022. There are still glimpses of the player he once was, scoring twice at the San Siro in January, before also netting against his favourite opponents Crystal Palace on the final day; that's now six in his last four against the Eagles.

Nevertheless, this was his first Premier League start since 7 February, very much behind Viktor Gyökeres and Kai Havertz in the centre-forward pecking order and, who knows, another striker could arrive this summer. Thus, it is probably in everyone's interest for Jesus to depart, doing so the best wishes from all supporters; a return to Brazil potentially his most-likely destination.

Gabriel Martinelli

Speaking of Brazilians, could that contingent be about to significantly diminish? We might be reading far too much into this, but Gabriel Martinelli's Instagram post talking about growing up at the club felt like a thank you and goodbye, but who knows. A lot of focus will be on the left wing position regardless.

It felt as though Leandro Trossard was going to be sold last summer but, given all the huge moments he produced, thank goodness he wasn't. Given that the Belgian is 31 years old, he is unlikely to command a sizeable fee, one which Martinelli could yield. With Arsenal targeting an upgrade in this role, it feels inevitable that one will be sold and, for these reasons, Martinelli appears the most likely candidate.

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