Who is the 'notable player' that could leave Arsenal this summer?

A busy summer transfer window is projected at Arsenal, but might the club be forced to part ways with a fan favourite to facilitate a spending spree?

While Arsenal remain in the Champions League and aren't mathematically out of the Premier League title race just yet, there's every chance the Gunners end a season of high expectations without a trophy.

Their work in the past two transfer windows simply hasn't given them the best chance of ascending into the realm Mikel Arteta's project is capable of reaching. They've come close in back-to-back years, and a third-straight second-place finish beckons for this team. If the campaign ends without silverware, the fanbase will be demanding a significant summer.

And while Arsenal's financial results from the past year were healthy, we cannot expect the club to splash the cash without making sales. They may have to part ways with a couple of prized assets to mvoe the project along.

Which 'notable player' could Arsenal sell in the summer transfer window?

In his latest Q&A on The Athletic, David Ornstein discussed the club's potential plans for the summer. The reputable journalist believes the club are going to spend big money on a new striker and are planning to bring in Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi to help mitigate Thomas Partey and Jorginho's likely departures.

However, he also speculated that a 'notable player' may have to depart to facilitate key arrivals.

“I think if Arsenal are going to commit huge expense on a striker and if Zubimendi gets done, it’s surely inevitable there needs to be resources raised from a sale or multiple. It wouldn’t shock me to see a notable player depart this summer," Ornstein commented.

He added that he doesn't know who the big name might be, so why don't we give it some thought?

Bukayo Saka: no. Gabriel: no. Declan Rice: no. Jurrien Timber: no. Kai Havertz: no. William Saliba: only if Real Madrid sell us the Bernabeu. Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori: too soon. Ben White: unlikely. Gabriel Jesus: injured.

Martin Odegaard has had a frustrating season, but I don't think Arteta is going to give up on his captain just yet. I don't think Odegaard is off limits, but a potential suitor would probably have to pay over the odds to convince the club to sell. He's currently valued at €110m by transfermarkt.com.

For me, it boils down to Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard. Arsenal reportedly rejected from Saudi Arabia for the latter last summer, while Martinelli has failed to come close to reaching the heights of 2022/23. Given that there's bound to be a focus on acquiring multiple wide players this summer, it'd make sense to part ways with one of these two. Martinelli would garner a bigger fee, but there's scope for the Brazilian to sparkle somewhere else.

We know what we'd be letting go in Trossard, and while I still rate him as one of the astutest Arsenal signings of recent times, this might be the right time to move on. The projected sales of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior should also garner healthy fees, and perhaps Takehiro Tomiyasu will be on the chopping block after his 2024/25 no-show.

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