5 players Arsenal must sell ahead of the 2022-23 Premier League season

Mikel Arteta had an excellent start to his managerial stint at Arsenal. He took all but eight months to orchestrate the famous 2019/20 FA Cup triumph by beating London rivals Chelsea, and then went on to win the 2020 FA Community Shield by beating heavyweights Manchester City.

Everything seemed to be in order for the Gunners until it was not. After an unimpressive 2020/21 campaign, Arsenal reached the very bottom of their downward spiral in the initial stages of the last season – starting their Premier League campaign with three consecutive defeats.

However, things have improved since then, and whilst they failed to qualify for this season’s UEFA Champions League, the fans are now showing faith in Arteta’s ‘rebuild.’ In the likes of William, David Luiz, Saed Kolasinac and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Spanish manager got rid of many unwanted players last season.

This time around, it has been mostly about new additions, with the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira almost certain to add to the quality of the squad. In terms of outgoings, the North London have let go of the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Matteo Guendouzi, but there are many others Arteta would like to leave out from the squad, in order to raise the budget for his next planned signings.

Check out five players Arsenal must sell this summer:

#1 Nicolas Pepe

Nicolas Pepe was thought to be the next big thing in world football when Arsenal signed him from Lille back in 2019. The Gunners spent £72 million on him, which to date is the club record transfer fee. However, the Ivorian winger has had a pretty unimpressive first three seasons, if not utterly disappointing.

In 112 appearances, Pepe has scored only 27 goals for Arsenal. To add to his misery, the rise of the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe saw his minutes getting curtailed by a massive margin, as he started only eight matches and made 15 substitute appearances.

He did not do himself any favors with his poor performances, scoring only three goals in the entire season – two of them coming against teams from lower leagues. Though it is certain that they will not get anywhere close to what they paid for him, it will still be a good move to sell him in favor of new arrivals.

#2 Bernd Leno

Bernd Leno has attracted interest from Fulham

One of Arteta’s priorities last season was the arrival of a goalkeeper, and it did happen as the club signed Englishman Aaron Ramsdale from Sheffield United. It has turned out to be a shrewd bit of business as Ramsdale has had an impressive first season.

That, however, subsequently means that Bernd Leno is a second-fiddle in the team now. The German shot-stopper made only four Premier League appearances last season and has recently lost his place in the national team as well.

With the 2022 FIFA World Cup knocking at the doors, Leno wants to play first-team football and is hence looking for a way out of the Emirates Stadium. Given that he has only one year left on his contract, transferring out Leno makes sense from Arsenal’s perspective.

3. Lucas Torreira

Lucas Torreira arrived at Arsenal in 2018 for £26 million, on the back of a fabulous FIFA World Cup campaign. He was heavily involved in his first two seasons at the Emirates Stadium, but the language barrier and acclimatization hurdle proved to be big challenges for him to overcome. Given that the two challenges still remain very pertinent and Torreira himself does not want to be in the Premier League anymore, it is perhaps the best option to let him go.

As a result, the Uruguayan has spent the last two seasons on loan and is now seeking a permanent move away from England. Reportedly, La Liga outfit Valencia is interested in signing him, while Arteta is considering including him in his squad.

4. Hector Bellerin

Hector Bellerin spent the last season at Real Betis on loan

Hector Bellerin was once considered one of Arsenal’s biggest prospects, but he has been on a downward spiral ever since he suffered an ACL injury in 2019. The Spanish full-back was considered surplus to requirements for the 2021/22 season and was loaned to La Liga side Real Betis.

Bellerin was a regular starter for the team from Andalusia, but the player is now back in the red kit. From what we have seen so far in Arsenal’s pre-season campaign, Bellerin has been far from convincing. With the likes of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Cedric Soares ahead of him in the pecking order, a sale or another loan deal looks very likely.

5. Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Like our last mention, Ainsley Maitland-Niles is also a loan returnee who is expected to be considered surplus to requirements by Arteta. He made only a couple of starts in last season’s Premier League before being loaned out to AS Roma.

The 24-year-old Englishman initially was trusted by AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho, but owing to his unimpressive display, he was eventually demoted to a squad player role. Quite understandably, the Serie A outfit is not interested in renewing his services, and the Gunners might have to look for other buyers.