Arsenal wants to get rid of 11 players – Here’s how and why.
Arsenal wants to get rid of 11 players – Bernd Leno and Nicolas Pepe are two of the 11 players that Arsenal is said to be planning to sell this summer. The Arsenals, who had 69 points and were fifth in the Premier League at the end of last season, are in the middle of a whole team makeover. They have signed long-term contracts with Marquinhos, Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Matt Turner, and left back Olexandr Zinchenko.
The north London team wants to get rid of players they don’t want for the 2022–23 season. If head coach Mikel Arteta is able to sign a new offensive player before the end of August, it is likely that record signing Nicolas Pepe will be sold. In 2019, they bought the Ivory Coast player from Lille for £72 million. He played 112 games for Arsenal, in which he scored 27 goals and set up 21 others.
More on the Trades
Bernd Leno is leaving for newly promoted Fulham in an £8 million deal, and Nuno Tavares is on loan to Marseille.
The Gunners also want to sell five more players in order to make up to £50 million. For players like Hector Bellerin, Pablo Mari, Lucas Torreira, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, and Reiss Nelson, the team is still waiting for firm offers. Folarin Balogun is expected to get valuable playing time at Crewe Alexandra and Stade Reims, where he is on loan. Alex Runarsson, the third-choice goalkeeper at the Emirates Stadium, is also not needed.
After a 6-0 preseason win over Sevilla, Arteta said he plans to buy more players. He told journalists:
“We are still hoping to do something else, if the market allows. You have seen some movement in the last few days as well. We want to get a perfect balance and the plan we wanted from the beginning. Whether we accomplish that or not is another story.”
Arsenal will start their 2022–23 Premier League season on the road against Crystal Palace on August 5.
Lucas Paqueta is a target for Arsenal.
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Arsenal is interested in signing midfielder Lucas Paqueta from Lyon. He stated:
“Paqueta’s still an interesting one, Arsenal’s interest is real. They admire the player, but haven’t really moved. They have never placed an offer, so when Jean-Michel Aulas spoke of lots of offers, I think I was one of the first to report that Arsenal and Newcastle were not the teams that had ever gone to Lyon, they had simple explored the option with the agent.”
Paqueta’s current contract at Groupama Stadium has three years left on it. In 44 games in all competitions, he contributed seven assists in addition to his 11 goals. He is worth £55 million, according to Jacobs.