Mikel Arteta has been in the Arsenal hot seat for over five years, but this summer’s transfer window might be his most important to date.
The former captain must finally bring in a new reliable number nine to make the most of the chances created by the team, but that’s not all.
On top of adding at least a couple more stars to the side, he and Andrea Berta will need to sort out the contract situations of a handful of players.
That means tying down the club’s most important players and beginning the process of shifting those deemed surplus to requirements, including one player who’s made an enormous amount of money.
Arsenal's contract decisions
So, the two players incoming sporting director Andrea Berta should be looking to sign onto new deals as soon as possible are their academy stars: Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The two Hale Enders have been sensational this season, with the former racking up a tally of nine goal involvements in just 29 appearances, while the latter has made 26 first-team appearances and scored on his debut for England on Friday night.
The good news is that it seems as if the club are making good progress on a new five-year deal for Nwaneri and that a new contract is also “close” for Lewis-Skelly.
Once their futures are secure, the Gunners will likely turn their full attention to Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, whose deals expire in June 2027.
Fortunately, reports from earlier this year claimed that talks with the Brazilian wouldn’t be an issue, while a report from the BBC last week revealed that talks with Saka about a new deal were set to start soon.
Unfortunately, the Frenchman’s situation is less clear, as while he’s made public statements about wanting to remain with the club into next season, no talks have taken place yet regarding a new deal, and it’s unclear when they may begin.
Now, in terms of outgoings, it seems all but certain that Thomas Partey and Jorginho will leave the Emirates when their deals expire in the summer, but it would also make sense for the club to move on one of the squad’s big earners, who will have just a year left on his deal come the end of the season.
Arsenal's big earner must be sold
So, while the likes of Leandro Trossard and Takehiro Tomiyasu will also enter the final year of their contracts this summer, there is a real chance they will both play a significant role in the first team next season.
On the other hand, the same cannot be said for Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Ukrainian international, who joined the club for around £32m in the summer of 2022, was once a key component of Arteta’s team and, alongside Gabriel Jesus, played a significant role in helping the team go from top four contenders to title challengers in the 22/23 campaign.
Unfortunately, a combination of injuries, new arrivals, the emergence of Lewis-Skelly and defensive fragilities have seen the 28-year-old fall from a nailed-on starter to an irregularly used substitute. Not even a goal against PSV a few weeks ago will be enough to save his bacon.
In fact, when everyone is fit, you could make the argument that the former Manchester City star would be the eighth choice at left-back, which might sound harsh, but when pundits like Gary Neville label him a “liability”, it’s not hard to understand why Arteta might be reluctant to play him.
Appearances
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Worse yet, with a £150k-per-week wage, which has seen him amass just over £20m in wages thus far, the Radomyshl-born star is a financial drag on the team, and considering he’ll be able to agree to a pre-contract with a foreign side in January, the club have to do what they can to sell him in the summer.
Ultimately, Zinchenko remains an incredibly talented footballer, but Arsenal have moved beyond their need for him, so he should be sold.
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