Players who should leave the Emirates Stadium and five players the North London club should consider signing.
OUT
Andre Santos
The Brazilian left-back arrived from Fenerbahce in 2011 with big expectations, but the £6million splashed out to bring him to the Emirates Stadium has proven to be some of the worst transfer business in recent seasons.
Sent out loan to Gremio for the remainder of the season, a campaign in which his most memorable piece of action was swapping shirts with Manchester United’s Robin Van Persie at half-time at Old Trafford, Santos still believes he has a part to play at Arsenal in future seasons. But he should be one the players Arsene Wenger sends packing in the summer.
Sebastien Squillaci
Seven games played over the last two seasons and only one this year underlines the fact that Sebastien Squillaci is no more than a bit part player at Arsenal.
The 32-year-old, who was a near ever-present in his first season at the Emirates Stadium before falling out of favour over the past two campaigns, is out of contract at the end of the season and has little chance of being awarded a new deal.
Gervinho
For some unknown reason, Gervinho has never been able to replicate his goalscoring antics for the Ivory Coast in an Arsenal shirt, and those believing he could yet come good only need to take a look at Saturday’s FA Cup shock defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers to realise he should be on his way.
Gervinho came to Arsenal in 2011 in a £10.6million deal from Lille and was expected to form a long-lasting partnership with Robin Van Persie. But he scored just four goals in 37 games last season and, although this campaign has yielded five in 15, he simply hasn’t been the success story fans had hoped for.
At 25, he looks unlikely to improve enough to force his way past Theo Walcott, Lucas Podolki and Olivier Giroud and with David Villa a potential arrival in the summer Gervinho could well be offloaded.
Andrei Arshavin
Frozen out for much of this season, it seems only a matter of time before Russian international Andrei Arshavin heads through the exit door at the Emirates Stadium. Expect it to be in the summer when his contract expires.
He is Arsenal’s record signing at £15million, which probably underlines Arsene Wenger’s reluctance to spend big money on his transfer targets more than anything else, but his involvement has decreased this season with only a handful of Premier League appearances to his name. Arshavin was, at one time, Arsenal’s most creative talent but his days at the club are coming to an end.
Marouane Chamakh
The place of Marouane Chamakh in this list could have gone to Johan Djourou, Nicolas Bendtner or Park Chu-Young amongst others – players made surplus to requirements at the Emirates Stadium and loaned out this season.
He may not have cost anything having joined on a free transfer from Bordeaux in 2010, but the signing of Chamakh has been an unmitigated disaster. The goalscorer the Arsenal faithful had hoped for was not the man who turned up and in total he has found the net just 14 times in 67 appearances.
Shipped out on loan to West Ham for the second half of the season, it is likely to become a permanent exit in the summer.
Five In
Fernando Amorebieta (Athletic Bilbao)
A new centre-back has to be a priority for Arsene Wenger this summer with the Arsenal boss unable to find a regular pairing at the heart of his defence this season.
And it is understood that Fernando Amorebieta, a 27-year-old Venezuelan international who has been with Athletic Bilbao for his entire career, is the man he will bring in. Liverpool are also in the frame to sign the ball-playing defender, but Arsenal are expected to make him a new addition.
Sebastian Rode (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Not the marquee signing that most Arsenal fans would want, but German midfielder Sebastian Rode could well be joining compatriots Per Mertesacker and Lucas Podolski at the Emirates Stadium in the summer.
The 22-year-old German under-21 international is an ever present for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga this season in a surprise season for the club, and with only 18 months of his contract to run is expected to be sold in the summer for big money. Arsenal just need to beat off interest from Tottenham to secure him.
Christian Benteke (Aston Villa)
Regardless of whether Aston Villa are relegated from the Premier League or not, there is going to one mighty scramble for the signature of star striker Christian Benteke in the summer with Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham among those in the frame.
It could take a club record £16million or more to capture the giant Belgian international forward, but he could be exactly what Arsenal need – an exceptional targetman to base the 4-3-3 formation around – to get back to fighting boss.
David Villa (Barcelona)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger tried desperately to bring David Villa to the Emirates Stadium in the January transfer window, offering £17million to Barcelona to sign the Spanish international forward.
That offer was turned down, but a second attempt is expected in the summer when Barcelona are more likely to willing to part company with the World Cup and European Championship winner. Thomas Vermaelen is wanted by Barcelona so some form of swap deal could leave to Arsenal getting their man.
Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina)
Branded the new Robin Van Persie, Arsenal have been linked with a £25million move for Fiorentina’s star Stevan Jovetic, who is one of the leading young lights in Serie A.
Jovetic, the 23-year-old Montenegro international forward, was bought by Fiorentina for £8million and would cost a club record fee to bring to Arsenal – much bigger than the £15million splashed out to sign Andrei Arshavin. But Arsene Wenger is said to keen to bring him to the Premier League as part of a rebuilding programme in the summer.