A summer of ins and outs that could leave the Emirates Stadium side in with a shot of a long awaited domestic title.
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A run of eight wins from their last nine Premier League fixtures have shown that Arsenal are certainly moving in the right direction in terms of ending their domestic title drought and rather than needing to fork out massive sums to bring in a host of big names in order to mount that challenge, we have earmarked three signings that could bridge the gap between title pretenders and genuine contenders.
To help make way for such additions we also outline eight players the north London side can afford to offload to more than balance the books, whilst maintaining a good level of strength in depth.
IN
Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton) £20m
Yes Francis Coquelin has been impressive since being ushered back into the first team but the Saints star is a far brighter prospect and a player who appears likely to push for a summer exit.
Petr Cech (Chelsea) £10m
Too good to warm the Blues bench and far better than either Wojciech Szcz?sny & David Ospina and Arsene Wenger should try his luck with a bid for the Chelsea star. Given his decade plus service at Stamford Bridge one imagines that if the Czech Republic man wanted to move to the Gunners then they wouldn’t stand in his way.
James Milner (Man City) Free Transfer
Hugely experienced and very capable the chance to bring in a player of Milner’s talent on a free transfer must be hard for Arsene Wenger to resist. Versatile and comfortable on the ball, he may fit in perfectly to the Emirates Stadium squad.
OUT
Theo Walcott Estimated sale value: £20m
Fitness and form have hampered his career and if his demands for a massive contract are indeed accurate then Arsenal would do well to look to sell the England man whilst they can still cash-in on his services.
Lukas Podolski Estimated sale value: £12m
German is a country mile from being in Arsene Wenger’s starting eleven plans and his shocking form at Inter Milan confirms this to be the case.
Mathieu Flamini Estimated sale value: Out of contract
One-dimensional and way past his best, time we said goodbye to the French tough tackler.
Abou Diaby Estimated sale value: Out of contract
If Arsene Wenger considers offering the perennially rocked midfielder then he needs his head testing. Time to get rid!
Carl Jenkinson Estimated sale value: £10m
Full-back has impressed at West Ham and is a fan favourite at the Emirates Stadium but Arsene Wenger can certainly afford to cash-in given the options he has on either defensive flank.
Yaya Sanogo Estimated sale value: £6m
Young forward just simply isn’t good enough and with Benik Afobe impressing greatly whilst out on loan it would make sense to sell Sanogo and welcome Afobe into the Arsenal first team squad.
Joel Campbell Estimated sale value: £8m
Costa Rican has never really been given a chance at Arsenal but having spent so much time out on loan the time must now be right to sell the player outright, a move that would surely be best for all concerned.
Wojciech Szcz?sny Estimated sale value: £10m
Just not consistent enough and if Petr Cech is a genuine Arsenal target then it’s the Pole, and not Colombian Ospina, who could make way. His Southampton display on New Year’s Day may have been the last straw for Arsene Wenger.