Following their FA Cup triumph, Arsenal are eyeing the Premier League title [via Sky Sports].
SEE ALSO:
Arturo Vidal facts: Five things Arsenal & Liverpool fans should know about ‘The Warrior’
Milner Liverpool: Four signings Reds still need in midfield, including £37m Gerrard replacement & Brazil international
Arsenal transfer gossip
The Gunners have no shortage of match-winners, while they will surely be set to add to their squad this summer.
However, Arsene Wenger also has a considerable amount of deadwood on his hands—these are players who are unlikely to contribute a great deal to the side next season, but they are potentially taking up valuable space on the roster and, more importantly, a significant portion of the wage bill.
In this feature, we profile eight players that the club should look to offload this summer.
Lukas Podolski
The future isn’t clear for World Cup-winner Lukas Podolski.
The versatile forward failed to set the world alight at Inter Milan, and having not been part of Wenger’s plans a year ago, it’s unlikely to see Wenger turn to the Germany international for the coming campaign.
There is interest in his services from Turkey, with the Times [via the Daily Star] believing that Galatasaray are keen on the forward’s services.
Abou Diaby
Sadly, it looks like Abou Diaby will soon be out of the door at the Emirates Stadium.
Few doubt the elegant midfielder’s talent and technical prowess, but sadly, his is a career doomed to be one of the great ‘what-might-have-beens’ of Wenger’s time in charge of the club.
The midfielder is out of contact this summer and looks set for the exit door after only 124 matches over nine years with the Gunners.
Joel Campbell
A year ago, Joel Campbell looked like he might have been on the brink of a breakthrough with Arsenal.
However, despite a series of encouraging showings at the World Cup, the young striker wasn’t kept around by Wenger and departed on loan for Villarreal.
He managed only one goal in 16 La Liga outings, and has been linked with a move to Real Sociedad, according to Cadena SER [via Here is the City].
Carl Jenkinson
Despite impressing for West Ham United this season—particularly during the first half of the campaign—Carl Jenkinson doesn’t look any closer to the Arsenal first team.
Calum Chambers demonstrated a few flashes of promise during his maiden season at Arsenal, while Hector Bellerin has been one of the revelations of the season.
The Hammers are believed to be keen to secure the one-time England international on a permanent deal this season [via the Mirror].
Mathieu Flamini
While he has one more year left on his contract, Mathieu Flamini may well be coming to the end of his muted second coming at Arsenal.
The midfielder has largely been marginalised recently by the likes of Mikel Arteta, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Francis Coquelin and it’s becoming hard to see where he fits into the Gunners’ plans.
Similarly, the club’s reported interest in the likes of William Carvalho, Morgan Schneiderlin, Victor Wanyama and Geoffrey Kondogbia suggests that Wenger is looking elsewhere to bolster his central midfield.
Wojciech Szczesny
Having lost his place in the first team to David Ospina, and having been caught smoking once again, Wojciech Szczesny has come under scrutiny for all the wrong reasons in recent times.
The Pole has claimed that he wants to stay and fight for his place at the Emirates Stadium, but with the club believed to be looking at Petr Cech, it looks as though the stopper’s days in North London may be numbered.
Mikel Arteta
While former Everton man Mikel Arteta made more of a contribution than Flamini last term, might he too be leaving the Emirates this summer?
The Spaniard is another player out of contract, and now 33, his influence has begun to wane.
It may be that Wenger hands his skipper a new deal—with the coach himself suggesting a deal was close recently—but the arrival of new central midfielders may well push him out of the door.
Yaya Sanogo
It just hasn’t worked out for French striker Yaya Sanogo in England, has it!?
Since leaving Auxerre and their famed academy in 2013, he has managed 21 league appearances in the Premier League—for both Arsenal and Crystal Palace—scoring a grand total of zero goals.
Now 22, Sanogo is not simply a bright young thing any more and a move to new surroundings—Girondins de Bordeaux and AS Saint-Etienne have been linked to his signature—may allow the player to progress as was once expected.