Arsenal have confirmed that seven players will be released at the end of the month when their contracts expire, with Aaron Ramsey and Petr Cech among the group.
The Gunners suffered huge disappointment last season, as not only did they fail to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League, but they lost in the Europa League final to rivals Chelsea.
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In turn, that means that they will be absent from the Champions League for a third consecutive season, with Unai Emery undoubtedly set to consider it a failed first year in charge in north London.
The Spaniard will hope to continue to stamp his mark on the squad this summer in order to avoid similar disappointment next year, and that process may well be underway with seven players being released by Arsenal which could create space in the squad and financial flexibility with their contracts now off the books.
As noted on their official site, Cohen Bramall, Petr Cech, Charlie Gilmour, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Julio Pleguezuelo, Aaron Ramsey and Danny Welbeck will all leave the Emirates when their respective contracts end on June 30, with some exits already known for some time.
As per BBC Sport, Ramsey is on his way to Serie A champions Juventus, while the Telegraph have suggested that Cech is set for a return to Chelsea in a role off the pitch having announced his retirement from playing already.
In turn, Arsenal have some significant voids to fill this summer, and so Emery will be hoping that the club back him in the transfer market to bring in quality individuals to help them make progress next season.
Ramsey, Cech and Welbeck are undoubtedly the biggest losses of that group of individuals, and with so much experience and quality between them, it’s going to be a big loss from Arsenal’s perspective, but one that could open the door for long-term replacements to come in and add real quality.
