Nicolas Pepe and seven more Arsenal flops who must be sold
Karan Tejwani
- Updated: 4 Aug 2022 10:09 BST
- 3 min read
Arsenal have had a busy transfer window and a good summer of results, having secured players such as Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, but are now looking to let players go.
The Gunners also maintained a perfect record in pre-season, winning all five of their matches, with the most recent one being a 6-0 thumping of Sevilla.
Mikel Arteta’s new signings have hit the ground running immediately ahead of the start of the new season on Friday evening, and are hoping to make a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2017.
There are, however, a few players they would like to let go of, and it’s seen as an essential part of the summer if they wish to make any more additions to the side before the close of the window.
Related articles
Who are Arsenal looking to sell
There are eight players lined up to leave Arteta’s side, and many of those have either been inconsistent or spent time away on loan in recent times.
Nicolas Pepe is on top of the list for players to leave, having barely made an impact since his record move from Lille back in 2019.
The Ivorian is of interest to clubs like Sevilla and Leeds United, and will want to make a move in a bid to rejuvenate his career away from the Emirates Stadium.
Hector Bellerin is another player – the Spanish right-back is much-adored in North London, but injury issues and time away on loan at Real Betis have made him a dispensable player at Arsenal, and he could soon head back to Spain.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Lucas Torreira both expressed their frustrations when at Arsenal in the past and spent time on loan in Italy last season – they could be on their way out again soon.
Pablo Mari is another who spent time away when at Udinese last season, and Arteta was initially impressed by his ball-playing abilities, but he’s been usurped lately by Gabriel Maghalaes.
Reiss Nelson will be another to go and he never truly got to show his best talents in Arsenal’s red-and-white, having spent time away on loan in Germany and the Netherlands in recent years.
Other fringe players such as Alex Runnarsson and Matt Smith will also be allowed to leave – the pair have rarely featured for the Gunners under Arteta and that’s unlikely to change.
Read more about: Premier League, Arsenal
