Arsenal seem to have momentum on their side at present. The north London club have begun the 2020-21 Premier League campaign in fine fashion following their FA Cup triumph last season and their FA Community Shield win. However, the Gunners’ main challenge will be how to maintain their momentum as the season develops. The addition of quality personnel to the team will certainly help in that regard but Arsenal must first look to offload some players to clear up funds for their transfer targets. Here, we have a look at three players Arsenal can look to let go in the summer transfer window.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos
The veteran defender made 19 appearances in the Premier League for the Gunners last season but doesn’t seem to fit into the style of football that manager Mikel Arteta wants to play. The fact that Sokratis Papastathopoulos wasn’t involved in Arsenal’s Premier League opener at Fulham further indicated that the Greek defender’s future lies away from north London. With clubs in Italy keenly monitoring his situation at Arsenal, Sokratis’ departure seems inevitable before the close of the transfer market. What remains to be seen, however, is whether the Gunners terminate his contract, enabling a free transfer or if his suitors can be convinced to pay the necessary amount to bring an end to his time at the Emirates.
Lucas Torreira
Another Arsenal player who is on the radar of Serie A clubs, Lucas Torreira seems to be destined for a return to Italy having failed to live up to expectations for the north Londoners. The Uruguayan international never managed to establish himself in the first team after signing from Sampdoria in the summer of 2018. He made 29 Premier League appearances last season and became increasingly marginalised after Arteta became manager. A popular opinion on why Torreira couldn’t produce his best with Arsenal is that his style of play isn’t conducive to the game in England. And now with Arteta making it obvious that the likes of Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka are his first-choice midfielders, Torreira’s future will most likely be with Torino in Italy.
Calum Chambers
With Arsenal ready to keep Rob Holding and since the 24-yer-old is expected to be given an extended run of games to prove himself, Calum Chambers’ time at the Emirates Stadium looks to be coming to an end. Add to that Chambers’ misfortune with injuries as well as Konstantinos Mavropanos’ rapid progress while on loan in Germany, and it’s easy to understand why Chambers’ future lies away from the north London club. Even though he had a few decent outings for the Gunners last season and made 14 Premier League appearances, Chambers has never really managed to nail down a starting spot in the team, and that’s unlikely to change in the immediate future, making a move away from the club beneficial for both parties.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Ian Kington
