5 players who could leave Arsenal this month
After enjoying an impressive start to the 2023-24 Premier League season, Arsenal seemingly dropped the ball at the end of December, losing back-to-back games. The Gunners lost at home to West Ham United and followed that up with a loss to Fulham, resulting in Mikel Arteta's men dropping to fourth in the league table.
It might not be a cause for concern, and this could be a tiny bump in the road or fatigue settling in, but their performances against West Ham and Fulham showed that Arsenal need a few new signings. Despite all that, Arsenal is still well and truly in this title race, and this campaign promises to be an even closer race that could potentially go down to the wire.
With injuries to Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey, Oleksandr Zinchenko struggling to replicate his form from last season, and Gabriel Jesus' inconsistency, Arsenal have several areas they need to address this month.
Understandably, they might not be able to solve all their issues, but Arsenal needs to do something, and they need to start by selling a few players to finance any possible transfers this month.
Here are five players Arsenal could sell this month:
#1. Aaron Ramsdale
Aaron Ramsdale is one player everyone expected to leave Arsenal sooner rather than later, especially after the signing of David Raya. The England international enjoyed his most successful season ever at Arsenal in 2022-23, but Mikel Arteta was still not convinced by his abilities.
Despite Arteta saying he wants Arsenal to have two No. 1 goalkeepers, it is clear that Ramsdale is the second choice and is hating every minute of it. With Arsenal needing money to reinforce their squad for the rest of the season, Ramsdale could fetch them a decent amount.
The former Sheffield United goalkeeper signed for Arsenal for £30 million, and the Gunners will be eager to recoup that amount at least. Plus, with the Euros taking place this summer, Ransdale will be eager to secure a place in the England team, and he will need to play football for that.
Chelsea and Newcastle have reportedly shown an interest in him after both teams suffered an injury in the goalkeeping department. It will be interesting to see how this transfer materializes in the final days of this transfer window.
#2. Thomas Partey
On his day, Thomas Partey is one of the best defensive midfielders in the game, but his constant injuries have hampered him from reaching his full potential. The Ghanaian has only managed to make five appearances so far this season, and although he has the ability, his reliability is the issue.
Partey did return to training and is part of the Arsenal team currently in Dubai, but it remains to be seen if Arsenal wants to keep him for the rest of the season or invest in someone new. A new midfielder has been a reported target for Arsenal this month, and selling Partey could help finance that.
Several Saudi Pro League clubs have shown interest, along with Juventus, and with just a year and a half remaining on his contract, Arsenal needs to sell him soon to make some money off him.
#3. Cedric Soares
Cedric Soares has barely featured for Arsenal this season and it was clear from the very beginning that the Portuguese did not have a future at Arsenal. It has now been confirmed by several journalists, including Fabrizio Romano, that Cedric will be leaving Arsenal this month.
Cedric's contract expires at the end of this season and Arsenal will get next to nothing for him, but getting him off the wage bill will certainly help them. Turkish side Besiktas are reportedly in talks to sign the 32-year-old defender.
#4. Mohamed Elneny
Just like Cedric Soares, Mohamed Elneny is considered deadwood at Arsenal at the moment, with the Egyptian barely making any appearances for Arsenal over the last two years. Elneny has just managed to make 12 appearances for Arsenal since the start of last season, and now it looks like his time at Arsenal is up.
Elneny is currently representing Egypt in the AFCON, and he will be eager to sort out his future soon. The 31-year-old just has six months left on his current Arsenal contract, and he might not fetch a huge amount but moving him on will help reduce the club's wage bill.
Reports suggest that Elneny has drawn interest from several clubs in Saudi Arabia, along with many teams in Turkey, including his former club Besiktas, where he spent a season on loan.
#5. Eddie Nketiah
Eddie Nketiah was linked with a move away from Arsenal over the summer, and those links have once again surfaced, with reports that West Ham United and Crystal Palace are interested. Nketiah has always shown glimpses of what he is capable of, and ever since he took on the famous N0. 14 shirt, it is fair to say he has struggled to impress.
The 24-year-old has an impressive goal-to-game ratio – mainly from the bench, but he has not done enough to convince the Arsenal fans and Arteta that he has what it takes to lead the Arsenal attack. For now, Arteta is happy with him being an important squad player, but at this point in his career, Nketiah will be determined to play regular football.
Losing Nketiah this month will leave Arsenal with just one recognized striker in Gabriel Jesus, so if they were to sell him, it would mean another striker would be coming in. With his contract not expiring until 2027, Arsenal will be looking for a hefty transfer fee to let him leave this month.
No matter what happens, Nketiah's long-term future at Arsenal is in question given that Arsenal is looking for a new striker.