January must be devoted to exits, not arrivals for Arsenal

At Mikel Arteta’s very first press conference as Arsenal boss in December 2019, the Spaniard clarified his aspirations for the north London club.

“If you don’t have the right culture, in hard times the tree will shake, so my job is to convince everyone that this is how we are going to live, and if you are going to be a part of it. organization must be in these terms and in this way. “

– Arteta after taking over Arsenal

We can see that in a little over a year, the tree has been shaken up very well.

In the year that followed, Arteta kept his words: it’s my road or the highway. The first case came this summer, with Matteo Guendouzi being exiled from the squad after his attempt to strangle Neal Maupay in a terrible 2-1 loss to Brighton in the restart of the project. For the 2020/21 season, he was banned on loan from Hertha Berlin, who is now showing signs of continuing a permanent deal for the 21-year-old midfielder.

With his contract expiring in the summer of 2022, Arsenal must take any offer for the Frenchman seriously. With Arteta clearly not looking to get Guendouzi back into his plans, the midfielder is one of the many players the club have to let go if they are to truly follow his manager’s path.

Hertha Berlin’s next opponent is Schalke, a game that could feature two Arsenal loans on the pitch with the New Years announcement that Sead Kolasinac will join his former side on loan for the remainder of the season.

The Bosnian’s appearances this season have been limited to cup competitions, with him starting just one Premier League game. Slipping behind fan favorite Kieran Tierney in the pecking order, he was announced by Edu on the club’s official website, who said: “Sead has to play regularly, so we decided together that a return to Germany with Schalke will benefit him at that time. ”

His transfer to Schalke will not be of concern to Arsenal fans. In fact, he will be considered the first among many to have to leave.

Defensive duo Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos have turned deadwood, and with their contracts both expiring at the end of the current season, it’s time to cash in.

Mustafi is rumored to be on his way to Barcelona, ​​and although it has since been laughed out of the room, he is due to make his way to a departure lounge soon. His other center-back Sokratis, who has been excluded from Arteta’s Premier League and Europa League sides this season, must also be shown the door.

It has never been clear what is going on on Earth with William Saliba, Arsenal’s £ 27million (yes £ 27,000,000) 2019 rookie. Former contenders for Unai Emery’s signing, Saint-Etienne, are set to bring him back to Ligue 1, either on loan or even on permanent transfer, although Premier League sides are also monitoring his developments. His situation must be a priority for Arteta. A player of such value cannot be left behind …

Which leads us well to Mesut Ozil. With the latest news that Ozil’s contract will not be terminated in this window, Arsenal have to believe he is unlikely to leave this window, although if one of the links is to be believed in the Juventus or Fenerbahce, the club should charter a plane to get him out. The.

Getting rid of all these players is not just a matter of payroll. They represent a significant list of Arsene Wenger and Emery signings that Arteta just doesn’t see fit into his vision.

Arsenal’s future under Arteta is still in jeopardy despite two successive victories. You can see what the manager is trying to achieve at the club, but things will only get more streamlined with a release from the old guard.

“There are players who are going to be loaned out and go, and that’s the priority,” Arteta told BBC Sport. While the whole debate is about which attacking midfielder to sign, until the Gunners follow through on Arteta’s words, they will struggle to climb to near the top four.