Ruthless Arteta ready to axe SEVEN Arsenal stars to fund game-changing summer splurge

Rob McCarthy 09 Feb 2025 1:39 PM

Arsenal summer transfer exodus

Mikel Arteta is being tipped to undertake a massive cull of his Arsenal squad and axe as many as seven first-team stars in order to fund a big summer of quality additions for the Gunners.

It’s reported that the Spaniard wants to make four top signings in a bid to end the club’s more than 20-year wait for Premier League glory, which suggests he may have surprisingly already given up on this season as Liverpool sit six points clear at the top with a game in hand.

Arsenal currently face the prospect of going another campaign without any silverware, given they crashed out of both domestic cups – although they remain in the hunt for the toughest of the lot, the Champions League, after booking their place in the knockout phase with a third-placed finish in the extended group stage.

The recent 4-0 aggregate hammering by Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-finals was certainly a demoralising one, although a 5-1 hammering of Manchester City in between showed the quality the Gunners still possess when they are ruthless and take their chances.

That inconsistency has led the Daily Mirror to look at the players Arteta is willing to get rid of ahead of a fresh charge for Premier League glory next season.

They state that, for starters, Raheem Sterling and Neto will not be returning to The Emirates when their respective loan spells from Chelsea and Bournemouth come to an end.

Sterling has scored just once in 18 games in north London as he continues to struggle to find the form that made him a serial winner at Manchester City, while veteran goalkeeper Neto has only made one appearance and was only ever intended to be a stop-gap signing anyway.

Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Kieran Tierney are all out of contract in the summer and set to depart Arsenal as free agents.

Jorginho and Tierney came close to leaving in January, with the pair in talks to sign for Flamengo and Celtic respectively, but Arteta was cautious about weakening his squad while the club were still in the mix to win two major competitions.

We’ve reported on numerous occasions of Celtic’s interest in bringing Tierney back to Glasgow, with Brendan Rodgers a massive fan of the Scotland international.

Finally, defensive duo Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jakub Kiwior will also be sold after falling completely out of favour in north London. Indeed, the pair have started a combined four league games this season.

There remains plenty of interest in Kiwior, whose versatility has probably cost him a regular starting role after arriving from Spezia for £16million, while Zinchenko may be tougher to offload after Arsenal received no offers for the Ukraine international in the winter window.

Arteta looking to bolster multiple positions

While axing the seven names mentioned will not exactly raise significant funds, it will create space in Arteta’s squad and also ease the wage bill in preparation for a new striker, defensive midfielder and potentially a goalkeeper.

RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko has emerged as the top centre-forward target, with Alexander Isak being priced out of a move as Newcastle will almost certainly demand a Premier League record fee for their talismanic forward.

Reports suggest the north Londoners have won the race to sign highly-rated Spain holding midfielder Martin Zubimendi for £51m, while they are also trying to lure teenage midfielder Sverre Nypan after a failed swoop in January.

Finally, it’s reported that Arteta also wants a new back-up goalkeeper on board and remains a fan of Espanyol’s Joan Garcia.

David Raya has been a standout again for Arsenal this season, but 23-year-old Spaniard Garcia has a burgeoning reputation and could push Raya in the long-term.

Latest Arsenal news: Real leapfrog Gunners in Zubimendi chase / Big boost in Larsson chase

Real Madrid believe that they will beat Arsenal to the signing of Martin Zubimendi, with a report revealing why Los Blancos are confident about striking an agreement for the Real Sociedad midfielder – although Mikel Arteta poses a big problem for the Spanish giants.

Madrid’s interest in the midfielder has been well-documented, and it has now emerged that the defending Spanish and European champions believe that they will beat Arsenal to his signature in the summer transfer window.

According to Fichajes, Madrid and Arsenal are leading the race for Zubimendi, with the LaLiga club and the Premier League outfit considering him as perfect for the way they play.

And although Real may have jumped to the front of the queue, Arteta will not give up without a fight to get this man.

Meanwhile, the Gunners have taken a big step towards signing Hugo Larsson in the summer transfer window, with a report revealing that the north London club are already in talks for the Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder but there are five other top teams who are keen on the youngster.