Arsenal Face Summer Reckoning: Five Players on the Chopping Block as Gunners Must Balance Books

The bill comes due eventually. After lavish spending of roughly £250m in the previous transfer window, Arsenal now find themselves needing to make some painful decisions about player sales, with the Gunners having crept to within £9m of Manchester United on the five-year Premier League net spend ladder.

The Telegraph has reported that Arsenal's hierarchy will need to shift at least one established first-team player this summer to manage their finances. It's hardly a new situation for Mikel Arteta, who has shown little sentimentality when it comes to moving on players—Aaron Ramsdale and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang learned that lesson well enough.

With quality throughout their squad, Arsenal's decision-makers are weighing up which departures would bring the most substantial returns. Five names have emerged as the primary candidates: Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Ben White, Ethan Nwaneri, and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

The Least Dispensable

Nwaneri's breakout 2025/26 campaign made him vulnerable to the cull. The 18-year-old has seen his minutes dry up considerably, leading to a January loan switch to Marseille. Things haven't quite clicked in France yet, and the club remains chaotic, but the experience should prove valuable on his return. He's currently well down the pecking order, yet selling him would be premature given his potential. Another loan spell elsewhere might serve him better.

Lewis-Skelly inhabits a similar boat. The England youth international hasn't quite reached Nwaneri's ceiling, though there's not much separating them. His naivety has shown this season, particularly in defensive transitions, though he looks far more comfortable pushing forward. A switch to midfield could unlock his best self. At 19, he's another academy graduate Arsenal should be retaining rather than cashing in on—another loan move makes far more sense than a permanent exit.

The Middle Ground

Odegaard's campaign has been genuinely underwhelming by his standards. Injuries have mounted and his form has suffered, with summer signing Eberechi Eze now competing for the number 10 role. Eze has largely fluffed his chances—barring a showing against Spurs—leaving the captaincy up for grabs. Word has it Odegaard is frustrated, with whispers even linking him to a far-fetched Manchester United move. Come summer, a parting of the ways wouldn't shock anyone, though equally plausible is a revival during the run-in that restores him to Arteta's plans.

The Likely Departures

White has become collateral damage in Arteta's quest for full-back perfection. David Raya's elevation over Aaron Ramsdale provides the template: Jurrien Timber has simply become too good, and White, through no real failing of his own, has slipped into the margins. He remains a quality player, but Timber is elite—the difference is that stark. An Everton move was mooted in January; a summer switch is increasingly looking inevitable. Arsenal are reportedly lining up a young right-back as his understudy.

Martinelli tops the list of those heading for the exit. Bayern Munich and Saudi Arabia came calling last summer, but nothing materialised. The increased competition at left-wing has proven his undoing rather than his salvation. With just nine Premier League starts, a solitary league goal, and Leandro Trossard firmly ahead in the queue, he's drifted uncomfortably close to the door. He came through at the same time as Bukayo Saka but has stalled frustratingly, and it's time Arsenal found an upgrade. His departure should command the strongest fee of the five, making him the prime candidate for the chop.