Keep or Sell? Seven players Arsenal could offload to fund Unai Emery’s search for a winger

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Arsenal are in pursuit of a winger and this could spell trouble for a number of players currently in the Gunners’ ranks.

Bayern Munich flyer Kingsley Coman has been linked to the club, but securing his signature will come at a price.

New boss Unai Emery has wasted little time in working with Sven Mislintat to strengthen his new squad, recruiting five players, but the Basque tactician could still make the most significant signing of his short reign in north London.

Emery has so far alleviated previous frustrations with a lack of transfer activity in the summer: Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Bernd Leno and Lucas Torreira have all signed, with 19-year-old Matteo Guendouzi making a more low-profile switch.

Circa £40m is being bandied around as the fee it would take to prise Coman away from the Allianz Arena, so which Arsenal players could make way to fund their spending spree?

Nacho Monreal

A seasoned professional, the versatile defender has formed an integral component in Arsenal’s defence for a number of seasons now, and was a regular starter for Wenger last term. At 32, the Spaniard is very much entering his twilight years, but last campaign he enjoyed his most prolific goalscoring season, netting five Premier League goals – having just netted once in his previous five years at the club.

Granted, his defensive capabilities form the most significant part of his creed, but having a quick glance back at the sumptuous volley he scored against West Ham last season will tell you that Monreal packs some serious technical ability to compliment his defensive attributes.

Such was his imperious form, that he even earned a call-up to the Spain squad for the World Cup this summer, though despite not featuring once, the option of bringing on a defensive stalwart in Monreal’s mould is a comforting thought for any manager. Emery may want to tinker with his tactics this season, and with a player like Monreal, he has the option to deploy the defender pretty much anywhere across the back line.

Sead Kolasinac may step up this season and make the left-back berth his own, while there will certainly be more able-bodied full-backs on the market to replace Monreal, but after such a brilliant campaign, it would be foolish to let the former Malaga man go, especially as he is unlikely to command a serious fee.

Verdict: Keep. Even if Monreal doesn’t start in Emery’s new system, he makes a fantastic backup option.

Danny Welbeck  

On his day Welbeck can be a deadly force in the final third, unfortunately, that day just does not come around often enough. A player on the periphery of first-team action under Wenger, it will be hard to see where the England forward will fit into a team now packed with an abundance of attacking riches. Last season’s arrivals of Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang already placed Welbeck’s starting place in the balance, while recruiting a player of Coman’s ilk will surely close the chapter on Welbeck’s time in north London.

His stint at the Emirates has, at times, been marred by injury problems, but even when fully fit the former Manchester United forward has failed to capitalise and put teams to the sword.

Welbeck could flourish under the tutelage of a manager like Emery, but given the former PSG manager’s preference for either the 4-3-3 formation or 4-2-3-1, it is most likely – if not inevitable – that he will deploy Aubameyang, Lacazette and Henrikh Mkhitaryan across the front three in the former formation, as well as the latter, while Mesut Ozil would occupy the central playmaker role in the 4-2-3-1.

Verdict: Sell. The formations above would indicate Welbeck’s role in the side would be reduced to sporadic appearances only, which will probably not go down well with a player in his prime. He may also bring in the most money.

Shkodran Mustafi

Shkodran Mustafi’s two seasons at the Emirates have been somewhat underwhelming considering the hefty price tag placed on him at Valencia. The 26-year-old centre-back has struggled for consistency and made a number of high-profile errors in the Gunners rearguard – notably the mistake he made in getting caught out by a long goal-kick from Claudio Bravo in the Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City.

Some of the criticism he has faced has been fair, but some of it has been unjustified, as the Everton graduate is still a capable defender. Last season, he won the second-most tackles (64), made the most clearances (171), made the joint-most blocks (15) and the made most interceptions of any Arsenal player (57), proving his defensive attributes have been overshadowed by his propensity for a mistake.

The aforementioned £40m price tag mooted to sign Coman will mean funds – and significant funds at that – will need to be built up in order to invest in the incisive winger; it would take a notable sum to sign Mustafi and Emery may utilise this to his advantage.

Verdict: Sell. With the signing of Papastathopoulos, the emergence of his Greek compatriot Konstantinos Mavropanos, and the capable defensive duo in Rob Holding and Calum Chambers, Emery would be wise to offload the defender in an effort to raise to requisite funds to sign Coman.

Lucas Perez

A forgotten man in north London, Perez endured a feeble debut season with Arsenal in the 2016/17 season, featuring just 11 times in the Premier League and netting just the single goal. His performances were unconvincing, and this prompted Wenger to loan him back to Deportivo La Coruna last term, where he rekindled some his former form. The 29-year-old featured heavily for the Branquiazuis, netting six La Liga goals, but his exploits in the final third were not enough to save the club from relegation.

Despite this, Perez presents a different style of play currently missing in the Arsenal squad: a left-footed player capable of playing proficiently on the wing, or as a central forward. Perez offers something unique in that sense, whereas Welbeck provides more of the same. Also, given their Spanish connection, Emery could favour Perez and give him the chance he was not afforded under Arsene Wenger.

Verdict: Keep. He certainly won’t cement a starting berth, but a left-footed player capable of playing across the frontline presents a balanced back-up option for Emery.

Petr Cech/David Ospina

Two very capable and experienced goalkeepers, but with the signing Bernd Leno, it seems almost redundant to boast three competent shot-stoppers in any team’s squad. At 36, Cech’s career – although still capable of competing at the elite level – may be starting to tail off, and Chelsea are reportedly considering re-signing him if they sell Thibaut Courtois, which could prove favourable for both parties.

Ospina has been a fringe player since joining the club four years ago; his best spell came during his maiden campaign where he enjoyed 18 starts between the sticks, but the signing of Cech ultimately ended his first-team chances in the league. Even if Cech leaves, Ospina will continue to play second fiddle, this time in the form of Leno, but he appears happy to feature in cup competitions – Cech may not be so favourable to that role.

Verdict: Sell Cech. It would be bizarre to sell two top-class ‘keepers, but it would be equally as imprudent to keep all three at the club, and given Ospina’s relative comfort in playing the backup role, it would be wise to keep him there.

Carl Jenkinson 

A career hampered by injuries, Jenkinson has had no luck when it comes to staying fit for a prolonged period of time in recent years. His real breakthrough season came during his first top-flight loan spell to West Ham during the 2014/15 season. Under the auspices of Sam Allardyce, the England International thrived at Upton Park, becoming one of the chief policemen in a typically ‘Big Sam’ watertight defence.

This sparked a second loan spell in east London, but it was less successful as injuries derailed what could have proven to be another significant step forward in his career. There is no question that if Jenkinson could recapture that West Ham form from four years ago then he would bring some real zest to the right flank of Arsenal’s defence, but given he endured another horror season of injury, this time in the Championship with Birmingham City – mustering just seven league appearances – it may be time for Arsenal to let loose.

Verdict: Sell. Perhaps does not have the quality or the fitness to prove a valuable asset to the club, but may flourish given a first-team place elsewhere.

The post Keep or Sell? Seven players Arsenal could offload to fund Unai Emery’s search for a winger appeared first on Squawka News.



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