First year under Unai Emery is in the books, and it was one that showed promise but ultimately disappointment as Arsenal finished in 5th place by 1 point and lost to Chelsea in the Europa Finals meaning that for the 3rd year in a row they'll be in the Europa League instead of the Champions League. In addition, to the lost revenue for the club, it also has an impact on bringing in any transfers that want to play in the CL or compete for a league title.
The biggest questions are who leaves and who stays as Arsenal definitely needs to make some roster changes and fill some major holes.
The biggest loss is certainly Aaron Ramsey, who agreed to a mega deal with Juventus as a free transfer. It's already been confirmed that Danny Welbeck and Stephan Lichtsteiner, who are at the end of their contracts will not be back next season. Petr Cech who ceded the #1 position to Bernd Leno last season has retired. Nacho Monreal is also at the end of his contract and 33, but I wouldn't be opposed to keeping him on board if he was interested in a one year deal.
The Gunners reportedly have only £45m to spend this summer. Emery has indicated that he is going to sell a few players in order to raise funds for some incoming transfers. David Ospina has been sold to Napoli for £3.15m. All indications are that Mesut Ozil will be gone and while Emery reportedly wants £35m for him, that seems like a pipe dream with his form over the last two years and heavy wages. Also reportedly getting shipped out is Shkodran Mustafi, who was the center of an awful defensive crew and has only looked worse in his second season at the Emirates. There are rumors of interest in Lucas Torreira, but Emery would reportedly prefer to move Granit Xhaka instead. There have been rumors of Barcelona interest in Alexander Lacazette as well, and while I think he's one of the actual talented players on the roster, I'd be happy to have the funds if Barcelona was interested in a massive overpay for the striker.
The strongest rumor around an incoming transfer right now is French 18 year old CB William Saliba who plays for Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1. Arsenal will have to fill essentially an entire back line both for the players on their way out and depth. They'll need to add a #2 GK with the departure of Ospina and retirment of Cech. A replacement defensive mid-fielder for either Torreira or Xhaka, one of whom appears to be gone. I think one of the biggest questions is what we'll see in the attacking center mid position, which has long been occupied by a combination of Ozil and Ramsey. I think it's possible we may see a rotation here as Emery's system favors players that he believes can shift between positions in the midfield.
Arsenal is also set to return CB Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin, who both suffered season ending knee surgeries. Holding showed some flashes last season, and I believe could slot into a starting role next season.
The biggest questions are who leaves and who stays as Arsenal definitely needs to make some roster changes and fill some major holes.
The biggest loss is certainly Aaron Ramsey, who agreed to a mega deal with Juventus as a free transfer. It's already been confirmed that Danny Welbeck and Stephan Lichtsteiner, who are at the end of their contracts will not be back next season. Petr Cech who ceded the #1 position to Bernd Leno last season has retired. Nacho Monreal is also at the end of his contract and 33, but I wouldn't be opposed to keeping him on board if he was interested in a one year deal.
The Gunners reportedly have only £45m to spend this summer. Emery has indicated that he is going to sell a few players in order to raise funds for some incoming transfers. David Ospina has been sold to Napoli for £3.15m. All indications are that Mesut Ozil will be gone and while Emery reportedly wants £35m for him, that seems like a pipe dream with his form over the last two years and heavy wages. Also reportedly getting shipped out is Shkodran Mustafi, who was the center of an awful defensive crew and has only looked worse in his second season at the Emirates. There are rumors of interest in Lucas Torreira, but Emery would reportedly prefer to move Granit Xhaka instead. There have been rumors of Barcelona interest in Alexander Lacazette as well, and while I think he's one of the actual talented players on the roster, I'd be happy to have the funds if Barcelona was interested in a massive overpay for the striker.
The strongest rumor around an incoming transfer right now is French 18 year old CB William Saliba who plays for Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1. Arsenal will have to fill essentially an entire back line both for the players on their way out and depth. They'll need to add a #2 GK with the departure of Ospina and retirment of Cech. A replacement defensive mid-fielder for either Torreira or Xhaka, one of whom appears to be gone. I think one of the biggest questions is what we'll see in the attacking center mid position, which has long been occupied by a combination of Ozil and Ramsey. I think it's possible we may see a rotation here as Emery's system favors players that he believes can shift between positions in the midfield.
Arsenal is also set to return CB Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin, who both suffered season ending knee surgeries. Holding showed some flashes last season, and I believe could slot into a starting role next season.
