Arsenal spent big last summer, adding the likes of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz to their ranks.However, the Gunners are expected to break the bank again this summer as they look to take a step further in their hunt for trophy domination.
With that in mind, here are three players that Arsenal should sell this summer and the three players who should replace them.Since joining the club from Manchester City, Gabriel Jesus has had a mixed Arsenal career.
It was instantly clear that the Brazilian took the Gunners to a new level as Arsenal came the closest they have been to winning the league in almost a decade. However, Jesus has been hounded with injuries during his time at the club and this season has averaged a conversion rate of just 7.7%.
While initially influential on Arsenal’s success, it seems that the Gunners have already outgrown the Brazilian and it may be time for him to move on.Despite having scored 82 goals so far this season, Arsenal have been guilty of dropping points due to a lack of clinical striker.A striker appears to be at the top of Mikel Arteta’s shopping list this summer and Viktor Gyökeres is a name that keeps getting dropped into conversations.
The Swede has been in immaculate form since joining Sporting from Coventry City last summer. He has currently scored 24 goals in 29 Primeira Liga games, averaging 0.83 goals per 90.Add to that his 10 assists (at the time of writing) and you have yourself a complete striker. At just 25 years old, Gyökeres is only just beginning to enter his prime and with a release clause of roughly £86m, it is likely the striker will be joining a new club in the summer.
The then 18-year-old came off the bench in the Carabao Cup to score within 15 seconds and level the tie against Norwich in the 85th minute. Nketiah then scored again in the 96th minute to win Arsenal the game.However the striker has never quite hit the heights in his career that were once expected of him.
The talent is still clearly there, as highlighted by his performance against Sheffield United earlier this season, but for whatever reason his Arsenal career has fizzled out.For the sake of both his career and the club, a summer departure looks likely. Nketiah needs a consistent run of games to revive his career but he is not at the level where Arsenal can afford to give him that amount of time.
Nketiah has only managed five goals in the Premier League this season at an average of 0.42 goals per 90. It was rumoured that Arsenal set a £50m price tag on Nketiah in January. If the price is reached this summer, it would make a hefty addition to Arteta’s summer war chest.This season, Arsenal have played largely with Kai Havertz operating as a hybrid between a centre-forward and a false nine.
The German has adapted well to the role but it has left Arsenal with a lack of options at the top of the pitch.The Gunners’ actual strikers have often found themselves on the bench or sidelined through injury, meaning that Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus have only scored a combined nine goals in the Premier League.
It is clear that Arsenal need a complete rehaul in the centre-forward position and Ollie Watkins is the perfect candidate to take up the mantle. The Englishman has been in blistering form this season, having scored 19 and assisted 12 in 33 Premier League games so far.
In fact, the Aston Villa forward has gone under the radar for some time.Watkins has scored at least 10 league goals in every season since his time at Exeter City where he scored eight goals in 20 games in the 2015/16 season.
It would take a lot of money to convince Aston Villa to sell their star striker, but this is definitely a deal that Arsenal should explore.Guimaraes has averaged 7.70 duels won per 90 so far in the league this season as well as maintaining a pass accuracy of 85.7%.
If Arsenal were to complete a deal for the Brazilian, the Gunners would boast a formidable midfield of Bruno Guimaraes, Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard.