Arsenal 2023 summer transfer window preview: Outgoings

incoming transfers</a>, looking at who may be leaving the club is just as important.</p> <h2>Arsenal 2023 summer transfer window preview: Outgoings</h2> <p>Here is the 2023 summer transfer window preview for outgoing transfers.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">Granit Xhaka&rsquo;s matchday post on Instagram story, &lsquo;Thank You Gunners&rsquo;, suggesting today will be his final appearance for the club. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://twitter.com/hashtag/afc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>#afc</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://t.co/K5dLNXUep9">pic.twitter.com/K5dLNXUep9

<p>&mdash; afcstuff (@afcstuff) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://twitter.com/afcstuff/status/1662777341515292672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 28, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <h2><strong>Granit Xhaka</strong></h2> <p>Fans will debate Xhaka&rsquo;s overall quality and <a title="How will Granit Xhaka be remembered at Arsenal?" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/16/will-granit-xhaka-remembered-arsenal/" rel="">how he will be remembered as a Gunner</a>, but one thing is certain: he was crucial to the club, whether or not it was always pretty.</p> <p>Following his arrival in 2016, he hasn&rsquo;t made less than <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://www.whoscored.com/Players/89401/History/Granit-Xhaka">31 appearances</a> in any Premier League season. The man has been a staple to Arsenal and his departure must be met with a quality replacement.</p> <p>His contract expires in 2024 and there aren&rsquo;t any <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1658498403653877760">negotiations over a new deal</a> between him and the club. It makes sense for both the player and the club to find him a new home if he isn&rsquo;t in Arsenal&rsquo;s long-term plans.</p> <p>The team most likely to sign him as of now is Bayer Leverkusen. Xhaka would instantly be able to contribute to their midfield and would likely be playing European football next season, depending on how Leverkusen finish the season.</p> <p>There will certainly be mixed feelings about Xhaka and his time at Arsenal, but I hope that how Xhaka has bounced back from adversity will have earned the respect of most Gooners.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide&#8230;</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span>&nbsp;Kieran Tierney </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_130654" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-130654" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1244465959.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1244465959.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1244465959-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Kieran Tierney may go in search of more first-team minutes elsewhere. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)</p> </div> <h2><strong>Kieran Tierney</strong></h2> <p>Tierney’s potential departure has more to do with playing time than anything else. I don’t think that Arsenal would willingly sell Tierney due to his ability, but if he wants a more significant role than what he finds himself in given the emergence of Oleksandr Zinchenko, it would be hard to blame him. He is certainly good enough to be a consistent starting left-back in the Premier League or other European league, and if he wants to move to a place where he’ll have a more set role then Arsenal should let him.</p> <p>To his credit, Tierney hasn’t said anything about wanting to leave the club and there should be plenty of important football to go around next season now that Arsenal have qualified for the Champions League, but the Gunners may find themselves forced to find a left-back to compete with Zinchenko this summer should Tierney leave.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The forward situation </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_134752" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-134752" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1707,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1483940936-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1483940936-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1483940936-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1483940936-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1483940936-2048x1366.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Reiss Nelson is expected to sign a new deal. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)</p> </div> <h2><strong>The forward situation</strong></h2> <p>While there are some players that fans expect (even hope) will be sold, there are also a couple of players that may leave that will disappoint some fans. Other than Xhaka and Tierney, this would likely come from the surplus of forwards that Arsenal may find themselves with by the end of the summer.</p> <p>While we have all fallen in love with his super-sub abilities, Reiss Nelson is at the stage in his career where he might be looking for more regular playing time than what he is receiving at Arsenal. When you factor in that Arsenal will likely be looking to sign a RW this summer, his prospects of getting more playing time than he received this year look slim. However, the latest reports suggest Nelson will extend his stay in north London.</p> <p>In the event of a Nelson exit, there may still be a desire to cash in another attacker this summer given the potential depth that Arsenal could have across the front three. If they were to sign a right-winger, Arsenal could be looking at (left to right) Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah, Folarin Balogun, Bukayo Saka, (new right-winger) and Marquinhos to fill three positions. A couple of caveats to this would be if Smith Rowe started to see more time in the midfield or if one of the more fringe options were loaned.</p> <p>If one of the above players were unhappy with their role or Arsenal were willing to cash in should the right deal materialize, it would likely be for one of Smith Rowe, Nketiah or Balogun.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr">I will genuinely be gutted if Emile Smith Rowe leaves The Arsenal. </p> <p> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://t.co/5aHDW1BK0t">pic.twitter.com/5aHDW1BK0t

<p>— Gunners (@Gunnersc0m) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://twitter.com/Gunnersc0m/status/1662419606491766784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>May 27, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div> <p>Smith Rowe’s perceived value to most clubs is likely much lower than what Arsenal and the fans value him as given the difference between his 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 seasons. Looking at the depth chart, however, it’s hard to see how he gets a significant role if Martinelli and Trossard continue to play how they did this season. If he can transition to being a solid attack-minded midfielder that can play where Xhaka did this past season, then it would increase his chances of getting significant minutes, but we haven’t fully seen it yet. He likely wants nothing more than to win a role back with Arsenal as soon as possible, but if he starts to think the grass is greener on the other side, he could be enticed into leaving for another club. From Arsenal’s perspective, if a club offers something too good to pass up, they may consider letting him leave, but it’s pure speculation.</p> <p>A more likely possibility would be one of Nketiah or Balogun being either loaned or sold. <a title="Can Arsenal win the Premier League title with Gabriel Jesus?" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/26/can-arsenal-win-premier-league-title-gabriel-jesus/" rel="">A healthy Jesus is the undisputed Arsenal starter</a> and Trossard is looking like the second-best CF option heading into next season, so there may only be minutes for one of the two. If Nketiah is the one to leave, it would likely be a sell-to-loan or outright sell given that he’s already had his chance to show what he can do at Arsenal. If Balogun was the one to leave, I could see him being loaned again to continue to get consistent game time and hone his skills, unless somebody offers an obscene amount for him. Like having too much depth at any position, Arsenal’s potential depth in attack heading into next season is a good problem to have.</p> <p>Don’t be surprised if Arsenal sell one of their forwards this summer to help fund another transfer.</p> <p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Players on the fringes </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_134751" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-134751" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_991,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1480950414.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="991" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1480950414.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1480950414-420x260.jpeg 420w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1480950414-768x476.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1480950414-1536x951.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Nicolas Pepe has spent the current season on loan at Nice. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)</p> </div> <h2><strong>Players on the fringes who could use a new home</strong></h2> <p>The main potential outgoings that people will focus on are Xhaka and Tierney, but even if they leave, they won’t be the only ones. I think most Arsenal fans would expect Rob Holding, Nuno Tavares, Nicolas Pepe, Cedric Soares, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Sambi Lokonga to be wearing a kit other than Arsenal’s come September, and the club will likely be hoping to sell them all rather than loan them out.</p> <p>We saw a noticeable dip in quality when William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu went down with injuries this season and Holding stepped in. He is a solid defender that could potentially play an important role with another Premier League team, but he doesn’t fit Arsenal’s style of play in that he isn’t great in possession of the ball. I expect Arsenal to look for another RCB to take Holding’s position on the roster, and to sell Holding as a result.</p> <p>Both Tavares and Pepe had semi-productive loan spells in France this season, each scoring six goals in Ligue 1. It has become pretty clear that they don’t have futures with the club, so I expect Arsenal to try to sell them this summer. Worst case scenario, the club could try to loan them out again in case no deal materializes with the hopes of increasing their transfer values.</p> <p>Soares, Maitland-Niles and Lokonga are also looking on their way out. All three were sent on loan to other Premier League clubs this season since they didn’t have much of a role with Arsenal. It’s hard to see that changing, so we’re probably looking at a similar deal with these three as we are with the previous two. It should be noted that Soares and Mailand-Niles’ deals both expire this summer (although Soares has a one-year club option), but Lokonga’s deal doesn’t expire until 2026. Because of this, we could see Lokonga loaned out again to try and get him consistent playtime and increase his value. There’s a non-zero chance he could impress enough during this time to get another chance to fight for a spot with Arsenal, but I don’t think it’s very likely.</p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="EI825MLzrq"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/22/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-incomings/">Arsenal 2023 summer transfer window preview: Incomings</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" title="“Arsenal 2023 summer transfer window preview: Incomings” — Pain in the Arsenal" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/28/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-outgoings/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/05/22/arsenal-2023-summer-transfer-window-preview-incomings/embed/#?secret=0rWAkeZBsl#?secret=EI825MLzrq" data-secret="EI825MLzrq" width="500" height="282" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div> <p>Look for multiple fringe players to be sold this summer as Arsenal continue to trim the squad.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">