The four Arsenal players Mikel Arteta must offload in January - including Aubameyang - 7M sport

The four Arsenal players Mikel Arteta must offload in January - including Aubameyang



Posted Thursday, December 26, 2019 by Express.co.uk

The four Arsenal players Mikel Arteta must offload in January - including Aubameyang
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta faces some big decisions in the coming days and months (Image: GETTY)

Mikel Arteta faces some big decisions in the coming weeks and months.

Arsenal are still in a state of disarray, despite appointing a new manager. Last Friday, the Arsenal brass appointed former Manchester City No 2 Mikel Arteta as Unai Emery’s successor. The decision - like many others the Arsenal board have made in recent seasons - was a perplexing one for most, to say the least.

Entrusting one of the biggest jobs in world football to a glorified assistant manager is one of the greatest risks the club have taken in its long and illustrious history. And given the critical juncture the club finds itself at, getting into the Arteta business is truly baffling.

Arsenal fans will be hoping Arteta can inspire a reaction from the players, who have turned in mundane after mundane performance for the last season-and-a-half.

They will, of course, also be hoping their former midfielder will be able to root out the deadwood that has accumulated in the squad over the years.

Four names immediately come to mind when thinking who Arsenal should cash in on - one of which may surprise the Emirates faithful.

Mesut Ozil

Arsenal’s former record signing has sadly been nothing but a passenger for the last three seasons. Lethargic, disinterested and uninspiring are all adjectives that have been used to describe the German - all of which are true.

Ozil has shown such little passion for the team recently and one can’t help but wonder why he’s still in north London (his ridiculous wages, cough, cough).

Those wages, which are in excess of ï¿¡300,000 a week, would be better spent on players willing to die for the cause - which Ozil, sadly, is not.

Granit Xhaka

Try as he might, Xhaka has never managed to endear himself to the Arsenal faithful. Whether it be his rashness on the pitch or his propensity to pick up needless bookings, many Arsenal fans have just never warmed to the Switzerland international.

That being said, the general consensus amongst fans is the former Borussia Monchengladbach man’s passion for the club and his team-mates is unquestionable. And there’s a plethora of tangible evidence to attest to that fact.

Sadly for Xhaka, though, effort at this level just isn’t good enough. And it’s clear and evident to see he’s not good enough for Arsenal.

If Arteta has any sense, he should look to offload the 27-year-old, who has reportedly agreed personal terms with Hertha Berlin.

Shkodran Mustafi

Where does one start when trying to explain why Arsenal should sell Shkodran Mustafi? His poor positional awareness? His unfathomable ability to be flummoxed by a ball over the top? Or his poor decision making?

Just describing one of the Germany international’s - yes, that says Germany international - shortcomings is enough to justify him being farmed out next month.

Arteta has seen Mustafi’s inability to defend on multiple occasions in Arsenal’s recent showdowns with City. So one wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the former Everton man’s name is high up on the Spaniard’s hit list.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Now I know what you’re thinking: Arsenal would be wrong to sell their main man. But just hear me out for a moment.

Yes, Aubameyang is Arsenal’s top goalscorer and has been their hero on so many occasions. And yes, the club would be in dire, dire straits if it were not been for his glut of goals over the last two seasons.

But one has to look at the bigger picture when it comes to Arsenal as a whole. And that means what the potential sale of Gabon international would do for the club.

Aubameyang has scored a whopping 54 goals in 84 appearances for Arsenal and possesses one of the best goals-to-games ratios in the club’s history.

He’s undoubtedly in his prime and has shown little sign of slowing down. However, at the age of 30, that will eventually happen. So why not cash in on your golden goose before his value diminishes?

Other than Ozil, Arsenal don’t have a single player in their squad who would command a hefty transfer that could be reinvested into the squad.

Arteta has to seriously start thinking about how he can generate the most money possible to bring in new faces.

And sadly for Arsenal fans, selling Aubameyang is the best way to do just that.



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