Unai Emery is planning a squad overhaul at Arsenal
Arsenal’s squad has been subpar for a number of years now and new boss Unai Emery is looking to solve that problem by clearing out the dead wood.
According to Goal, Emery is willing to sell Danny Welbeck, Nacho Monreal, Shkodran Mustafi, Petr Cech, Lucas Perez and Carl Jenkinson (yes, apparently he’s still there).
Bar Monreal, who remains a fan favourite but is entering the twilight of his career, most of these names have failed to deliver what was expected of them in an Arsenal shirt.
If Monreal is sold, Emery will want to sign a left-back to replace him but his priority remains a fast, direct winger.
The Gunners have already confirmed the signings of goalkeeper Berndt Leno from Bayer Leverkusen, as well as Stephan Lichtsteiner, Sokratis Papastathopolous and Lucas Torreira who will surely strengthen a previously weak spine.
These recruits allow Arsenal to offload players such as Mustafi and Cech, who have bitterly disappointed at the Emirates.
A rumour linking Cech with a return to Chelsea has surfaced recently, as Thibaut Courtois looks set to leave for Real Madrid.
Arsenal had a budget of around £70m at the start of this transfer window but will need to sell before they bring in any new players this summer.
With only three and a half weeks remaining in this transfer window, Emery will have to act fast if he is to bring in the winger he desires.
Kingsley Coman could be that man after being linked with a move to Arsenal since falling out of favour at Bayern Munich. The Bayern player has already won the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 – all before he turned 22 – after spells at Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.
His direct dribbling would provide Arsenal with a different option out wide. After selling Theo Walcott, their wide options consist of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and strikers such as Alexandre Lacazette, neither of whom are out and out wingers.
