Who needs to be let go in January to make way for new signings?

Shkodran Mustafi

Who do Arsenal need to let go of in the January transfer window to make way for new signings?

By Bradley West

The New Year is upon us and that can only mean one thing - the January transfer window! 

While there were plenty of ups and downs during 2020 for Arsenal fans, who knows what the next 12 months will bring and change could begin in earnest with transfer comings and goings this month. 

It’s that time of the year for going out with the old and in with the new, and boss Mikel Arteta confirmed in December that outgoings would be the focus of January with the club having to sell players before they can bring anyone in. 

Midfield creativity has long been mooted as the desired area for recruitment but where can wages and space in the squad be freed up to allow those additions? 

After Sead Kolasinac joined Schalke on loan for the rest of the season, and with several players in the squad not seeing much action, we’ve selected five players who could be let go this month. 

Shkodran Mustafi

With a bloated squad, especially at the back, our choices reflect the need to trim the defensive options available to Arteta. 

Since joining in 2016 Mustafi has been a loyal servant to the club but has often made an error too many which has led to goals being conceded. 

The 28-year-old German rejected a contract offer in October and his current deal expires in the summer, so the ideal scenario for the club is to find a fee for him before he leaves for free down the line. 

And with reported interest from Barcelona, Mustafi may just have some suitors. 

But, if no fee can be found, perhaps the Gunners are better off cutting their losses and the wage bill by releasing Mustafi a few months early. 

Cedric Soares 

This might not be the easiest sell, considering he still has three and a half years left on his contract but right back Soares is rarely needed and Arsenal could do better with their defensive back-ups. 

Some may argue this is a harsh move, Soares having only been made a permanent member of the squad in June, but he has just a solitary Premier League appearance alongside six in the Europa League and two in the EFL Cup to his name this campaign. 

At the age of 29, now may be the time to cash in with younger prospects there to fill the void should he leave. 

Sokratis Papastathopoulos 

Sokratis is a high earner, reportedly on around £90,000-a-week, and those funds could be much better invested elsewhere. 

Sokratis Papastathopoulos

The 32-year-old is not even registered to play and is due to leave in the summer when his contract expires. 

But, with Arteta keen to tidy his squad before then and the Greek defender reportedly attracting interest from the likes of Napoli and Fenerbache, now is the time to cash in on Sokratis. 

Granit Xhaka 

This might be more controversial. 

Xhaka, for all his faults with his ill-discipline, has provided international quality at the heart of the Arsenal midfield since joining in the summer of 2016. 

But, with the arrival of Thomas Partey and better younger options in the squad, now is the time to sell Xhaka. 

The former captain has been close to leaving before, of course, and seems to hold the side back nowadays more than he drives it forward. 

At the age of 28, now could be the perfect opportunity to find maximum value in the market for Xhaka’s services. 

Mesut Ozil 

Well, we had to turn to Ozil, didn’t we? 

Having not kicked a ball in anger for Arsenal since March, and been frozen out of the squad by Arteta, the club are simply wasting money on his astronomical wages of a reported £350,000-a-week. 

The 32-year-old is due to leave in the summer on a free anyway but clearing those wages for an extra six months would be a huge financial boost. 

Finding a club willing to take him on for a fee would undoubtedly prove difficult though. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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