Arsenal technical director Edu and manager Mikel Arteta face a number of big decisions to make ahead of the summer transfer window.
Despite focusing on incomings and what players they should bring to north London, both Edu and Arteta must also decide what players should be moved on at the end of the current campaign. Two players have been signed during the January transfer window in the form of Belgian attacker Leandro Trossard and Polish defender Jakub Kiwior as the Gunners look to clinch their first Premier League title since the 2023/04 campaign.
The north Londoners continue to be linked with moves for a central midfielder and a right-back but they must be careful to not add too many cooks to the kitchen, with some players needing to head for the exit door at the Emirates Stadium. With that being said, football.london takes a look at five players that will be considering their Arsenal future in the coming weeks.
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Cedric Soares
Cedric Soares' future appears to be away from north London and football.london understands that Arsenal are in talks with Fulham over a potential loan deal for the Portuguese defender to the end of the season. The former Southampton man has missed the last few matches with a muscle problem, but there is hope he could be back soon.
Talks have taken place over a potential move for Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda whilst the Gunners already have Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu in this position, leaving Cedric low down Mikel Arteta's pecking order. The 31-year-old's current contract expires in the summer of 2024 but it would be surprising if he does not depart for more regular game time before then.
Mohamed Elneny
Central midfielder Mohamed Elneny has been a solid servant at Arsenal since joining from Basel back in January 2016. The Egyptian international has stepped up in some big matches when called upon, notably putting in an impressive performance in last season's 3-1 win over Manchester United at the Emirates.
However, his days with the Gunners could be numbered considering recent reports linking West Ham United star Declan Rice with a summer move north London. Elneny is certainly a useful squad player for Arteta, although a move for Rice could potentially leave him as the Spaniard's third-choice for the no.6 role - something that could force the player into searching for a new club this summer.
Reiss Nelson
Hale End academy graduate Reiss Nelson appeared to finally be getting his Arsenal career back on track before sustaining an injury during last month's friendly against Juventus. The 23-year-old had registered just two goals and an assist from two league outings this term, delivering a brilliant display during the 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
However, his fitness woes combined with the fact that the Gunners have since signed the aforementioned Trossard may make a renewal of his soon-to-be-expiring contract unlikely. Nelson is now into the final six months of his current deal at the Emirates, meaning he is now free to discuss a summer transfer to foreign clubs.
Rob Holding
Another player that could miss out on game time because of a January arrival is Rob Holding. Arsenal brought in Polish centre-back Kiwior whilst Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are already ahead of the former Bolton man in the centre-half rotation.
Holding, 27, hasn't started a single league game this term, reduced to minutes in the cups, something that may frustrate him, especially when you consider that he is the only player on this list in his prime years. He has featured 152 times since joining back in the summer of 2016, starting in FA Cup final victories over Chelsea in 2017 and 2020.
Newcastle United were interested in taking him on loan three years ago but a move eventually fell through after Arteta decided he didn't want the Englishman to leave.
Albert Sambi Lokonga
Young midfielder Sambi Lokonga arrived at Arsenal 18 months ago with plenty of hype. He had been compared to Manchester City icon Yaya Toure by Vincent Kompany, who had managed him at Anderlecht, but the Belgian has looked a million miles away from anything resembling Toure since then.
Granted, Lokonga has sometimes been tasked with too big a role in midfield, sometimes playing as a lone no.6 behind the attacking Emile Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard last season but his performances in this season's cup competitions haven't covered him in glory either. First-choice midfielders Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka are aged 29 and 30 respectively, meaning there is definitely a future path into Arteta's starting XI but the potential arrival of the aforementioned Rice would make this path a lot tougher for the 23-year-old.
A number of Serie A clubs has been mooted as potential destinations for Lokonga, although perhaps a loan move would make the most sense for all parties.
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