When the transfer window closed last summer, Arsenal had as many as five first-team players who had entered the final 12 months of their contracts at the Emirates Stadium.
The list included Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah, Mohamed Elneny, Sead Kolasinac and Calum Chambers. In not cashing in on any of the quartet let summer, Gunners manager Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu effectively made the decision to risk them all leaving on a free transfer.
As things turned out, Chambers and Kolasinac departed in January as they joined Aston Villa and Marseille respectively for free, whilst Lacazette's contract was allowed to expire and his official last day as an Arsenal player was Thursday just gone (June 30) with him returning to former club Lyon.
