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.
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Meanwhile, Elneny and Nketiah each signed contract extensions after the final game of last season as Arteta had made his intentions clear: "We have discussions, as you know, and at the end of the season, once we know where we are, we will make a decision altogether," the Spaniard said back in March. "I don’t want anyone to think about something else that is not that. The decision, we agreed, is to do it in the summer and we’re going to do it as soon as the season is finished."
Although, whilst Nketiah will be at the Emirates for the next five years at the very least, Elneny only signed a one-year deal and the club hold the option to extend his stay by a further 12 months. So even though the Egypt international could be free to speak with overseas teams from next January, the Gunners don't have to make a decision any time soon.
However, if last summer is anything to go by then Arteta and Edu will decide the fates of five senior players before the transfer window closes. Whether that be to sell between now and deadline day, repeat the trick from a year ago by risking the prospect of losing some for free or leave it late to get an extension sorted.
Below are the five Arsenal first-team players out of contract next summer and the latest on their futures.
Bernd Leno
This week saw Arsenal finally announce the signing of Matt Turner and this may be a clear indication that it signals the permanent exit of Leno this summer as he seeks regular first-team football in an attempt to avoid missing out on a place in Germany's World Cup squad in Qatar.
Having lost his place to Aaron Ramsdale last September, Leno's agent, Joannis Koukoutrigas, has already revealed that he will end his four-year stay in North London amid links to newly-promoted Fulham: "He is a German national goalkeeper, has always performed well at Arsenal and is an absolute team player," Koukoutrigas told German outlet BILD, via the Evening Standard.
"For me personally, Bernd is also the clear No.1 at Arsenal. With all due respect to the competitors. Fulham is trying hard to get Bernd. Very professionally. This is also true for some other clubs and shows his status. But, as I said, for me he is the No.1 at Arsenal and we are therefore also relaxed."
Hector Bellerin
The Spaniard is back at Arsenal for pre-season training after his loan spell with Real Betis came to an end. Perhaps not for much longer due to him being way down the pecking order at right-back as well as interest in his services from the La Liga side as well as Atletico Madrid, Lazio and Roma.
Sport Witness, claim the Gunners value Hector Bellerin at €20m (£17.1m). This would be a welcome windfall if Edu manages to secure it and will start to change the perception around him regarding player sales which haven't been a strong point for him since taking up the technical director role in the summer of 2019.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Another member of last season's loan army that has reported back for pre-season training after not being able to secure a permanent move. In truth, Ainsley Maitland-Niles' spell at Roma didn't go as smoothly as he would have hoped, but he did win a trophy and this summer feels like a big one in his career.
As previously reported by football.london, Arsenal are open to selling the 24-year-old. Although his high salary at the Emirates combined with Nottingham Forest's budgetary limitations could make a potential move to the Premier League new boys a difficult one to complete.
Lucas Torreira
As things stand, Lucas Torreira is under contract at Arsenal for the 2022/23 season. But the midfielder has made it crystal clear that he is seeking a permanent move away this summer after spending the last two campaigns on loan with Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina.
"Chances? None," he said when asked about his chances of playing for the Gunners next season. "From the beginning, they told me that I didn’t have a place, so I don’t want to stay either because I suffered a lot, it cost me a lot to adapt and my idea is to go to Italy or Spain."
Torreira could get his wish if a club from either Spain or Italy meet his €15m (£12.9m) asking price before the summer transfer window closes as he's already admitted that a dream move to Boca Juniors is unlikely: "Boca is very difficult," he added. "It was difficult when my mom passed and I really wanted to go there, then I had a very good season and I have one year left on my contract with Arsenal.
"Any team that wants me has to buy out my contract, which today is worth approximately €15 million, so that’s why I see it as difficult (for Boca), although I never lose hope; I feel a lot of love for that club and at some point, I would like to play there."
Reiss Nelson
Aside from William Saliba, there's an argument that Reiss Nelson had the most encouraging loan spell last season as he came to life at Feyenoord during the second half of the campaign to perhaps give Arteta and Edu something to think about this summer.
The Eredivisie outfit have expressed an interest in taking him back next season, but their financial restrictions mean that a permanent deal could be tricky. In terms of staying at Arsenal for the upcoming campaign, much could depend on what happens with Nicolas Pepe and if another winger is signed amid links to Raphinha.
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